My latest website went live this month…you can check it out here: www.szwinsurance.com.

Now the story behind Scalzo, Zogby & Wittig’s new site…

I called Gary Scalzo in December 2010 offering my services as a Web content writer and consultant. He was happy I called since his insurance agency was anxious to get going on a new, more modern looking website. As I remember, his was one of the first agencies in the Central NY area with the foresight to have a website back in the mid 90s.

The problem was the site had that old, mid-90s look. And the content hadn’t been upgraded in a long time. They had hired a web designer to develop the upgrade, but they weren’t getting there fast enough.

What interested Gary and Steve Zogby about my approach to online marketing was that the focus for the development of the new site was to be content based. That is, the insurance information, tips, and advice they could provide their clients and prospects online was the driving force behind the development of the site.

We started work with a Web Creative Brief. Gary, Steve, and I discussed the agency’s insurance products, the way they did business, and the kind of customer they were looking for. This session plus extensive research gave me the insight I needed to write content that appealed directly to their audience in New Hartford, Utica, Rome and Central NY.

The website launched July 14, 2011. We introduced the site as an information-packed resource specifically addressing the insurance issues faced by the Central New York community.

Gary and Steve encourage people to bring their questions about insurance coverage, rating, and loss prevention to the site. Visitors can take advantage of fresh, updated content including weekly blog posts. There’s also agency info making it easy to contact any of the team by phone, email, or thru the site. And there’s much more…over 50 pages of content.

There have been 170 visits to the site in only 13 days and the feedback has been very positive. I want to thank Gary Scalzo and Steve Zogby for the opportunity to develop their new site and I wish them the best of luck with it in the future. Go ahead and take a look at it here and let me know what you think.

Until next time,

Nick

 

 

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Now You Can Punch Above Your Weight…Online

by Nick Burns on May 27, 2011

D.C. pundits have recently caught President Obama in an oft repeated cliche…”punching above their weight.” It’s an old sports phrase describing a boxer fighting someone much bigger and winning. Obama has gotten into the habit of saying it when praising smaller countries that do big things.

And if you’re a small business, let it be your battle cry as you fight for sales online.

Here’s why…

Say you’re marketing on an ecommerce site. You’re selling electronics online. Can you “box” with the likes of Walmart?

Take the short trip to your local mall and walk by the huge Walmart building and you think…no way!! I can’t get in the ring with them.

Now take out your iPad and look at Walmart’s website. Of course, it’s the same size as your business homepage. You have the same space as Walmart to present your products to the world.

The internet is a great equalizer. You don’t need to spend millions on your website to compete with the big boys. All you have to do is use the right keywords, present engaging content, and move visitors thru the site with easy navigation.

You may be small, but when it comes to content marketing and your website…you can easily “punch above your weight.”

Now,  you’ll need some strong content before you get in the ring for the big fight. I can help you write Web pages with muscle so you can compete with your market’s heavyweights.

Call me and I also promise that I’ll stop with the boxing metaphors…

Until next time,

Nick

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How to Easily Organize Your Bio Page for Maximum Effect

May 18, 2011

A few weeks ago we talked about gaining your Web visitors’ confidence using your About Us page. On your website’s About Us page (or section) you can include your company’s history, its philosophy, and biographies (bios) of the major players. I’ve developed a neat little 3-step presentation for your bios that I thought you might [...]

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“Google is Using Content as THE Driving Force for SEO”

May 3, 2011

So said one of my clients, Wendy Eden, professional organizer (website not up yet, but will announce!), in an email to me today. She heard a piece on NPR this morning about an online furniture company in Long Island losing 2/3 of its Web traffic. It had lost its ranking due to a change in [...]

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About Us Page…Gain Confidence by Getting Personal

April 28, 2011

If you’re the owner of a small business, then you are the heart and soul of your brand. Your unique history, experiences, and values add up to customers choosing to do business with you over the competition. That’s why it’s a good idea to get personal with your About Us page. It’s where you open [...]

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Write Copy to Your Buyers’ Persona

March 31, 2011

I’m easily amused. I laugh at the stupidest things. I can’t tell a joke because I start laughing in the middle of it. Not surprisingly, I’ve been reading MAD Magazine now since 1963. Mom bought me one when I had the flu and I’ve been laughing out loud while reading ever since. OK…you’ve got an [...]

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One Topic…One Web Page

March 24, 2011

I’m writing the content for a new site and my client asked me, “Why don’t we combine all three of my services on one Web page? I could save some money on design costs.” I see this often, one page listing all the different services a business offers. But there’s a problem… Your visitors usually [...]

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Gary Vaynerchuk’s Down Home Internet Marketing

March 10, 2011

Last post I suggested that you write your blog as if you were a down home main street business owner answering your customers’ questions. Well, check out this segment on MSNBC’s Morning Joe the other day. It’s a discussion with one of the hottest internet/customer service marketers out there, Gary Vaynerchuk. He’s a wine guy [...]

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A Business Blog Down Home

February 17, 2011

I’m talking with a business owner at a Mohawk Valley Chamber of Commerce meeting the other day, and he asks, “Everybody’s telling me I’ve got to blog. But how? Where do I start?” I’ve been hearing this a lot lately. Trade newsletters, marketing seminars, business journals…they’re all advising businesses to blog. Wisdom has it that [...]

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B2B Online Video Will Be Hot This Year…Here’s Why

January 20, 2011

Some fast facts from Pete Savage of WealthyWebWriter.com: Forrester Research reports that adding video into emails increases click thru rates 2 to 3 times. Emarketer predicts business spending for online video will nearly quadruple to $5.2 billion by 2014. The number of marketers planning to use video in email campaigns has increased 5x since the [...]

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