Digital Marketing

First Impressions

First impressions are important, and are perhaps overlooked too often in the digital world. We’ve come across some fantastic websites that check all the boxes, and of course we’ve all come across so many that are just old or incomplete. Everyone has their own reasons for not upgrading or updating their digital property, but in the end it’s costing them big. Some say they’re ok with how things are, while others don’t really understand the implications.

Ten years ago you could get away with having a bare-bones presence online, but not anymore. Just as you- as a business owner or consumer do a little “quick Google search” before visiting any establishment, the rest of the world does too. That is significant, to say the least. Think about that for a moment. This is a habit that is almost like brushing your teeth in the morning, you just do it – without thinking much on it. Why? Because it’s there. You want that information so you can make the best possible decision, and move along through your day. Getting that information to the quarterback quicker matters.

Every one is a consumer. Everyone. No exceptions here. When we start down the pipeline of making a choice – we want that information immediately, if not sooner. Why? Because technology as spoiled us a bit, nevertheless – we expect answers to come with brevity and accuracy. So, we do a search and boom – they arrive. We scroll past those ad-driven results at the top and go right for the good stuff. The results that Google’s Analytical Algorithm has served up – because that’s where the clicks have been. That’s where the time has been spent by other users. We enter a page, it answers our question and we’re happy. Viola.

However, it doesn’t always work like that. Sometimes we end up on a page that’s like ‘1996’ old. It’s bare. You can almost hear the wind blowing and tumbleweeds strolling by. Out of sheer curiosity –  you scroll up and down, pinching and squeezing – because, this site is not mobile friendly. Finally – you look at the name of the business. You sort of whinge – and go, “Well – I’m not going there”. This happens more often than not, and it’s simply a failure to make a good first impression. You figure if they don’t care enough to have their website in order, where else are they failing.

Businesses of any type should want to exude professionalism and strive to display all the great things they do. This concept is simple, but it’s difficult for some to understand the gravity and impact of. To be relevant in the world we live it, you have to participate. You have to get off the bench, put in the work and play with the rest of the world. Otherwise, fading into obscurity is always an option. The good part here is you don’t have to be an expert in anything other than what you do. That’s why we exist.

Before anybody sets foot in your establishment or does business with you, they have visited your website. They have sized you up. They have already made a decision about you. Was it the one you wanted them to make?

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Always Keep it Local, If You Can

Recently, I found myself wanting to have a short-run of t-shirts made. So, I went over to Custom Ink and started building a shirt with artwork I had, and was kind of surprised at the price. As with most things, the more you buy the better deal you get. We’ve all been served ads for cool T-shirts that have something specifically targeted at us, like our last name or birth month – then low and behold it’s a $30 t-shirt. Not a polo-esk shirt, a t-shirt. But, we pull the trigger anyway and wait for the shipping thing to happen. After that, you’ll get ads from everyone in the t-shirt world; which is fine- but like most people I already have too many. In fact I pulled out 27 for candidates to be made into a quilt. But, that’s another story.

Back to the beginning. T-shirts. I wanted a dozen made that I designed, and decided to dig around to see who was in my backyard. My backyard these days spans from Lincoln County, NC to Pitt County, NC and up into Southampton County, VA. In this case, I wanted to see who was in Greenville, NC. First, I reached out to MoJo Originals. They were very helpful, but mainly do larger runs of apparel for companies that hire them to do the design work, layout and so fourth. They are an awesome one-stop shop – and I can’t stress enough how kind and informative they are. Find & follow them on Instagram, here. They pointed out that since my logo has a gradient  I’d need a DTG printer to produce it. So, I naturally asked if anyone in town had one – and it turns out they do.

Enter – TailGate Classics. I shot them a message on Instagram at something like 10pm, and got a quick response as well. I sent them a couple of images of what I wanted, sizes and so fourth, and they said, “No problem.”  They sent me an easy to pay bill that was at least $75-100 lower that Custom Ink, and the money stays in town. I love that. You should love that, too. I can’t emphasize how much it means to businesses, big or small – that their surrounding community support them. There will always be cases that involve or require you to seek outside experts/opinions, but usually you can find what you need in your backyard.

So, here we are. I’ve got my t-shirts ready for pickup and I’m happy that I was able to keep it local.

In efforts to help you find local businesses, here are some helpful links:

Greenville, NC | Chamber of Commerce 

Lincolnton, NC | Chamber of Commerce

Southampton County | Chamber of Commerce

Need help? Drop a line to hello@sevenind.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin.

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