“Awards are so exciting to receive, but this award and the previous Top Branding Agency in Pennsylvania award are true top honors,” said True Fit Marketing owner, Arlea Hoffman. “A website is one of the most important parts of marketing, branding, and doing business so we are grateful that we have been recognized as a top web design company.”
DesignRush is a B2B marketplace that connects brands with professional full-service agencies, web design companies, digital marketing firms, and top technology companies.
Their platform lists over 9,300 agencies from over 50 different countries and is consulted by thousands of decision-makers looking to start a project.
True Fit Marketing® is a full-service marketing advocacy firm powered by technology and grounded with foundational marketing. Simple. Authentic. Unique. Marketing that Fits. Naturally.
Facebook’s new Wi-Fi feature allows users to obtain Internet access for when they are physically in a participating business’s location. From restaurants to coffee shops, boutiques and car dealerships, having the Internet at a customer’s fingertips can be a big selling point! But you may be asking yourself what is the difference between this and us, the business, just giving customers the guest password to our current Internet? And is this even safe for our customers and my business?
What is Facebook Wi-Fi?
Facebook is now offering businesses the opportunity to allow customers to have Internet access in exchange for checking into a business on it’s website. So instead of setting up your own customer Wi-Fi access at your business, you can outsource this service to Facebook.
Is Facebook’s Wi-Fi Free?
Yes and no. Creating a Facebook business Page is free, but obtaining the routers and mobile devices is not. The service, once set-up at your business, is free to use for everyone gaining access.
There are some loopholes business owners have to control people from just using your table space as their private work space all day. Facebook business Page admins have authority over how long a person in your physical location has Wi-Fi access. The session length is set to 5 hours, but you can make it less or higher. From there, how someone obtains Internet access is up to you or them. You can include all of this information in your own Terms of Agreement wording on your business Page dealing with the Wi-Fi service.
What Do I Need to Set Up Facebook’s Wi-Fi?
There are a couple of things you will need prior to having Facebook’s free Wi-Fi service up and running. The first is a business Page on Facebook with a physical address listed in the Page Info. You will also need to be the administrator, or at least have administrator access, to this business page.
There are some benefits to business owners for having Facebook’s Wi-Fi service available to their customers.
Since customers will have to check-in to your business to obtain the free access from their personal Facebook profile, their friends, family, whoever on Facebook will see where they are. However, browser landing pages will include a link that people can use to skip the check-in process and they can enter a code instead. This is a nice alternative for users who do not prefer to use the check-in method so their profile and location are kept private.
Businesses can potentially receive more likes from customers using the free Facebook Wi-Fi service simply because they are already on Facebook, at your location and may just hit the like button because of the free service. This isn’t guaranteed though.
Businesses gain access to real-time demographic data of users on the Facebook Wi-Fi such as age, gender, and interests of customers. This could be valuable information when it comes to selling to certain demographics.
Participating businesses will be listed in Facebook’s Wi-Fi directory which could potentially help bring a customer to your business instead of another one that doesn’t offer this free service.
No more changing the guest Internet service password constantly to try to avoid hackers and spammers from entering your system.
Is This Service Safe?
Being on the Internet comes with safety concerns. Being on a personal device on a network that is not secure is also a major concern. Privacy is always a top priority for Facebook, so that is why they allow the code check-in option versus the traditional check-in option. However, the Find Wi-Fi feature on Facebook requires users to enable Location services on their device. This feature has to be turned to “always on” which seems to be a major concern for many users. Facebook has said that through their design of this service, once a user checks in on Facebook, through Facebook Wi-Fi, Facebook then hands the user back to the router and completely steps out of the picture. This means that any Internet browsing done once on Facebook’s Wi-Fi is completely outside of Facebook’s network.
So while Facebook is washing their hands of eagle eyeing everything you do on their Wi-Fi connection, that doesn’t mean the connection at the business is providing a secure connection. We recommend all users and businesses to use your best judgement when using free Wi-Fi services and research using a VPN if using Internet like this is something you do often.
Take it for what it is worth. Free Internet is free Internet. But in the long run, businesses will need to consider many factors before jumping on this bandwagon. Plus, let’s think about just how many times you have been talking to someone about a particular product, then jump on Facebook and BAM! There is that product advertised on your Facebook wall. More times than you’d like we are sure. Whether this is a way for Facebook to track your customer’s interests better or see where in the world your business and customers are, who knows, but free Wi-Fi is free Wi-Fi to a lot of people.
The main purpose of a website for your business should be to turn website visitors into customers, otherwise known as conversion. We live in a digital world where people no longer pick up the Yellow Pages to search for information on a business. Instead, they go to their computer or mobile device and perform a search on a search engine, like Google, to find what they are looking for. The customer is then tracked as they search through thousands upon thousands of results on their screen, choosing the right website to visit to eagerly find what they are looking for. Hopefully it is your website. And hopefully they purchase your product or service. But if you don’t have a website, you are missing out on potential business opportunities and immediate sales. Here is why a website isn’t a business expense but instead, a business investment and why you need a web presence.
The Bare Minimum of an Online Presence
According to the eCommerce Foundation, 88% of consumers will research product information before they make a purchase online or in the store. That research is happening on the Internet. It doesn’t matter if your business is a huge company with hundreds of employees and a storefront, or if you are a small one person gig operating out of your garage. A website is necessary for all businesses and should be tailored specifically to your business and your customer’s needs. If you don’t have a website, potential customers won’t be able to find your business, products and/or service and you won’t be taken seriously. It is as simple as that in today’s world. Unfortunately you could have the best product in all the land, but if people can’t find your website online, you just don’t seem legitimate.
At the bare minimum, a business should have a website and a social media presence online. It doesn’t have to be all of the social media networks. We suggest starting with Facebook because it is still the largest and most powerful network for most businesses, and Google My Business, because it has Google power, and going from there.
Your Website Sells for You
Let your website be the backbone of your online presence. It will be online 24/7, weekends, holidays and when you are sleeping and others are awake. When you are sharing information, whether it be a social media post or an email to your potential customers/current customers, you’ll just send them to your website (the backbone). With every advertisement piece that you create, send them to your website. Drive the consumer to your website and let your website do the selling.
If your business is one that sells a physical product, then an eCommerce website would be a great fit so that you can sell 24/7. If you are a service provider, then a website that describes your services, how a potential customer can benefit from them and how someone can contact you to obtain those services, that would be perfect.
No matter what you are selling, always have a way for customers to contact you and for them to provide you with their information. Just because they visit your website but don’t make a purchase today doesn’t mean they won’t return tomorrow after you send an email and buy something else!
A Website is a Great Marketing Tool
We’ve already mentioned that with a website, you can sell your products and services around-the-clock. You don’t have to be actively engaging with leads on a constant basis because they are able to get the information they need from your website. But your website itself can accomplish many marketing strategies to help your business grow even more. With a website, you can accomplish other low cost marketing possibilities like search engine optimization, search engine marketing and email marketing, just to name a few big ones. Your website is the perfect place to guide your email subscribers to when you want them to learn more about a product or even make a purchase.
Additionally, by researching something on the Internet before making a purchase, your potential clients are going to see reviews and ratings. Your website can serve as a platform to share the good reviews and fix the bad ones.
Get Help from the Website Experts
There are many websites that allow you to use their platforms to build a website, but most business owners will tell you that those were fine in the beginning. They will also likely tell you that after working with professionals, they now have a website built to their own business goals and it is much better! Go straight to the experts for website design help. From the ground up or somewhere in the middle, True Fit Marketing can help you out when it comes to ensuring your website is optimized for your business goals.
Google Taking More Time to Battle the “Cookie” Monster
There’s no question that more needs to be done to protect privacy across the web but what’s the best way to do that without significantly crippling the ad industry? Everyone has an opinion on the matter and Google has decided they need more time to find the right solution for the Privacy Sandbox initiative.
What is the Privacy Sandbox Initiative?
According to Google, “The Privacy Sandbox initiative aims to create web technologies that both protect people’s privacy online and give companies and developers the tools to build thriving digital businesses to keep the web open and accessible to everyone, now, and for the future.”
Privacy online is a big deal for everyone. From the everyday users just browsing the internet to the biggest corporations, privacy is a much discussed topic. It is hopeful that the Privacy Sandbox will provide the best privacy protections for everyone.
In Google’s latest announcement (June 2021) they stated they will be postponing their plan to phase out support for Third-party cookies until mid-2023. They need to slow things down a bit and allow for more conversation on this particular subject.
What This Means for Marketing Agencies and Advertisers
Work still needs to continue toward alternatives for sure. For the time being, we continue business as usual with a bit more effort to build first-party data. There’s also the ability to target on a broader spectrum through interests and general groups. So, let’s not panic just yet but keep a watchful eye out for more forward progress from the major players.
When you look at your website, does it make you feel proud of your business or brand? Have you put off creating a website for your business because you are unsure of where to start or who to turn to?
A Facebook page is great to have but does not make up for not having a website. A website is a large project that can certainly be time-consuming. However, not having a website or having a good website could also hurt your business. According to HubSpot, “80% of consumers say the experience your company provides is as important as the products or services you sell — including the experience they have with your website.” (HubSpot.com)
If you are in need of a website, contact us to see how we can help!
For those already with websites, Business2Community suggests that you should update your website every 1.5-2.5 years. This is suggested because technology is constantly changing and new design ideas and aesthetics change. Your website should also be updated and changed if you have any changes with your brand, products, or business.
When thinking about redesigning your website, there are certain things you should consider for the redesign. To start, you should look over reports and analytics for your website. Look at the pages with the best metrics on your current site. What do you think from these pages make them a top performer? Is there a video on it that people often click to in order to watch it?Are there images that are eye-catching? Go through the same process for your lowest-performing pages. Why do you think their bounce rate or average session duration is so low? Is text hard to read? Is there too much text? All of these should be considered in your redesign.
Next, think about the goals you have for the website redesign. Why are you redesigning the website? Do you want it to have a cleaner, more modern feel? Do you want your products showcased in a better way? These goals need to be set, especially if you’re working with an external company so they can understand what it is you are looking for.
It’s essential to have your branding and messaging consistent throughout. This may be something that gets tweaked along the way, but it’s important to know what you want your customer to see and read when they visit your website. You want them to know that they’re on the right site as soon as they get there. A lot of people will just land on your homepage when browsing, so it’s important to have your main home page show what it is your business is all about.
It’s not enough to have a beautiful website, but you need to know your customers. Make sure that you’re speaking in a way that they will understand. Show or tell them how your product will help them and why they need your product.
Make sure you keep SEO (search engine optimization) front of mind while working on your redesign. Nothing would be worse than investing the time and money on a beautiful website only to have no one able to find it. Find some great tips on SEO from HubSpot.
Where do you stack up against your competition? It’s important to know what they are doing and this can help you find areas that you like and think work well and things you don’t like and would definitely want to avoid for your site. Just don’t obsess too much over the competition and make sure your website stands out among the rest.
Lastly, it’s important to know what your high performing content is so that you can keep it and move it to your new site for SEO purposes. When creating copy for your new website, make sure that you are using the right keywords for your pages so people can find you easily.
We know there is a lot that goes into website redesigning, as we are currently working on our own website redesign. If you need help with a website, content, or graphics, please feel free to reach out to us.
You can also check out our Facebook page for more resources.
As always, please reach out to us if you have any questions!
True Fit Marketing has been recognized as a Top Web Design Company in Pennsylvania in 2021 by DesignRush.
Why Should I Use Facebook Wi-Fi for My Business?
