#TeamBuilding - Finding the Right Web Designer

Web design is an intricate part of your growing business. Your site must adapt to the needs of your clients whether that be through shopping cart integration, a portfolio of past work, smooth mobile transitions, or a variety of other requirements.

Having a dependable and reliable designer on your team is key to a successful customer experience. You may find that you require someone else to take care of this aspect of your growing business, but how do you determine what type will fit your needs?

Much like the SEO professionals mentioned in the previous article, there are three types of web designers: Independent Contractors, Design Firms, and Salary Employees. 

Unless your site sees close to one million hits a month, it’s not cost effective to keep a web designer on the payroll. 

Whether you go with an independent contractor or design firm, there are a few things you need to consider before choosing the web design guru that’s right for you.

• Know what you want before you begin your search. Would you tell a roofing contractor to do whatever design he wants? What about a building contractor on your new home? Do you give her license to do as she pleases and trust that she’ll see right into your mind for the perfect home? The answer to those questions are probably no, and yet many inexperienced individuals will approach a web designer with a ‘do what you want, I trust you’ type of attitude. Take some time to research the type of site you want, have examples, be prepared. Your web designer needs a place to start. Remember: a designer isn’t responsible for your vision…they’re responsible for implementing it. 

• Know their expertise. Look at their portfolio (if they don’t have one, you should move on to another designer). How are the sites? Check on both your desktop and all mobile devices to ensure clear and concise viewing. Do they understand SEO? This is very important. A movie intro or flash-based splash page may seem really awesome, but it’s not tracked by search engines. Remember, this is for your business. Are there customer reviews? Not just on their site. Check Yelp, Angie’s List, LinkedIn, their Facebook page (or other social media), or your favorite review site to see how they actually operate.

• Most important of all, know exactly what work you will require of your web designer. When you design a contract (or sign theirs), ensure the following items, at a minimum, are spelled out: a) The exact work you will require of the designer and what they’ll require of you, b) cost per hour of work to include off hour pay (weekend panic, holidays, etc.) and payment options such as half up front/half upon delivery, and most important of all c) a break off clause in case your visions clash.

Keeping these three things in mind will go a long way toward finding a successful web designer for your growing team. I know some great web designers if you are looking for referrals or just advice on the best direction to head in. As always, I want you to be successful and #BeAwesome at what you do!

~ Social Media is changing the way people do business.  Don't get left behind ~ 

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Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars.

#TeamBuilding - Finding the Right SEO Expert

In this high-tech fast-paced world, having a solid SEO expert on your team is imperative to your company’s success. As your small business expands, outsourcing SEO may be a good idea. With all the options out there, how do you find the right fit for you?

What type of work is needed for your company’s site? There are three main types of SEO professionals: independent contractors, SEO firms, and in-house employees.

If you’re branching out for the first time, it’s imperative that you hire an independent SEO consultant to set up an initial strategy. This gives you a roadmap for future SEO employment.

Independent contractors are typically more cost effective for smaller businesses, and can be hired by the hour or by project. SEO firms are companies with teams who work on a contractual basis with clients. Expect to pay a minimum of $2000 for any project with a firm. An in-house employee is usually for a large or rapidly expanding company as it is the most expensive option.

If you choose an independent contractor or SEO firm, there are three types of payment structures: pay by the project, pay by the hour, or a retainer fee (a monthly fee that reserves their time to work on your site).

Whether you choose an independent contractor, a firm, or the in-house option, there are some questions you need to ask to ensure they’re the right fit for your company’s goals. In addition, you’ll be giving them access to your site, so trust is necessary.

•  How will you determine the keyword target for your site? They should mention an audit of your site, a way to target keywords, and research plans.

• What is your strategy? They should have a three-pronged approach to SEO optimization: technical, on-page site content, and off-page inbound links. This is the trust trifecta for search engines. Technical is how easily a search engine can spider and crawl your site. On-page content involves well-optimized keywords and a good user experience, and off-page inbound links should be from respected sites that actually pertain to your site (your vendor, for instance).

• Do you follow Google’s Best Practices? If they use corner-cutting methods and play it off as fine, this is not the “expert” you’re looking for. “Black hat” processes will get you banned from search engines. It could take months or even years to regain PageRank once you’ve been penalized.

• How do you track changes and show results? Their SEO reports should include a summary of activities (for both your site and outside influences), search traffic and rankings, as well as conversions. They should provide them on a monthly basis, but some will give a weekly update.

• Who are your longest active clients? A company or contractor without a sustainable track record of success should be avoided.

Remember, hiring an SEO expert should take a burden off your shoulders, not add to them. If you want some help deciding which option is best for you, or you are looking for a great referral, give us a call. As always, we want to help you #BeAwesome at what you do!

~ Social Media is changing the way people do business.  Don't get left behind ~ 

Be sure to Follow us and Let's Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars.

#TeamBuilding – Finding the Right Social Media Team

A true sign that you have finally started making waves in your business is when you get to the point that you need to add people to your team. Being the CEO of every aspect of your business only works for so long. In order to grow professionally, you will need to bring people into the fold that can manage various areas of your work. Many entrepreneurs and small business owners find that they actually become more profitable once they begin to delegate certain time consuming aspects of their business to team members.

Why do you need a social media team?

Social media marketing is definitely an area that many companies, especially those without internal marketing staff, look to experts for assistance.  To be effective at social media, there are several factors that go into consideration:

• -       Must understand the different social media platforms, the best times to post, the demographics, the purpose, and the individual tactics and lingo.
• -       Need to remain consistent in social efforts since a lapse in content will cause a loss in followers.
• -       Knowledge of advantageous social media practices and concepts such as like/know/trust, 80/20 rule, prospecting, analytics and platform advertising is extremely helpful.
• -       Keeping on top of engagement such as thanking people who share content, responding to messages, and being reciprocal with favorites and likes is a necessary element of generating followers in social media.
• -       Understanding the various social media tools to help automate certain elements of social and save time.
• -       Responding quickly and appropriately to any bad review or other potential social media crisis. 

That is a lot to keep on top of for just one task. Unfortunately, to be truly efficient at social media, all of these elements need to be handled on a regular basis.

So, who do you want on your team?

You have some options. You can hire a full-time person in house just to handle social media. Most companies aren’t quite big enough yet to justify a full time staff member. This means outsourcing the work to a social media company who will give you a plan based on your business needs and who will be able to maintain most of this for you.

What you may find when you are seeking your own social media manager is that they tend to specialize in different areas. Some of them are experts in a specific field or niche. Others are great on content creation but may not tackle engagement. There are companies out there that offer all of the above. Make sure you know what type of assistance you are looking for before you begin interviewing potential social professionals.

The tasks can also be divided into different fields or specialties. It’s possible to hire a content creator to write, design and publish various content but then also bring a SEO expert on board to get the most bang out of that content. If you are attempting to build a tribe or community, hiring someone to manage your engagement should be the goal. There are other possible roles such as a public relations individual or expert at reputation marketing to manage your online presence, a data driven team member focused on analyzing results, or a IT person well versed in web development and coding for blogging and website assistance.

Don’t hire a team member or company that can only provide pieces of what you are seeking. There are enough people out there in the field that finding one to meet your needs should not be too difficult.

Remember that your social media marketing is a part of your brand. The story you tell in social media is vital to how the public views you and what you do. If you think of social as anything other than elaborate storytelling in order to build relationships, then you don’t really understand what social media can accomplish.

Want to learn more about social media and storytelling? Contact The Social Media Advisor team. We’d love to chat with you about how you can #BeAwesome online!

~ Social Media is changing the way people do business.  Don't get left behind ~ 

Be sure to Follow us and Let's Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars.

#TeamBuilding - Invite Your Village

Our business coach, Sabina Claus asks, "How do you eat an elephant? It's not one bite at a time. You invite the village and have a feast.”

How does this relate to your small business? Often running a company can be overwhelming. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes. It would be nice, as the owner, to be able to focus all your energy on the things you are good at – after all, that is why you started your own business to begin with. However, you need to market, balance your books, maintain your online presence, network, and various other tasks that you may or may not be talented at or have the time to accomplish.

Being an entrepreneur or small business owner does not mean you need to take on the roll of doing everything. In fact, many people discover that they are not only more productive, but also more profitable, when they hire out certain segments of their work. If you are not ready to hire on employees and build your team internally, the wonders of modern day technology allow you to access qualified help right from your desktop.

Before you begin looking into online sites such as Craigslist, Fiverr or Upwork to find assistance – consider reaching out to your network first. Your network is your village of clients, power partners and brand advocates who are eager to see you succeed. Each one of these people has a village of their own. Invite your village in to feast and see if they are able to support you or can recommend someone that would be a perfect fit for the role you need to fill.

What types of team members could you invite into your business? Here are just a few ideas of tasks you can outsource in order to free up your time. Bring them on board as independent contractors and pay per project instead of hiring on an employee.

• -       Virtual Assistant
• -       Bookkeeper
• -       Web Designer
• -       IT Specialist
• -       Social Media Manager
• -       Graphic Designer
• -       SEO Expert

Your village is an essential resource and not only for finding contracted support. Your village is the people who support you, have your back, and are invested in your own success. Be good to them and they will be good to you.

Find out more about investing in Your Village by following our business coach, Sabina Claus. Sabina helps small businesses focus on their goals, dreams, time and getting back to enjoying the company they created. She gives business owners systems so that they are running their business instead of the other way around. Find out more at www.sabinaclaus.com or my joining her Meetup Group – Your Village.

~ Social Media is changing the way people do business.  Don't get left behind ~ 

Be sure to Follow us and Let's Engage!

Hollie Clere, of The Social Media Advisor is a "#BeAwesome" Developer, Social Media Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them. 

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars.