by Nick Throlson | Jan 17, 2017 | Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate Summit West 2017 what can I say amazing conference?to attend. There is a wealth of knowledge?and expertise?that comes every year it just gets better and better. To start off day one I attended WordPress tips session and learned about automation one requirement for the audience was to create an IFTTT app that auto tweets your blog posts when created, Connecting the two was a challenge due to dual authentication, I have on my twitter and WordPress blog. I was the first to get it done and set up on the IFTTT app and I won $5,000 worth of hosting via WPEngine and other apps and goodies such as Optin Monster, WP Forms my advice to everyone is take action never know when you can get some free stuff for little effort.
The Shareasale party at the night club inside the Aria was a?great event everyone wearing favorite teams jersey great open bar & great atmosphere to network with other Affiliates.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbCdRR9d_HQ[smartslider3 slider=3]Day Two at Affiliate Summit West 2017 The Exhibit Hall has some great networking opportunities?cash machine & of course booths like PeerFly giving away affiliate swag t-shirts it was great connecting with John Chow my buddy Morgan Thomas & Darren Blatt hosting a great Affiliate Ball with Snoop Dogg and hanging out with the one and only Coolio other great affiliates I hope to see everyone at Affiliate Summit East.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWXvfOQMgCMAffiliate Ball Recaphttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfdWkA-fC18
by Nick Throlson | Jan 6, 2017 | Business, Marketing, Web Design
The most successful web designers will all tell you one thing: keep it simple. Forget the fancy effects and Flash-based menus and systems that take forever to load and don?t work on mobile devices. The key to running a successful website is to use the right tools, keep it basic and don?t overload your humble site with too much useless junk.You want your users to focus on the content, not the fact that you have a sparkling trail following the mouse or a viewer count that spins every time your user loads your website. Get rid of the fancy widgets that make your website look like it hasn?t been updated since the 1990s and take control. Here are some tips on how to market your products and services on your website with ease.
Picking the Right HostCreating a beautiful website is a time-consuming job if you?re not keen on designing. To remedy that, you can always pick a host such as Squarespace or WordPress. These two services have hundreds of different templates that you can pick and edit yourself. They?ll give you a good base to start your website and all you need to worry about is putting your content out there.Pricing is also a concern. You don?t want to spend too much money for a web host if it?s not going to make you money. There?s no reason to pay a web designer a tonne of money just to edit or change your website when you can do it yourself for cheap using hosting services, and there?s no need to pay for more storage space if your website is mainly text and pictures. Some web hosts offer easy integration for online storefronts too. You?ll have to pay a little extra, but it means you can easily sell your products on the internet and the only thing you need to worry about is printing shipping labels and packaging items to send.You also want to consider customer service. Look up reviews for the host that you plan to use and make sure they offer a 24/7 customer support service. If your website goes down, then you need to contact your host to get it back up again or ask them what issues there are. A web host that constantly fails will make it hard for your business to thrive, so ensure that uptime and customer service are top-notch before committing.Designing a LogoLogo design is expensive if you are hiring a freelancer with a lot of experience. You can make huge savings by using programs such as Photoshop or GIMP to create your own logos and designs?all it takes is a bit of reading and dedication. For example, these photoshop text effects tutorials are a great introduction to stylized logos that are easy to create and look great. You?ll be able to create some excellent art in a short amount of time and you can use it as a temporary logo until you upgrade your business.However, it might also be worth hiring a junior freelance designer that?s looking to expand their portfolio. Many freelancers that are just starting out are willing to work for cheaper rates or even for free. However, make sure that you speak to them directly and tell them what you want. It?s a gamble and you might get an expertly crafted piece of work for free, or you might just end up with something unusable due to their inexperience.How to Keep it SimpleWhether you?re creating a freelancing portfolio or you want to set up a web store to sell handcrafted memorabilia, you don?t want to overload your customers and visitors with an abundance of useless information they don?t care about. Even if you offer a very technical service, you don?t want to drown people in your technical jargon because chances are, they know they need your services, but they don?t know a thing about how it works and nor do they care. It?s also a good idea to keep your website simple enough to run smoothly and cleanly on mobile devices.Let?s say you want to focus on building custom computers for gaming enthusiasts. There?s no point listing information such as maximum temperatures or fan speeds right off the bat. They?re gamers that may or may not have an idea about the exact specs or why they?re important. Show them useful information such as how fast smoothly their games will run or the maximum graphics settings the computer is capable of. If they want to know more, simply add a ?technical specifications? link that shows all the details.
by Nick Throlson | Jan 5, 2017 | Business, Web Design
You know that your website needs content, right? But what about all the other design and UX necessities? Make sure these things are present on your site.About usYou may not think that too many people would go to the ?about us? page. They just want to see the products, right? Actually, the ?about us? page is one of the most visited pages of any website. People want to know more about your company, website, and staff, not just the products you?re selling. Check out these top about us pages from some of the best businesses on the Internet to see what sort of vibe you should be aiming for.Search barIf you?ve got text content on your website, then you should have a search function available there. Don?t rely on a user?s ability or willingness to go to Google and type in your company name and the keyword they want. That just pulls them away from your website and makes them do more work than should be necessary. You can actually get Google?s help adding a search bar, so you don?t have much of an excuse!
ScrollbarSeriously, I?ve been on too many websites that have taken the CSS scrollbar customization way too far and have made it all-but-invisible or barely clickable. If you really want to change what the scroll bar looks like to the user, don?t stray too far away from the ?classic? scroll bar look. There?s a reason it?s bold and prominent in most web browsers. Consistency in designYeah, you know that you should be using images on your website. But how can you make those images seem like consistent, harmonious choices? How can you ensure that they actually get the message across that you want to communicate? You can look into incorporating graphic templates, which can help you tick all of the above boxes. Just make sure that it doesn?t jar with the graphics of the rest of your website! 
Contact informationPeople want to know that they can contact you in some way. Even the people who aren?t actually seeking to contact you will be comforted to know that you?re displaying such information on the website just in case they do need to at some point! A lot of website owners make the mistake of closing themselves off from outside questions or comments, or relying too much on social media accounts. If you?re a business, then this is an even bigger mistake! FAQsAnother page that you might underestimate the popularity and usefulness of. Sure, there are websites out there that won?t have too much use for a frequently asked questions page. Blogs may not have much need for them, for example. But if you?re selling a product of a service, then you need to have FAQs. Consumers are going to have a bunch of questions about any such business - even if they?ve used them before, they may be things they?re still uncertain about. An FAQs page may relieve them of the need to contact customer service before making a purchase. ?(Your customer service team may be lovely, but contacting customer service is never that attractive a proposition!)
by Nick Throlson | Dec 21, 2016 | Business, Marketing, Web Design
Get your company ready for the new year by making sure it can fulfill everything you want it to. There are so many things you need to look out for and so many opportunities you have to transform the business. Making changes that will adjust the company for the new year is really important. Make 2017 the year your business ascends to the top of the tree. Here are some of the best things you can do that your business needs to succeed in 2017.
Switch to GreenYou have to look at some of the best ways of making savings and making sure your company is more sustainable. You can make your brand more attractive by switching to go green. There are a few ways you can do this, and it?s good to start off small with something like recycling and conserving power. Then you can start working up to more ambitious and wide-reaching ideas. Things like eco-friendly LED lighting and solar energy are really crucial for the future of the business. And they make you a more attractive prospect to clients as well as saving you money at the same timeUpdate Your SystemYou've got to make sure you do as much as possible to update and modernize your company. And the way to do that is to look at bringing the whole business onto a digital platform. Is there anything that isn't yet virtual that could or should be? It?s likely that there are a few extra things you can do that will make your company more contemporary. For instance, you might think about implementing Cloud computing or document conversion services for the business. These give you the chance to improve all the digital aspects of the business. Update your system and you will learn to enjoy the benefits of a well-run digital business.Revamp the WebsiteYour website is one of the most important aspects of running a company. This legitimizes the company and allows you to attract clients. A poorly designed website is going to result in failure, so you have to focus on what you can do to improve the company as much as possible. Revamping the website at the turn of a new year is always a good idea. There is nothing worse than having a website that looks tired and outdated. You have to present the best possible site for your business in order to attract customers as often as you can. Hire a web design team to make sure your website is always as good as it can possibly be.2017 is a time of change. The world is going to be hugely different so you should make changes to your company as well. There are so many things you could do, and it depends on what you want to achieve for the business. So, consider the areas that you feel need to be worked on, and you can start to implement changes here. Your company will benefit from it, and you will become a much more successful brand. ????
by Nick Throlson | Dec 21, 2016 | Business
Branding is an important part of differentiating your business from all the rest, and delivering your message in an impactful way. However, defining your brand personality and voice can be a tricky task. There are many pitfalls ahead, and it's hard to know where to start, particularly if you have no one on your management team from a branding or marketing background. So the big question for today is - how do you develop that all-important brand personality? I?ve put together some clever-yet-simple ideas for you to try. Read on to find out more.When you are just getting started, you won?t have the time - or money - to go through a long and drawn out branding process. In fact, depending on the industry you serve and the stage your business is at, there may be little point in trying to create a brand from scratch. However, one thing you have to get in place is your elevator pitch. It?s a simple one-liner - that can be fiendishly difficult to define - that explains who you are, and what you do in language that your audience understands. It?s the answer you give people when they ask you what you do, and it needs to be short, snappy, and memorable. It?s also the first step towards defining your brand personality - so spend time on it and get it right. The DIY methodLow on budget and can?t afford to spend much on branding? Then why not take the DIY approach? Grab a notepad and pen, and write down what it is your company does. Think about why you started the business, and how it fulfills the needs of your customers. In fact, who are your customers, and why do they choose you instead of the competition? You also need to look at your rivals, or other companies you admire - what is it about their brand personality that you like? How do you feel when you visit their website or store, and how would you like your customers to feel when they visit you? Finally, how would you describe your brand if it was a person? Hire a professional
Branding exercises aren?t for everyone - and there?s a good reason why large corporate businesses spend a significant amount of money on hiring experts to do the process for them. If your budget allows for it, it?s always a good idea to bring in expertise, whether in the form of a marketing agency or freelance branding specialist. When you run a business, it?s easy to get locked into a specific way of thinking - you can?t see the wood for the tree. Fresh pairs of eyes can often tell you a lot more about your business - and how other people (your audience) see it. Utilize your audienceIf you are struggling to work out who you are, why not ask your customers? They are the people that buy your product, after all. You can find a lot of information from product reviews, complaints, letters of praise, and other correspondence. Not only will your customers help you find your voice, but they can also be your voice. Take social media, as an example. If you encourage your followers to post pictures of themselves using your product, other people will see exactly who your audience is - people will be doing your branding for you. Any more tips to add? Let us know about them in the comments section below!
The Shareasale party at the night club inside the Aria was a?great event everyone wearing favorite teams jersey great open bar & great atmosphere to network with other Affiliates.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbCdRR9d_HQ[smartslider3 slider=3]Day Two at Affiliate Summit West 2017 The Exhibit Hall has some great networking opportunities?cash machine & of course booths like PeerFly giving away affiliate swag t-shirts it was great connecting with John Chow my buddy Morgan Thomas & Darren Blatt hosting a great Affiliate Ball with Snoop Dogg and hanging out with the one and only Coolio other great affiliates I hope to see everyone at Affiliate Summit East.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWXvfOQMgCMAffiliate Ball Recaphttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfdWkA-fC18
