ClearSight Creative Resources

Are You Making These Mistakes Online?

Anora McGaha — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 03:37:02 +0000

Can your customers see you clearly online?

After three full years of working online, developing websites, monitoring traffic, doing search engine optimization, optimizing social media content and really focusing in on value for clients and my own sites, I keep seeing these recurring mistakes that are costing businesses visibility and income.

You don’t have a website. Your online presence is solely through directories that you haven’t claimed.
You and your staff aren’t able to update news on your website, because it’s a static website, put up like a brochure, and meant to change no more than once or twice a year.
Your website doesn’t answer the basic questions that your customers and community want to and need to know.
You put key content that may engage your readers below the fold. Your social media buttons aren’t above the fold. Your blog post titles are at the bottom of the page.
You haven’t gotten a Facebook Page, even though you are not restricted by your industry from getting one.
You don’t have a direct link to a mapping and directions site on your website, so people can find you with ease.
You’re not checking a statistics gathering tool like Google Analytics, or Stat Counter, regularly to see how visitors are moving through your site, to check your bounce rates, and what key words people are using to land on your site.
You have social media sites and a blog, but they aren’t readily visible on every page of your site.
You don’t have a search field on your site or one that works.
You don’t offer multiple ways to get contacted – form, email, phone.
You don’t have a blog connected to your website, with links and latest topics viewable on the home page of your site.
You haven’t coordinated your online presence with your physical presence, so that there are links between them and they are consistent in messaging and appearance.
You’re not building your reputation online by consciously posting multi-media content about genuine quality activities your business is involved in.
You’re not monitoring your reputation online by doing frequent searches of your presence online, or by paying for a monitoring service.
You aren’t connected to professionals in the field to keep you updated on the latest issues and opportunities for your online presence.
You think Twitter isn’t worth your time and are ignoring it.

(Updated October 23, 2011)

There are just a few common mistakes that are regularly seen online. Take action by writing down which of these you want to address and what you need to do. The more specific your tasks are the more likely you are to complete them.

Don’t miss out on having a powerful and effective online presence, just as you would want your business to look inviting, professional and current, so should your online presence.

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I’m Anora McGaha, and I offer social media and internet marketing consulting, audits, research, strategy development, plan designs, creative content development, and reviews. Contact me at 919-741-9449 or email me at anora@clearsightcreativeresources.com, and tell me what you’re working on.

Social Media Discovery and Strategy Sessions with Martin Brossman through Martin Brossman and Associates deliver an online strategy and high level recommendations. Audits, Research, Plans, Content Creation, Evaluations, Social Media Management, Staff Training, Individual and Group Coaching are also available.

August 4th Raleigh NC Book Launch

Anora McGaha — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:11:53 +0000

On Thursday August 4th at the Raleigh Center for Excellence at 6pm, we’re hosting the Raleigh North Carolina launch of Social Media for Business by Martin Brossman and yours truly, Anora McGaha. It’s a time to gather around business associates and friends, celebrate the accomplishment of finishing Martin’s third book on social media topics, and Anora’s first book as an author (and co-author).

RSVPs are done through Eventbrite, so we can plan for refreshments.

Subscribe to our blog, The Social Media for Business Book. Like our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter at @SocialMediaSmBz

Social Media for Business by Martin Brossman and Anora McGaha

On the Social Media Team for the October 1, Big Bad Ball

Anora McGaha — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:02:15 +0000

The Big Bad Ball is an exciting annual event held in Raleigh at the Capital City Club.

I’d heard about it through Carolina Web Consultants, but didn’t learn more until Martin Brossman & Associates stepped up to offer social media services. As one of the associates with Martin Brossman & Associates I’m enjoying getting to learn about Hospice of Wake County, the beneficiary of funds raised through the Big Bad Ball.

Angel Lebak, of Assistant Angel, is a powerful part of the Social Media team.

It’s a collaborative effort with a lot of great people, and we’re taking the lead on Facebook, Twitter, and a Big Bad Ball for Hospice blog.

Launching a New Website

Anora McGaha — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 14:53:16 +0000

For a couple of years now I’ve had a site on Microsoft Live’s free platform. It was the easiest template system I had tried, and I’d tried at least a dozen. Attractive. Quite flexible. Versatile with significant drag and drop capabilities. But after I’d learned how to create and develop wordpress websites, it was time to make the switch.

About time. There’s a time to make changes. And then there’s the time it takes to make the changes. And the time to squeeze in the time to make the changes. (Did I mention that there’s sometimes no time?)

So if you read this blog post, you’ll know that this site is very new, and shaping up. And still, it will probably give you a quick sense of who Anora McGaha is.