Small Businesses Missing Out on Online Media

Why are our small business clients so reluctant to go online?

According to research from Webvisible and Nielsen, reported by Marketing Charts, though 63% of consumers and small business owners turn to the internet first for information about local companies and 82% use search engines to do so, only 44% of small businesses have a website and half spend less than 10% of their marketing budget online.

Small businesses are missing out on big returns.

“Of those surveyed, 50% said search engines were the first place they looked when seeking a local business, while 24% chose the Yellow Pages directories.” An online presence means that you are putting your small business in view of your local community. Online media is not just for large companies. This is a clear niche that you can build a very successful SEO strategy.

The web is changing the way we look for information.

This by no means excludes small businesses. The study goes on to state that “92% of searchers say they are happy with the results they get when using search engines, though 39% report frequently not being able to locate a particular known business.” Where are the small businesses? If you are not there, your customers will “contact a similar business with a stronger online presence.”

“Despite the growing use of online media for local searches, only 41% of small businesses report turning to online search engines first, and 31% turn to Yellow pages directories first. In addition, only 44% of small businesses have a website.” In an economy where budgets are extremely tight, small businesses are continuing to miss out on online media. This is an area where a small business could see a large amount of ROI with relatively little overhead.

Establishing an online presence is extremely important.

A basic website that is easy to use and professionally designed could be the vehicle that drives local traffic straight to your front door.There is no reason that small businesses cannot compete online. It is a market that is in many ways stronger than a large corporation. The key is being there!

Source
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=99952

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Why Use Pitch?

Our knowledge and focus in strategy, usability, and design allow us to create memorable and engaging online experiences that achieve your business objectives and deliver measurable results.

Design And The Pitch

Design and the Pitch

As a verb, “to design” refers to the process of originating and developing a plan for a product, structure, system, or component with intention. (wikipedia)

 As designers, we understand better than anyone else the value of message and intention. We combine a unique mix of strategy and design for solutions that produce real results (ROI in business speak).

 This article covers why great design is rooted in a great strategy or specifically design and the pitch. Imagine you’re in an elevator and have only one chance to make an impact. What do you do?

At our core we live and breath ‘the pitch‘. This is also known as the elevator pitch, elevator speech, etc. You have to be sure to focus on your company’s big picture while avoiding too much detail about particular details. This will allow you to express your core beliefs without getting hung up in the execution.

The Seven Be’s of an Effective Elevator Pitch  

Now that you have a high-level sense of what the pitch is, lets discuss the characteristics of an effective pitch.

1. Be concise
2. Be clear
3. Be compelling
4. Be credible
5. Be conceptual
6. Be concrete
7. Be consistent

Design IS The Pitch

At this point you can begin to see where we’re going with this. In the online world you have less than 5 seconds to grab that visitor, speak to them and convince them that you are true, valuable and irresistible. This is both our passion and our expertise. At PITCH BRAND we live and breath this truth.

We find that there are few things more satisfying than taking the pitch and hitting a home run.

Small Business Web Strategy

You know that you need a website. But how do you do it?

Focus only on a few things and do them really, really well.

With millions of new web pages going online daily, the online landscape is becoming more competitive every day. There is a way to do more with less. It’s all about having the right strategy.

Let’s go through some facts:

Most web sites are not written for the web (Jakob Neilsen)

• Visitors do not read - they scan the web page.
• Don’t waste your time – be agile.

Focus on aesthetics

• This is your storefront – every pixel matters!
• Users do not see the words they see the design. Web is a visual medium. You need to be a heavy hitter.

Focus on usability

• If you can’t use the features, so-what? Save your money!
• If you cant use the site, so-what? Save your money!

Focus on metrics

• You need to know how your site is performing
• You need to know how your users are using your site
• Google Analytics is an excellent (free) tool

What content are they accessing?

Where are they coming from… and going?

Conclusion: To compete in the evermore competitive online climate you must optimize your site and provide the best user experience possible. You need to grab your users in less than 5 seconds and show them that you know what they want.

With this strategy, the user’s needs are at the center focus. You must discover what they are by analysis. Google Analytics is a valuable asset as it’s free, fast and effective. With the proper set-up and insight, you will be able to uncover your customers’ hidden desires.

Next you must focus on amazing design. Not the two pages of copy that explain how your company was founded by your grandpa. You can get to that when you land a sales lead.

Make it beautiful, fast and accessible. Your users are there and ready to buy or sell or read or contact – be there for them. Remove all barriers and you will see a marked success. ROI comes from insights and talent. It pays to be focused and agile.

We’re Getting There

We’ve been working on the new site every chance we get. Client work has to take precedent, so it’s a little slow going. But as the title of this post suggests, we are getting there.

Some of the team are working on great articles and resources for you guys, so keep the excitement going. If that’s what we can call it, excitement? You should notice significant changes happening over the next few days. Stay tuned!

White Wash

We’re currently getting dumped on here at our Denver offices.  It started snowing late last night and is still going.  The temp, currently 12 degrees.  And according to the ol’ Mac Dashboard, that’s the high for today.

I know what our clients and friends are thinking, “How in the world can you guys work in those conditions?”  Well, all I can say is due to our passionate desire to deliver your creative solutions on time, we’re willing to weather snow, frostbite, and possible death to do so.   That’s dedication.

Of course, coffee, windshield wipers, and heat help a little.

5280 Ad Campaign

Pitch is currently running a multi-month ad campaign in Denver’s most popular publication, 5280 Magazine.  The series is designed to inform the public of our expansion into Downtown Denver this past September.  In the ads we explain the steps of our creative approach, in an effort to educate potential clients.

New Website Design

Howdy Everyone.  We know things look a bit different around here today.  In case you were wondering, yes we are redeveloping our website.

We’ve decided to develop our site as a blog, as part of our “transparency” New Year’s resolution to our clients.  We want to provide a place where clients can come and see what’s going on with their projects, as well as what’s going in at the agency.

So stick with us while we work through this, we promise we’ll get there very soon.