How to come up with a 100-word business description, define your brand personality, and develop a set of keyword phrases to use to describe your business on the Chamber website and across the web. Includes an introduction of the newly redesigned Santa Cruz Chamber website and opportunities to market your business through the Chamber.

1. Web Marketing and the
Santa Cruz Chamber
Kirsti Scott
Scott Design Inc

2. Quick introduction
• Kirsti Scott, Creative Director at Scott Design
• 20+ years of experience in design and marketing
• Scott Design creates websites, e-mails, web banners,
online apps, and integrated marketing campaigns
• We recently completed the Chamber web redesign

3. What’s the big deal about web marketing?
• 90%+ of people search online before making
decisions, big and small
• Search engines find content, categorize it, and
connect people
with what they need
• To get found,
you need online
content that’s
relevant and fresh

4. How customers find you on the web
• Google/Yahoo!/Bing search for your business name,
description, location, or words in your listing
• Chamber site search for your business category,
name, location, keywords,
or phone number
• Navigating through the site or
the directory
• A link from another site such
as TripAdvisor

5. What are you selling?

6. Describing your business - Branding 101
• What are you selling?
• If you run a health club, it’s not fitness.
It’s sex appeal, weight loss or a longer life.
• If you manage a restaurant, it’s not food.
It’s escape, camaraderie and not having to wash dishes.
• If you own an auto repair shop, it’s not repairs.
It’s trust, safety, cleanliness.
• How do you help your customers?
• What are 3-5 things that make your business better
than your competition?
Tip: Attend one of Lisa Orrell’s branding workshops at the Chamber

7. What is your brand personality?

8. Define your brand personality
• What 5 adjectives to describe your company?
• Apple: cool, hip, playful, cutting-edge, fun, irreverent and
they spin PC as old, frumpy, slow, bloated, nerdy
• Motel 6: honest, simple, friendly, humble, reliable,
unpretentious
• Charles Schwab: direct, approachable, honest, smart, expert
• Reflect your personality in your website, collateral,
messaging, business description…and how you
interact with customers and run your business
Tip: Ask Karen Kefauver to write your description and keywords at a reduced Chamber rate

9. Target content to what people are looking for

10. Selecting Keyword Phrases – SEO 101
• Keyword phrases should tell what you’re selling and
reflect your brand personality
Santa
• Balance relevance and popularity Cruz
• Use phrases 2-4 words in length
that your customers use
• Include “negative” words Santa Cruz
hotel wedding
allows dogs
• Check out your competition
• Look at analytics
Tip: Use Google Adword’s Keyword Tool (just google Keyword Tool}

11. 100 words: Concise, precise, and design to entice
• Explain what your company does, who you do it for, and
why your company is different from your competition
• Use the keywords you developed. Think about what
customers are looking for online, the good and the bad
• Stress the benefits to your customers, not the features
• Include special events and prices in your description, e.g.,
“Mention Santa Cruz Chamber for special discount” or
“End-of-Summer Special!”
• Make your description friendly, inviting, and easy to read

12. Working in, Living in, and Visiting Santa Cruz

13. Benefits of your Chamber listing
• Site provides resources for people making buying
decisions—working, living, and visiting SC
• International exposure through TripAdvisor
• Member listings displayed 3,700,000 times in 2009
• Listing includes direct links to your website, e-mail,
map and detailed information about your business
• Just as Chamber membership bestows a “seal of
approval” on your business, the Chamber site lends
“authority” to your site

14. Your Chamber listing markets your business
• If you don’t have a website, this is your web presence
• If you don’t buy online advertising, your listing
provides click-throughs to your site
• If you don’t advertise in the
yellow pages, your listing is
like an ad in the “online yellow
pages” for Santa Cruz
• Oh, yeah, and it’s free!

15. Making the most of your free listing
• Make sure your listing shows:
• An image that represents your products or services
• Correct business name
• Current contact information
• Correct website, e-mail address, map location (Click them!)
• Complete description
• Make sure you are in the right category(ies)
• Remember that listings are alphabetical (Santa Cruz
Dream Inn vs. Dream Inn)

16. Listings in the online Business Directory

17. Free marketing options on the Chamber site
• Add a coupon to your listing for a special promotion
• List your upcoming event in the Business Calendar
• Share news about new
products, special deals, and
business successes in the
Member News section

18. Multiple listings in the Business Directory

19. Priority Listing in the Business Directory

20. Events and banners on Visiting Santa Cruz page

21. Banner advertising on the Chamber site
Tip: Ask Melody Sharp to design your banner ads at a reduced Chamber rate

22. Advertising options on the TripAdvisor page

23. Thanks!
Questions? For more info:
www.hotdesign.com
kirsti@hotdesign.com
©2010 Scott Design Inc. All rights reserved.