If you have a small business and it’s not on Facebook, then you’re missing out on a bunch of FREE advertising. Yes, free advertising! Of course, like Google, there are opportunities for paid advertising on Facebook. But every small business should be on social media, especially on Facebook. The most common age of Facebook users is between the ages of 25-29 at 29.7% of users according to Zephoria. This is also the most targeted age for marketers. So why don’t you promote your small business on Facebook? Here’s how to start.

First of all, create a Facebook business page. Add all of your important business information; name, contact info, hours, products, website if you have one. Make your profile picture your business logo, and add a cover photo that accurately reflects your business.

Once you’ve created the Facebook page, you need to update it regularly. That means at least once a day. Users like to see behind the scenes photos too, such as employee photos, anniversaries, and things that show off your business. They like pictures and videos, just keep them on brand with what you’re trying to promote. Use Facebook’s free tool “insights” if you’re unsure of what and when to post.

Friends of Fans is Facebook’s “word of mouth”, so encourage people to “check-in” or to tag your business in a post. You can do this by having them check in to receive a discount or tag to enter a contest. When a fan does this, their friends will see this and see your business. Free Advertising!

Create events! Whether it’s a grand opening, a sale, a special tasting, whatever it is, create an event. That event will show up in the events tab, and people will see it. When people are interested in it, or check that they’re going to it, their friends will see that too!

Engage with your fans as well as with other pages. Be sure you’re responding to questions and comments on your page. It’s equally important that your page is interacting with similar pages, as well as local businesses. These actions will help get your business name out there.

If you need some help getting your business set up on Facebook or other social media outlets, Webtivity Marketing & Design has got you covered, reach out to us online or give us a call at (941) 753-7574!

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What is it that makes a business credible online these days? When businesses are competing for the same space in Google’s SERP’s, often it comes down to which business is more credible. So let’s break down some ways to build online credibility.

Search your business profile online and make sure that not only are all elements filled out accordingly, but that they match, and that they’re interesting to read. Add elements that would make you feel like the business is trustworthy if you were searching, such as pictures, logos, or an address. Include your staff if you have any.

Yes, we’ve said it before but blog. Become an authority – an expert in your field. Don’t just blog, but blog often. Not only does blogging increase your online search engine traffic, but it can also increase your leads, and help to back up your sales pitch if necessary.

Get active on social media accounts. More often than not, after someone finds a business online, they go looking for that business on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. If they find an active social media presence, that business automatically gets a leg up on the competition. By being social, you create trust and connect with your online audience. Be authentic, transparent, and be sure to listen and to respond to comments, questions, and reviews in a timely manner.

Highlight what it is that makes YOUR business unique! What makes you stand out? Whether it’s your standards, your warranty, or your timeliness. Whatever it is that makes you different from your competitor, show it, improve upon it, and make sure your customers feel good about choosing your business over another.

Nothing stands out to a potential buyer more than proof of credibility. Proof of credibility can include testimonials from previous clients, any awards your business has received, memberships/badges with credible associations, endorsements from credible sources, and even degrees from academic institutions. The more sources you provide, the more confident you will make potential consumers trust in your business.

If you need help increasing your online credibility in the Bradenton or St. Petersburg area, give us a call or reach out to us online!

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Manatee’s Premier Post-Secondary Adult, Career, and Technical Education Center!

Manatee Technical College is a fully accredited post-secondary technical college. MTC offers 50+ workforce training programs in the areas of business, healthcare, public service, marketing, IT, construction, manufacturing & service industries. Students prepare for national industry certifications and state licensure.

Created with Manatee Tech’s educational mission firmly in mind, this brand new state of the art website has been designed using the latest technology, so the site is compatible with today’s browsers & mobile devices. The website focuses on the students and programs that make Manatee Tech the academic nurturing environment it is. Webtivity worked with Damon to ensure all of the company’s requirements were met or exceeded.

About Manatee Technical College

For more than 50 years, MTC has served Southwest Florida by providing innovative high-demand workforce training options that include industry certifications and accreditations to help ensure career success. For more information, please visit https://www.manateetech.edu/.

About Webtivity Marketing & Design:

Webtivity Marketing & Design, a Bradenton & St. Petersburg based company, serves clients throughout the U.S. and other parts of the world. Webtivity provides website design/development and cross-media marketing services, including search engine optimization, pay-per-click, social media, email marketing, and branding/identity services. Using a consultative approach, Webtivity works with clients to develop an effective marketing strategy based on their business, customers, competition, and budget.  For more information, please visit www.webtivitydesigns.com.

Webtivity Marketing & Design – Contact

Tim Seward, Business Development Director

Phone: 941-753-7574 x107

Manatee Technical College – Contact

Valerie Viands, Ed. D. – Director

Phone: 941-751-7900

The post Webtivity Launches New Website for Manatee Technical College appeared first on Webtivity Marketing & Design News.

Anna Maria Island’s Premier Real Estate Provider!

Salty Mermaid is a full-service real estate and vacation rental office. It specializes in the Gulf Coast Islands of Anna Maria, Longboat Key and Lido Key. Salty Mermaid also services the surrounding areas of Bradenton and Sarasota and enjoys bringing the best of coastal living to its clients. The company is a close-knit group and works together to give each client personalized attention. Their philosophy is to work with integrity and provide market expertise. They want to make the process as easy as possible for anyone so that clients will come back again and again.

Created with Salty Mermaid’s business firmly in mind, this brand new state of the art website has been designed using the latest technology so the site is compatible with today’s browsers & mobile devices. The website features wide shots of videos of Anna Maria Island bringing the image of this paradise directly into the visitor’s mind. Webtivity worked with Liz to ensure all of the company’s requirements were met or exceed.

About Salty Mermaid Real Estate & Vacation Rentals

Salty Mermaid started was founded in 2003 by Elizabeth (Liz) Blandford. She is a top seller in Manatee County with a stellar record for client satisfaction. Salty Mermaid is a full-service real estate and vacation rental office. They specialize in treating visitors like family because they are a family. Their philosophy of hard work and integrity makes it easy to see why they are so successful. For more information please visit https://www.saltymermaidrealestate.com/.

About Webtivity Marketing & Design:

Webtivity Marketing & Design, a Bradenton & St. Petersburg based company, serves clients throughout the U.S. and other parts of the world. Webtivity provides website design/development and cross-media marketing services including search engine optimization, pay-per-click, social media, email marketing, and branding/identity services. Using a consultative approach, Webtivity works with clients to develop an effective marketing strategy based on their business, customers, competition, and budget.  For more information, please visit www.webtivitydesigns.com.

Webtivity Marketing & Design – Contact

Tim Seward, Business Development Director

Phone: 941-753-7574 x107

Salty Mermaid Real Estate & Vacation Rentals – Contact

Elizabeth Blandford, Owner/Broker

Phone: 941-254-6131

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There are many reasons to keep a business website fresh. Customers like a fresh website, it gives them reasons to keep coming back to it. Technology is changing daily, which also makes technical reasons for keeping a website fresh. And search engines love fresh websites, so if you’re looking to rank higher in search engines, you need to keep your website fresh.

How do you keep a website fresh?

There are quite a few different ways to keep a website fresh. Because technology and design are constantly evolving, if your site was designed a few years ago, chances are it needs an upgrade. Not only is it outdated, but even if it was popular a few years ago, it probably isn’t mobile friendly (which is a must these days) and it probably isn’t very SEO friendly. It is worth it to invest in an upgrade.

Check your website from time to time for broken links. For example if you have linked to another business, or blog, perhaps they have gone out of business or changed something. If that link is no longer working it will show up as an error or a broken link leading your consumer to go elsewhere.

Google keeps track of how fresh your website is. If you increase the size or footprint of your website each year, Google will reward you for being “fresher” than other sites. You can increase your footprint by creating new pages.

It’s also important to update the content on the pages already on your website. This can be done by adding content, adding links to other areas of your website, or by adding photos to your page. You can also change the ALT tags on your photos. This is important because SEO rules are always changing, so the ALT text that was once there, might not be important SEO wise any longer.

Creating a blog is a great way to update your website. Not only does a blog keep your website fresh, when blogging about things your target market is interested in and searching for, it will attract new visitors. See our post on blogging. You can always repurpose a blog and update it too. Just don’t rename the URL, or you will lose all the SEO benefits gained from it.

Keep in mind that keeping your website fresh will benefit you. It will benefit your search engine traffic, your rank, and help to generate more traffic. If you lack the time to do this, it’s worth it to consider a professional marketing team and web designer to do these tasks for you. If you’re looking for a fresh website, we’d love to hear from you!

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