Plug into the Social Media Revolution

I am excited to announce that we are now offering a free service to all of our customers. If you aren't already leveraging Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, Groupon, and other social media sites for your business, we will walk you through the process of signing up with these sites and then linking them with your website.

If you are an existing FirstClick Web Solutions customer (or become a customer), just contact Support and let them know you with to activate your business on social media sites. They'll do a webconference with you and walk you through the entire process, plus provide tips on how to leverage Social Media most effectively.

Don't shortchange your web site

By now, most operators of small- and mid-sized companies understand that the Web plays an important role in their growth and profitability. The problem is that these businesses don't understand the importance of investing in a high-quality, professional site!

Matthew Toren, a blogger at YoungEntrepreneur.com, explains,

"While many businesses concede that a website is necessary, they attempt to get an online presence for the least amount possible. This mistake often costs a business more money and lost business in the long run."

This is an issue that you may have discussed with prospects. Maybe they've been burned by an unreliable, "basement" Web hosting firm, or they incurred excessive hidden fees over time. It's possible that they purchased a site from a hosting company and received very little traffic to show for the cost!

That's where the web solution from FirstClick Web Solutions comes in. For a very reasonable investment, you can build - and control - your own online presence. There are no hidden fees and there's never a need to rely on someone else to make modifications to your site!

"Online business is a different animal than traditional advertising," Toren writes. Consumers have come to expect a certain level of quality and performance from the Web sites they visit and shop from. In order to keep customers coming back, sites need to be interactive and up-to-date!

Toren warns that

"Neglecting your website alienates this important consumer audience...Today's businesses need an online presence that is professional, tailored for online consumer shopping habits, and crafted to be search engine and user friendly."

Luckily, if you are a FirstClick customer, your web solution is packed with features that make it quick and easy to build that kind of presence! With the help of our experienced Technical Support team, any business can get their web site off the ground and generating traffic in no time! Your prospects will be amazed at the user-friendly tools available within your solution, and they'll discover that none of those "bargain" Web companies can compare!

Economy Driving Customers to the Web

The economic changes are forcing all consumers to look for ways to save money and one of those ways is shopping online. And the latest study by Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates (in partnership with LinkShare) reveals that all those consumers who have turned to the Web are sticking with their new habit!

According to a press released about the study: "With the economy slowing down over the past year, a shopping behavior that for some consumers had been an occasional habit has now become a routine - turning to the Internet to find the best value."

Earlier in the downturn, PSB coined the term "Recession Shoppers" to refer to those consumers. Now they're calling this group "Value Hunters," because the shoppers aren't just comparing prices anymore....they're looking for overall better value and a better experience on the Web!

"These consumers...claimed that as economic situations worsened, they would look to the Internet to find the best deals. Now, months later, even as the economy's vital signs are improving, online shopping behavior shows consumers are still heavily focused on value - in quality price, convenience and time."

Now, according to the researchers, "value" is the new fundamental objective of online consumers! As LinkShare's Yaz! Iida explains, "More than ever before, consumers are searching online for products, services and Web sites that provide value."

Here's a breakdown of the study's findings based on their survey of "Value Hunters:"

• 51% look for incentives when making online purchases
• 63% have purchased something online they wouldn't normally have because of a special offer
• 68% of online shoppers search for value in the form of coupons and special promotions
• 45% purchase something online once a week or more
• 47% prefer shopping online to shopping in-store
• 22% plan to make more purchases online this year than last year

PSB advises that online businesses can "differentiate themselves from competition through value offerings." That means focusing on "pricing, quality and experience."

These businesses must "create an online experience built on value." PSB specifically emphasizes accomplishing this "through the use of an easy-to-navigate Web site!"

At FirstClick Web Solutions, we specialize in helping our customers create a dynamic, engaging Web site that provides visitors with a superior experience, including an online store and e-mail campaigns that promote discounts! If you already have a website with us, but want to take it to the next level, give your customer manager a call.

We now offer live receptionist answering services

Now that you have an online e-Commerce site, your customers can order products 24-hours a day, 7 days a week. But what if they have problems? If you don't have an 800 number listed on your site and a person who can take the call, you could loose the sale. Also, some people simply aren't comfortable ordering from a site they haven't visited before and would prefer to speak with a live human being first.

FirstClick Web Solutions is proud to offer a solution--live receptionist answering services from BusinessReceptionist.com. Now your customer can call anytime day or night and speak to a live US-based operator. Unlike a typical answering service, our operators can:

• Answer frequently-asked questions
• Book appointments
• Take orders
• Capture relevant customer information for your industry (i.e. medical, financial, real estate, etc.)
  

Here is a short video overview of the service:



For additional information and pricing, visit http://businessreceptionist.com. To get started on the service or just your questions answered, give us a call at 1-800-878-1909.

IRS e-News for Small Businesses: a useful resource

Keeping up with federal tax requirements is not easy in today’s fast-changing business environment. Even if you use a tax professional’s services, you still need to know and understand your tax responsibilities.

That’s why the IRS offers you a time-saver: IRS e-News for Small Businesses. E-news is a bi-weekly newsletter that alerts you to what’s new, hot and important for small business owners to know. It’s quick to read, easy to subscribe – and it’s free. We here at FirstClick Web Solutions subscribe to the newletter and it is a useful resource.

IRS e-News for Small Businesses features:

• Tax dates for small business owners, to help you avoid missing a deadline
• Links to new items on IRS.gov for small businesses
• Reminders and tips to help you meet your tax obligations
• Quick links to IRS news releases and announcements
• Info about IRS products, services, and educational opportunities

Subscribe to e-News on IRS.gov at http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=154825,00.html , click “Subscribe Now” at the bottom of the page and enter your e-mail address.

Online E-Commerce is a Key to Surviving the Recession

Experts are continuing to highlight the advantages of a Web presence during the economic downturn! This week, it's Irwin Kramer at E-Commerce Times! Kramer points out that "Online sales continue to show steady growth in face of adverse economic conditions!"

Also, Kramer warns of a dismal outcome for those businesses that choose not to leverage the Web, giving competitors who are online a considerable advantage.

"As in-store retailers that haven't embraced online shopping go out of business, orphaned shoppers are turning to the retailers that have."

Kramer outlines some key benefits of selling online using what's known as a "cross-channel" strategy. (For instance, allowing customers to order online and pick up in-store, or enabling customers to use things like gift cards online.) By implementing a cross-channel strategy, Kramer writes, retailers and their customers can experience the following benefits:

• Convenience: "You can't always keep your physical retail locations open 24/7," Kramer writes, "but an automated online platform allows retailers to receive orders at any time." This is a major benefit for any kind of business! A professional, content-rich Web site is available at all hours to provide information as well as accept customer orders!
• Eco-Friendly practices: "Increasing attention is being placed on 'green' business practices these days, and an e-commerce platform helps retailers promote ecologically-friendly business practices," Kramer writes. We told you about this growing trend last week. Don't underestimate its influence as a marketing tool!
• Savings: According to Kramer, "From a business perspective, retailers can save significant costs by eliminating traditional paper marketing and distribution methods." Research increasingly shows that direct-mail marketing is losing to avenues like e-mail marketing. Tell your prospects about the money they'll save in the long run with your Web solution!

Kramer sums up his perspective by explaining that leveraging the Web during the downturn depends on effective use of the Web and e-commerce tools. He writes that a growing number of businesses are "relying on e-commerce platforms to gain a greater understanding of their customers, cut costs, and run operations more efficiently."

Google rule change helps local businesses

Google just changed that way that it prioritizes search results that is important for all small businesses to be aware of. Before April of this year, if you searched for "auto mechanic" on Google, you would get nationwide results, which pretty much limits the results to the big chains. However, now that same search will look at your IP address and give higher placement to matching businesses that are close to you.

This is important for any business with a website that wants to attract local customers. Prior to this change, you had to try to optimize your website to compete with many businesses that you don't actually compete with in the real world. Now that your site is ranked with other local businesses, you can adjust your website content to more effectively compete locally.

Read the full article at Small Business Computing.com.

If you are a FirstClick Web Solutions customer and would like more information on how to update your website keywords and content for better search result ranking at major search engines, contact your Customer Manager or Technical Support.