January 27th, 2010
Last week, Boost Marketing celebrated five years in business!
Over this time, we’ve had the privilege of work ingwith many amazing people and businesses. To all of our clients, vendors, and associates: thank you for your support and friendship over the past five years.
Boost has gone through a lot of change in the last five years, not the least of which was moving in to our new offices last fall. If you haven’t had the opportunity to see our new facilities, we invite you to stop by whenever you are in the neighborhood.
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December 17th, 2009
Google recently sent out 100,000 letters and decals to popular businesses based on data from their user friendly Google Maps application. The window decal features a UR barcode that, when scanned with a mobile phone application, links users directly to that business’ Google Local Business page.
Google Local Business allows you to “claim” your business online, and then update it with additional information including descriptions, photos, videos, coupons, and more. The new “Favorite Place” window decal allows passersby the opportunity to scan the barcode and instantly learn more about that business with their mobile phone right then and there.
We here at Boost are pleased to be named a “favorite place” and will proudly be displaying our decal in our window. We also encourage all of our clients (both B2B and B2C) to take a closer look at their Google Local Business page. It is a completely free offering from Google, and we’re shocked to find that many businesses are not taking better advantage of it. If you would like to hear how Boost can use Google to build awareness of your business, feel free to give us a call or stop on in. Just look for the Google decal on the door.
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November 4th, 2009
Everyone wants their website to be listed number one on Google. That is a great goal, but have you considered what the visitor will do once they click on your all important first page link?
Next time you are checking your web stats, take a look at your “bounce rate”. This indicates the percentage of viewers who get to your homepage and then “bounce” right off. If this is high, this may mean that your homepage is poorly designed or it is just not relevant. Below are a few tips to lower your bounce rate and keep viewers on your site once they have found it:
- Do not put too much content on your homepage. You have limitless pages on the interior of your site, do not overwhelm your viewer on the first page.
- Be straight forward and concise with your message. Creating a short, understandable statement, like an ad headline, will be memorable and let the visitor know the purpose of the website
- Make sure it is clear what action the visitor should take. Should they call for an estimate, fill out a contact form, add an item to the shopping cart, or vote for you on election day? Spell it out for the people visiting your website and make it easy for them to take action.
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October 20th, 2009
Going green often comes with concessions such as higher costs, reduced performance, or increased hassles. An eco-friendly product without compromise is a rare find, but our friends at Evo Exhibits have hit the mark.
With the philosophy that you don’t have to look green to be green, Evo Exhibits introduced their Evo Element line of environmentally-friendly trade show exhibits. These sustainable exhibits strive to be green in every aspect, and feature a number of innovations including:
- Greencore Graphics: a biodegradable, printable substrate that makes a great alternative to PVC, which contains awful stuff including chlorinated toxins, mercury, lead, and dioxins.
- Recycled Aluminum Extrusion Frames: Made with up to 77% recycled aluminum, these frames require up to 12x less energy to create than new aluminum components.
- LED Lighting: Provides better light and uses up to 15x less energy than standard halogen lights.
- Bamboo Shelves & Cabinets: This rapidly-renewable material is a great alternative to particle board, which contains formaldehyde and emits methane gas as it decomposes in landfills.
- Low VOC Adhesives & Finishes: These water based products are much cleaner for the environment.
Best of all, these exhibits look amazing and are similar in cost to standard exhibits. Check out www.evoexhibits.com for more.
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October 12th, 2009
It’s a gloomy Monday here in Chicago, but we’ve got two things to be happy about over here at Boost:
- Our own Brandon Morreale ran a 3:03:40 in Sunday’s Chicago Marathon.
- Jack’s Marathon Team raised over $35,000 during the Chicago Marathon to fund melanoma research and awareness. Boost has been providing pro bono marketing support to Jack’s Fund since 2005.
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October 7th, 2009
Not a week goes by that I don’t get contacted by a client or friend that just got a call from someone promising them first page organic search results on Google. “Is it true?” they ask. “Can they really get me to the top of Google for (insert dollar value) a month?”
Surprisingly, the answer is “yes” but with a very big “but”: the results will likely be temporary, and the search engines may actually de-list your website for using unethical practices.
Search engines are used because they provide relevant search results. They don’t like it when people try to game the system, and have been known to ban websites for search results that use black hat SEO techniques such as:
- Keyword stuffing
- Hidden or invisible text
- Doorway pages
- Cloaking
While these types of quick fixes are tempting, they are no substitute for good search engine optimization. Focus should be on solid content development, smart website programming, and proven white-hat SEO techniques.
Call me at 800-689-6751 x.801 with any questions.
~Keith Booton, President, Boost Marketing
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October 7th, 2009
Boost Marketing is pleased to announce the debut of our new website. Here you’ll find information about us, what we do, and samples of our recent work. Be sure to check back often, as updates will be made frequently.
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