Fresh Books Rules!
This is a great billing resource for freelancers. Create estimates and invoices, track your time, assign team members and more...
Getting started on your website and marketing strategy.
A website should provide the visitor with a concise and informative synopsis of who you are and what your business is all about. Websites are flexible and dynamic, a limited budget does not necessarily limit your design options.
The following questions are a good place to start when developing content and style for your website:
- What is your product or content?
- What makes your product or service unique?
- Who is your audience?
- What is the purpose of your website?
- What results do you want to achieve?
Quality of content and consistent communication are your most powerful resources.
When developing web content, keep in mind that the average web-surfer may spend less than a minute on a page before they click another link or leave your site entirely. Taking the time to create concise, informative and relevant content will translate into a strong search ranking, a positive user experience and help to establish credibility.
Getting people to your website and encouraging them to act on all the great content you've developed is the next step.
The Tool-Belt
Newsletters and E-Marketing
There are lots of great tools for web-marketing which are either free or inexpensive. Constant Contact, iContact and MailChimp are a few web-based eNewsletter providers. These services range from FREE (with some subscriber limits) to minimally priced (around $15/month) and allow you to edit existing templates, design from scratch and upload images plus create and manage multiple contact lists and add sign-up forms to your website that add data to your existing lists.
Design Tips: Keep in mind that less is more.
Don't try to tell everyone everything. Focus on one specific aspect of your business that you would like to promote each month ... and, don't forget to ask your readers to to act. E-marketing is an excellent way to stay in touch with existing/potential partners and clients, especially when you are on a tight budget. With a little practice, this targeted advertising can become a source of repeat and referral business. It costs only your time (and that low, monthly fee) and is well worth the effort. Stay in touch!
Got Google?
Google has many FREE tools for businesses such as adding your business to Google maps, Google Checkout, and of course, Google Analytics. Google Analytics tracks your web traffic offering all kinds of fascinating details such as keywords used to find your site, referring sites, and allows you to see how effective an ad campaign is.
Guess what? All Eat Paint Studio websites are installed with Google Analytics!
Just like a physical business, your website needs to be actively and consistently promoted in order to be successful.
Shoe-string Budget Tips
• Join Yelp! or other consumer driven referral site, create a listing and ask your customers to review your business.
- Join your local Chamber of Commerce or other professional organization.
- Sing your own praises: write a press-release and submit it to your local news outlets.
- Visit the Community Media Workshop for more information on writing and submitting publicity.
- Click here to open a pop-up window for more awesome resources!
Get in Touch
If there is a question or concern that you don't see here, feel free to contact me at eatpaint.chic@gmail.com. You can also request a quote for your next print or web project by completing the one-step Get A Quote form.