Thursday, November 24, 2011

Businesses must embrace power of the web in an increasingly digital age

While local phone books are still delivered door-to-door, spending dollars from a marketing budget to place a costly ad may not be as effective for businesses today. Consumers now rely on instant Internet access via their personal computers and smartphones to locate everything from local restaurants to hair salons and plumbers, whenever and wherever.

For the business professionals, it has become increasingly important to embrace these emerging online trends in order to capture the attention of patients who benefit from the expediency and expansiveness of the Internet. Phone books may not be diminishing completely, but there are significant advantages to shifting focus from traditional print advertising to online marketing.

Building the foundation

Like building a house, creating a strong online presence requires the creation of a strong foundation. A website should function as the base of a practice’s Internet strategy, the core from which all other marketing initiatives and communications extend. Working with an experienced website and online marketing professional, dentists can create a customized website that works for their practices 24 hours a day, seven days a week to engage existing patients, increase treatment awareness, and generate new patient appointments.

A website is the first impression a patient often has of a dentist, and a critical influencer of whether he or she contacts the office. It is a practice’s storefront to online users. A great-looking website with the right words and features can positively affect a potential patient’s perception of your practice. It’s about shaping and molding your reputation in the online world to convince potential patients that your practice has the upper hand in the local marketplace. You create your story with your website — the options are boundless!

Reaching your target market

A sizeable advantage of online marketing compared to traditional print marketing is the ability to measure results in real time. It can be difficult to assess the direct sales impact from a print ad, but with search marketing, dentists can easily track the effectiveness of campaigns, and concentrate efforts on those that provide the highest return on investment through advanced analytics and performance tracking.

A potential client may glance only once at as ad in the phone book. But with a strong search engine optimization strategy, a website can gain long-term exposure and continuously appear front and center on a prospect’s screen every time a search is performed for the targeted keyword. Additionally, businesses do not have to wait weeks to see a significant boost in appointments. With an online paid advertising campaign, businesses can experience real-time results and instant conversion ability.

"Always on" marketing for your practice

The Internet has made it possible for businesses to promote their services in a manner that is "always on,". Apart from word-of-mouth and leveraging personal relationships with existing clients, a website is the most important marketing tool a business can have.

Getting started

If you already have a website, now is the time to review its effectiveness. If your web design is outdated, upgrade to a fresh look that clearly conveys your goals and professionalism. You should also update your existing content and messaging to ensure office information, service details, and staff bios are current.

It’s also important to perform searches periodically on Google and other major search engines. Who shows up on the first page when you search for locally? Is your business listed at the top? Are you even on the first page? Achieving a prominent position on search engines is key to attracting new clients through your website. A professional website and online marketing company can assist you in launching a Web presence with a focused search marketing plan for optimal performance and online exposure.

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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Mauritius Business Directory

Businessbox.mu is the latest website for businesses in Mauritius. Designed and developed by Neo Network Solutions. Neo Network Solutions Ltd was set up to provide bespoke corporate website design and online marketing services to businesses across Mauritius.

To help Mauritius businesses get an online presence, Businessbox.mu, the Mauritius business directory was setup. To advertise on Businessbox.mu, there are 2 affordable options. The Basic option and the premium listing.

The basic listing in the directory includes:
• Your company name
• Your company logo
• Your current contact information

Premium listing with 3 web pages
The premium directory listing includes some fantastic features with sufficient space for you to describe your business and promote your services online.

• Your company name
• Postal address and telephone number
• Company logo
• Text hyperlink to your website
• Design your listing so that the page layout is more attractive.
• Description with photos of your business and your products and services. These may also be hyperlinked to different pages on your web site
• Embed Google map of your location(s) within your listing page.
• Embed Youtube videos

You can Sign up for a Premium listing for your Business in our business directory.

For more information about any of the services, please feel free to contact us:

Neo Network Solutions Ltd
272, Royal Road,
Curepipe
Tel : (230) 670 48 64
Fax : (230) 670 43 72

Factors to consider for a good web design

The Internet landscape is changing daily. Some websites are experiencing an increased amount of sales due to great SEO practices. Some are falling through thinking that they have a great website when indeed they have implemented unwanted web design elements and done bad website design. You will find below some factors to consider for a good web design.

1. RESPECT YOUR SITE VISITORS
Nothing will hurt your site or reputation more than a lousy website experience. Be helpful, courteous and generous.

2. UPDATE YOUR WEBSITE FREQUENTLY
To give people a reason to return, and to improve your search rankings, be sure to update your site regularly. Even a seasonal message can help.

3. GIVE A CALL TO ACTION
If you want people to take the next step and contact you, include a call to action, such as “Sign up for our free newsletter.

4. THINK MOBILE
Within the next year or two, most people will access the web with mobile devices. Make sure your site provides a good visitor experience using limited bandwidth and a small screen.

5. SPEAK CLEARLY
Content is still king, so make sure yours is easy to read and understand. Avoid jargon and acronyms.

6. USE INTUITIVE NAVIGATION
Structure yourwebsite so there is a natural progression to the pages. Start with general pages and enable visitors to drill down to get more specific information.

7. USE HYPERLINKS PROPERLY
Hyperlinks are a great way to build value and search ranking. Use them to help visitors access parts of your site easier and to build linking relationships with appropriate websites.

8. BE REASONABLE ABOUT SEO
But if you insist on packing your content with keywords as often as possible for the sake of search engine optimization (SEO), it can result in less valuable content and an unsatisfactory visitor experience.

9. KEEP PAGE NAMES SIMPLE
People are used to looking for familiar page names on a site, such as About Us, Products and Services. Trying to be clever or cute can frustrate visitors looking for specific information.

10. KEEP IT SIMPLE
Life’s complicated enough without trying to figure out how to use a website. Keep the design simple, straightforward and easy to use.

Summer Vacations Computer Courses

The Information and Communication technology (ICT) sector is very dynamic, and contributing to the Mauritius economy. ICT sector in Mauritius is the fifth pillar of the economy and is fast growing and high productivity activity. The school holidays provide an ideal opportunity for parents to encourage their children to see learning as a life-long activity, not just something you do at school. Learning computers and use basic applications has become indispensable in today's world. The demand for IT professionals in Mauritius remains consistently high.

Neo Network Solutions is providing a panoply of computer courses so students can develop new skills during the summer holidays. Our training institution is duly registered/accredited with the Mauritius Qualifications Authority (MQA). All courses are MQA Approved and HRDC Refundable. All courses are delivered by trainers duly registered with the MQA.

For further information and course details, visit http://neo.ac.mu/ or you may call Francesca on 670-4864. The different courses being provided are as follows.

Basic IT Course - Practical Computer Application
Content: Internet – Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Facebook, Emails – Outlook, Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo, Word processor , Spreadsheets.
Target achievements:Use a computer and most popular applications effectively including Facebook
Duration: 18 hours Target students: General public, no age limit, no qualifications required

Course Title: Office Package Elementary
Content: Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint
Target achievements: will be able to use office package
Duration: 24 hours
Target students: General public, no age limit, no qualifications required

Course Title: Office Package Intermediate
Content: Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint
Target achievements: will be able to use office package
Duration: 24 hours
Target students: General public, no age limit, no qualifications required

Course Title: Office Outlook 2007
Content: Handling the message windows, coordinating calendar, maintaining contacts
Target achievements: To manage Emails, to manage Calendars, to manage contacts & to manage personals
Duration: 10 hours
Target students: General public, no age limit, no qualifications required

Course Title: Practical Web Design
Content: Web design introduction, Frontpage, html, graphic software, ftp connection to server, publishing online, managing hosting
Target achievements: Design and publish professional websites online Duration: 36 hours
Target students: Computer literate, minimum form IV

Course Title: Practical Website Development
Content: Advanced html, css, introduction to php coding, mysql, Javascript, connection to server, publishing online, managing hosting
Target achievements: Design and publish professional dynamic, database driven websites online.
Duration: 54 hours
Target students: General public, no age limit, no qualifications required