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

Yep, it’s true!  There are hundreds, if not thousands, of people who have created sales for…

…their business by simply having a listing in Google Places!  (Think of it as today’s version of having a YellowPages listing!)

As you can see in the screenshot above – having top placement in the list - with reviews – even adds more of a punch!

In a future blog post, I’ll be discussing ‘freshness’ in relation to the way Google indexes, views and ranks its listings, but for now all you need to know is that it’s VERY important to:

a) Have your business listed, and claimed, in Google’s Places for Business.
b) Assure you are continually asking your customers to provide a review in your Google Places listing (this assures Google views you as “fresh” and continues to rank your listing higher and higher!)

So, how do you do all of this?  Let’s review…

Read the rest of this entry »

Just before Thanksgiving, I drew our three winners for our Vote, Like & Win contest!

And here they are:

Stan Poole – from Southwest Florida, won the 32 GB, iPad!  Congratulations, Stan!

Daniel Shirey, from Athens, Georgia, won the Amazon Kindle Fire!

And Anika Knight won the Amazon $100 Gift Certificate!

A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who participated – we’re looking at firing up a new contest in January (how about a Macbook Air as the grand prize?)

Enjoy!

Charly

We had quite a bit of fun creating the bios on our web site…

…and thought it’d be fun to create a contest where you got to vote on which you like most (and tell us why)!

Yep!  You can win an iPad, iPod Touch, Kindle Fire, or even a $100 Amazon Gift Certificate by participating…  Here’s how:

The three things you need to do qualify to win our contest are:

1) Read our bios on our web site at: www.isgfl.com/about.
2) Vote on your favorite, and tell us why you like it, by filling this quick, easy survey.
3) Be a fan of our Facebook Page – simply click “Like!” if you’re not a fan already!

On Wednesday, November 23rd, we’re going to randomly draw three names from our Facebook Page, if you’re drawn & have answered our questions – YOU WIN!

Grand Prize – A Brand New iPad (32GB, your choice of color!)
First Prize – A Brand New iPod Touch (8GB) OR Kindle Fire (your choice!)
Second Prize – A $100 Amazon Gift Certificate!

We’re really excited about this, and can’t wait to hear from you!

Enjoy!

Charly and the ISG Team

PS – Special Thanks to Jason Evers (Quality Service Pros) for inspiring this contest with a Facebook comment he made about our bios!

PPS – We’re spreading the word, far and wide, this contest has been listed on:

www.SandysRealm.com
Contests.About.com
Free Sweepstakes and Giveaways
ContestGirl

It was over 8 years ago when I was co-owner of a home renovation company, and this was our first…

…Fort Myers-based project.  (UGH, it needed a LOT of work!)

Our home renovation business had been going strong in Michigan, and having been in Michigan all of my life – being connected with practically everyone in our community through our Internet business – we had a great network of service professionals to work with.

Usually, many in each profession (electrician, painter, general contractor, etc)…

Being new to Southwest Florida meant starting over, and wow, that was really rough!

Questions like:

• Where do we start?
• Who was good?
• Who can refer a good painter, roofer, electrician, etc…?
• Who was telling the truth on estimates, job quality, whether they were currently licensed & insured properly?!?

These were all of the kinds of things we were thinking about, and had to take extra time to figure out.

I checked online, and we tested different companies out, going through many that definitely didn’t meet the criteria – finally finding a few that were a good fit for us.  I remember wishing there was a web resource, or a network of people who:

• were licensed,
• were insured,
• were great to work with – really positive about their work & life,
• kept their commitments, and
• had a great pride in their level of service.

Little did I know, a few years later, I’d be introduced to Jason Evers, the founder of a group that’s based on those very ideas…

The group is called the Quality Services Professionals, and it’s composed of Service Professionals that Jason personally assures are licensed, insured, enjoy what they do, and do what they do very well.

A couple of years ago, we built a new Quality Service Professionals web site to assure it helps you find (as I wish it did for us about 8 years ago!) the most qualified service professionals in Southwest Florida for your home or business.

If you’re looking for a:

1. Painter
2. Remodeling Contractor
3. AC Repair, Air Conditioning Service Company
4. Landscaping & Lawn Care Company
5. General Contractor
6. Plumber
7. Electrician
8. Roofer

and more, this is the site for you!

The people, and businesses, in the Quality Service Professionals currently service the Southwest Florida area, including:

• Fort Myers,
• Cape Coral,
• Naples,
• Sanibel,
• Captiva,
• Lehigh Acres,
• Estero,
• Bonita Springs,
• Bonita Beach, and
• Fort Myers Beach.

I’ve personally used quite a few people from the group, and have been extremely happy with the quality of work, happy personalities, and timeliness of their responses!

Be sure to visit the Quality Service Professionals, or contact Jason to learn more.

Enjoy!

Charly

Wow!  The Big “M” Casino, just released their latest eBook about how to play Blackjack…

…and it’s got some great information in it!

It reviews:

• The history of Blackjack,
• How to play Blackjack, and
• Tips & Strategies to help you, too!

You can play Blackjack and various other casino games while on a Big “M” Casino Cruise.

There are even two great Big “M” Casino locations, one in Fort Myers Beach and the other in Myrtle Beach.  The Myrtle Beach Casino Cruise has a slightly different casino games than the Fort Myers (mainly the DaVinci Diamonds slots, which is one of my favorites!)

If you like to gamble or just want to go on a cruise, then the Big “M” Casino’s a great adventure to go on!

Did I mention the all you can eat buffet the each location has?

Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve met with two people in the last month who have had their online business  listings hijacked…

…by savvy competitors.

What is an online business listing?

Many web sites, such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, Yelp, etc., automatically index your business’s name and address from public sources of information.

However, they don’t automatically e-mail you and let you know it’s done; even worse, if you don’t ‘claim your business listing’ — someone else can (usually it’s relatively easy to do, too!)

You’re going to want to be sure that you don’t let it happen to you!

Here’s how…

This will require 15 to 30 minutes of time, depending on how fast you type!

1. Go to GetListed.org.
2. Type in your business name and ZIP code.
3. Click “Check My Listings” (if you have a long business name, and aren’t exactly sure how it’s listed – click “Advanced Check” below “Check My Listings”).
4. Review each of the listings (Google, Yelp, Bing, Yahoo, Best of the Web, and Hotfrog) and click “Claim your listing” for those that aren’t claimed).

As a bonus, you might also want to setup your business in MerchantCircle.com as well (click “Sign Up” in the upper right hand corner).

If you need any assistance, feel free to contact me!

Charly

Are you ready for some fun on beautiful Fort Myers Beach?

Not only does Lahaina Island Accommodations offer over 165 privately owned Fort Myers Beach Condos, and Fort Myers Beach Homes — but they also have Fort Myers Beach vacation packages that center around:

• playing golf,
• exploring the everglades,
• taking a cruise, and even,
• hang gliding!

If you’re looking for a relaxing, enjoyable vacation (or weekend away, for you Floridians!) with your family or friends, be sure to learn all about what you can do on Fort Myers Beach by getting the free eBook – 6 Ways For You To Enjoy Fort Myers Beach!

Lahaina Island Accommodations has over 160 Fort Myers Beach Condo Rentals and Fort Myers Beach Home Rentals available.  Feel free to give them a call at (866) 218-1709, they’re available 24/7 and ready to help you.

Here’s to having fun enjoying the beautiful, soft white sand of Fort Myers Beach with your friends & family!

Charly

A little over two weeks ago, I told you exactly how to create a place for your business…

…using the cool, new Facebook Places feature!

In this post, I’m going to review exactly what you’ll need to have, and what you’ll need to do to properly claim your business in Facebook Places.

Before you get started, Facebook will be asking for a copy of ONE of the following (in PDF format is best):

Read the rest of this entry »

Now, with millions of potential customers accessing web sites from their smart phones, it’s more important than ever to assure…

…your web site is smart phone compatible.

Above is a photo of our web site on an iPhone.

Just as the very first iPhone was debuted…

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