Jan 1, 2017
There’s much to do in the New Year! It’s crucial to plan your complete online presence.
I’m here to help give guidance with online components of your business from website, email list, seo, social media and branding image. Updated December 19, 2017.
Branding-
Don’t have a brand yet? Jagmedia can help develop visuals that reflect your branding image to the public.
Website-
Start your New Year with an exceptional website that reflects your brand by a trusted company. Jagmedia has helped clients for 15+ years.
Email List-
An email list is crucial. Think of potential and existing clients plus referral partners and keep them informed year round to give a refresher on services you provide and new offerings. Jagmedia can setup an email management system where you can send to the masses and track results with a custom template.
Search Engine Optimization-
When it comes to Search Engine Optimization (SEO for short), Jagmedia has brought clients in highly competitive categories to Page 1 Google rank for wellness, legal, entertainment and more with tried and true methodologies that work, regardless of Google’s algorithm changes.
Social Media-
Social media extends your brand. We help create Facebook business pages along with graphics for Facebook, Twitter and Google. We also help clients by doing consistent social posts, an effective way to spread the word about your brand.
Digital Magic for Coaches & Entrepreneurs.
Aug 19, 2016
Coaches of all kinds – whether you’re a business, intuitive or relationship coach, you can gain additional authority and credibility in your field, plus more followers and potential leads. It’s effective for SEO (search engine optimization) as part of your overall strategy.
All that being said, blogging can still be challenging to get the words on a page. I get it – completely! As for myself, I had been planning my recent wedding this year, which made it a gargantuan challenge to find time for writing blog posts.
The good news is that posts can be short – they don’t need to be an essay… Three hundred to five hundred words is a range worthy of being detected by Google and other search engines. Here’s three tips to help get you started on the path of blogging on a more consistent basis.
3 Tips for Easier Blogging:
- Use Speech to Text: it’s easier to do speech to text on phones these days, however there are apps that do that. Mac has a built in option for it: open the Text application, go to the Edit menu, then scroll down to Speech and click Start Speaking. It works ok and is in other Mac apps too. Copy n paste your text into your blog post.
- Hire a Blogger/Writer: if you don’t have the time or writing isn’t your thing, there are many good options for hiring a writer aka Content Creator on a contract basis. Look for writing samples in addition to relevance in your area of expertise.
- Use Existing Material: use excerpts from recent seminars and programs you’ve led, articles you’ve written and from your books. Make sure to link to the sales page if you have a book or your articles that you refer to online.
Singers Mark Lennon from the band Venice & Pink at the Venice Sign Lighting in 2014 on the AKFF Blog.
I’ll share a link to my influential Venice Beach blog, Abbot Kinney First Fridays, for inspiration and fresh insights on blogging content! Pay close attention, as it’s consistently ranked Page 1 Google for 7+ years!
Jagmedia: painting the digital landscape offers content creation, search engine optimization, branding and design services.
Need a Blogging Boost?
Contact Janet at Jagmedia
May 20, 2016
Using an Email Marketing system to reach your clients, leads and contacts and stay in front of them is a beneficial way to reach out from one to many!
You know how you get emails from stores to business coaches, events etc? Yes, it’s still a relevant method along with social media and blog posts. For entrepreneurs and startup businesses, time is precious and budget is always a factor, that’s why affordable email marketing tools such as Mailchimp, Constant Contact and Get Response are so popular – and they work well.
What are some benefits of using email marketing tools?
1- Tracking
who opened emails, clicked links, bounces, unsubscribes
2- Personalizing
recipient name easily added (instead of Hi There…)
3- Growing Your List
adding email signup forms to your website and social media allowing you to communicate with a warm audience and make it yours! Import your current email list or add in manually for add a small amount.
4- Looking Professional
what do you think of a company sending bcc emails or showing everyone’s name on the list? It also reinforces your company branding where the recipient recognizes where it’s coming from.
5- Reaching Many
in one fell swoop, scheduling your email to send to your entire list or specific segments of your list
Jagmedia uses all 3 email marketing systems for our clients – depending on what suits them best. We use Mailchimp, which has a real ease of use, allows customization of email templates with access to HTML code for those of us who geek out on code and kick it up a few notches on design plus – mobile responsive emails (for optimal viewing on mobile). It also has auto-responders when you’re ready (more on that in a future post).
Jagmedia can help your company with email marketing solutions, whether it’s getting setup, customizing templates for a consistent branding image creating auto responders or all of the above. We can help guide you with a solution that works for your business!
Get Started
PS – See our Email Marketing Campaigns (above) created with Mailchimp and Constant Contact.
Apr 11, 2016
Updated April 24, 2019
Yes, I do get asked the question, “Should I use a “free” website builder to create my website”? The answer is, it depends. Sorry to say, it’s not a straightforward question to answer. It depends on your business goals, budget, computer skills and how much time you have on your hands.
Are you a recent college graduate or starting a new business on a limited budget and computer savvy? It may be your only option for web presence, and if so, you ‘re likely to try the Weebly and Wix’s of the world. Keep reading to see my recommended resource for building your website. This is to guide you and help determine what options may work for your business and some caveats. This article is not a comparison of the various web builders, since there are many resources already online.
Note that historically, free web builders are not good for SEO, search engine optimization. SEO is all about making your website easier to find on the web and is a crucial factor.
Let’s get right to the caveats of using a web builder:
1- Your website may look unprofessional or unappealing. Your website is one of your most important marketing assets and if it looks like a hot mess, potential customers may go elsewhere. Research and plan carefully if you are going to use a website builder and make sure to check out the support section first. It helps if you are computer savvy, too.
2- It’s not all FREE. While you may be able to build the site free, there are monthly charges for web hosting and other services depending on the company, so choose carefully. It looks much more professional to see a url such as jagmedia.netbor www.abbotkinneyfirstfridays.com instead of www.websitebuilder.mywebsitename.com for example.
3- It’s TIME consuming! I know people who spent months working on their website to get it right, and while I’ve seen 2 total (ever!) websites created with a web builder that look good, consider the time factor. Where can your efforts be better spent? Perhaps running your business! If you are a DIY’er, then go for it because there’s no convincing you otherwise!
What can I do if my budget is zippo?
There is hope for you! My recommendation is to use WordPress for your website builder. In a nutshell, you can start with the free version and upgrade when you have the budget to make it more spectacular! Once you signup, you can choose from a number of default theme options – while they are basic, most look decent and will work for a basic site. There are more appealing themes these days as of 2019.
The great thing about using the WordPress platform, THE solution I recommend and use to build websites, is due to it’s scaleability, longevity and universality, plus SEO. For more details on that, see my article on why Wordpress is the platform of choice.
It’s important to stress that having your website url which requires buying the domain name (your www) and website hosting (most web hosting companies offer monthly plans). I recommend doing this first when using WordPress. Many web hosting companies have an automatic WordPress Installer, which makes it MUCH EASIER to setup your site and get it displayed on your url. Jagmedia now offers website hosting and domain names plus related services.
Let’s say you’ve taken that step and created your site; you’ve got a budget for a web design studio to create your site… How is that different – and BETTER?
1- Visually more appealing and professional looking appearance!
2- Creating your unique look, aka branding, that sets your company apart from the rest of the crowd. Customization is a big part of WordPress; there are many themes available, that typically have options for customization – a key factor here. Plus access to more plugins that increase functionality. Keep in mind, not all themes are created equally. That’s where your website designer comes in- see #3.
3- Guidance from your website design company can benefit your company greatly! An experienced web designer will give insights on what looks good, which themes work well, what needs to be added, such as social media integration and answering your questions are a few examples of how a web design firm can assist your company. In addition to peace of mind. Oh, by the way, how about time? Saving your company time that can be spent on other aspects of the business is invaluable!
Do keep in mind that when you’re working with a design firm that it’s a two way street; good design is a fluid process that both parties must take part in and schedule time for review, edits, etc. (More about that in a future article.) If you have a budget established, start talking to web design firms you know and/or ask for referrals.
If you are interested in finding out more about Jagmedia’s design services, email Janet to get started.
Janet Gervers, Creative Director of Jagmedia will present the “Elements of Successful Visual Branding” on October 18, 2017 in Redondo Beach for the WRS – Women’s Referral Service networking group.
