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Hub You - Overhauling Your Website to Refine Your Public Image
What the marketing manager communicates is determined by target customer’s needs and attitudes. How the messages are delivered depends on what blend of the various promotion methods the marketing manager chooses.A marketing manager can choose from several promotion methods – personal selling, mass selling, and sales promotion. Further, because the different promotion methods have different strengths and limitations, a marketing manager usually uses them in combination. And, with other marketing mix decisions, it is critical that the marketer manage and coordinate the different promotion methods as an integrated “whole” – not as separate and unrelated parts.Personal selling involves direct spoken communication between sellers and potential customers. Face-to-face selling provides imme
The newly redesigned PoconoRecord.com fundamentally changes the Pocono Record’s presence on the web. Instead of being a clumsy extension of the newspaper, PoconoRecord.com has positioned the newspaper company for growth. The newspaper can extend its current print readers into online consumers, and the company also can cultivate a new generation of news readers on the web. Further, as the newspaper industry continues its decline in the United States, PoconoRecord.com provides a strategic direction for the newspaper company, facilitating alternative growth.
Key Lessons for Small Businesses
Newspapers may not seem like a likely source of lessons for small businesses. They tend to be old-fashioned and resistant to change. New ideas are eschewed in favor of a zeal for tradition. Despite these industry tendencies, though, the website overhaul executed by the Pocono Rec
Companies that sell reinforcing steel bars (or concrete bars - also known as Rebar) have seen a boom in recent years. Many cities have seen a surge in residential and commercial real estate projects, which in turn has increased the demand for Rebar.Companies that sell, cut and bend Rebar have profited nicely from this growth – however, they have also faced a common problem in the industry. The problem is tight cash flow. Basically, they sell the Rebar to customers (e.g. builders, contractors) at good prices. These customers usually pay their invoices in 30 to 60 days. In the meantime, the Rebar company must wait to get paid while covering all supplier, payroll and rent expenses. Many times, this is not sustainable. Either the company stops growing, or worse, it starts missing key supplier o
The Pocono Record is a small community newspaper with a website to match. For years, the newspaper focused entirely on operations – getting news stories onto the website as quickly as possible. As a result, the stories on the site were the same as those found in the newspaper, and there was little additional content to make the website unique. The website’s design and layout were, quite simply, awful, and the site did little to extend the newspaper’s brand.
PoconoRecord.com needed a complete overhaul. Unfortunately, this is not unusual. As companies focus on keeping their websites – and the rest of the business – running, the website’s design can become dated. Something else is always more important.When this happens, the website’s neglect becomes more and more evident. Over time, the need for a redesign, even a complete change, becomes more important and more complicated. In these cases, though, small businesses are forced to invest more time and money in the website than they realized would be necessary.
PoconoRecord.com, even though it is a small daily newspaper, has many of the same problems as small business websites.Like the Pocono Record, you have to work hard to keep your website current and operational; it is easy to neglect the strategic changes to your website that will yield substantial online growth. After a while, your current website, with a dated design, no longer serves your business. It may even detract from your image. When this happens, an overhaul is in order.
The Problem
PoconoRecord.com’s website design themes were neglected for years. From the website’s inception, more effort went into ensuring that content got onto the website than into improving the design, layout, and navigation. Operations were cumbersome and fraught with manual processes. With the emphasis on operations, continual improvement was not possible. As a result of the bias toward operation instead of growth, PoconoRecord.com did little to extend the newspaper’s brand. The website did not drive significant new subscriptions, and it did not generate a meaningful revenue stream.
The Pocono Record recognized the limitations of its website and decided that a substantial commitment was necessary to turn this ancillary cost into a revenue center for the newspaper. The website needed fresh content and a new layout. The latter, especially, was a salient problem. PoconoRecord.com was characterized by clumsy graphics and technology that had become obsolete at the turn of the century. PoconoRecord.com needed new graphics, increased functionality, and a more efficient layout. Ultimately, the newspaper decided that PoconoRecord.com needed to be enhanced to the point where it could make a sufficient contribution to the business.
Given the new role of PoconoRecord.com – from being a web version of the newspaper to a resource that could contribute to increased readership and revenue growth – the Pocono Record decided to make a substantial investment in the website. Despite the fact the Pocono Record had a competent internal technical staff, the newspaper simply did not have the resources to dedicate to a complete website overhaul. Consequently, the Pocono Record elected to make a large investment in its website, which entailed engaging outside help.
To complete the website overhaul quickly and without too large a price tag, the Pocono Record needed a plan. Pocono record developed a comprehensive blueprint for a fundamentally new website. The logo changed, the color palette and design theme were altered radically, and the functionality offered by the website changed. Instead of merely offering the stories that had appeared in the newspaper, the new PoconoRecord.com was designed and implemented to foster a sense of community with its readers. Visitors to the website now could comment on a story, leave feedback, and communicate with the newspaper and with other readers directly.
The newly redesigned PoconoRecord.com fundamentally changes the Pocono Record’s presence on the web. Instead of being a clumsy extension of the newspaper, PoconoRecord.com has positioned the newspaper company for growth. The newspaper can extend its current print readers into online consumers, and the company also can cultivate a new generation of news readers on the web. Further, as the newspaper industry continues its decline in the United States, PoconoRecord.com provides a strategic direction for the newspaper company, facilitating alternative growth.
Key Lessons for Small Businesses
Newspapers may not seem like a likely source of lessons for small businesses. They tend to be old-fashioned and resistant to change. New ideas are eschewed in favor of a zeal for tradition. Despite these industry tendencies, though, the website overhaul executed by the Pocono Reco
If you are an independent professional or small business owner providing services, here is a simple four step sales process you can use to close more sales and expand your business.1. Generate LeadsDeveloping a list of prospects to market to should be one of your core marketing activities, and one of the main goals of your website. Some traditional ways to generate leads include asking for referrals, networking, writing articles, or speaking at professional associations and conferences.You can also generate leads online by offering an enticing giveaway report or ecourse at your website, submitting articles to online directories, writing a blog, posting to someone else’s blog or a discussion forum, using pay-per-click ads, and advertising in ezines or at websites.
PoconoRecord.com, even though it is a small daily newspaper, has many of the same problems as small business websites.Like the Pocono Record, you have to work hard to keep your website current and operational; it is easy to neglect the strategic changes to your website that will yield substantial online growth. After a while, your current website, with a dated design, no longer serves your business. It may even detract from your image. When this happens, an overhaul is in order.
The Problem
PoconoRecord.com’s website design themes were neglected for years. From the website’s inception, more effort went into ensuring that content got onto the website than into improving the design, layout, and navigation. Operations were cumbersome and fraught with manual processes. With the emphasis on operations, continual improvement was not possible. As a result of the bias toward operation instead of growth, PoconoRecord.com did little to extend the newspaper’s brand. The website did not drive significant new subscriptions, and it did not generate a meaningful revenue stream.
The Pocono Record recognized the limitations of its website and decided that a substantial commitment was necessary to turn this ancillary cost into a revenue center for the newspaper. The website needed fresh content and a new layout. The latter, especially, was a salient problem. PoconoRecord.com was characterized by clumsy graphics and technology that had become obsolete at the turn of the century. PoconoRecord.com needed new graphics, increased functionality, and a more efficient layout. Ultimately, the newspaper decided that PoconoRecord.com needed to be enhanced to the point where it could make a sufficient contribution to the business.
Given the new role of PoconoRecord.com – from being a web version of the newspaper to a resource that could contribute to increased readership and revenue growth – the Pocono Record decided to make a substantial investment in the website. Despite the fact the Pocono Record had a competent internal technical staff, the newspaper simply did not have the resources to dedicate to a complete website overhaul. Consequently, the Pocono Record elected to make a large investment in its website, which entailed engaging outside help.
To complete the website overhaul quickly and without too large a price tag, the Pocono Record needed a plan. Pocono record developed a comprehensive blueprint for a fundamentally new website. The logo changed, the color palette and design theme were altered radically, and the functionality offered by the website changed. Instead of merely offering the stories that had appeared in the newspaper, the new PoconoRecord.com was designed and implemented to foster a sense of community with its readers. Visitors to the website now could comment on a story, leave feedback, and communicate with the newspaper and with other readers directly.
The newly redesigned PoconoRecord.com fundamentally changes the Pocono Record’s presence on the web. Instead of being a clumsy extension of the newspaper, PoconoRecord.com has positioned the newspaper company for growth. The newspaper can extend its current print readers into online consumers, and the company also can cultivate a new generation of news readers on the web. Further, as the newspaper industry continues its decline in the United States, PoconoRecord.com provides a strategic direction for the newspaper company, facilitating alternative growth.
Key Lessons for Small Businesses
Newspapers may not seem like a likely source of lessons for small businesses. They tend to be old-fashioned and resistant to change. New ideas are eschewed in favor of a zeal for tradition. Despite these industry tendencies, though, the website overhaul executed by the Pocono Rec
I admit that for some time I was resistant to doing any marketing via old fashioned snail mail. After all, email is FREE (at least for the time being). Why pay to print and mail anything at all? I mean, I'm the Ezine Queen - not the direct mail queen! And I was already making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year using the Internet.Well, I can tell you I've changed my tune based on several mailings I've done over the past year. A test of sending out few simple postcards and one sales letter mailing helped me exponentially increase my response to two of my programs over the last several months. I'm now SOLD!If you aren't collecting any physical addresses right now from your clients, customers, and ezine subscribers, please get started now. Because not only will offl
The Pocono Record recognized the limitations of its website and decided that a substantial commitment was necessary to turn this ancillary cost into a revenue center for the newspaper. The website needed fresh content and a new layout. The latter, especially, was a salient problem. PoconoRecord.com was characterized by clumsy graphics and technology that had become obsolete at the turn of the century. PoconoRecord.com needed new graphics, increased functionality, and a more efficient layout. Ultimately, the newspaper decided that PoconoRecord.com needed to be enhanced to the point where it could make a sufficient contribution to the business.
Given the new role of PoconoRecord.com – from being a web version of the newspaper to a resource that could contribute to increased readership and revenue growth – the Pocono Record decided to make a substantial investment in the website. Despite the fact the Pocono Record had a competent internal technical staff, the newspaper simply did not have the resources to dedicate to a complete website overhaul. Consequently, the Pocono Record elected to make a large investment in its website, which entailed engaging outside help.
To complete the website overhaul quickly and without too large a price tag, the Pocono Record needed a plan. Pocono record developed a comprehensive blueprint for a fundamentally new website. The logo changed, the color palette and design theme were altered radically, and the functionality offered by the website changed. Instead of merely offering the stories that had appeared in the newspaper, the new PoconoRecord.com was designed and implemented to foster a sense of community with its readers. Visitors to the website now could comment on a story, leave feedback, and communicate with the newspaper and with other readers directly.
The newly redesigned PoconoRecord.com fundamentally changes the Pocono Record’s presence on the web. Instead of being a clumsy extension of the newspaper, PoconoRecord.com has positioned the newspaper company for growth. The newspaper can extend its current print readers into online consumers, and the company also can cultivate a new generation of news readers on the web. Further, as the newspaper industry continues its decline in the United States, PoconoRecord.com provides a strategic direction for the newspaper company, facilitating alternative growth.
Key Lessons for Small Businesses
Newspapers may not seem like a likely source of lessons for small businesses. They tend to be old-fashioned and resistant to change. New ideas are eschewed in favor of a zeal for tradition. Despite these industry tendencies, though, the website overhaul executed by the Pocono Rec
Most Unions are completely upset that there are so many jobs headed offshore and to foreign lands. We have jobs slipping away from America to China and India, who together have over 2 Billion people who want jobs very badly and will work for under $3.00 per day.The Union Auto Workers have priced themselves out of a job in many parts of our country and companies like Delphi, General Motors and Ford are moving factories to places like Jarez, Mexico, just over the border. Delphi says it will move 20 automotive part-making plants there. General Motors, which already has many there will be moving 8 or more within the next 3-5 years.Why is all this happening? Well there are many reasons but most include the over regulation on American Manufacturing and much of that is caused by Liberal Dem
To complete the website overhaul quickly and without too large a price tag, the Pocono Record needed a plan. Pocono record developed a comprehensive blueprint for a fundamentally new website. The logo changed, the color palette and design theme were altered radically, and the functionality offered by the website changed. Instead of merely offering the stories that had appeared in the newspaper, the new PoconoRecord.com was designed and implemented to foster a sense of community with its readers. Visitors to the website now could comment on a story, leave feedback, and communicate with the newspaper and with other readers directly.
The newly redesigned PoconoRecord.com fundamentally changes the Pocono Record’s presence on the web. Instead of being a clumsy extension of the newspaper, PoconoRecord.com has positioned the newspaper company for growth. The newspaper can extend its current print readers into online consumers, and the company also can cultivate a new generation of news readers on the web. Further, as the newspaper industry continues its decline in the United States, PoconoRecord.com provides a strategic direction for the newspaper company, facilitating alternative growth.
Key Lessons for Small Businesses
Newspapers may not seem like a likely source of lessons for small businesses. They tend to be old-fashioned and resistant to change. New ideas are eschewed in favor of a zeal for tradition. Despite these industry tendencies, though, the website overhaul executed by the Pocono Rec
Complete Industry, employer and job research gives job career search applicants a competitive edge. The work you do before the interview will pay off in spades many times over and over.Employers nationwide report soundly that applicants who research employers well increase their employability as much as 25- 40 %. Thus by doing a thorough job of research of the complete industry, employer and job you will have a big payoff. This is most important both for getting that job, increasing your salary requests and later promotion on the job. Remember that first impressions carry a tremendous amount of weight and that “First Impressions are Lasting Impressions”.The advantages of researching your career field and potential employers affect the success of your job search in many ways. feedback, and communicate with the newspaper and with other readers directly.
The newly redesigned PoconoRecord.com fundamentally changes the Pocono Record’s presence on the web. Instead of being a clumsy extension of the newspaper, PoconoRecord.com has positioned the newspaper company for growth. The newspaper can extend its current print readers into online consumers, and the company also can cultivate a new generation of news readers on the web. Further, as the newspaper industry continues its decline in the United States, PoconoRecord.com provides a strategic direction for the newspaper company, facilitating alternative growth.
Key Lessons for Small Businesses
Newspapers may not seem like a likely source of lessons for small businesses. They tend to be old-fashioned and resistant to change. New ideas are eschewed in favor of a zeal for tradition. Despite these industry tendencies, though, the website overhaul executed by the Pocono Record provides some substantial lessons for small businesses in any industry who have neglected the design and layout of their respective websites. While newspapers traditionally have offered little for small businesses to emulate, PoconoRecord.com is a refreshing exception.
Consider your website an extension of your company’s physical presence. If you meet with customers or clients in an office or store, you ensure that the appearance of your facility is aligned with the image of your business. You keep a clean waiting room or office, a well-organized store, and sufficient inventory. Further, you encourage your employees to dress appropriately. If you run a financial office, for example, you wear a suit. If you sell building maintenance services, on the other hand, your staff will dress differently – in a manner appropriate the operations of your company.
The Pocono Record had a substantial need for a new design – a fundamentally reconstructed website. The project required extensive work, as the Pocono Record had not invested significantly in its web presence for five years. Instead of continuing to invest as little as possible, the Pocono Record elected to invest heavily and make PoconoRecord.com an important part of the newspaper’s growth strategy. This is a model for other small businesses. Sometimes a large investment in web capabilities is necessary, especially if your website is important to your business. The cost of the project may seem overwhelming, but ultimately, the investment will pay off.
Copyright 2006 Daniel Scheff
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