Most of us here at WebStar Multimedia, spend our long days and nights either copywriting, building links, working on PPC campaigns, designing or any other form of marketing in front of the computer. Every now and again, one of our representatives will have the pleasure of getting out after work and going to a function that does not involve marketing or sales. But in ‘our SEO world’ – there is always an opportunity to build links or in layman’s terms: ‘relationships’.

One of our head marketing consultants had the privilege of attending the Winter Bash event last week with celebrity blogger Zack Taylor (www.ZackTaylor.ca). Needless to say, he had an amazing time meeting celebrities, and promoting WebStar Multimedia.

You never know who you might meet at a social gathering, even at a trendy club / bar. People you meet on the street, might choose to write about you (give you a one way link), refer you to someone else, or even hire you for their own project. This is what I like to call ‘Social Search Engine Optimiation’ or simply, Social SEO.

When setting out to have your business represented on the web, you want to have your ideas illustrated in a manner that a developer can interpret.  Whether you’re creating a simple 5 page HTML website or a comprehensive CMS & Ecommerce Solution, you need an outline that will describe exactly what needs to be done.

Below are some key components to a proper web development outline.

1. Create a Site Map – List ALL your pages and sub pages.
2. Discuss all the features of your website – CMS, Ecommerce, Search functionality, Image Gallery, Flash, Message-board, Forum, Blog, etc.
3. List any specific colors and fonts that need to be used.
4. Give a brief overview of the company and the industry.
5. List any major competitors in your industry.
6. Provide a list of websites which you like and don’t like – give reasons.
7. List any other vital information which has not been listed above, but would nonetheless, help a developer complete the project on time, on budget, and leave you 100% satisfied.

Make sure to have a folder of all your design and content materials ready when moving forward with a project.  Attached with your web development outline should be any logos, images, publications, copy, testimonials, and anything else that is applicable to your website.

As our economy begins to head in to a potential recession, many of us are becoming more conscious of how and where we spend our hard earned dollars. If you are a small business owner, you’re probably wondering how you should allocate your advertising budget. One of the biggest mistakes we could make as entrepreneurs, would be to decrease our marketing budget significantly.
As business becomes more scarce in your industry, you need to fight for all the business that is available. This means, that not only should you not decrease you marketing budget, but in some cases, you need to increase your marketing efforts. You must establish a strong presence if you wish to have a legitimate chance of gaining more business and not loosing out to your competitors.

You can survive in a tough economy and budget your advertising dollars by optimizing your marketing campaigns. Try to eliminate unnecessary spending by dropping marketing programs that have not been producing a satisfactory ROI, and by allocating more money in to more successful projects.

The right combination of online and offline marketing is necessary for most businesses to succeed. Some ideas to consider when allocating a marketing budget during a recession include:

1. Avoiding expensive print advertising and focusing on a more cost efficient online marketing campaign.
2. Do as much free advertising as possible on social sites (Facebook, MySpace, etc.); attend networking meetings; do a lot of word-of-mouth advertising; go door-to-door, etc.
3. Build relationships with affiliates, and create valuable partnerships which can help your business grow.

So don’t concentrate on reducing or eliminating your marketing efforts. Focus on optimizing your advertising expenditure so that your ROI is continuously improving. Analyze your results, and keep tweaking your marketing campaigns.