Using Social Media Tools to Increase Traffic and Awareness

The Right Target Audience and Relevant Information Creates the Perfect Environment.

Recently, we’ve partnered with Teresa Howes, founder and innovator of the new SkinnyTinis website. To support her book launch about low-cal drink alternatives for the health-conscious woman, we’ve created a website that’s not only fun, but useful too.

The SkinnyTinis website will be developed into a feature-rich, web 2.0 structure with polls, promotions, and plenty of information about healthy choices for women concerned about their diet. An interactive Calorie Counter widget will hold thousands of data inside of a custom database created specifically for this audience. Users will be able to enter ingredients into the Counter to research the amount of calories in the drink they want to make or to build their own drink with low calorie alternatives. Netfinity will create other custom apps and widgets like “Make a Drink” a module that enables consumers to make their own SkinnyTini Signature Drink and send it off to a friend. All user generated recipes will print out on recipe-friendly 3 x 5 cards.

While the buzz is huge about Social Media tools and usage, it’s important to use the right tools with the right audience. A consumer recipe site targeting an active audience looking for this information creates the perfect environment for sharing and creating information within this social website.

As we get closer to the SkinnyTinis book launch from publishers John Wiley (publisher of the “Dummy” series, 101 Margaritas, and more) in 2009, Netfinity Interactive will continue to provide the branding, web design and development, and innovative sharing tools that will garner active users of the SkinnyTinis website.

Website Budgets

Determining Budgets & ROI for Your Web Design and Development Project

Many interactive firms offer instant review of your project specs through their contact form. Based on the details you provide us, we gain preliminary knowledge of what your needs are before consulting with you. You'll also see we ask for your budget and timing - - sometimes this is left blank. We understand not all of our customers have gotten this far with their planning.

Here’s how we can help:

If you don't know what your budget number is, you can provide us with a list of services and features you’ll need.Once we receive this information, we review, establish our strategic approach, and provide you with a project fee. This fee can vary based on standard or rush timing, but the prices we offer are based on creating your website from concept to launch – or whatever phase you’re in – while providing tools and recommendations that create traffic, generate leads, and market your service or product to achieve the highest ROI.

If you do know your budget, we will provide the same strategic approach and recommendations within your budget parameters. Depending on the budget you provide us, we may have to provide alternate solutions to meet the objectives to remain within budget.

In summary, there are two ways to arrive at a budget number:

• Your interactive firm can review your goals, needs, and timing to provide a budget based on our highest recommendations and determined ROI
• You provide a fixed budget and scope of work and we determine how to meet your project objectives within your budget

A few more things to know about pricing and budgets:

• There will always be a huge variance in price between a freelancer (an individual) and a firm (team/infrastructure)
• Doing your homework by talking with a couple of different firms will help you understand the fair market value range in the market you’re in
  

Criteria to consider other than pricing:

• Can they do more than just execute? – will they bring online strategic knowledge to your project?
• Do they consider your ROI and provide tools for measurement?
• Do they offer up ways to optimize your site with SEO, SEM, and PPC (paid media, if applicable) recommendations?
• Do they have long-term customers and partners?
• Can they provide custom application development and web 2.0 experience?
• Do they host in a secure location?
• Do they have a responsive system for updates and follow ups?
• Do they provide a Content Management System (CMS) for you to make easy and quick updates to your site for News updates, etc.?
• What type of reporting do they offer: site analytics, search engine ranking reports (SERP), promotional campaign tie-in impacts, etc.?

For a free consultation from Netfinity Interactive, contact us now.

Online Marketing

Creating Plans That Work

There's a rush of information coming at us from all angles - blog! widgets! social media! web 2.0! mash ups! SEO! SEM! OYE!

There’s no doubt that online marketing and advertising is flourishing and expanding offering many different tactical options to choose from, as well as newer ways to offer up content.

How do you keep up and choose the right tactics?

I think what’s most important is relying on the standard methodology - - objectives, strategies, and then: tactics.

While it's not uncommon to want to jump onto the latest trends to be part of the ‘buzz’, it’s crucial for your ROI to choose your tactics after you’ve defined your goals and objectives.

If you sell pipettes for example, maybe you don't need a video on http://www.youtube.com/. If you're writing a press release on Floor Gratings, you might not look to be picked up on the top Blogs. What you need to do is not look at the latest {fashion} trends in online marketing, but to plan your results by defining your goals and objectives and then picking the best tactics that help you meet your objectives:

1) Define your online marketing objective(s)

2) Define the strategies (actions) that you'll need to take

3) Create a list of all the tactics that can help you meet your objectives and strategies

4) Determine your budget and plan based on which tactics meet your goals AND fit within your spending plan

5) Double check your numbers and the chosen tactics to understand the ROI and outcomes that you can expect

At Netfinity Interactive, we wrap strategic thinking into our website design, custom development, and ongoing online marketing for the websites we create. If you’d like to learn more, visit our website or give us a call – we’re always available to consult with about your online marketing goals.

Advertising Agency Partnerships

The Power Behind the Scenes

Many of our design, print, and agencies of record (AOR) come to us for our web knowledge. Because our core specialty is
web design and development, we can help mesh print design and market strategies into our online development strategies. This enables your print and brand campaigns to translate on the web.

As your web partner, we can stay behind the scenes as your web consultant, adding power to the knowledge and strategies behind your recommendations. “It’s important to discuss the offline strategies and how they can be marketed online” says Chris Fialkowski, founder and partner of Netfinity, Inc.

Every agency, service provider, or partner – whatever your position is – strives to gain measurable results for their client. To do so, it’s important to rely on your partner’s strengths and wrap that into your client conversations. Inevitably, your brand, product, or services gain the combined power of smart strategies developed by specialized experts in web design, development, and advertising, and print design.

If you need to leverage our web design and development knowledge – Netfinity can be your web partner behind the scenes and help you and your client flourish and get noticed in the online world.