Continue reading »]]> Traditionally, especially in offline channels, marketing can be a messy business. Speculation, creative trial and error, finger-pointing over failed campaigns, etc. Online marketing channels make things a bit easier to control and track all the variables, but things can still get out of hand if you are not vigilant, especially in the event your efforts are to be outsourced.

When shopping around for an Internet marketing firm to handle your business’ efforts, you need to be aware of a few facts to avoid dealing with a less-than-reputable firm.

Fact: No One but the Search Engines can Guarantee Results

We see and hear about search engine optimization companies that use this particular ploy all the time.  They meet with company decision makers, woo them with tales of prior success and verbally guarantee page one or even #1 rankings for highly competitive keywords. There are several scenarios that follow, none of them resulting in the promised results. Long story short, they end up getting fired, with no real monetary punishment and move on to fleece the next company.

By the way, being able to honestly guarantee search results is often mistaken for SEO, but is actually called pay-per-click marketing…

Fact: Secret Sauce Tactics Do Not Exist

One of my biggest pet peeves are the Internet marketing companies who claim Internet marketing is not possibly something that an intelligent in-house member of the existing marketing department could learn. After all, it’s so complex…so analytical…so…so…so not as hard as some firms claim it is. Internet marketing is a challenge, to be sure, but a lot of what stops in-house marketing teams from tackling this area of things is not ineptitude, but the same fear of change that can keep companies from putting up web sites at all. The global marketplace is evolving, and in order to keep up with the marketing needs of your company, doing business on the Internet becomes a necessity.  When it comes to the growth of your business, don’t believe the hype of any individual or firm claiming their tactics are too lofty for you to learn. Anyone you choose should at least be able to tell you what tactics they generally employ, even if they do not give you detailed specifics until after a valid contract has been signed.

Fact: There is No Free Lunch: Time is Money for You and for Them

Before jumping at free consultations or services from a firm in any field… be careful not to underestimate the value of their time. If you intend to use the results of a free service as the cornerstone of your marketing strategy or to train your in-house staff, realize that what they offer for free is most likely not their best work. Likewise, if you solicit the services of a firm, hoping to use them briefly and capitalize on their expertise in a larger capacity, it is surprisingly better to admit to this up front. Most firms have dealt with enough free-lunchers to spot the signs and, again, may not provide their best work. Despite what might be said at trade shows and conventions, several firms are actually quite open to consulting or training arrangements and while they may come at some expense, they are likely to benefit your company much more in the long run than chasing “free” advice.

Marketing can be a messy business…and there have been poor examples of both clients and firms in every industry since the dawn of advertising. The best advice I can give you is: be careful, be wise, and if something sounds too good to be true, it most likely is.

Continue reading »]]> In the times in which we live, a web site is a necessity to do business in almost every industry. After all, building a web site is a relatively simple task.

Step 1: Admit You Need a Web Site

As the saying goes…the first step is to admit you have a problem. Getting over the fear of the unknown, the misconceptions that web sites have to cost a fortune to build, and the idea that the Internet might hurt the reputation of your company are the biggest steps you can make in the process. Everything else is smooth sailing from that point. In our society, not putting yourself on the Internet at all is likely hurting your business more than having a poorly designed web site.

Step 2: Dream Big, Aim Small

The key is to start somewhere. Building a small, informative web site about your business and product lines can be a relatively inexpensive process. It will expose you to how the Internet works and better prepare you to tackle more and more as your web site grows and is refined into the e-Commerce masterpiece you might envision in the beginning.

Step 3: Keep Costs in Perspective

A professionally designed, well-built and marketable web site can cost a lot less than you might think. Your requirements and business objectives will determine the total bill in the long run. Decide what your budget is and inform your development staff up front. Most web design firms can work within the confines of just about any budget. Some of the costs involved in a web site that you might not immediately consider are hosting (where will the files live, safety, reliability, etc), security certificate (e-Commerce requirement, but useful in other cases as well), and any custom development (modifying a pre-built solution takes time and talent). Make sure your web development company goes over every expense with you before they start, so you don’t exceed your budget with expenses that might be above and beyond the cost of your web site.

Step 4: Get It in Writing

I you are outsourcing to a development firm, as a business owner, this one should be a no-brainer. As with any other business transaction, know what you will receive and how much you will pay for it all. Even the most amateur of web developers should be able to spell out the specifics of your web site, with associated costs, into a document or spreadsheet. Get a couple signatures on the bottom and file away copies. Standard business procedure…and practical precaution.

Step 5: Your Success Depends on Your Participation

During the development of your web site, you should be given the chance to see progress and give any feedback at any given time. That is not to say you should hound your developers eight times a day looking for progress reports. What I mean is, if you aren’t involved in the process of designing and developing your web site, how will developers be able to deliver a site the way you want it? Being involved in the selection of colors, layouts, font choices and many other details of your web site’s function and appearance will help your developers deliver a satisfactory product. After all, they know how to write the code… they need you to know your business and how you want it represented.

Step 6: Timelines are Made to be Broken

Even the best developers have unexpected delays from time to time. Your participation will go a long way toward keeping things on track, but be aware that launching a site rarely happens “on time”. As a business owner, if you’ve put off building a web site, you may be anxious to get the site launched and in full view of the public. What you must realize is, if the project is even the slightest bit involved, there are bound to be scenarios that noone thought about in preliminary interviews or unforeseen complications of one kind or another. Be prepared. Don’t schedule the parade and fireworks prematurely. Announcing your web site to the world unfinished is a lot worse than announcing it a couple weeks behind schedule.

Follow these six steps and you will be on your way to a successful online presence for your business. A world of consumers is only a few clicks away.

Step 7: Listen, Test & Re-invest

Launching your web site allows you to begin receiving a return on your investment. However, launching also means it is time for the real work to begin. As you get visitor feedback, you will find out what works and what could use some tweaking. Almost inevitably, you also have a list of things you wish you could have done given more time or budget. ROI is important, but remember to re-invest some of your new sales into your web site for improvements or new features for your customers.

Continue reading »]]> One of the most popular questions we get from folks is… “What does your name mean?” And honestly, I love to explain what we mean by it because it gives folks a chance to get inside our heads a little bit.

In case you were unaware, the phrase “Above the Fold” has long been used in the world of newspaper printing. It refers to the content real estate at the top of a page, especially the first page. It is a well-documented fact that if a newspaper article is located above that center fold, it gets read far more often than if it is on the lower half of the page.

Likewise, in the world of Internet marketing, “Above the Fold” has been used to refer to the most effective real estate on a web page. Content that falls below that invisible line at the bottom of the initial view of a page gets less attention and therefore is less effective in driving sales and other types of visitor interaction.

And now for the Jerry Maguire moment, the reason for of our name choice…

I consider myself a professional student of SEO and web development and the call to stay above the fold is not just our little company’s name but a subtle, daily challenge to myself and the other founders of Stay Above the Fold, to not sacrifice integrity in pursuit of the almighty ranking, link or dollar.

As a member of this team, whenever I approach a project, my goal is to help that business or individual improve their existing web presence or break ground on new real estate altogether. I use no secret sauce, black boxes or magical gimmicks to get rankings or make a site perform better. If I can’t explain a tactic to a client without feeling dirty, I shouldn’t be willing to do it on their behalf in the first place.

Creating a better online presence takes work, often lots of it, and a desire to do better than you are doing right now. Stay Above the Fold was created to dispel the gobs of mis-information, educate anyone who cares to listen, and come alongside businesses and individuals who want to make their web presence something great.