“RatePoint’s assets and technologies are currently being acquired, and
unfortunately this means that all RatePoint accounts will soon be closed.
Effective February 2, 2012, all RatePoint services, including Reputation
Management, Email Marketing, Surveys, and Product Reviews will be
discontinued. Your ability to access your RatePoint account will end at
this time.”

In December, Constant Contact, an email marketing company that we also are partners with, acquired in a cash sale the email marketing clients and associated assets of Ratepoint, leaving them with just their reputation management services.

RatePoint is a provider of customer reviews, testimonials and online reputation management services for online merchants. Ratepoint also fed the testimonials into Google and other directories that used testimonials to enrich their business listings.

Over the past three years, RatePoint raised a total of $23.5 million in VC funding since the company was launched by the founders of GeoTrust (now Verisign).

As a partner with Ratepoint, Bash Foo will seek to find the best alternative solutions for our clients to serve their online reputation needs. It is truly unfortunate that a company with a slogan like “Reputation is Everything” failed to meet their financial obligations, impacting thousands of small businesses that relied on their services. There was no mention as to what company acquired their liquidated assets

Who is going to use mobile payments?

The age group between 20 and 44 are lion share, and with more than 4% growth in the mobile payments industry every year plastic’s days are now numbered.

Where are people most likely to embrace mobile payments?

1. Groceries at the supermarket
2. Clothes at a retailer
3. Phone bill at a wireless store
4. Coffee at a coffee shop
5. Sofa at a furniture store
6. Taxi ride

So.. If you are in one of the 6 markets above and are looking for new customers in the 20-44 age group segment, beginning to use mobile payments before the rest of the retailers out there would be a good idea.

How can I get this implemented?

There are several ways.. On the high-side ($$$) you can build a mobile app for your business and have them use that to pay you. On the cheap ($) you can leverage the PayPal mobile merchant solution. You can call us for details of these solutions and all of them in-between. (478) 227-4366

Now.. on to the #chartporn…

via: The Digital Wallet and the Future of Payments [INFOGRAPHIC]

Whether your goals are to win an election, raise money for your cause, mobilize activists or advocate for your issue, Bash Foo can help you develop the digital strategy and communications plan to achieve your goals. Recent wins for our team is include successful political campaigns for Bill Beagle for Ohio Senate, and Mike McDermott’s City Council bid.

Not interested in candidates and just want to pass that important levy? We have designed and implemented two successful levies just this year with the Tipp City Streets and Safety levy on May 3rd and a Tipp City Schools renewal levy on November 8th.

How do we do it?

Our team will work with you to plan and execute a strategy that seamlessly integrates technology and online tactics into your political campaign plan to help you reach your campaign goals more effectively and efficiently.

Many politicos fear telling the public anything, however in this world of social media, a careful mix of well planned and timed messaging will help to encourage supporters to go out and vote, donate to your campaign and provide tailored guidance to undecided voters looking for information about your cause or candidate.

When winning matters, Bash Foo is the proven, experienced team you can trust. Contact us today to find out how we can help.

Public/private partnerships are pretty awesome things. This may be one of them.

Google has announced it’s partnership with the economic development folks from Columbus to host an event at the Schuster Center on October 4th that will provide small business owners with a FREE webpage and a FREE Google Places listing.

You may be asking yourself, why would a web design firm advertise how one could obtain a webpage for FREE? Well, because we are cool like that. If you don’t have several hundred/thousand dollars to invest in a professional looking site and you are just looking to get your business online… this is in one word.. perfect.

Google & friends are coming to town to get your business online!

If you don’t have a website or Google Places listing, you’ll find everything you need to get started – web professionals at your side every step of the way. If your business is already online, you’ll find tools and resources to help your business succeed online.

At this event you can:

• Get a free website and Google Places listing
• Get 1:1 advice and tips
• Learn more about online marketing
• Network with your fellow small business owners

Details

The details are super simple. Visit this website to register to attend, and then make sure you are at the Schuster Center on October 4th!

Put a sign-up sheet at your register or reception desk. Ask callers on the phone. If you’re a web-based operation, send a follow-up after an order asking if they’d like to continue to hear from you.

Have your employees and staff ask too. Don’t be shy! Studies have shown that over half of people will provide their email addresses if asked.

Ask people you meet in professional settings.

There’s a lot of networking going on at trade shows, conferences, seminars, and industry events— tell your new contacts about your email newsletter and ask them to subscribe, too!

Use our Online Email Marketing tools to sign people up.

We Partner with Constant Contact and Ratepoint to provide easy-to-use buttons and widgets to help you capture people’s interest in you. You can then them on your website, Facebook page, blog, LinkedIn profile and in your outgoing emails. They’re easy to use. People just click on the link or button and get taken to your quick sign-up page. Their email goes automatically into your Constant Contact or Ratepoint contact database. Couldn’t be easier!

Don’t forget about social media.

People love to share great information. Be sure to use our Social Share bar so your subscribers can forward your newsletter, put it on their Facebook pages, or Tweet it.

Cross-promote yourself with a related business or organization.

Got a good relationship with a business that’s complementary to yours (such as florists and chocolate stores; theaters and neighborhood bistros)? Promote each other in your respective newsletters by being “guest contributors” and writing a newsletter article for their audience, either one time or on an ongoing basis. You’ll also benefit by the perceived endorsement from the other business, making their subscribers more willing to give you a shot.

Promote your email newsletter in all your printed collateral.

Put a simple message on your business cards, brochures, advertisements, sales kits, and direct mail letters. Some ideas:

• “Sign up for our email newsletter for insider information and discounts at [your URL].”
• “Get our monthly newsletters with tips on how to get more business.”
• “Receive our weekly email newsletter for exclusive coupons.”
• “Let’s stay in touch often. Sign up for our email newsletter.”
• “Ask us about our email newsletter.”

Use incentives to get new signups.

Offer a monthly prize drawing or freebie like a guide, discount, or giveaway to entice people to leave their email address. If you have employees, run a contest (with a great motivating prize, of course!) to see who gets the most new names in a certain period of time.

EK6QX54WXYB5

We love how wildly successful our clients have become using just this technique. Would you like to have your company featured in Forbes or the New York Times, how about on TV on CNBC, NBC, or the Lifetime Channel? Of course, there is always the benefit of driving hundreds more fans to your facebook and web page to constantly receive your news updates.

First things first though.. You have to learn how to write a standards-based press release for your business or organization.

So, what is a press release anyways?

A press release is simply a statement prepared for distribution to the media. Your press release will provide journalists and bloggers information that is useful, accurate and interesting.

All press releases are created using an understandable and “template” formatting for easy reading by the media.

Formatting your press release

Press releases should always be printed on your company letterhead. If you do not have company letterhead, make sure to add your logo in the header of the document. Your branding helps the media to identify your press release quickly. Next, your companies name, web address, location address and phone number should be printed clearly at the top of the page. PRESS RELEASE should be spelled out in all CAPS and centered in bold.

Media Contact

The press release contact person’s name followed by all contact numbers printed clearly underneath. If the press release is for IMMEDIATE RELEASE, say so, on the left margin directly above the title in all caps.

Title

Consider this your headline or title component. It should be centered, and in bold (but not caps). The heading of the press release should capture the journalist in the least amount of words. Don’t be too gimmicky, short, sweet and clear.

Content

The body of the press release begins with the date and city from which the press release originated. The body of the press release is very basic; who, what, where, when and why. The first paragraph of the press release should contain in brief detail what the press release is about. The second paragraph explains, in detail: who cares; why you should care; where one can find it; when it will happen. Also, included in the second ‘informative’ paragraph is generally a quote that gives the release a personal touch. Quotes go a long way with journalists. The third and final paragraph sums up the release with further information on your company along with the company contact information clearly spelled out.

Content Formatting – The content of the press release, beginning with the date and city of origin, should be typed in a clear, standard font with double-spaced paragraphs. If your press release exceeds one page, the second page should indicate ‘Page Two’ in the upper right-hand corner. Journalistic standards also define how a press release should be ended: ###. Three # symbols, centered directly underneath the last line of the release indicate the end.

Your final checklist

• Company Letterhead, Name, Address, Phone Number, Web Address
• PRESS RELEASE in all caps
• Contact Person’s Name and contact info
• Immediate Release or Release Date (all caps)
• HEADLINE or TITLE in BOLD/CAPS
• Date/City followed by;
• Engaging CONTENT Here
• Sum it up; let them know about your business…
• Basic Font, Double Spaced, Page Numbers, and ###

Example Press Release from one of our clients

How Bash Foo fits in…

Bash Foo is able to target media in Ohio, in the region, the US or the World. We hit up print, TV, Radio and bloggers to make sure they have your press release AND how to get hold of you. We then syndicate your message in dozens of social media channels for good measure. Entry level single-state press releases start at $299 without copy-writing services, so write your own.. send it to us and get noticed!

While it seems to be redundant to say things over and over, the good folks at Yelp have helped us out again with a survey on the irrelevance of the Yellow Pages for businesses these days.

It’s true, a client just yesterday said that he has $400/mos. tied up in several Yellow Pages, and no direct customers come from it. Some of our other clients share that they have THOUSANDS tied up in Yellow Pages advertising. I ask them Why? The answer… it is still in the budget from the prior year. It’s past time to look for better hunting grounds my friends, and the Yelp survey is a stark reminder of this.

Yelp Survey

Only 24% of their 3,500+ respondents said “Yes” to the question, “Are yellow page phone books still relevant?”
That’s quite a find. Here are some others:

1) Most business owners don’t think yellow page phone books are useful to them:

“Yellow page phone books are useful to me as a business owner.”
Agree – 11%
Somewhat Agree – 17%
Somewhat Disagree – 19%
Disagree – 52%

2) Only about 10% of business owners use yellow page phone books more than once per month; 3 out of 4 don’t use it at all:

How many times per month do you rely on a yellow page phone book to find a local business?
“Zero” – 75%
“Once” – 14%
“Between two and four times” – 8%
“Five or more times” – 3%

3) Very few business owners believe customers find them using a yellow page phone book.

Estimated percentage of customers who find me using a yellow page phone book.
“0%” – 43%
“1-25%” – 47%
“26-50%” – 5%
“51-75%” – 3%
“76-99%” – 1%
“100%” – 0.1%

The conclusion: Business owners have clearly observed the shrinking relevance of yellow page phone books. As we continue to move away from printed phone books, online and mobile directories will continue to grow as the customer’s choice for local business information.

If you are looking for safe harbor and want to kill your Yellow Pages advertising, give us a shout. Bash Foo is Uniquely Qualified to help you out. We not only can get you into the important online directories, we build them! It’s our business to make your site and content relevant online.

For example only… “Dental WebDesign Inc.” They only present their pitch to Dentists and Orthodontists, showing them a few examples of the designs they have performed in the past and expressing their ability to better understand and deliver. For Dental WebDesign Inc. the presentation is super easy because Dentists don’t have to get clued into what their site looks like based on the Independent’s work on a Furniture store or Bob the Plumber website… They get to see exactly what will be delivered.

Good or Bad?

While the marketing material and the website demonstrations are all niche focused, the company is probably also doing the same for their Lawyer, Furniture and Plumbing clients. It’s a significant benefit to DentalWebDesign Inc. to obscure the rest of their business. But what happens if it all unravels? What if the Dentist clicks on their URL and takes them back to the “mothership” company? Do they feel like they were lied-to or taken advantage of?

I am curious as to how you feel about this situation.

As reported yesterday by CNN, the search engine giant has responded to the complaints made against “content farms” that shovel inferior, low value results to “page one” on the Search Engine Results Page.

Our clients will be happy to know that we don’t use content farms, and never have. And we don’t employ offshore labor to assemble content farms that link to your site. Why you say? Well, because we thought that was a stupid way to game Google and we don’t do stupid things.

What does this mean for our web design and more importantly, our search engine optimization clients? Well, they will expect to see an overall BOOST in their search results and keyword relevance data for the next few months as the “big guys” scramble to get their offshore teams of labor to “do something else productive”. We wish you guys well. Actually, no we don’t… we hope you fall on your sword again, because it was pretty amusing.

So, now that Google is wiping the relevance of content farms off the face of the interwebs, what other things can we look for them to do? Well, the new vacuum will create a few weeks or a month where Google will recalibrate your site. Websites that continue to have hundreds or thousands of fake inbound links will drop like a stone from the SERPS and other sites that have real content will take their place.

If you are interested in hiring an Ohio Search Engine Optimization company that doesn’t participate in foolish schemes to make your site interesting to Google, give us a call! 478-227-4366. We are always interested in hearing from companies that consider their Brand something that is not worth gambling with.

Oh, and a big High-Five to Matt Cutts, the chief developer at Google who even though he lives in California, thinks a lot like us.

Goals for 135 E. Main St. location (6 months – Complete)

Our strategic goal for our office at 135 E.Main St was to get in front of the downtown business community while educating merchants in the use of internet marketing and advertising to grow their business.  We have succeeded in our quest by developing web sites for 8 downtown merchants and providing numerous training sessions on blogging, social media and digital advertising. We have built a strong network of clients who now actively refer us and each other and are more proud of the downtown merchant community to which they belong. We are so blessed to have them as clients and friends.

Goals for 211 S. 1st St. location (starting)

Bigger is better and as our vision has grown, so will our opportunities. Beginning February 26th, our new location will be 211 S. 1st St. Tipp City in the old corporate headquarters of Tipp Machine and Tool.

The office will sport a private canopied entrance with spiral staircase, plentiful onstreet parking, several well lit offices, a smoke-free environment, FREE Wi-Fi (of course) and enough room to host our weekly webcast Get Social! Radio.

Our extended goal is to carve out “incubation space” where other small businesses in Tipp City can affordably operate. This would include some of our very talented creative staff made up of local photographers, artists, web/print and graphic designers, and software development. In an economy that demands an impressive marketing campaign at a low cost, Bash Foo sits to capitalize on its ability to deliver quality results at a pricepoint that is attractive to small businesses.

Future Goals – Long Term

We would like to see Bash Foo serve as Miami County’s premiere creative agency that includes writers, designers, artists, photographers and their supportive IT and technical staff. 

We would like to thank our wonderful new landlords who own and operate Case Crafters Inc. and are our neighbors in the building. We will have more to share about their good work in the coming months, but suffice to say Dan and Steve are amazing. We will be having an open house in the spring, so keep your eyes peeled for the announcement.