“We just saved a double booking” was the reaction of one of our clients as he ran into our office the day after we launched their corporate communications system.

Our client has eight account executives who work out of separate offices around the country. The day we launched their new communications system one of the account execs posted that he was going to New Jersey the next day. As it happens, another account exec was also going to New Jersey that day. Since they found out in advance that they were duplicating a trip, they were able to cancel one of the trips and save several thousand dollars.

The Internet is a business tool not just a marketing tool. Smart business people are looking at their business practices and asking if they can be done better online. In this particular case, our client needed a way to communicate with all of their account executives.

The easiest way to describe this communication system is to start with a blog and add features. Some of these features are…

• When someone enters this password-protected system an email is sent to key personnel with the email address of the individual who entered.

• When an individual posts on the system an email is sent to all key personnel letting them know that someone has posted an item and the subject line of the post.

• Personnel are able to share resources by adding links to articles on the Internet.

• All entries, the discussion threads and links are stored in a searchable archive by date.

These days Internet sites that are not conducting some type of business online are the exception rather than the rule. We are continually talking with our customers about better ways they can work with their employees and customers online. Doing business online is not just e-commerce. It’s about using the Internet to conduct business more efficiently and cost effectively.

Try an email newsletter

Want to keep in touch with your clients and prospects, increase your search engine rankings and drive more people to your site? Try an email newsletter.

In last month’s newsletter we discussed with one our clients the benefits of keeping in touch with their customers with an email newsletter. The benefits are so many they filled up an entire article. Those benefits, though, are only part of the story.

If you are an intelligent marketer, after you send out your email newsletter, you archive the newsletter on your Internet site. Since the content of your newsletter is about your products and services, the verbiage is stock full of relevant keywords. What does that do for your site?

• You’ve added a new page to your site. The search engines love new content.

• You’ve added a page of keyword laden content to your site which individuals searching for those keywords can find.

• Since your newsletter has valuable content, you’ve just added material to your site to which other sites may link. These links give credibility to your site in the eyes of the search engines which may drive your site up higher in their results.

When you add your newsletters to the site you need to be smart. Take into consideration that the search engine spiders as well as your human visitors are going to be viewing them.

For the spiders, treat the newsletter just like any other page on your site and add meta tags to the page. Look at the content of that particular newsletter and decide what keywords relate to the content and build title, description and keyword tags with those words. Then create an archive using links not a drop down. Spiders can’t navigate a drop down menu.

Your human visitors will appreciate a well thought out system too. If possible include a description of the content of a particular newsletter and not just the date. A viewer may not know what month a particular subject was discussed so a description will help them in their search. If the newsletter is not formatted to print, you should add an application that will convert your html page into a text friendly printable page. After all, your site viewer may think enough about your newsletter that they may want to print a copy.


Internet Site Phone Application

Have you ever wished that your prospects could call you from your web site? AP ltd. now has a new application especially priced for small to medium sized business that allows anyone on your site to click on a link and call you during your normal business hours.

By displaying a simple link on your web site or email signature, your company has the unique opportunity to enable routed communication between customers, business services and contacts. Customers can click a link, type in their phone number and connect immediately to your company’s configured services. The application offers the following services: a custom Virtual Receptionist, SurVo voice survey, voice mailbox, a Find Me auto-dial telephone list to locate an individual, and Click-to-Call for immediate telephony connection.

The application is highly flexible in its customization and scalability, as calls can be configured with custom voice forms, menus, mailboxes and Find Me auto-dial lists based on a workplace’s schedule. Additionally, your company has the option of selecting any icon, logo or photo to represent your hyperlink.

Contact us for all the details.




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