Posts Tagged ‘Website Content’

Web Standards Matter

May

25

2011

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The Web Development community often stresses the importance of following the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) code standards for creating Web Sites. While being completely error free is sometimes unobtainable (because of browser differences), the current wisdom is to future-proof Web Sites by complying with standards.

If you have errors, you may think, “but my site looks fine! Why should I worry about validation?”

Here’s why:

Web standards reflect quality . If your site fails to load, doesn’t work properly, or doesn’t look like it’s “supposed” to look, visitors will simply move on. Your competitors are just a click away.

Search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo use Web crawlers or “spiders” to traverse the Internet and index web pages. It’s important to be in this index so that people can find your site when they type in keywords. When a search engine doesn’t see your fantastic content because of an error, your potential customers may never see it either.

Having a validated Website ensures consistency between web browsers. When your Website is on the Internet, there is no way to control what visitors are using to view your page. They could be on a PC, a Mac, a laptop or mobile device—each with its own web browser. Using web standards is one of the best ways to build a site that will look consistent between platforms.

Pages that validate will also load faster. Dial-up connections and wireless handheld devices (smart phones, iPads, etc.) are limited in speed and it is important to have a fast loading page. The web is all about instant gratification; users will leave your page if it’s slow.

Web Sites that conform to web standards are easier to maintain. If any changes need to be made (and count on it, they will), Web Sites with clean code will be less costly.

Standard compliant Web Sites are future proof.  By adhering to standards, you will save time and money when you need to troubleshoot, debug, or modify your Website. The current recommendation has been the same since 2001. Work is being done on a new standard, and is expected to become the recommendation in 2012. If the new recommendation remains in place just as long, will your Website last through the next decade?

Your Website is a crucial part of your Brand and an important marketing tool. Make sure it’s working at its maximum potential. Whether you’re just joining the online world or you’re updating your old site, using W3C recommendations is an important technical consideration.

 

Partners In Safety names AJ Ross Agency of Record

May

06

2011

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AJ Ross

1149 Rt. 17M
Chester, NY 10918
May 6, 2011
For More Information contact:
Allan J. Ross 845-783-5770
allan@ajross.com

AJ Ross Creative Media Adds Partners in Safety to Client Roster
Partners In Safety

Employment Screening Company Names AJ Ross Agency of Record

Chester, NY — Allan Ross is proud to announce that AJ Ross Creative Media has been named agency of record by the occupational health company Partners in Safety. The Chester-based marketing agency will manage the marketing, advertising, and Public Relations needs for Partners in Safety and also it sister company Partner in Primary Care.

AJ Ross has been charged with reinvigorating the company’s Brand and creating a new Website to enhance communication with their core audience. They will also be developing a strategic marketing plan to help guide Partners in Safety as they position themselves for future growth.

“Allan, Carlos, and the team at AJ Ross have the experience our company is looking for to refresh our message and take our marketing efforts to a new level,” said Ursula Clancy, a founder of Partners in Safety. “Their creative energy, Branding expertise, and strategic focus are exactly the mix we were looking for to continue the growth of our 20 year old company.”

“Partners in Safety and AJ Ross are a great fit,” said Allan Ross, president and founder of AJ Ross Creative Media. “Like Partners in Safety, our agency is committed to client satisfaction. We also have proven expertise in Health Care marketing and strive to ensure our clients stand apart from the competition.”

Partners in Safety offers a variety of employment-related programs to ensure a healthy, safe, and productive work place for both employers and employees. Their services include drug screening, occupational health services, physical exams, OSHA compliance programs and background screening services. They have offices in Orange, Rockland and Westchester Counties and in Manhattan.

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AJ Ross Creative Media, located in the Hudson Valley’s historic Chester, NY, was founded by President and CEO Allan Ross and is celebrating its 20 th anniversary in business. A former set musician, jingle writer and producer, Ross parlayed that experience into the development of a full-service strategic marketing agency. AJ Ross offers Brand development, Print, Radio, and TV advertising production, graphic design, Website and viral development, and Public Relations. Some of its clients include Orange County Tourism, Finkelstein and Partners and Jacoby and Meyers To learn more about AJ Ross Creative Media, visit www.ajross.com , call 800-723-4644, or email info@ajross.com .

Keeping Your Website Fresh

Mar

28

2011

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Today I’d like to talk about: Are you keeping your Website fresh and up to date?

Probably the most important marketing tool your company has today, is your Website. The web has become your online portfolio where your prospects and clients check out your company to get information of your services. Now that being said, just like any other marketing tool, there are professional websites and there are amatuer sites. It is becoming more and more important to present your company web presence in the best possible light. It will keep your site visitors coming back.

Now how do you keep your Website fresh? Here are some of my suggestions.

  • Make sure the content in your site is an accurate reflection of what your company does and is visitor friendly. Sometimes less information is better than more.
  • Nothing looks worse than a “What’s New” section that hasn’t been updated since 2004. Keeping your site fresh and functioning effectively as a business tool is critical. It also will help your company rankings in search engines.
  • Make sure you let the public in on what’s going on. And with new technology coming out, it’s hard to stay ahead of the crowd. If you write articles or newsletters make sure you post them on your site or on your blog, and change them every month or two.
  • Make sure (if you’re selling something) you always have the latest merchandise. It will keep your site visitors coming back.
  • Hire a web developer to do your regular updates. Someone who specializes in Website maintenance, SEO (search engine optimization) is a key.

Remember your Website is your online portfolio to the world. Be proud of your online presence. You work hard, so have your Website also work hard for you.

Honesty

Dec

01

2010

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Hi This is Allan Ross from AJ Ross Creative Media On How To Market Your Business.

I would like to talk about subject dear to me.

Honesty is the Best Policy In Your Advertising Campaign.

If prospective customers don’t believe your message or you, you might as well put out your “Going Out of Business Notice” right now.

Credibility is an important concern when advertising. As a business owner you can’t afford to be viewed by potential customers as anything less than honest, ethical and above board.

Yet few advertisers use more than half of the strategies that build trust in the prospective customer’s mind, according to advertising industry statistics. A recent study found that with major corporations, like major retail and department stores, the average advertisement was implementing only 55% of guidelines for trustworthy advertising design. Smaller companies tend to use even fewer of the recommendations.

Here are some suggestions you can use to Communicate Credibility In Your Advertising Campaigns

  1. Make sure that all your contact information about your company is complete and easy to find. Especially important is making your Website information visible.
  2. Make good use of color and photos in your advertising. Usually smaller companies tend to cut corners because of budget concerns. By adding color photos it helps to raise your level of credibility. Photos help your prospective customers trust you because they come to feel they know you.
  3. If you are selling something make sure you don’t make prospects look all over for the price. Price it fair and put it there.
  4. Make sure your advertisement looks professional, is up to date, and is free of spelling and punctuation mistakes.
  5. If you require a specific disclaimer, Display it and let your prospects know why it is important.
  6. Make sure your prospective customers can reach someone quickly if they have questions, need help, or wish to do business with you.
  7. Give your prospective customers what they are looking for. If they’re looking for information on a particular service, don’t make them read through a three page brochure about your company before they get to the instructions.

According to and old saying, “Honesty is the best policy.” If you want to be successful in advertising, it’s an essential policy as well.

When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Starts Marketing

May

13

2009

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skyscrapers When times are tough the first things businesses cut are their advertising and marketing budgets thinking they are saving money; what they’re really doing is cutting off their lifeline to profits in our current hard economy. If anything, advertising should be increased, and here are some of the reasons why:

The Competitive Advantage
Advertising during a bad economy clearly creates a competitive advantage by creating Brand Assurance. Brand Assurance establishes confidence in your demographic when you are consistently in the public eye. Most importantly, you’re at the top of buyers’ minds when purchase decisions are made. People don’t stay loyal to products or companies based on the memory of a strong campaign in rosier times. Memories are short and advertisements that bombard them today and every day are what will stick in their heads and make you a household name when they make a purchasing decision.

There are certain cost effective ways to market your company that you should pay strict attention to. Some of these include:

Website Content
Keep your Website fresh and current. Your Website has become one of your most important marketing tools. It’s the voice of your company 24 hours a day. It can offer customers your latest promotions or house an entire catalog of information.  It allows you to deliver countless amounts of new information without printing or mailing expenses. You have the potential to connect with millions of people. Now it’s up to you to hook them and keep them interested with new information.

Email Campaigns – The New Way to Send Direct Mail
One of the best ways to reach your existing clients and new prospects is by sending out email campaigns.   It could be an article, newsletter, or just new information of what‘s going on with your company. Your presentation of your email marketing campaign needs to be professional and well thought out. It might be a good idea to hire a professional like AJ Ross to design your initial template. As the old sayings go, “first impressions”and“you get what you pay for.”

You’ve established your Brand, built and maintained a strong Website, and sent out an email campaign …… so what’s next?

Can you be found on Google?
Another important factor in marketing your company is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to your Website. When SEO is done properly, it will place you high on search engine result pages with certain key phrases and terms (i.e. Real Estate, law firms, doctor, etc.).  You should also hire a professional like AJRoss to help you with your SEO. With millions of people online daily, it is worth the investment.

The economy may be bad, but people are still spending money on products and services. Now is a great time to keep your market share and prove Brand Assurance particularly in these bad economic times. Consumers and companies alike will feel comfortable spending their money on the services your company provides. Make sure they know your name, increase their confidence in your staying power, and assure them you will be there tomorrow and in the years to come.