Your audience could have a disability – can they read your website?
Currently I'm taking a course offered by WebAim.org to get certified in creating and editing electronic documents for ADA level 2 compliance or more. After only one module completed, I highly recommend this course for anyone interested in having their materials understood by 100% of the potential audience, rather than only 75%. I'll be writing a post on each module to share some of the key points I [...]
A short list to clean out your well-established website, aka long-in-the-tooth
Today I'm working on my own site. It has been years since I first started it and a few years since I updated the theme. I recently did that and now have to go through the cleanout process. I thought I'd take this opportunity to give you a short list of what you should do every two to three years to make sure your site won't embarrass you. [...]
Did You Steal That? Copyright and Trademark Basics
You’ve seen this done before, right? A small business or company sees something online that they really like, it fits in with their brand image and audience, and they think, “I can totally use that!” So, they grab a screenshot, download it, change a couple of things like taking the logo off the original image and then put theirs on, and voilà! Share it. Guess what? That’s theft. [...]
Important but simple tasks for website performance
Ah, the love hate relationship with WordPress, hosting, security and efficiency. Some assumptions are made here: 1. Your website looks great and is responsive on mobile. 2. You have an SSL certificate with auto renew on all sites and subdomains. 3. You have someone keeping your plugins and themes up-to-date and reviewing them quarterly to make sure they are still the best solution. Going with that, let's add [...]
Clean home or office can change your attitude
I work from my home office. I see my home a lot. It also means I get used to the typical messes, daily wear and tear of having a family and three furry pets. As we come into the holiday season, it's a great time to think about spiffing up a bit more, especially if you plan on entertaining for big or small events. When our work-space is [...]
You don’t have to be a great writer to create regular posts.
Many sites lack regular content because of priorities, lack of support staff, no thoughts for relevant topics and other excuses. I'm letting you off the hook now. You don't have to wear all the hats at your company. You only need to be able to enlist someone to help you review, flesh out and expand a topic. We have several clients that only send us bullet points, or [...]
1 brand, 4 websites – Audubon Realty
When you have multiple divisions, you need to have cohesive, yet unique branding and content. For Audubon Realty, his old site didn't perform well and didn't allow him to use it as a marketing vehicle. We started with Audubon Realty and then added Louisiana REO and HUD For Lousiana. Recently, broker/owner David Reso earned his notary license - a big deal in Louisiana. We needed a slight, but [...]
Why you need an online pressroom
This episode is a continuation of a previous one, your online media kit, where we talk about the need to have the bios, photos and logos you want others to use. Your online pressroom is about credibility. When you have credibility, it adds to your authority, which adds to your trust which means more people will trust you with their business. The page that should be linked from [...]
Top 5 Ways to Monetize Your Event
When you decide to add events as a revenue stream into your business the normal thought process is to focus on ticket sales to make money. Although this is extremely important as that is your indicator for 1) How many people are attending your event and 2) Where you need to adjust your marketing efforts to increase “butts in seats," there's far more strategies for monetization. Here are [...]
Ideas to Keep Your Trade Show Booth from Being BORING
Is Your Exhibit Booth Boring - answer - YES IT IS. Enjoy these exhibit booth and trade show ideas from a recording I did with Lany Sullivan. It's all about being a memorable destination at the event. People should HAVE TO get to your booth! Let me paint a picture and you tell me if this sounds familiar. A 6 foot table with a branded skirt, logo set [...]
Check your statements for random small charges.
Banks protect you against fraudulent charges, but you need to watch THEIR random charges, too. I have a bookkeeper, this is good. But that doesn't mean I can forget about reviewing my accounts and regular charges. I bank with Chase. They call regularly for fraud protection issues. I'm glad. BUT, for the past few months, there have been charges on the first of the month for two services [...]
Thrive on Stress and Deadlines – The Voice of Bold Business
Thank you, Jessica Dewell for having me on to talk with Howard about stress and how much power to give it - or not at all. I hope you all enjoy this episode. Society tends to attach the word, "thrive" to stress and deadlines. This can be a difficult idea to accomplish and may even add unnecessary pressure. The Voice of Bold Business tells us we don't actually [...]