Website Development Pricing: Numbers You Won’t Expect

E-commerceIt’s time to get your small business website built (or rebuilt).  But what can you expect as far as website development pricing?

For a small business website of up to 30 or so pages, you can expect to see anywhere from a few hundred dollars (some teenager working from his bedroom) to tens of thousands (ad agencies in metro areas).  We’re glad to show you our pricing below, but first let’s consider some of the more intangible numbers.

When you get a firm number from a web designer, you’ll want to add these numbers to the bottom line.

The Headache Cost – $200 – $500

If you’ve been through the process before, you’ve probably had to take some ibuprofen ($5 right there) before the new site launched.   (more…)

How To Build Links And Influence People

How To Win FriendsAre you looking to get some momentum with web traffic?  Trying to figure out how to build links and bring in more customers?  This post is for you.

I’ve been listening to that lavishly written classic on human relations “How To Win Friends And Influence People” while jogging lately.  What a powerful book.  This is probably my fourth time through the audio version.  It will not be my last.

It got me thinking about how building web traffic (link building, SEO, social media) is basically winning friends and influencing people online.  So it makes sense that we can take what Dale Carnegie said back in the 30s and tweak and update it some to implement his techniques on the web.

There is a great deal to be learned here for content and inbound marketers.  The outline below is verbatim from Dale’s book with his statements in bold and my comments following each.  Some of the points deal with winning friends (and getting links), while others deal with influencing people (converting visitors into customers).  Parts 1 through 3 of the book relate to content marketing, while Part 4 is about leadership which doesn’t apply here.  These comments are through Part 3 only.

How To Build Links And Influence People

Part One

Fundamental Techniques In Handling People

  1. Don’t criticize, condemn, or complain.  In all online interactions, keep on the sunny side. This is especially true with the use of sarcasm, which never plays well in text form.  Stay light years away from negativity, whining, and sarcasm. (more…)

Business Storytelling: Why You Should Hire A Communicator

Storyteller by Garry Knight

Storyteller Photo by Garry Knight

The way you get new business can be boiled down to one simple statement.  Your new customer heard and believed your story.  It is business storytelling and it may be the most important piece to your puzzle.

It could be face-to-face word of mouth; it could be on your website through a Google search; it could be on social media; it could be a traditional, old-school advertisement.  Somebody heard the story of why your product or service makes their life better and they believed it.

The evidence is mounting that the most effective (read PROFITABLE) way to tell your business’s story  has changed in the last decade.  Gone are the days when you could simply buy a big honkin’ ad in the paper and dominate the market.

It is now your job to create content (tell stories) that customers share online.  That’s the essence of Inbound Marketing.  This study by Hubspot states that “inbound marketing-dominated organizations experience a 61% lower cost per lead.”

Who Will Do Your Business Storytelling?

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5 Ways Content Puts Your Referral Engine in 5th Gear

The Referral Engine BookBeing part of a company with roots in web design for small business, I’ve heard it quite often. “I don’t need to market. My business is referral-based.”

That’s fantastic. I love and have run referral-based businesses. ITD Interactive gets most of our clients from referrals. But that doesn’t mean we don’t work at it.  We work hard to make sure our business is referrable.

I mentioned in yesterday’s Whiteboard Wednesday: How to Get Testimonials for a Website that John Jantsch’s book The Referral Engine  is one of my very favorite business books. This book can change the trajectory of your business in a hurry. Read it.

John’s chapter “Content as Marketing Driver” speaks directly to the “I don’t need to market” small business owner.  (It happens to be saturated with Inbound Marketing philosophy.)  You may have been thinking that Inbound is all about bringing in new business via search or social.  While that certainly does happen, Inbound is also about revving up your referrals.

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Education Breeds Referral

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How To Get Testimonials for a Website

This video and post give some quick tips on how to get testimonials for a website.  Make sure and check out the link below to the testimonials questionnaire/survey we send to our clients.

Great testimonials are a product of really happy customers.  A couple of the items below are geared toward making really happy customers and a couple are nuts-and-bolts about getting testimonials.  But you need to be thinking about all of them on the front-end before you get to the point of asking for the testimonial. (more…)

Operation Support Shop Local – Shop Local J.C. Enters a New Phase

Shop Local in the Tri Cities

Click to visit the official Facebook page.

Some colleagues here in downtown Johnson City have built a great local network around the “Shop Local in J.C.” initiative. Their goal is to raise awareness among the residents of our region to do something really simple — “when possible, think local first”. While a simple concept – it can have astronomical impact on our local economy when everyone puts it into practice.

In an effort to take this campaign to the next level – the movement needs to move beyond just the social-sphere and onward to posters, stickers, window clings and other tangible marketing materials. Without a single source of funding behind this project, those involved have decided to put the message out there that they are raising funds to help defray the cost of the first run of these items. This is set up like a “kickstarter” type project with the hopes that through many small contributions, big things can come to fruition.  There is an initial estimate of roughly $3200 to get the first run of clings and posters printed and ready for distribution.

We encourage anyone that wants more information to visit the official Facebook page and get involved!  It’s a small price to pay to benefit not only your own business, but our regional economy as well.  Many thanks to Stable Convergence and other downtown businesses involved in this effort!

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