2010-07-15

The Internet – BY THE NUMBERS

COMPELLING STATISTICS ABOUT THE WORLD WIDE WEB

Americans Currently Have Access to:

  • 1,000,000,000,000 web pages
  • 65,000 iPhone & Droid apps
  • 10,500 radio stations
  • 5,500 magazines (traditional)
  • 200+ cable TV networks

Youtubevideo


More videos were uploaded to YouTube in the last 2 months than if ABC/NBC/CBS had been airing new content 24/7/365 since 1948 (which is when ABC started broadcasting).

[Click image to the right to view presentation and more facts]

 

Traditional advertising declined as follows in the last year:

Newspaper -18.7%     |     Magazine -14.8%     |     Radio -11.7%     |     Television -10.1%

The computer on your cell phone today is

a million times cheaper...

           ...a thousand times more powerful and

                             ...about a hundred times smaller ...

                                         (than one computer at MIT in 1965)

Pretty staggering, no?  If you’re not using the web as a viable marketing channel, you’re missing out.  Contact me today to learn how to put the web to use for you and your organization!

Terry
terry@aisoftwareinc.com

2010-07-06

YouTube as a Business Tool?

youtube The growing popularity of social networking on the web has not only grabbed the attention of the world, but also caused those in the business community to ask: 

'what benefits are there for using YouTube for my business?'

While the answer to this question cannot be covered in a single blog post, we would like to educate and inform you of how YouTube can be used to increase the value of your organization's online presence.

Many think of YouTube as an entertainment site, however the landscape of the web is rapidly changing and the superb technology offered  by YouTube will allow your organization to use this application for much more than entertainment.

Here are a few ideas on how to utilize YouTube as a business tool:

Credibility - record your satisfied customers and post videos to YouTube.  When a prospect asks for references, direct them to your YouTube Channel or email video links to them.  View an example HERE.

Instructions - record instructions for your products/services/policies.  Email these links appropriately or embed into your website.  Click HERE for an example.

Marketing - create a video that describes your unique products and services.  Utilize the video as a marketing tool by emailing or embedding into your website.  To see a sample of how this can work, click HERE.  

These are just a few ideas on how YouTube can help your organization.

For more ideas, click HERE to view an article from Web Worker Daily.

Also, don't forget that YouTube is owned by Google and instances of your company/organization within YouTube will improve your visibility to major search engines on the web.

For more information on how to maximize YouTube as a business tool, contact AI Software today!

Terry
terry@aisoftwareinc.com

2010-07-01

The True Value of a Professional Website

Every week, we get emails and calls from potential clients who ask: How much does a website cost?

In 2010, it can be assumed that any legitimate business realizes that a website is an important piece of their business, but 9 times out of 10 are unaware of price (or even a price range). I hope that this article will help you understand the true value (and cost) of a professional website.

Example: How much for a car? imagesCAIHSF2X

Automobiles are a great comparison for websites. Cars can look completely different, they can drive completely different and they can have lots of different features. Also – there is a huge cost variance based on the variables above.

More importantly, consciously or subconsciously, you draw opinions about people based on the type of car they drive. imagesCAWM85FA

Think about it – what do you think of when you see someone driving a beat up pickup truck vs. a BMW? It may not be right to draw an opinion, but it is human – and – humans will draw these same conclusions when they look at your website.

So, are you driving a beat up pickup or a BMW?

But, that seems expensive, doesn’t it?

In our industry, we hear this phrase quite a bit and it is difficult to answer. Even though it is 2010, many organizations are still utilizing a ‘Generation 1’ site – many times designed by a trusted friend or freelancer to cut costs and save money.

‘Expensive’ is also based on business size/marketing budget/etc. To a small business, $1000 may seem like a steep marketing expense, to medium businesses – perhaps $10,000 – for large businesses, $50,000 may seem reasonable (based on their paradigm and tolerance).

With AI Software (as with any other professional development company), a high-quality website starts around $3,000 – but, that seems expensive, doesn’t it?

Well, I had the opportunity to talk to a potential vendor for print advertisement in a quarterly periodical with limited circulation (www.greenbusinessquarterly.com). The following are the rates that they provided me (please keep in mind that the rep told me these are ‘discounted’ rates):

Double Page color ad: $9,210     150 words editorial
Full-page color ad: $5,850         100 words editorial
1/2 page color ad: $3,940          75 words editorial
1/4  page color ad: $2,750         50 words editorial

What does this mean?

The above-state rates are for a single-run in a little-known publication. Since they are in business, we can assume that they are selling advertisement. However, their lowest rate is right in line with a professionally-developed website by AI Software – consider the following:

- A website is permanent, not just a quarterly run.

- A website reaches the world, not just a select group of subscribers.

- A website contains limitless content, not just a quarter, half or full page.

- A website does WHATEVER YOU WANT!

- A website allows you to track response and traffic.

- A website from AI Software costs about the same as a quarter page advertisement.

We should also consider that print advertising is typically a fraction of what you would expect to pay for radio, television, etc. So, shouldn’t the question be ‘How much value do I get from a professional website’ rather than ‘How much does a website cost?’

Terry
terry@aisoftwareinc.com