Regardless of the size of your brand, there are critical things that you should be doing for your website and your brand’s social presence this year. Here’s what they are and how to get them done:
1. Actively maintain your brand’s social media accounts.
If you have a Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or other relevant social media account you should be keeping it up to date AND monitoring any activity or questions from your customers. Timely replies to a customer inquiry or comment can make or break your brand; plus it gives you a chance to show the online community how you approach your business.
To help monitor your social media accounts, check to see that you are sent alerts for new interactions and posts. All of the services offer this to some degree and a third-party service such as HootSuite can monitor and manage your Facebook, Twitter, Google+ accounts and more, all from one convenient place.
2. Take advantage of Every Door Direct Mail
Several years ago the United States Post Office began the Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) program. This program allows local businesses to mail marketing and promotional materials to residents and other businesses within a five-mile radius for less than 18 cents per piece. The big cost savings are available not only because of reduced postage expenses but because mailing lists and address labeling are eliminated.
For the EDDM program, you are required to send to entire postal carrier routes which are easily found on the USPS’s intuitive website interface. There are some requirements and limitations to the program, such as a 200-piece minimum and a 5,000-piece maximum (per day). However, the cost savings far outweigh these limitations, especially for brands catering to local residents. If you need help designing your mailer or have other questions, contact Trillion here. We’d be happy to help you.
3. Your brand’s website should be “responsive”
Over the past two years we have been talking and writing about the importance of your website being responsive so that it looks and functions properly on tablets and smart phones, as well as on the traditional desktop computer. It used to make sense to have a responsive website if 20% or more of your visitors were viewing it on a mobile device. However, 2014 is the year that you need to make the upgrade to responsive because the expansion in web use over mobile devices is growing by the day.
A responsive website design automatically detects the screen size of the device on which your site is being viewed and makes adjustments on the fly to present the design accordingly. A responsive website will typically simplify content layout for phone users so it is more easily viewed and navigated on the smaller screen size. Moreover, the explosion of tablet users over the past year is a sure sign that a responsive website is necessary for viewers to have a great experience with your brand.
Creating a responsive website can be tricky but the best way to see how they work is to view this blog on your phone, tablet and laptop at the same time. This website is responsive. If you drag this browser window smaller, you will eventually see how the design adjusts for a mobile device. At Trillion, we’ve made a commitment to only offer responsive web design because of the value it brings. The process adds some time to a website redesign which can add a bit to costs but the benefit to our clients and their brands makes it well worth it. Here are more responsive websites that Trillion has recently worked on (Brewski Brewing Company, Jennifer Connelly Interactive Productions, CrestHire).
If you have any questions about building your brand more successfully this year, contact us here. Trillion can help your brand and the products and services you offer to become more valuable to you and attractive to your customers.
