Blogging: Go for it!

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ID-10085359I had a client this week tell me that she had set up a blog, and spent several hours just looking at the “Add New Post” button, and finally decided she should write something. In the process of writing, she realized that she had something unique to share, and loved doing it!

This blog started out as a way to promote new sites that we have designed and released here at North Forty Road. Eventually we began sharing tips on using WordPress, our primary website platform, and the internet in general. More recently, we started sharing general small business help – technical tips, marketing tips, and even spiritual guidance. It has become somewhat popular, especially within our LinkedIn community.

My biggest hangup was that there are so many blogs out there…. How could I present anything unique? Well, we all have a unique voice, and we all have something to say. So, if you’re even considering doing a blog, I say “go for it!” Write a couple of posts, send them to folks you know, ask them for feedback. People love giving sharing their opinion, so take advantage of that! And then, make a regular schedule.  Don’t try to do it every day; start with weekly, or even monthly.

There are some great WordPress tools to help build your readership: The Subscribe2 plugin adds a sidebar signup area for folks to subscribe to your blog – they’ll receive your new posts via email, and can comment by replying to that email. The Jetpack plugin allows you to send your posts directly and automatically to Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and more – very convenient!

The tools are great, but the inspiration can come from anywhere.  Remember that you do have a voice. Share it!

(Photo courtesy Stuart Miles, freedigitalphotos.net)

Reciprocity: it’s real, it works.

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ID-10058192As a business owner, I have a constant internal debate: Profitability or service? Help people or concentrate on the bottom line? I’m certain that I’m not alone in that debate. As someone who really enjoys helping people, yet has a good business sense and the need and desire to run a successful business, it often feels like these two concepts can’t co-exist. They can.

I started North Forty Road because I love great design and its ability to teach and present information in cool ways. Eventually, I came to see my work as serving the world and helping other businesses better themselves, which I enjoy even more than the design itself. It is a service, and it is based on trust, and providing that service allows me to learn new and different things with my clients. I find that “learning together” very exciting to this day.

Recently, I got bogged down with financial goals for my firm. Last year, we set new goals that were a real stretch, and worked hard, and reached them. So, I set even higher goals for 2013, and kept those numbers at the forefront of my thinking for the last several months. Bad idea. Didn’t work! The phone stopped ringing, new clients were looking for projects that weren’t a good match, current clients stopped being responsive.

It took awhile, but I eventually realized that the problem was me, or rather my mindset. Once I shifted my focus back on helping people, everything shifted back into high gear: calls started coming in, and the money began flowing again. And the best part? I love helping! That’s not news, really – I always have. But, making the helping secondary to the financial goals is not only more fun and more meaningful, it also comes back in financial success.

So, yes: set goals, pay attention to your numbers. But, no: don’t make the numbers your priority. Love your work, love your clients, give, and help – the reward is great on so many levels!

(Photo courtesy Renjith Krishnan, freedigitalphotos.net)

New Site Release: Pakachoag Music School

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Pakachoag Community Music SchoolWe are honored to launch a new WordPress site today for Pakachoag Music School of Greater Worcester!

This is a special honor for me, as I was a member of the faculty at Pakachoag for several years, and have helped them keep their web presence moving forward for quite awhile. The new WordPress installation allows Sarah Smongeski, Executive Director, and her staff, to keep timely info always available to students, faculty, and the public.

Sarah writes:

The new site complements the School’s growth over the past 10 years (since our original site was unveiled in 2003), providing current and prospective students and donors with easier and quicker access to an increasingly wide array of program, event and community support information. For me, personally, the web site is a great visual of how the support of the larger community is contributing to sustaining a robust, regional program serving over 40 communities stretching from Bolton and Southborough to Sturbridge and northern Rhode Island and Connecticut.

Check the site out today, and if you or your child is looking for top notch music instruction, you’ll be glad you paid them a visit!

Yep, you need one.

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ID-10094928The question continues to be asked: “Do I need a website for a small business?”  Even with social media grabbing more and more attention, the answer is the same as it was 15 years ago: “YES, you need a website!”

Here are a few things to consider:

  • Your website is open 24-7. Even when you are making sales visits, helping clients, eating or sleeping, your website is open for business and selling your product or service.
  • Your website is your identity. Those “yellow” books that list businesses are a thing of the past.  People who are looking for what you do will Google you. Period.
  • Online advertising reaches more people and is cheaper. Compare the ongoing costs of a website (especially one you can edit on your own) to print ads, television, billboards, etc. And who looks at those?
  • Reach further. Remember, it is the WORLD wide web… your reach is only limited by what you offer.
  • Be relevant.  With blogs and editable websites, you can have your most current info in front of potential customers, today!
  • Stand out! With a well-designed website, potential customers see that you take your business seriously, and will then seriously consider you.

In an age where more and more social sites compete for our attention, the standard website is still the expected .com location for all serious businesses. This article (a little dated, but still so true) sheds some more light on the importance of a good website for your business: Why You Need a Website. And, don’t forget to contact us to discuss your own website needs.  It’s what we do!

(Photo courtesy rajcreationzs, freedigitalphotos.net)

New Site Release: SSI Manufacturing Technologies

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ssi-portfolioWe are proud to launch another new NFR website.

This Spring, SSI Manufacturing Technologies, in Bristol, CT, was ready to create an online presence that truly represents what they do. Specializing in machining parts and components to ultra-high precision and tolerances, SSI serves many industries, from oil production, to firearms, to medical. The parts they fabricate are often a tiny part of a larger item, but must be created to exacting standards in order for that item to work properly.

SSI’s leadership needed a website that conveys that exacting quality, and better yet, makes those parts look like works of art (because they are!).  We were privileged to work with them on this site, both in design and content development, yielding a new WordPress website that shows unsurpassed quality.

Check them out at www.ssimanufacturing.com!

Time for a new look.

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North Forty Road 2008-2012

North Forty Road 2008

Have you looked at your website lately? Are you happy with it? Does it look good on all of your devices?

These are questions we must ask regularly, with technology and browsers and machines constantly moving in new directions. Many of the WordPress websites we designed two and three years ago are now dated from both a design and technology perspective. In addition, many homepage slideshows were designed using Flash back then, so they may not even work in iPhone/iPad.  It may be time for a change!

The great thing about WordPress is that it is possible to do a new visual theme for your website without revisiting (or even touching) your existing content.

http://northfortyroad.com

North Forty Road 2013

We can create a new “skin” for your existing website at any time. And the fun part is the process – taking the time to rethink your look, to put together different images for the homepage, to find new and different ways to present your unique message. That’s my favorite part of the process, and it can be yours, too!

Contact us today to get started on your new look.  At the same time, we can make sure your software is up-to-date, and safe from hackers.

Honesty. It’s such a lonely word.

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ID-100144408It’s sad to say, but true, that you can set yourself apart from your competition by simply being honest.

How often are you frustrated by feeling you’ve been “taken” by the cable company, the phone company, the car dealer, and more? Those who take the low road have made it difficult for even the most savvy to trust anyone.

As a business owner and salesperson, I find that trust takes time to build. However, it is easy to do. I take the simple route of being straightforward and honest. Not all web developers do this: It is really easy to dance around the truth when your product is complicated and similar to all that stuff under the hood of the car. You need to trust your web developer the way you trust your doctor or mechanic.

In talking with clients, there are many moments when it would be easier to gloss over things, or even outright lie. The news I deliver is not always good news, but simply keeping to the truth at all times builds the trust needed for a long-lasting business relationship. Consistency and honesty are the most important traits that have helped position me as a good business partner for many small businesses.

Read this great article on honesty and clarity – it helped me understand a little more about why honesty works, which goes hand in hand with it just being the right thing to do.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Is your website safe?

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Image courtesy of Master Isolated Images / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Have you noticed that you’ve gotten more spam in recent months?  Or that not only is spam coming directly to your email address, but also through that contact form on your website, or from other sources – even text messages? It’s important to protect your computer and your website from spammers and hackers.

One thing we overlook often is that spammers and hackers are business owners like many of us. Just as we look for new and different ways to reach our clients, those people that use the internet maliciously have the same goals and the same tools at their disposal. Hackers and spammers find early access to new technology, and use that knowledge to search out and cause trouble – everything from mostly-harmless advertising, to installing software in your website that sends out thousands of spam emails, all the way up to spreading viruses that destroy visitors’ computers. Scary.

How do you keep yourself safe?

  • The #1 thing to do is change your passwords periodically.  Password guessing is the most common way hackers access websites.  Nobody likes to do this, because passwords are hard enough to remember as it is!  It is important though, so keep a list safe somewhere and do it.
  • Back up your website. If you have a WordPress site, you can work through your web person to set up a back up plan, either that you do on your own, or they perform for you.  If your site gets attacked, often the only remedy is to reinstall the whole thing. Having a backup is the best protection you can have.
  • Update to the latest software. WordPress updates include the latest security patches.  This keeps the software safer from the new technology that hackers develop regularly.  Talk to your web person about updating, however, because some applications within WordPress cannot be updated without professional help. The same is true on your computer – keep doing those annoying updates!
  • When in doubt, don’t click! Say “no” to installing new software or toolbars when you upgrade or download new software for your computer, don’t click the link in that weird email from Aunt Betsy, etc. If you don’t know what it is, it’s probably not good for you!

This article has some more detail about website hacking: read on.

Common sense reigns when it comes to protection, but when technology changes so quickly it is important to work with someone you can trust for both your own computer and your website.  Contact us today to talk about protecting your website, and I can also help you connect with someone to help with your computer or network.

Image courtesy of Master Isolated Images / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

3 Reasons Why You NEED Video On Your Website

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YouTube Logoby Mike Liebensohn, Guest Blogger

Is your website working hard for you? Here are three reasons why using video can dramatically increase your online presence and authority, and make the most of the web.

#1: Video Helps You Rank Higher In The Search Engines

      • Google loves video! In a search result showing both plain text websites and videos, more people click videos
      • Having video on your website makes it 50x’s more likely to show up on page 1 of Google
      • TIP: Host your videos on YouTube to get even more exposure from this #2 search engine (4 billion views per day!)

#2: Video Increase Conversions

      • If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a million.
      • Video helps to “slow down” and engage your visitors so they stay on your website longer
      • We’ve all been trained to believe that people on a screen are the experts – that they’re “important”. Video gives you an edge and elevates your status in your prospects’ subconscious minds =)

 #3: Video Serves Your Customers

      • A welcome video can help new visitors know what to do on your website
      • Having FAQ videos can better serve your customers and cut down on customer service calls. (these days people would rather look online vs picking up the phone!)
      • Make educational videos so prospects can more easily (and more quickly) make a buying decision.

Next Steps:

About Mike Liebensohn:

Mike’s specialty is helping business owners, professionals, and experts get more people to know, like, and trust them – leading to increased sales, repeat business, and referrals. Mike owns CT Local Marketing, a Shelton CT based company that offers Video Production, Video SEO, Email Marketing, and Strategic Consulting. Your questions are welcomed!