Time is Money!The eCommerce industry isn’t like other industries. It’s constantly evolving–and at a speed much faster than most other industries. We know that what works for one eCommerce store might not necessarily work for another. We know and understand the eCommerce industry as we offer afree eCommerce Audit and Consultation ·      If you are looking for anamazing looking eCommerce Site or Storethen itstarts with great marketing.But that is no small task. You may have the best products to sell and the best looking too. But if you area oasis will it matter if no one can see you. eCommerce storesmust work almost flawlessly.They must be easily discovered and searchableand your marketing and advertising must pay off. This is no small endeavor and without the expertise, knowledge, network, resources, assets and dedication it will be a very difficult challenge if all this is not your love and strength. ·      If you’re looking for aneCommerce marketing agencythat will help you outwit the competition and turn your store into a selling machine, look no further.  ·      Want tobuild brand awareness? ·      Need help increasing your conversion rate and generate traffic from people who are already interested in your products? ·      Our experts will create a strategy unique business goalsthat will drive engagement from new and returning customers alike. We know that what works for one eCommerce store might not necessarily work for another. Your Media Servicesknows and understand the eCommerce industry well, but we also know that your business is unique and there is no one-size-fits all approach. You canvisit us and request a free consultation or a free eCommerce eBookif you would like to learn more. Thank you for reading and visiting. ...read more

If you don't have a website or your current website isn't mobile phone and tablet friendly, you're missing a huge opportunity to grow your business! Your website IS your company’s face, your “front door” whether you sell products or services, and the most visible component of your overall marketing strategy. In most cases, it yields the greatest opportunities to reach new customers and increase business and brand recognition. Skilled Media Group is unique in it’s concierge style approach to website design and customer service. As specialists in small business and non-profit websites our services go beyond the design. Our mission is to support businesses and non-profits with affordable professional creative website creation and unparalleled customer service. We believe your website should work for you – not the other way around. Your success is our success. Our customers expect and deserve prompt attention and technical expertise at every level and the team of experts at Skilled Media Group does not disappoint! Our dedicated professionals are located within the US – no out of country time delays or language barriers! Whether you need 100% turn-key or like to be hands on, you can count on Skilled Media Group for all of your website and Internet marketing needs. Professional and creative website designs Mobile responsive websites Google AdWords certified strategists Search engine optimization (SEO) Website hosting Ongoing website support and maintenance packages In-house video production for website and YouTube Websites require ongoing maintenance to keep the content fresh as well as routine software and cyber security updates to stay compatible with Internet standards and to be protected. Skilled Media Group has comprehensive maintenance and website hosting plans for every size website and budget. ...read more

What is Proforma The One Source and who is Proforma Pete?            Let’s start with Proforma…     Proforma is a $400 million Marketing Agency offering the broadest array of printing, promotional products and related graphic products and solutions in the industry.  Period.  Our tag line is One Source.  Infinite Resources.  Last year Proforma was the #1 distributor of promotional products, and the #2 distributor of printed products in the USA.  That size equals HUGE buying power and expertise for our clients and we help companies of all sizes and industries.  Our services include:  Promotional Products | Printing Services | Business Documents | eCommerce Solutions | Multimedia         Who is Proforma Pete?        Pete is a Master Branding Agent.  With over 600 Proforma branches across North America if he does not know an answer he knows where to get it.  But Pete is much more than that as, in today’s business environment, EVERYONE is asked to do more with less… So Proforma Pete is an addition to YOUR staff without being an addition to your payroll.  ...read more

Promotional Products for the Gridiron Image courtesy of Elvert Barnes' photostreamAs we enter into the month of August, the days start to get shorter, a little cooler, and a sense of relaxation takes over.  The kids go back to school, their extracurricular activities kick in, and the carpooling begins.  This quickly takes your sense of relaxation into coordination and communication overload.  Don’t fret for too long, though, you always have Sunday afternoons to fall back on.  Sundays in the fall are reserved exclusively for football.  August kicks off tailgate season which spills right into December and beyond.  While many of us aren’t season ticket holders, we do contribute to our favorite teams in other ways such as tailgating, grabbing dinner at a local restaurant on game day, or going to a friends to have a few beverages while rooting on the home team.Although we may not directly influence the marketers employed by our favorite team, we are part of the process for the community as a whole.  Inevitably, in addition to the game itself, further entertainment or resources are needed to entertain or fulfill our downtime between plays.  Below are a few hand selected products that can be used to not only entertain us throughout the game but also to continue to build brand awareness and integrity.  One of the three main points (Know, Trust, Like) to selling can be accomplished through these products – LIKE.  If a contact likes you or your product / service, you’re one step closer to solidifying your relationship.  This Coleman tailgating grill is a great executive gift that will keep you top of mind with your biggest account…and soon-to-be biggest fan!     Bored during a timeout?  Not anymore, this tabletop paper football set will keep you entertained throughout the entire season.      Wondering how you can relate your business to the local football team?  Collaborate by creating a refrigerator magnet to display your contact information alongside your team’s schedule!      Build your ‘staying power’ by giving this handy self-promoter football stapler to your clients and prospects alike.  It’s perfect for the die-hard football fan!     Keep your prospects drinks cool by providing football shaped can coolers for their next tailgate.  Not only can you make your prospects day, you can also extend your marketing dollars!      Help your clients become heroes by providing award and incentive programs that build employee morale.  It’s never too late to show recognition! ...read more

Marketing on a Budget Image courtesy of Sushi Ina's photostreamIf you’re a small business, you know what it means to have a modest budget.  Your goal is to make every dollar count and I’m here to help you do just that!To get big results on a small budget, keep a few things in mind.First, look at what you’ve done in the past.  What’s worked and what hasn’t? Get rid of the bad and keep the good.  Don’t change a campaign just because you are bored of it—change a campaign because you aren’t getting the customer response you want and need, otherwise leave it be and keep it up to date!Be smart about your traditional advertising.  If you are going to spend the big bucks on print, TV, and radio advertisements, use them wisely.  Always include a call-to-action and multiple ways for the target to contact you: phone, website, e-mail, address.  If you choose to distribute printed handouts or direct mail pieces, order them in bulk and redistribute on a monthly/quarterly/annual basis.  Always use both sides of the printed piece—whether it’s for advertising, product specifications, or a map—you pay for the space, use it!Remember who you are and what your company stands for.  Your personality should consistently show up throughout any advertising you choose to participate in.  What does that mean? If you are advertising for a new landfill, would you print on the highest quality, gloss stock paper with texture? Or would you choose a recycled, one color simple printed piece?Explore less expensive (often times free) alternatives.  This can be digital banner advertising—it’s a high upfront cost but the audience and ROI is equally high! Ensure that you do all you can with your PR agent.  Submit press releases on a regular basis and tie yourself into local causes and benefits.Don’t forget to optimize all of your digital activity with key words and phrases.  This can be applied to your website as well as press releases, documents, and videos you post.When you are in need of graphic design, don’t panic.  It is expensive and you can do it yourself, but Microsoft Word posters don’t look nearly as nice as professional designs.  Instead, find yourself a college student looking to build their portfolio.  It will save you money and you’ll be helping out our future.  (Bonus: your advertisement will travel a long way when included in their portfolio!)A few additional recommendations for you to consider:• Become a member of your Chamber of Commerce and NETWORK!• Social media is your friend and it’s free—blog, post, tweet, etc.• Do what you can to support the local community: fundraising, support, volunteering, etc.• Partner with a successful business, local or national• Include any events on local community websites ...read more

Marketing on a Budget Image courtesy of Sushi Ina's photostreamIf you’re a small business, you know what it means to have a modest budget.  Your goal is to make every dollar count and I’m here to help you do just that!To get big results on a small budget, keep a few things in mind.First, look at what you’ve done in the past.  What’s worked and what hasn’t? Get rid of the bad and keep the good.  Don’t change a campaign just because you are bored of it—change a campaign because you aren’t getting the customer response you want and need, otherwise leave it be and keep it up to date!Be smart about your traditional advertising.  If you are going to spend the big bucks on print, TV, and radio advertisements, use them wisely.  Always include a call-to-action and multiple ways for the target to contact you: phone, website, e-mail, address.  If you choose to distribute printed handouts or direct mail pieces, order them in bulk and redistribute on a monthly/quarterly/annual basis.  Always use both sides of the printed piece—whether it’s for advertising, product specifications, or a map—you pay for the space, use it!Remember who you are and what your company stands for.  Your personality should consistently show up throughout any advertising you choose to participate in.  What does that mean? If you are advertising for a new landfill, would you print on the highest quality, gloss stock paper with texture? Or would you choose a recycled, one color simple printed piece?Explore less expensive (often times free) alternatives.  This can be digital banner advertising—it’s a high upfront cost but the audience and ROI is equally high! Ensure that you do all you can with your PR agent.  Submit press releases on a regular basis and tie yourself into local causes and benefits.Don’t forget to optimize all of your digital activity with key words and phrases.  This can be applied to your website as well as press releases, documents, and videos you post.When you are in need of graphic design, don’t panic.  It is expensive and you can do it yourself, but Microsoft Word posters don’t look nearly as nice as professional designs.  Instead, find yourself a college student looking to build their portfolio.  It will save you money and you’ll be helping out our future.  (Bonus: your advertisement will travel a long way when included in their portfolio!)A few additional recommendations for you to consider:• Become a member of your Chamber of Commerce and NETWORK!• Social media is your friend and it’s free—blog, post, tweet, etc.• Do what you can to support the local community: fundraising, support, volunteering, etc.• Partner with a successful business, local or national• Include any events on local community websites ...read more

Top 5 Advantages of Digital Printing Considering switching from offset to digital printing? Offset might be king, but here are the top 5 advantages to going digital:1. Print on DemandNo more waste! Digital printing is a cost effective way to print only what you need, when you need it. Don’t worry about ordering an extra 1,000 copies of that brochure, because you don’t want to go back to print. Digital printing allows you to order just the quantity you need, and it’s simple and cost effective to order reprints.2. Variable Data PrintingWho said print isn’t personal? With digital printing you can customize each printed piece to its intended recipient. This makes direct mail true one-on-one communication with your customers or prospects. The more you know about your recipients, the more you can customize your pieces. Drill down in your mailing list and really target your audience. You can customize text fields, images, colors and virtually any other element on a printed piece.3. Short Run and Quick TurnaroundDigital printing allows you to have professional looking printed pieces, even if you need a low quantity. Even if you only need 100 copies of your newsletter, it’s not going to cost you a fortune to print. Need something printed in a pinch? Digital printing typically has a very quick turnaround time.4. High QualityDigital printing doesn’t necessarily mean you have to compromise quality for convenience. Although offset printing will give you the absolutely best quality, you can still achieve pretty great results in full color from a digital press.5. PDF ProofingDigital printing offers one of the most streamlined workflow available in printing. Visiting your printer to check color and hard proofs isn’t necessary anymore. Now you can check your projects right from your desk. PDF proofing gives you an accurate representation so you can be fairly confident saying “go” without leaving your office. ...read more

Can Pinterest Peak Your PICterest? It is more important today for your business to be on social media than ever before.  This includes Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, personal and professional blogs, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and so many more.The newest social media craze is Pinterest.  There is clear confusion in the business world as to how one can use Pinterest to benefit their business.  It’s simple. PICTURES PICTURES PICTURES!There are a few rules that can really help you engage your Pinterest audience and get your photos shared.To start, remember the old saying, “A Picture’s Worth a Thousand Words.” Don’t add your logo to your images; don’t post a paragraph of information underneath the image.  Just take a picture of your product.  SIMPLICITY is key! Include the link to the product on youreCommerce site (if you have one) or to your businesses web page.   TAKE AWAY: Simple Pictures have the longest legs.Second, ensure that the photos you are pinning to Pinterest are in the right format.  Find out what people are pinning from your boards.  Install the Pin It button, visit one of your own webpages, and see what images come up after hitting “Pin It.” Remember: Only images and videos are pinnable- not slideshows.  TAKE AWAY: Check, check, and double check your website images work well with Pinterest (Images Infographic Article) GET CREATIVE. If you don’t think you have any products or services worth a picture, your audience will agree.  So think outside the product-focused box and share what your audience values.  Get into their heads— are they athletes? Professionals? Are they stay-at-home moms or Soccer Dads? Get to know your target audience- it will lead you to creative image ideas for your own business.  TAKE AWAY: Pinterest doesn’t have to always be about your product and services.Number 4. People love freebies.  No, it doesn’t have to be one of your products or services.  We’ll accept anything… if it’s free.  So again, learn who your customer is and what they like to do.  If it’s going out to restaurants, give away a free $25 Panera card.  TAKE AWAY: promote a contest on Pinterest.Finally, humans attach emotions to pictures.  Pictures make them smile, cry, laugh, hide, excite, salivate, etc.  Keep that in mind when you are choosing what images to include on your webpage and to Pin on Pinterest.  Whatever emotion you are trying to convey, whatever response you want to elicit, make sure your pictures are doing so.  TAKE AWAY: Use imagery your audience can relate to and will feel something for. ...read more

HeyTell Me Something Good! I don’t know about you, but I’m not a huge fan of text messaging.  Granted, I text a lot anyway, and I see why it’s a valuable asset to have nowadays.  It makes it super-easy to send a message, even if you’re in a crowded movie theatre – or anywhere else it’s not feasible to talk.The thing that turns me off from text messaging is that I’m not efficient at it.  I can’t type as fast as the average 12-year old, and my fingers are stubby so I can’t always hit the right keys.  But, more often than not, I’m the recipient of a text message where my response is a borderline mini-novel.  Questions like “What are you doing tonight?” or “How was the movie last night?” can turn into nightmares to respond to, since I may not always have a concise answer.   Let’s not even bring tone into the equation – I’ve received joke texts that suddenly turn into serious business.  Why?  Simple; text messages don’t convey your tone.  It’s a coin flip sometimes whether your friend is angry or just playing around.Enter in HeyTell, the free App for Android or iPhone.  HeyTell turns your mobile phone into a texting walkie-talkie.  You can send voicemails just like you send text messages.  Once you and a friend have the app and connect, simply click their name, press ‘Hold to speak,’ and talk like you were on speakerphone.  Once you let go it sends the message to your friend, who can listen and reply at their leisure.  Awesome, right?          If you’re a talker like me, this app is right up your alley.  It will cut you off if you talk more than around a minute and a half (which I fall victim to a lot), it does use a tiny bit of data, and it will be slow to connect sometimes (based on your internet connection) but it works like a charm.Download it now from your app store of choice, and check it out for yourself.  For a demo, head tohttp://heytell.com/front.html.  Stay tuned for my next post where I’ll be outlining another ‘can’t miss’ free program that will help you show others your point of view. ...read more

What is Local SEO? Local SEO is necessary to establish authority in your market. With so much competition in most every business and industry it is important to maximize your exposure locally. 3Geeks Interactive, LLC offers a complete turn key local branding package that will get you leads! Our service gets you listed in "Every" business listing opportunity currently online with one price to make it easy. We do all the work of getting you listed on all the notable business listing services including:  Yelp Google Places Yellow Pages White Pages MapQuest City Search Foursquare Local Zip Local and many more  With over 16 years in internet marketing 3Geeks Interactive's founder has prioritized the use of local business listings to generate new business. The key to success online is exposure if properly places SEO. We offer complete packages that ensure your site will be found and in turn capture new business.    Get leads for your business Google Business Listings allow you to target over 109 million local customers who are searching online! Get your business onto the first page of Google without the hassle of SEO or cost of PPC!   Get Your Business in the 1st Page of Local Google Search Results - Guaranteed! Drive Unlimited Free Traffic to Your Business from the first page of Google. You Don't Even Need a Website - Free local profile page included! Make Your Phone Ring by targeting excited customers who are ready to buy. ...read more

We wanted to discuss why companies need to look towards professional search engine optimization services. With the yellow pages and offline advertising methods quickly taking a drop companies that don't jump ion board with seo services are going to be left behind. This is something that has been coming for quite a while. You need to leverage the internet to get leads for your business. Even 3Geeks Interactive, uses the internet to get new business. It is important to continue to work obn lead generation with the low cost of the internet you can increase your leads for half or a 1/3 or the typical cost of yellow pages. Don't wait until your competitors jump on board with SEO. At least learn SEO so you can understand what you may be leaving on the table with your business. ...read more

I think just about every business owner likes to "Google" themselves or their business using a few favorite key words to see where their business ranks, especially since about 80% of the population now turns to an online search before contacting a business.  Even if you're confident that the keywords you searched with are good ones, what do you do to improve your ranking if you don't like your results?  Couldn't you just dump extra money into more adwords?  You could spend more money on ad words, but keep in mind that most people who are looking for a business are more apt to look into the center results or the "organic," free non-paid results than look at an adword listing. So it makes sense to budget some time and money to get yourself or your business in the free results.   What are a few of the actions can you take to get yourself to Page 1 of the Google search results?  For starters, one of the most important items you can maximize is your Google Places listing. It's not enough to just claim it. You'll want to add as many photos, videos, reviews, tags, descriptions and keywords relevant to your business and/or website to your listing as you can.  For each keyword associated with your web site or business, notice what other sites come up in the search results. Some of them will be local online directories, like Merchant Circle, your competitors, blogs, press releases, Youtube, Flickr, Facebook, etc.  Is there an opportunity to place your information on any of those sites and use keywords to help you come up in the results as well?  To do this, it does help if you have some basic knowledge of selecting your relevant keywords and you'll want to have the time to do some research and then share and upload the information. If you're spending big bucks on adwords and don't feel the results are paying off, then considering maximizing your free online marketing sources to move you up closer to Page 1 of Google.  If you'd like help figuring out what types of social media or online directories to use for your business, feel free to contact me. I offer a free 12-minute consultation and can also share an business marketing questionnaire for you to complete to help you see where you are now and what free online marketing sites are available to you that you may want to consider.  I can be reached at: 727-504-0777 or just email: kathy@kathymarlor.com.  ...read more

Social media are media for social interaction, using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. Social media uses web-based technologies to turn communication into interactive dialogues. Social media marketing is a recent addition to organizations’ integrated marketing communications plans. Integrated marketing communications is a principle organizations follow to connect with their targeted markets. Integrated marketing communications coordinates the elements of the promotional mix; advertising, personal selling, public relations, publicity, direct marketing, and sales promotion. In the traditional marketing communications model, the content, frequency, timing, and medium of communications by the organization is in collaboration with an external agent, i.e. advertising agencies, marketing research firms, and public relations firms.However, the growth of social media has impacted the way organizations communicate. With the emergence of Web 2.0, the internet provides a set of tools that allow people to build social and business connections, share information and collaborate on projects online. Social media marketing programs usually center on efforts to create content that attracts attention and encourages readers to share it with their social networks. A corporate message spreads from user to user and presumably resonates because it is coming from a trusted source, as opposed to the brand or company itself. Social media has become a platform that is easily accessible to anyone with internet access, opening doors for organizations to increase their brand awareness and facilitate conversations with the customer. Additionally, social media serves as a relatively inexpensive platform for organizations to implement marketing campaigns. With emergence of services like Twitter, the barrier to entry in social media is greatly reduced. Tags: Anyone With Internet Access, Communications Model, Inexpensive Platform,Integrated Marketing Communications, Marketing Campaigns, Public Relations Firms ...read more

This list of commonly used SEO and Internet Marketing terms is a work in progress and will be updated frequently. If you need us to define an SEO term that is not listed here, please leave a comment asking us to do so.What is Link Building?Link Building is a process that involves building anchored links on external websites to point back to your website. This is an SEO technique that improves the volume of traffic and builds athourity for your website thus helps in increasing your website’s rankings in Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs)What is Anchor Text?Anchor text is the content portion of the link (the underlined part). Search Engines place a lot of weight on anchor texts, specially the text part of it by associating the keywords contained within the anchor text to the page the link is pointing to. Read our article on writing enhanced anchor texts.What is On-Page SEO?On-Page SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of optimizing the content of your website and its code to be hospitable to search engines. Editing the content with proper keywords will help search engines locate your website when someone search the web for that particular keyword. On-page optimization also includes editing the HTML code, making sure that the title tags, description tags, H Tags and links are relevant to the page they are parked on.What is SEO Content Writing?With today’s search engines, content is KING! Writing quality, unique and original content for your website is the single most important part of SEO. This content needs to be properly written to be hospitable to both search engines and human eye reader. The general rule of thumb is to write content for your readers not search engines, but when writing this content one must always keep SEO in mind. SEO Content Writing involves placing (inserting) targeted keywords into your writing in a way where search engines will pick it up and associate it with search request. Read our article on offering quality content.What is Content DistributionContent Distribution is a way of delivering quality information such as by-lined articles, press releases, case studies to third party, highly relevant and popular websites. This process allows internet marketers and website owners establish them selves as experts in their field through third party validation and helps with building quality back links.What is Off-Page Optimization?Off-Page Optimization refers to the process employed by SEOs to help websites rank for relevant keywords in SERPs. This process involves back link building,social bookmarking, directory submissions, content distribution, web 2.0 profile building, forum postings, blog commenting and any other process which involves promotion of a website off page. It is to be noted that not all of the off-page optimization methods mentioned in this description are current, some are outdated and are considered spam.What Are SERPs?Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) is commonly referred to result pages a search engine returns to a keyword search query request. Result pages vary from Search Engine to Search Engine, typically a result page features a linked list of websites and short description of each website. Some search engines show both paid and organic (natural) results.What Is Social Bookmarking?Social Bookmarking is process which allows users to bookmark their favorite websites in a organized web format which is shared socially. A good example of a social bookmarking site is www.reddit.com. Social bookmarking is used by webmasters and SEOs as a way to create back links and increase a website’s authority on the web. It is also a great way to expose new content on your website to hundreds if not thousands of online readers.What Are Directory Submissions?Directory Submissions help websites be found by search engines as well as help in classifying websites online. By submitting a website to a directory you are supplying a URL with specific information about your website, including what category and sub-category the site belongs to. There are different kinds of directories: paid, unpaid, local, vertical based and so on. Some directories are considered link farms and should be avoided. There are also local directories likeYelp, Angie’s List and Judys Book which Google pulls data from to help populate their Google Places Listings and help with localized search results.Tags: Anchor Text, Content Portion, Engine Result, Proper Keywords, Search Engine Optimization, Search The Web, SEO Terminology ...read more

BumpTap Mobile is Here! BumpTapMobile.com or BumpTap.mobi from your mobile phone is open for business. Mobile Marketing&.mobi mobile web design for your Tampa, Clearwater or St. Petersburg Business. Text SMS short codes for customer loyalty opt-ins.  Bluetooth Proximity Marketing.  Simplified Mobile Web Sites.  Mobile&Location based SEO. ...read more