Website Design for Burlington Sleep Training Consultant

/in /by

Website Re-design for Good Night Sleep Site.

We are delighted to inform you about the launch of the newly redesigned website for Good Night Sleep Site. The website has a completely new touch and feel  that will dramatically improve your online experience.

When Sleep Training Expert Alanna contacted me to re-design her website, and integrate her current blog located on a different domain into the main website. We gladly said yes to the project.

Good Night Sleep Site offers private sleep training consultations and personal sleep plans that work with their clients parenting philosophy.  As a mom of four, I can tell you that if your child is not a natural sleeper, then working with a sleep consultant is your only option to save your sanity.  We all know that a well-rested child makes a happy child and happy parents too.  As a sleep training consultant she will not only help your child get the healthy sleep they need, but she will educate you on the fundamentals of that healthy sleep. I highly recommend her services to parents and toddlers.

We worked with our client to develop a new website driven by customer needs and incorporating the WordPress CMS. Websites built on WordPress are cost effective for ongoing maintenance and easy to manage multiple updates.

The new website features:

  •  User friendly design for easy navigation
  • Increased functionality
  • Rotating banner on home page
  • Social Media Integration
  • Blog integration
  • Customized “Contact Us” form
  • Newsletter integration
  • Customized Sleep Questionnaire
  • Mailing list subscription form
  • Online Payment integration

 

Does your current website generate enough new leads? Do you need a website makeover or Search Engine Optimization to increase traffic to your website? Give us a call for a complimentary website design consultation.

If you need help to get more sales, more leads and more clients utilizing social media and the internet as a whole contact Intact Marketing today. As a Burlington Website design company we work with you to increase your website traffic and leads.

 

how to optimize your video for seo

How to Optimize your Video for Search Engines?

/in /by

We all heard “Content is King” and most of us work diligently to provide valuable information for our visitors, but more than ever Visual content is the “New King”. No matter what industry you’re in, there’s no better way to promote your business than via video. It’s the fastest growing medium on the Internet – yet, many businesses are still not incorporating video promotions in their marketing.

Simply by having a video on your website, your customer is 53 times more likely to search and find your company online.

Why video optimization is important?

 

Video optimization is becoming more and more important as a mainstream aspect to SEO as search engines include videos in general search results.

It’s well known, that videos are more engaging and convey more in less time. Businesses that use videos as part of their online promotional strategies are able to create a more personal interaction between their business and their customers.

Did you know that 182 million U.S. internet users watch online video content in December 2011 for an average of 23.2 hours per viewer! Now I don’t know about you, but that sounds a lot of time!

Statistics show that companies had a 6%-20% increase in sales with videos and 30% of internet traffic is form videos.

If you are looking to increase your website traffic, receive more leads and sales, then you can’t ignore the potential of video marketing.

I will share some tips on how to optimize your videos:

  1. Create a dedicated video section on your website
    • Embed videos on your website
    • Add description snippets and thumbnails
    • Create a video library page that will list all your videos
  2. Create final video pages with unique URLs
    • Create catchy video titles and description that will get people’s attention
    • Have transcripts and links to other related videos
    • Incorporate your ling tail keywords
    • Don’t forget to add tags
  3. Allow sharing
    • If you want your video to go viral, it is crucial to incorporate a social share button to encourage your visitors to share your videos.
    • And last but not least don’t forget to syndicate to other video platforms like: YouTube, Yahoo Videao, MetaCafe, Mevio, Vimeo, MySpace, and BlipTV.

When it comes to video promotions remember to keep it short, if possible have your videos about one minute length. If you have different points to make, tell them with different videos. There’s more of a chance of one gaining traction.

If you’re ready to take your online marketing to the next level and need custom designed videos for your company or would like us to optimize your videos contact us. Intact Marketing offers video creation as well video optimization.

Website Design for Milton Naturopathic Clinic

/in /by

Website Design for Dr. Ristok’s Family Naturopathic Clinic

Web design is our passion and when Dr. Erika Ristok, local Naturopath contacted us to design her website, we were happy to take on the project. One of the requests Dr. Ristok had was the ability to easily update the website. Our client was ready to start her blog to share her expertise and passion for healthy living, but she was looking to get proper training on how to use the blog to increase SEO rankings.

Dr. Ristok heard that a blog is the backbone for Search Engine Optimizations and she was excited to share her vast knowledge on how to live a healthy lifestyle, but first she was eager to learn the basics of on-site SEO and content writing.

With a passion for inspiring others to live healthfully in body, mind and spirit, Dr. Ristok is available to serve you and your family.

To learn more about how naturopathic medicine can transform your health, check out Dr. Ristok’s new website.

The new Family Naturopathic Clinic website is built on WordPress, it’s easy to navigate, search engine optimized and has multiple features such as:

  • User friendly design
  • Rotating banner on home page
  • Increased functionality and usability
  • On Page Book Store
  • Blog integration
  • Social Media Capability
  • Easy to update
  • Search Engine Optimization

If you are looking to not only driving traffic to your website, but generate new leads and sales then contact Intact Marketing today for a website design consultation. Whether you need a brand new website or re-design your old website we can develop a website that meets your business need and budget.

To learn more about how to use social media to increase your leads, get more traffic and make more sales Sign Up for my exclusive social media and online marketing updates!

 

Pinterest Business Pages

Pinterest Business Pages Are Here!

/in /by

How to create your official business profile page on Pinterest

It looks like Pinterest is here to stay for long. If you haven’t heard this yet, then it’s news for you. Pinterest just rolled out Pinterest Business Profile Pages. Their goal is to help more businesses provide great content on Pinterest and make it easy to pin from their websites.

 

Because this is very important from a marketing standpoint I want to share with you some great tips to help you position yourself more firmly from a marketing standpoint.

 

First of all create your Business Profile Page on Pinterest!

Pinterest in a short period of time became a serious social media platform, and whether you’re a retailer, online merchant, non-profit organization, brand, designer, blogger, institution, or local business it can provide great marketing value for your organization.  If your organization is new to Pinterest, sign up on Pinterest for a business account. IF you already have an existing account on Pinterest it can be easily converted by following the steps on the business site.

How do Pinterest business and personal accounts differ?

Not much, according to Pinterest.  In their frequently asked questions, they answer this question as follows. “Currently, business accounts and personal accounts have access to the same features.  If you sign up for or convert to a business account, you’ll also receive updates on future products and services that will provide more powerful ways of reaching and understanding your audience on Pinterest.”

Now just remember that there are two sets of terms—one for people and one for businesses.

To be honest even as a social media consultant I was hesitant with Pinterest for its copyright rules. But Pinterest clearly has the power to help brands and companies of all sizes connect on a more personal level with their customers and followers. It can help you highlight a new perspective about your brand that might not always be apparent to your customers at first glance.  And it is a great tool to engage with your audience that if you use it well, can help you listen in to your audience/customers to see what they really want and like.

So what kind of steps YOU should take TODAY to build your brand with Pinterest?

After you set up your Pinterest account for business, the big question remains how to use Pinterst to build your business.

Follow these pinterest marketing tips:

  • Use your company, brand name for easy identification. Signing up with a business profile account allows you to specify your business name (instead of first name and last name).
  • Verify your website! Pinterest recently released a feature for website verification on users’ accounts.

The online verification issue has been an important one since Twitter’s verified status and “blue checkmark” became public knowledge. Brands, celebrities, or groups of significant influence have always been prominently featured on Twitter with the elusive “blue checkmark” – a sign of social superiority and credibility.

On Pinterest when users verify their profile, people will see a checkmark next to the user’s domain in search results, as well as a full website URL and checkmark on your profile (See below).

Pinterest validation - how to validate your pinterest account

The BEST part of the verification is its added SEO boost. Without getting too far into it, the kind of HTML tag that Pinterest appears to be using to display this appears to be what’s called a “Do Follow” link.  What this means is that it specifically tells Google to follow that link in a different way than regular links without that code do.  This in itself is a HUGE SEO boost to your website – and a way to boost your presence online NOW that might not be around forever.

For information on how to verify your website, visit this Support article.

  • Add new Pin-It buttons. Just like Facebook’s  “Like” or “Share” buttons, or Twitter’s the “Tweet this” button, incorporating a Pin-It button on your site will encourage visitors to pin content which helps fostering conversation with your audience and “listening in” to see what generates the most quality engagement.  This is a great way not only to boost the visibility of your business but there is an added SEO benefit every time your graphics are repinned on Pinterest.

Pinterest for Business Validation

  • Incorporate SEO Keyword Strategy for Link Building. More than ever, social media sharing is playing an increasing role in determining how pages rank onWhy?  Quite simply, the role of a search engine is to bring you to relevant, useful content.  One of the ways to measure relevance and usefulness is to see what people are sharing on social sites most frequently.

Knowing that Google indexes Pinterest profiles and personal boards use some well chosen keywords in your board descriptions and profiles (without keyword stuffing!).  Obviously you will pin a variety of content to Pinterest from a variety of sources, pinning from your website to Pinterest provides a rich source of inbound links to your website, increasing your chance of ranking higher in a Google search.

Take advantage of this HUGE opportunity to boost your ranking via search from this rapidly growing, high-authority site.

  • Explore Pinterest collaborative boards! One of the ways social media has improved marketing is by creating a simple channel for communication between brands and their customers.  Marketing used to be about broadcasting your message and hoping it was heard; social marketing is about attracting your ideal customer, providing value, and fostering 2-way communication and community with your audience.  Pinterest’s collaborative boards allow for that kind of communication.  A realtor might use collaborative boards to allow new homeowners to post pictures of move-in day.  A housecleaning business might create a collaborative board to allow customers to post pictures of what they’ve done with their free time, now that they’re not cleaning their homes.  The possibilities are endless.
  • Create “How To” Boards. Does your business offer products or services that might take some explanation to use? Use the power of pictures to demonstrate “how-to” do something that provides value for your customers.  A foods company might post not only the ever popular recipes, but pictures of various cooking techniques for their customers to try. A renovation company might use Pinterest to showcase steps in a featured project.
  • Show case Your Customers. People want to feel famous as well as appreciated – what better way to showcase your brand than to have a board featuring pictures of people using your product.
  • Analyze with Analytics. By looking over your content and seeing which images get liked and repinned the most, you are getting valuable feedback from your customers regarding what kind of content is most valuable to them. Produce content and products that are valuable, and you’ve created a win-win for your business and your customers.

Now is YOUR turn!

What is your favorite way to use Pinterest to brand your business? Did you find this article valuable? I would love to hear – please leave a comment bellow and if interested Sign up to get free blog updates! Do you still need help with setting up your Pinterest Business page? Contact me

If you find this article valuable, please share the love …

 

Facebook is Down for Some Users

/in /by

November 08, 2012 – We don’t know why Facebook is down, but many users are currently experiencing difficulties connecting to Facebook.

This is uncommon from Facebook and more likely is a service disruption, but I wonder how many businesses build their entire marketing on Facebook or any other social media platform.

In October there was another mayor internet outage for Facebook and I sincerely believe it is only a matter of time until a major social network will go down. The question is not whether or not will happen, but when it will happen.

Social media should be used to direct traffic to your website and blog not vice versa.  As a business owner you have to remember that your  “prime online real-estate” so to speak is your own domain aka your website.  Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and the list can go on are offering individuals and business owners a space to lease, but that is NOT your platform, you are only renting a space. Social networks used wisely can increase your brand awareness, visitors and targeted potential clients. But you should NEVER use Facebook or any other social media platforms to replace your website.

If a social network like Facebook would go down for a week how would you communicate with your fans? Do you have a backup plan?  Do you communicate with your fans, followers only through social media or do have other ways to stay in touch as well?

HowDoYouSeeYourself

Who do YOU think YOU are?

/in /by

What YOU think about YOU defines your everyday life! You act according to your own belief system. If you think you are valuable and great, you act like it. If you think, you’re “just”, you act just like that.

The other morning, while I was preparing lunches for the kids and getting them ready for school the question “who do you think you are?” got my attention as the TV reporter commented on some news.

 

The question got me thinking and later I actually asked myself: “Piri, who do you think you are?”

I am so thankful, that today I know who am I. I’m the wife of a man who truly loves and supports me every step of the way, the mother of three handsome teenage boys and a darling little princess. I’m a rebellious child who never took no for an answer and following a dream left everything behind for a better future. I’m the owner of an online marketing company and my clients love me because I love what I do and it shows.

What YOU think about YOUR BUSINESS is just as important as what YOU think about yourself, and as a business owner those two go hand-in-hand. I often talk with small business owners who struggle with their identity. Value often is perceived in a wrong way.

Just because you have a small business, doesn’t mean that your business can not be great! Greatness is not measure by numbers and volume. Greatness is measured by excellent customer service and your business core values.

If a leader of a business has excellent leadership experience but his heart is not in the right place his customers will detect that sooner than later.

You have to spend time and sincerely look into your thoughts and answer the MOST important question of your life: who do YOU think you are?

Don’t be the “just” person. I met some amazing people whom I call the “just” people, because they call themselves – “just” a __ (fill in the blank).

Never under estimate yourself. “Just” a Mompreneur can change the legacy of her family, “just” a small business owner can impact his community, “just” a teacher can forever change a child’s life. I’m not talking about being proud. I have a hard time to deal with proud people, just as I found it hard to work with those who underestimate their values.

You have to have a healthy understanding of who you are. You (yes YOU who are reading these lines) are a UNIQUE one-of-a-kind person, made by God. And God does not make junk, either he makes “just” quality.

If you as a business owner don’t value yourself and your time, nobody else ever will. If you don’t know the value you and your business brings to those whose paths you interfere, then you will never grow.

As a social media coach I find it interesting that some businesses think they can be something else online than they are offline. Your social media presence will mirror and enlarge who you are. You act and lead your business according to what do YOU believe you are.

For so long I too thought about myself as “just” a mom, with big dreams and an entrepreneur heart. It took me some time and I was blessed to be surrounded by people who saw much more in me then I ever saw in myself and they helped me re-evaluate my own beliefs about myself. As a child I wasn’t encouraged or praised, but I was always reminded about my shortcomings. In all my childhood years I worked so hard to earn my parents approval, to hear that I am good. I just can’t recall my parents telling me that they were proud of me and these years left a mark in my soul. I often thought about myself that I am “just” not good enough. Thank God for my husband who just never gave up encouraging me and pointing out all the wonderful values and gifts God implanted in me.

Don’t take me wrong I DO know my limits as well, but today I have a healthy self image of myself. I know who I am and what my core values are. I raise my children and build my business on those values.

Before you go to sleep tonight I would suggest taking some time to meditate and then answer this question: who do YOU think you are? Who do YOU think your business is? Please be honest with yourself. You might sincerely believe that you are “just” one little someone with “just” a start up business and until this is what YOU think about yourself and / or about your business you will act according to YOUR belief system.

If you have a hard time to evaluate your values please find yourself a group of mentors who are capable to bring to the surface and embrace the qualities you already posses. Often times we need someone who knows us well enough to open our eyes and help us see ourselves in a healthy way. Having a support team can help us grow personally and business wise as well.

Do you find it easy or hard to see the unique values you and your business bring to those you are in contact with whether personally or business wise?

I am not a business or life coach, but as a business owner I share the lessons I learned over the years that helped me grow personally and business wise as well. I am however a social media coach & trainer and if you need help with your business online presence I can definitely help you with that.