• Corporate Web site
• Brand or product micro sites
• Corporate blogging
• Social media communities

• In two days this week I have seen the same amount of traffic I saw over a two week span in July;
• I've seen more comments this month than I saw three months combined;
• Not only am I retaining my returning readers, but I am also attracting some new traffic.

In the current economic climate, sometimes an appropriate answer to the question of “how to retain customers” is simply to help current customers stay in business.  One way to help accomplish this to help reduce IT costs.

I’m still occasionally surprised when I speak to a client about open source software and find it has not previously been considered.  A brief and incomplete definition of open source software is software that is free of charge and maintained by a community of developers.  In general, a typical business client assumes that a new computer setup will require a Windows license and an MS Office license.  This, of course, adds hundreds of dollars to the deployment cost. 

One can save hundreds of dollars when deploying a new computer [which will typically include a Windows license] by simply installing OpenOffice in place of MS Office.  I’ve used OpenOffice exclusively at home for approximately seven years now with excellent results.  I create and send documents to coworkers, friends, and businesses without any problems on the part of the recipient.  When properly configured [for business], OpenOffice can by default save documents in the familiar Microsoft file formats of .doc, .xls, and .ppt.  Additionally, the latest version of OpenOffice is able to open, convert, and edit Office 2007 documents.  While some users do need specific features unique to MS Office, many need nothing beyond what OpenOffice offers and can use it to work seamlessly with MS Office users.  I would even argue that OpenOffice presents less of a learning curve to users by maintaining a more Office 2003-like user experience than MS Office 2007.

Other open source applications [and there are many] to consider for the average business desktop PC user are GimpShop as an alternative to PhotoShop [a savings of $1000/user], Evolution as an alternative to Outlook/Exchange, GnuCash as an alternative to Quicken, and CutePDF along with Pdfsam as an alternative to Acrobat Professional.

If the customer is comfortable working in an environment utilizing Firefox and OpenOffice, it might even be possible to make the switch to Linux as the desktop operating system, saving the cost of a Windows license while improving stability and security.  Ubuntu Linux has made great progress in this area.  While the significance of Linux on the desktop is a topic of great debate, statistics do show that this represents a growing user base:  http://www.w3counter.com/globalstats.php

Linux as a file server operating system can also save a customer thousands of dollars.  While this does require some amount of expertise to set up, the benefit is that one can have a very secure, stable server without any of the per user charges required by Microsoft and other server OS vendors.  From our experience here at Fusework Studios, it is not unusual for a Linux-based server constructed from low cost components to achieve uptimes of more than a year.  Unlike competing operating systems, Linux can be updated without rebooting in most cases.

 Open source software is also a solid foundation for a web business strategy or large-scale corporate Internet marketing campaign.  According to netcraft.com [as of June 30, 2009], approximately 47% of all web sites are hosted utilizing open source.  Apache, an open source web server, has dominated the Internet in the number of sites hosted since 1996.

It is sometimes more difficult for established businesses to move toward open source software because of legacy applications and data.  However, as we recently advised a potential startup, if one is working to establish a new business he should definitely consider open source software and determine if it is a good fit.  If so, open source is a great way to reduce startup and overhead costs.

Whether you’re an established business looking for a way to reduce costs or a new business trying to build a reliable, secure IT infrastructure, Fusework Studios is available to help.

• Know how you make money - Your value as a company doesn't come from the ads you sell, but rather the people (customers) who are willing to look at the ads you sell.
• Don't Lose Focus - Don't alienate your most loyal customers in pursuit of success.
• Keep Creating a Great Product - Figure out a way to keep your Cash Cow the best in the business, or at a minimum relevant.  There's no rule that says you can't innovate.  Give the cow some extra udders, or make a goat with 4 horns or something (speaking in analogy of course)
• Provide Excellent Customer Service - Back in the day newspapers had a whole network for customer service representatives.  Newspaper Boys.  These days some may say Newspapers don't need a customer or subscriber service function.  I don't believe any business can make the mistake of believing that.

Isn't the goal of every web based strategy to make money?  Even non-profits seek donations for their charitable end.

Since Google acquired YouTube in 2006 for $1.6 billion, analysts have feared the company is losing money.  It was news to me that Youtube has been monetizing views on paid ads for awhile now, despite this year's projected loss of $470 million.  On the upswing, company executives said, "[Youtube is] on a trajectory to become a 'very profitable business for us' in the 'not too distant future.'"

Senior VP for Product Mgmt notes that "brand advertising is most appropriate for YouTube's home page, while text ads are suitable when users are searching for videos, and overlay or instream ads are best when users are watching videos."

What does this mean for Youtube's social media community? If the introduction of ads is not done delicately, I envision a decline in the community experience. Maybe viewers will move to Hulu and Vimeo?  However, if done well, it could boost Youtube's own social media advertising and bring on yet more followers.

I'm sure the Youtube team will perform ad-testing on some of their 22 countries' sites before an all-site rollout.  I've already seen some instream ads, and while a pain to close, I understand that they're a necessary part of the services I am receiving for free.

• Search engine marketing - How do you optimize your content for search engines? Why is it important?
• Internet brand management - How does the world perceive your brand? What are things you can do to improve or enhance brand recognition in a postiive light? Is this just for corporate use, or can the same practices be used for personal use?
• Social media optimization - With so many communities and tools how do you know where to target your efforts? What tools are best? How do you encourage interaction with your brand?
• Websites and business strategy - Which is more important: design, content or functionality? How do you optimize conversion? What is your conversion? How do you retain customers while still impacting new customers?

• Keep it simple
• Mention a single specific platform or tool
• Reference relevant case studies

Today I had a thought in recent discussions about how much I should post to my blog in order to attract and retain customers. I was told, "More quality content equals more quality traffic!" I completely agree with this one, and I believe it can also apply to your main corporate site.

We've discussed before that your blog and social media community involvement really are "outposts" to your core "home base" which is typically your corporate site. You have a goal to drive traffic to your site which has specific goals an conversion points.

When considering your website strategy do not forget that content is the most important piece of the puzzle. Everyone wants a site to look fantastic and have dynamic qualities, but ultimately it's the content that will drive the quality traffic to you and your conversion goals. Here are some tips:

• Make content the focal point of the project;
• Don't sacrifice content for flashy;
• and make content as easily accessible as possible.

• We are expert software developers so we should be able to tweak our tools to meet this new need.  (We don't need no stinkin 3rd party tool)
• The additional functionality that this would bring will expand our ability to retain customers and service our clients.
• We could sell the new tool and it would result in more revenue for us
• We should just do it because I want to. (PRIDE)

Social media marketing is becoming an increasingly important part of any complete internet marketing strategy.  This is true for a number of reasons, but there is one that I feel really stands out. 

Social media allows you to develop relationships which can be used in retaining customers.  I posted a perfect example of this on my personal blog which illustrated how an internet music company, Grooveshark, located me on Twitter because they knew I had posted a tweet by searching for "Grooveshark."  The company then connected with me personally by sending a message and offering help with using the music service.  This was important because it came at the exact moment when I was deciding if I wanted to continue using Grooveshark or proceed with Pandora, a direct competitor in streaming internet radio.  So, simply put, they connected with me directly at the time I was making a decision that was important to their success. I am now using and recommending this music service. 

Creating a personal connection with the end-user of your product or service has never been easier than it is now through the use of social media tools.  This can help in developing a sound social media community which could ultimately become your most loyal customers. 

1. Decide how you are going to use social media.  With the line between personal and professional being blurred more and more, you need to decide what you're personally ok with.  Do you want your customers to see you doing that keg stand?  Are you ok with letting your clients know exactly what you are doing when you tweet?  Draw a boundary between the personal and professional aspects of your life and know where it is.
2. Now that you have the line drawn, connect with your clients using the tool's that you've relegated to professional use.  With just a few tweaks, Facebook can become a highly invaluable professional tool.  When you connect with your clients, you not only get tons of personal information about them, but you can know what they've done during the weekend even before you head into work on Monday morning.
3. Use this information to grow your relationship and connect with them on a deeper level while giving them visibility into your life.  It's not just about information gathering, it's also about sharing.  Sharing content (aka information) is the glue that keeps social media from collapsing into a black hole of nothingness.
4. Facebook is a great start, but be sure to examine Twitter, FriendFeed, Digg or some blogs that both you and your clients may read.  And if you're in Indianapolis, be sure to check out SmallerIndiana and IndyLink.

Every company has the same dilemma when it comes to building a new Web site: There's so much to say, but how do you say it in a way that will connect with your audience, lead to a positive return on your investment, and how can I use it to retain customers (i.e. revenue, conversion and interaction)

Web design, and website strategy is not an exact science, but many basic principles still apply. Here are some tips to help you sort through the challenges associated with organizing web content to tell your story in a way that attracts results:

• Can you place your content in video form? Video can often be more compelling than written word. If you can use video, have you considered utilizing YouTube or other social media?

• Is your navigation simple or can it be simplified? If your customer is viewing information that is relative to other content, make the navigation consistent for that section so your customer can find each piece of information in one click.

• Is your content specific and relevant? Sometimes it's very easy to divulge all you can into your site and have pages of content that confuse the customer. If you see that many of your pages are not being viewed by those who visit your site - it may be time to adjust them or remove them altogether.

• How long is the content on the page? If your customer has to scroll down several pages to get to the content that matters to them most, you may need to make it a separate page completely or skim down the verbiage you're using.

• Finally, don't forget to target your content around one specific topic and a few specific keywords per page.  This will ultimately help you raise the organic search ranking of your site.

I've been hearing from a lot of clients lately, "What is Twitter?"  So I thought I'd take the time to write a short introduction to Twitter and share some examples of how companies are using it to achieve their marketing Goals.