First of all, Happy New Year to you, your family and friends!  Can you believe it’s 2012, already? Wow!

If you haven’t picked up on the vibe, yet, smartphones & tablets are taking over in a major way…

Here I am, a couple of days ago, blown away by the how awesome the “Ease into 5K” running app is on my iPhone — thanks Amy for telling me about it!

Not only did we see an exponential growth in mobile device use (i.e. smartphones & tablets) in the last quarter of 2011 with all of the web sites we host, but I’ve never seen so many people — of all different ages — using mobile devices of some sort, everywhere I’ve been!

A group at our local Apple Store are learning exactly how to use their new iPads!

It’s been said that smartphones and tablets will overtake PC’s as the primary device used online at some point in 2014…

WOW!

Conclusion?

The Future Is In Your Pants...

And NOW is the time to assure you, and your business are smartphone and tablet friendly…

Special thanks to Brad Larson, of Larson Education Services for sharing that phrase with me – I love it!

At our last ISG Way event, we summed up exactly what we’ve seen in mobile usage for the hundreds of web sites we host and market:

• A 12% increase in mobile use (going from 3% to 15%), growing exponentially in the last quarter of 2011,
• iPad users, in particular, seem to dominate the mobile user base (30%+),
• iPhone & iPad users not only make up the most mobile visitors (over 50%), but they stay on sites longer as well.

Personally, I’ve noticed:

• More people becoming savvy with their apps – Mail and Web Browsing, but also Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard, Instagram, Words with Friends to name a few!  Most smartphone users are checking email on their smartphones first….
• Rows of people using their smartphone and tablets on a flight back from Ohio on Christmas Day – over 2/3′s of the plane had people playing games, reading the paper, reading magazines, watching movies, and listening to music using their phones or tablets (iPhones were most popular),
• The 60+ age group fully adopting, and most importantly, getting excited about what they can do on their tablets.   I saw two iPad training sessions going on in Apple Stores (see photo above), and a Nook training session – filled with older generations excitedly learning of the capacities of their new device!
• The younger generation (teens & 20 year olds), especially, ignoring voice mails and phone calls, yet responding almost instantly to text messages.
• I’ve switched from taking my notebook computer into meetings to taking my iPad with wireless keyboard (I’m can type very fast, and can’t keep up with discussion on a smartphone/tablet keyboard…)

Here’s my new and improved 2012 setup:

 What does all of this mean?

• Personally, if you have a smartphone, you’re going to see it being used in more interesting ways very shortly.  Think reviewing items in a store AT THE STORE, vs the older method of reviewing just a store (Oink is doing a great job of this already)!
• In business, at this point, you need to assure your web site (and blog, if you have one) are mobile friendly, and that they work properly on all mobile devices.  Simply test your web site with a smartphone or tablet to see if you can click the buttons, and navigate through your web site. (Be sure to test your contact form-if you have one, too!)
• Simplicity rules!  The simpler the site design the better (think bigger buttons, and no more than 5, if possible!)  Keep your contact forms minimal – not only does it result in higher conversion for standard computer users, but means more mobile users will be apt to contact you as well!  Take a look at our web site with your mobile device at www.ISGFL.com for a good example of this.

With all of this in mind, what’s the most interesting way you’ve been using your mobile device(s) recently?

Happy New Year, and cheers to you, your family, friends and business associates!

Charly

If you’re ready to create success through the power of Internet Marketing, here’s…

…4 steps to help you succeed!

Are you ready?

Read the rest of this entry »

Now that the ideas have been had, the content has been created & deployed, it’s time for the fourth, final, and most important part of…

…the Internet Marketing process - testing & measuring!

Today, testing & measuring what’s been done online is extremely easy, in this stage, we’ll learn:

Read the rest of this entry »

Once the ideas have been prioritized, the content has been created & approved – it’s time for stage 3…

…in the Internet Marketing process – deployment!

Although this step may seem fairly simple, it’s really important during this part of the process to assure:

Read the rest of this entry »

After developing your ideas, the next step in Internet Marketing is to…

…create content using the ideas of most importance to your online goals.

Of course, it’s extra helpful to have a strategy around creating content that can be repurposed and used for a while (hint hint)…

Read the rest of this entry »

Imagine waking up one morning to find out that 35% of your customers just ‘disappeared’…

In 2008, that’s exactly what happened to me, and my business, Internet Services Group of Florida, LLC (ISG).

Up until that point, as many businesses experienced in Southwest Florida, we were riding high, enjoying the fruits of our labor, and busier than we ever thought we’d be.

Read the rest of this entry »

So many people wonder why their web site doesn’t show up in Google’s natural search results…

…either at all, or, on the first few pages of results.

At ISG, we hear all kinds of people reach out for help by saying things like:

“My web site isn’t showing up in Google!”

“I’ve spent a lot of time optimizing my web site for the keyword phrases I’m hoping to attract, but I’m still not showing up in the results!”

or

Read the rest of this entry »

Wow!  2010 has proved to be a very productive year for Internet Marketing, and…

2011 is looking to be even more powerful!

Over the last 3 years, my Internet Marketing team and I have worked very hard to assure the things we produce are a true extension of our clients’ uniquenesses, and that their voice is consistently heard:

• in person,
• on the web,
• via e-mail,
• on the Social Networks, and
• across all forms of New Media.

Over the next series of blog posts, I’ll be reviewing what I call the Four Stages of Internet Marketing, and most importantly how it can help you succeed online.   These stages serve as the foundation for our Web Marketing Report & Action Plan.

This fundamental concept has helped hundreds assure they know exactly what they’re responsible for, and most importantly, that they’re involved in each crucial step of the Internet Marketing process.

Stay tuned, I’m really excited about helping you reach for the stars in 2011 (and beyond!)

In the meantime, let me know if you tried any Internet Marketing in 2010, and how it went?  Feel free to comment below, or contact me directly.

Have a wonderful day,

Charly

Last Tuesday, I had the privilege of being on BlogTalkRadio with my good friend…

…Deborah Shane (TrainWithShane.com) as part of her “You’re in the Spotlight!” series.

It was awesome – Deborah is connected in practically every relevant form of New Media, and the exposure from the “Spotlight” has been phenomenal!

Being “in the Spotlight” gave me the opportunity to not only reach the thousands of listeners online, but I:

• also talked about my history, being in online telecommunications since the mid 80′s,
• reviewed the three most important aspects of effective web design, today,
• discussed what I’m passionate about relating to my work, and
• gave tips on refreshing or reinventing a business web site.

Most importantly, we reviewed things you can do, right now, to increase awareness and relevance for your business online.

Be sure to listen to the BlogTalkRadio show, and learn more by reading the blog post as well!

If there’s anyway you feel Deborah, or I, can help you reach your goals in business, or in life, please be sure to contact Deborah, or me.

We’d love to hear from you!

Enjoy,

Charly

Wow, ever since we started using BaseCamp for our…

…project management needs about 2 years ago – we’ve been hundreds of times more productive!

BaseCamp allows us to effectively:

• Keep our team in sync on every project.
• Keep our customers involved & interactive in the process.
• Keep track of schedules, tasks, and content revisions!
• Have a centralized source for communications that AUTOMATICALLY integrates with e-mail.

BaseCamp is amazing – if you have a moment, be sure to check out their online video tours.

In any event, moments ago, they released 20 new tips for using BaseCamp, very easy to use and very powerful.

Be sure learn more about BaseCamp, and their sister product for Customer Relationship Management, HighRise!

Enjoy (I know we are!),

Charly