AVL Marketing

Biking and Brainstorming, Marketing That Is

Posted on 15. Apr, 2010 by Tracy Sigler in Blog, Random

We want to help as many small business owners as we can with their marketing needs. Many of the people we talk to are not able to afford the comprehensive marketing package we provide for our current customers. The full-service marketing package is ultimately the best value, but, again, not everyone can afford to do that. So, we’re going to break the mold here and try something completely new.

The details are still being worked out, but generally speaking it will be a streamlined service, that will be very affordable, and will allow almost any small business to tap into the power of modern marketing using blogs, email and video (oh yeah, there will be some killer reporting too). These are the essential elements, and the foundation for SEO and social media. Other services will be available on a la carte basis.

Stay tuned to the site for more details in the coming weeks. Or, even better, jump on our email list and we’ll keep you updated.

Tracking Traffic from a Redirected Domain, Is Your Marketing Working?

Posted on 26. Mar, 2010 by Tracy Sigler in Advertising, Small Business Tools

There are a zillion ways to do this. Here are two that are easy to implement and will be good enough for most of us.

Let’s say you just bought a billboard, or an ad in local newspaper or magazine, and you want to know if this type of advertising will drive traffic to your site where people can learn more about your company, services or products. You could use something like “mycompany.com/newspaper” and track the traffic to that URL. But most people won’t bother typing in the extra stuff, unless there is some special content there or other incentive. Plus it’s hard to remember. Domain forwarding to the rescue!

Probably a better option is to use a special, dedicated domain name for that particular ad. Something like “MyCompanyNC.com” or “GetMyCompany.com.” You get the picture. Just add a simple modifier or possibly use an altogether different but descriptive term (e.g. “SpringfieldPlumbers.com” instead of “JohnsonPlumbing.com”).

Now what? Well, you use domain forwarding or redirecting, call it whatever, and point that thing to a special page, or tracking URL, on your real site. I’m going to outline two different ways to do this that are fairly easy for non-techie types to implement. In fact, you can even combine the two if you want, but that might get tricky.

Option 1

Tracking a Domain Redirect with a Landing Page with Google Analytics

1. Register the new domain that will be in your ad.
2. If you don’t already have it, install Google Analytics on your main site.
3. Create a landing page on your real site: “mycompany.com/landingpage.html” (Name it whatever you want, but make sure the Google Analytics tracking code is added to this page.)
4. Go back to registrar you used to register the new domain. Edit the “host record” settings to redirect it to the landing page you just created on the real site.
5. Use the new domain in your print, billboard, etc. ad.
6. Check Google Analytics for results: Content > Landing Pages

Option 2 (This assumes your site is running WordPress. High five if it is.)

Tracking a Domain Redirect with WordPress and the Redirection Plugin

1. Register the new domain that will be in your ad.
2. Install the Redirection plugin for WordPress.
3. Create a fake tracking URL for your real site and add the redirect using the plugin: “mycompany.com/billboard” (Name it whatever you want, but make sure you the exact same URL in the next step.)
4. Go back to registrar you used to register the new domain. Edit the “host record” settings to redirect it to  a fake tracking URL for your real site: “mycompany.com/billboard”
5. Use the new domain in your print, billboard, etc. ad.
6. Check WordPress admin panel for results: Log in > Tools > Redirection

How easy is that? Questions? We’re here to help.

Video and Movie Making Tips from Make Magazine

Posted on 13. Mar, 2010 by Tracy Sigler in Video Marketing

This video is a quick insider’s look into how Kip Kay uses microphones, soft boxes for lighting, video cameras, reflectors (even how to make your own), and a lot more to produce videos or “movies” for the Make Magazine Weekend Project series. For editing Kip uses Adobe Premier Pro CS4, some spendy Windows hardware, and some other desirable gear.

Email List Building, Confirmed Opt-in Mind Map – Part 2

Posted on 08. Mar, 2010 by Tracy Sigler in Email

And we’re back. Here’s Part 2 of the Email List Building Mind Map. In this video I show you the actual steps to creating this process on your site. This is just one way to set up an email capture process, but it’s one we’ve seen perform very well.

The five main pieces are the Landing Page, Confirmation Page, Confirmation Email, Offer Access Page, and the Follow Up Email.

Mind Map download link comes after the jump… (more…)

Brian Boggs, Chairmaker – Small Business Brief #14

Posted on 23. Feb, 2010 by Tracy Sigler in Small Business Briefs

Shaky cam strikes again! Too much coffee this morning, or not enough? I’m not sure. But I think you can still clearly see how fantastic this handmade furniture is, by Brian Boggs and company. The barstools Brian shows us in this video are exquisite. They are an interesting juxtaposition of hard edged precision geometry and deliberately visible hand work. And freakishly comfortable.

We really enjoyed our time in the shop today and for a furniture nerd like me it’s hard to not start dreaming up things to make after being around all that creativity and craftsmanship, and tools (covet covet).

Visit BrianBoggsChairs.com for more info.