Website Development & Design
Published April 25, 2013 | 
The Belford Group understands how important your website it is to you and we want it to not only look good, but also perform well. To do this, we start at the beginning and audit your website to make you aware of everything we see that needs improving. After we have audited your site and decided on the theme and content, we will move on to designing (or redesigning) your website. In addition to auditing, designing, and creating your website, The Belford Group offers to host each site we build on our server.
Recently The Belford Group has begun building each of our client’s sites in WordPress. WordPress is one of the biggest trends in web development right now, with millions of users and developers, which makes it great for any business or personal blogger to use! WordPress is a content management system that is used for website development and also as a blogging platform. WordPress is easy to use with quick options for managing the content of your site.
Here at The Belford Group, our team is trained and experienced in web development and is happy to offer you these services:
- Website Audits
- Website Design & Redesign
- WordPress Conversion
- Web Hosting
Be sure to contact The Belford Group for all of your website needs!
479.443.9975
Search Engine Optimization
Published April 18, 2013 | People spend too much time focusing or worrying about what a website looks like. Some people may say they are just happy to have a good looking website, but the fact is that if you have a website then you probably want people other than yourself to see it. No one creates a website just for it to look pretty, you create a website to sell a product or service, or get a message out, and therefore you want this website to reach as many people as possible. If you felt the need to create a website for a particular product, service, or reason, chances are that there are other people out there looking for that information as well, and this is where it is important that your website be optimized for search engines.
The Belford Group is a full service marketing agency who can do everything from creating an aesthetically appealing new website for your company, to designing a logo for your business card, to posting daily updates on every social media outlet to keep your company at the top of every customer and search engine’s list.
Our Search Engine Optimization services here at The Belford Group include:
• Analyzing how well your website is currently performing on online searches
• Developing and implementing a strategy specific to your company that will increase your site’s performance on search engines
• Tracking how well the changes we implemented are improving your site
• Demonstrating how much of your increased business can be attributed to the SEO improvements.
Contact us today so we can optimize your website for search engines and searchers alike!
479.443.9945
Branding
Published April 11, 2013 | The Belford Group works with a variety of clients. Although most of our clients are local here to Northwest Arkansas, we do have a couple of national clients as well. By working with a variety of clients of different scales we have the skills and experience you need to help name your business, create or redesign a logo for your business, and help you rebrand your business completely.
Business owners fret over packaging and a long list of other details as they get started, but then leave one of the most important aspects as an afterthought, their name. That’s where The Belford Group comes in. We will not only help you choose a name with significance, but we will also help you choose a name that breaks through the clutter and represents your product or service at its best.
Once your business has been named and your brand has been created, The Belford Group’s imaginative and prolific team of graphic designers will design several options of logos they believe best communicates your brand to the public, for you to choose from.
Once each of these branding steps have been completed your business will be successfully branded, your dream come true!
Call us today and let us help you bring your dream to life!
479.443.975
Small Business Marketing Trends for 2013
Published April 8, 2013 | 
Small business marketing is becoming more developed and marketing trends will continue to play a large role in creating revenue and awareness for a company. The marketing trends below will lead to improved web presence for small businesses and will define 2013.
- Mobile marketing: As the number of mobile users continuously increases, small businesses will need to offer mobile versions of webpages containing the same content and which will display correctly on any device. Increase consumer use of mobile apps, mobile sites, and mobile commerce, having already majorly affected large businesses, will now force small businesses to develop mobile marketing strategies. An effective mobile presence is vital to keeping customers happy. While you might have to outsource the mobile design if you have a complex website, most mobile marketing campaigns can be carried out at a valued price. It will also be imperative for small companies to have social media profiles on all major social media outlets.
- SEO and content promotions: Small businesses will need to produce quality website content and promote it using social media in order to be found online. Small businesses will have to earn their Google ranking by utilizing SEO practices (keywords, links, etc) and then promoting that content off site in order to create buzz about the business and its products or services. Creating quality content to be displayed on the company website is the first step in gaining good SEO rankings, so small businesses might be best outsourcing their content writing.
- Email marketing: Optimizing email communications for mobile users will be an important trend to follow this year. Customers appreciate exclusive information or deals offered through emails, such as mobile coupons. Ensuring that the email renders correctly on all types of mobile devices (phones, tablets, etc) will be the biggest issue for small businesses to overcome. If the message can’t be read by the customer, then your money has gone to waste. Certain design elements must be altered when transferring the display of the site from a desktop computer to a mobile device and the message must be concise and interesting. The goal is to provide valuable email content to your subscribers and be aware of what they want to see.
- Personalize ecommerce: Personalizing special deals and promo offers for customers who subscribe to email lists is a trend which gets customers excited to receive content. Daily deals can be a part of a successful marketing campaign that gets word out about the program via small business marketing channels.
- Social Media Advertising: Small businesses taking the time to advertise on social media will experience great benefits this year. Utilizing social media outlets can help small businesses plug into new audiences. Small businesses can target niche audiences through Facebook or Twitter, even on a small budget.
Small businesses adhering to these marketing trends for 2013 will experience increased online awareness and customers will acquire a new user experience that will make purchasing products or services easier. Does your small business know how to use these marketing trends to increase revenue and online awareness?
As a full service marketing agency, The Belford Group creates branding, websites, marketing, social media and search engine optimization solutions to assist our clients in finding and reaching their ideal audience.
Call us or email us. We’d love to hear from you.
479-443-9945
info@thebelfordgroup.com
Social Media
Published April 4, 2013 | Our team here at The Belford Group is trained and experienced in all areas of social media and does more than just upload content for our clients. Our staff is also experienced and knowledgeable on how to seek out and gain followers who will be beneficial in online-networking and spreading awareness of your business. We diligently work to boost and maintain your online presence and relationships with friends and followers.
In addition to creating and uploading content and seeking out followers, we also create Facebook landing pages and other apps to add links and keywords to boost your site’s search engine optimization. The Belford Group can additionally design and place ads on social media sites, such as Facebook, to capture an audience that some of your competitors might be missing.
After we have set up and maintained your social media accounts for a period of time, The Belford Group will review, analyze, and interpret the data to show to you just how important social media is to a successful business today.
It’s no secret that social media is becoming a major marketing tool in today’s world, so if you are looking for a fresh and exciting way to expand your business’s online presence, contact The Belford Group today! 479.443.9975
How Social Media Can Build Your Online Reputation
Published April 1, 2013 | 
In this day and age, your online reputation is just as important, if not more so, than your personal reputation. This is why it is critical to have a plan for protecting your online image. Being Proactive in regards to your online reputation will help you build strong connections and appear professional. Here are some tips to help protect and enhance your reputation through social media:
- Monitor social footprints: Never engage in inappropriate behavior through social media. Some customers may have had a bad experience with your product or service, but stop and think before you reply to a negative tweet, Facebook post, etc. Engaging in an online confrontation will negatively impact your reputation and cause other customers to have a bad perception of you and your business. Have fun with social media outlets, but don’t take anything to extremes.
- Search and investigate: Preforming a simple search of your name and the name of your company will display trending information online and will give you good insight as to how you are viewed on social media. This is what your customers will see when they search the same information. Keeping up-to-date with how you are presented or perceived online will allow you to create a strategy for increasing your reputation.
- Promote yourself: You can’t leave it up to your customers to promote you online. It is your job to promote yourself and your company so that potential customers will be interested in who you are and what you have to offer. Have accounts on all the major social media outlets, including Facebook, Twitter, and Google +. This will help customers find you and will give you the ability to assert yourself and your business as an expert in your field. Promote blog posts, customer reviews, press releases, videos, and other media through your accounts in order to start a positive conversation about your brand.
As a full service marketing agency, The Belford Group creates branding, websites, marketing, social media and search engine optimization solutions to assist our clients in finding and reaching their ideal audience.
Call us or email us. We’d love to hear from you.
479-443-9945
info@thebelfordgroup.com
Marketing Collateral
Published March 28, 2013 |
There are three functions you want your marketing efforts to serve for your business.
1. Generate interest
2. Bring awareness
3. Call to action
Marketing is all about bridging the gap between you and your customers and there is no better way to do this than with tangible, visual reminders.
Here at The Belford Group we can design and create a variety of marketing collateral including business cards, letterhead, brochures, post cards, rack cards, envelopes, banners, signage, and trade show displays.
Each of these marketing materials is specifically designed with your brand’s image in mind. We will ensure that there is an apparent and consistent theme throughout each of these materials that will generate interest in your business, bring awareness to your audience, and call your audience to act desirably.
Contact The Belford Group today and let us help you market your business!
479.443.9975
Branding for Startups
Published March 25, 2013 | 
Brand identity is an important factor for any business, but it is especially critical for a startup business to determine their brand identity. Company branding is the first step in creating company culture and what customers will experience. The Belford Group specializes in helping startups and small businesses determine the future of their business and the path they want their company to take. These are some of the services that startup businesses should take advantage of in order to get off the ground:
- Logo design: Begin with a unique identity that represents your new business and that will attract the attention of potential customers through a cohesive color pattern and design.
- Web site development and design: Your website will build on the identity presented in the logo and should be expertly designed to encourage brand enhancement and search engine optimization. There are several additions that can be incorporated into your website design which will transform viewers into customers, such as industry news blogs and keyword filled quality content. These will ensure that your company ranks highly when people search for the services your business provides.
- Business card/promotional material design: Your business card is a critical part of your brand identity that will either help you attract business or cause customers to use a competitor’s service.
- Electronic letterhead: You’ll be sending letters and proposals in electronic as well as printed formats, so be sure your letterhead matches your brand identity and embodies a professional image.
- E-Newsletter Setup: Build your network with a custom-branded e-mail template that can be sent out to customers and associates.
When it comes to investing in the future of your startup business, it is imperative that you start out on the right foot and build the identity of your brand. Your businesses identity is the first component that customers come in contact with so it is important that you allow an established brand consultant to design and produce brand materials. Does your startup company understand the importance of a cohesive brand identity?
As a full service marketing agency, The Belford Group creates branding, websites, marketing, social media and search engine optimization solutions to assist our clients in finding and reaching their ideal audience.
Call us or email us. We’d love to hear from you.
479-443-9945
info@thebelfordgroup.com
Search Engine Optimization
Published March 21, 2013 | One of our most popular services is our SEO (Search Engine Optimization) consulting. Search Engine Optimization can be defined as the process of making a site and its content highly relevant for both search engines and searchers. SEO includes technical tasks to make it easier for search engines to find and index a site for the appropriate keywords, as well as marketing-focused tasks to make a site more appealing to users. The easier it is for search engines and searchers to find your site, the more they click through, and the higher the site will rank on the search results list.
What all of the above is saying is that customers should be able to enter in your site name, or the type of products or services you offer in a search engine such as Google and immediately see your site at or near the top of the results list.
So if you’ve never tried searching your own site, try it now. Go to Google or the search engine of your choice, and type in a product or service that you offer on your site. For example, if you own a bank here in Fayetteville, search for “Fayetteville, AR banks”. Did your name appear on the first page of the results? Was it near the top? If your answer is no to either of these questions you need our SEO consulting services.
Call us today to set up an SEO consultation and bring your business to the top of every list!
479.443.9945
Why Readability is Important in SEO
Published March 18, 2013 | 
All online content should be written with a specific purpose. Be aware of the audience you want to reach with your work, make your message interesting, and most importantly, ensure that your message can be decoded and easily understood. Readability is a major factor in online content and can greatly increase your site’s search engine optimization (SEO) levels. Readability is the practice of making your writing understandable and easy to digest for your target audience. Marketing to your audience is critically important. When your website’s content is clear to the targeted audience, they will learn about your service or product, and in turn, search engines will favor the site and rank it higher. Here are some tips on how to make your article more readable for both your audience and search engines:
- Less is more: Keep your article content concise and interesting, with the most important information at the top. People don’t have time for excessively long articles.
- Short paragraphs: Shorter paragraphs are easier to read and give the reader some time to take in the information without being overwhelmed at its length. Readers will stay interested with short paragraphs because it seems that there is less to read.
- Use descriptions: Incorporating headings and subheads increases readability for the audience and search engines by categorizing information and letting them know if what they’re reading contains the specific content they are looking for. Use header tags <h1> – <h3> for keywords to improve reader experience and SEO rankings.
- Use the right font: Ensure that the audience can read the message easily. Don’t use small fonts or complex font themes. Keep the appearance of the text simple and align the text so that people can skim though it with ease.
Implementing the proper visual elements within an article is also important. Online visual content that accompanies writing is meant to be interesting and increase readability:
- Throw in some color: People respond well to information presented in different colors. Add just enough in order to make the content appealing, while highlighting key points of the article.
- Add some images: Pictures and infographs help to demonstrate and drive home points made through writing, so including these images in an article only makes sense.
Clean, colorful, and easy to read messages will help your audience learn more about your product or service. It is important to find the right balance between writing for clients and writing for search engines. Use easily understandable keywords and manage bounce rates in order to maintain good SEO rankings. These SEO rankings take readability statistics into account as well, signifying just how important clear articles are. Check your website’s readability level by using the readability tool in Google and then apply the tips provided as necessary. Open Google and type in the name of your website and then click on the “Search Tools”. Click on “All Results” and then click “Reading Level”. Readability statistics will appear and then you can form a strategy to make your site content more easy to understand. Does your company understand the importance of readability for your target audience and for SEO purposes?
As a full service marketing agency, The Belford Group creates branding, websites, marketing, social media and search engine optimization solutions to assist our clients in finding and reaching their ideal audience.
Call us or email us. We’d love to hear from you.
479-443-9945
info@thebelfordgroup.com
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