Online Event Registration, Event Management + CMS = Custom Development

Eastern Shore of Virginia Festivals came to VBWebSites to develop an entirely unique platform that would handle and manage online registrations. The system we developed is truly unique as the event in itself is unique and consists of three days with 10-20 activities per day. Our system will not allow conflicting registrations for activities that may have conflicting start or end times which was a crucial element of the platform.

This development was wrapped around our completely Custom Content Management System and also included custom modules to handle:

• Events Management
• Products Management
• News Management
• Site Pages Management
• Reports and Custom Reporting
• Facebook Syndication
• and much more...

Preview the Eastern Shore of Virginia Festivals website.
Look at our Content Management System

When you are seeking a platform customized for your event registrations, look no further than VBWebSites to tackle your needs.

How to write good content for your website to better position your SEO efforts

One of the hardest things we come across is getting good content from clients. Below is an example of how to achieve good content. We will take some of the services we offer to get the point across. 

Some Services

• Website Design
• Content Management Solutions

Our approach after looking at the service lines is explaining to our clients that we must create some corresponding content to backup the services to achieve strong SEO.

Example:

• Website Design
• VBWebSites is highly skilled in designing for the Web. We understand how to apply the latest design techniques and technology to create clear, easily-navigated web sites that are effective and appealing.
• Then you would lead into a page designated for the service line and have a couple paragraphs if possible that go into detail on the particular service.
• Content Management Solutions
• VBWebSites programmers have developed a variety of 'do it yourself' content management tools that put the power to update content in the clients' hands. Depending on the needs of the client, VBWebSites develops tools that allow a wide range of client control. 
• Then you would lead into a page designated for the service line and have a couple paragraphs if possible that go into detail on the particular service. Example, Our company does a lot of custom content management solutions and we have a landing page that explains Content Management as well as shows screen shots of the system itself as well as some clients that use our systems.. Take a look

What you would want to do is break open word or maybe even a sheet of paper and bullet out your services. Then the daunting task of explaining your services comes into play. If you draw a blank, it's ok. I tell our clients "Think as if someone called and asked about one of your services", You would explain.. Now that explanation is a great start to coming up with content. Your content must be unique and must correspond in some way shape or form to the service entity.

Remember "You say potato, I say patattah". Same goes here on the web, do you say web site or website? I look at my traffic and see both in what people search to find us:

• web design company
• website design virginia 
• web site design company
• and even "webbsite" and "web page"

There is no real answer to that one and I am sure that in your line of work someone may refer to your service differently so no real need to get totally technical in your writing of content. Write off the hip and tweak. Then once you get established, look at your traffic to get a better understanding of what people are searching to find you. Then look for a company that can help you increase that traffic, maybe try VBWebSites.net <--- Shameless Plug

Some of our clients prefer using a copywriter which we do have on staff. Our copywriter does pretty much just as I said above and interviews the client. Then the copywriter and I look at the industry and tweak the content to achieve strong Search Engine Optimization that will be relevant and rewarding for the client.

Thanks for reading and go write some content, Let it flow and Tweak it.

All the Best,

Brady Behrman
(757) 271-8293
brady@vbwebsites.net
http://www.VBWebSites.net

Web Marketing, web design and web development for Bed and Breakfast Industry

This will likely work for many industries but for the purpose of this posting, it's for B&B website design and development.

Of Course, first things first - A Solid website that can grow with you.

So many companies make the mistake of having a friend of a friend who has a cousin who just graduated middle school build their website. Your company has some type of Branding, Spread That Brand professionally. With that in mind, you really need to do the job right. That's my shameless sales pitch.

Web Marketing can be a long and daunting task but here are the some keys to succeeding on the web as a B&B.

1 a. Establish a solid Base for a website. If you can't afford one, start off with a blog and facebook (If You can, skip down below). Blogger.com is free and can help you drive in traffic. Each week, share an experience a visitor had. In the post, explain where the customer traveled from, what they did while vacationing at your B&B and maybe ask them to fill out a comment card and then relay that message to your blog posting.

Example Post:

Harry and Sally came to Shenandoah Valley to relax and unwind from their busy life in Richmond, VA. They requested a room with a view of the ski slopes and we gave them the perfect room fit with a king size bed and breathtaking view of the mountains. The room came equipped with a large bath, complimentary champagne and comfort controlled heat and air. After their night of relaxing and peaceful sleep, they were served a breakfast fit for King and Queen that included Bacon, Eggs, Pancakes, Coffee and Orange Juice. We made arrangements so the couple could go skiing and off they went. Then you can sum it up with their comments on their stay.

There are many key phrases that are important for Search Engine Optimization in the above posting. Here's the clicker.. When you write, write off the hip. Eventually you will get a grasp on keywords and optimization practices. Don't try to jumble a bunch of keywords into the posting, it will come natural as you keep posting.

1 b. You can afford a solid base and superior website. You are fortunate and have come to the right place. We will make things automated for you and provide the custom website solution for your Bed and Breakfast. Our system allows you to maintain your entire site without the knowledge of HTML. We will also train you and help you along the way to achieve the best presence possible. Our B&B Systems start off at around $5,000.00 with some exclusivity within your region. After all, you re the lucky one who stumbled upon VBWebSites and we want you to do well!

2. Facebook, Twitter and Social Media

Whether you go with choice 1a or 1b, you can syndicate your content to facebook to help raise awareness. Facebook as well as twitter can be a great way to position your Bed and Breakfast ahead of the competition. Syndication means that when you add a post or within our system add events, news, etc.. you can supply facebook with  website feed URL. Facebook will take that URL and when a new post is made it will automatically sync up with social media platforms. There are also third party application like TwitterFeed.com that can help. If you are doing this yourself, take a look at TwitterFeed.com. If you have VBWebSites setup your Bed and Breakfast website, you don't have to worry about it. In entry # 4, I will explain how social media can help your B&B.

3. More syndication

Trip Advisor - If you use Trip Advisor, which most B&B's do, they provide an RSS feed as well. For example, here is one we dealt with for a B&B website design we did recently. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Feeds-d82807-treviews.xml . Now we take that feed and put it on the website and at Facebook. So if a review is left, it automatically goes to the website. I am sure all of the B&B's work 110% to make the visitors stay as pleasant as possible so hopefully you don't get bad reviews. TripAdvisor also provides a "Badge" you can put on your website. This doesn't do much more than make TripAdvisor website stronger on the web. RSS feed at least puts that Content (The Reviews) on your website as textual content.

There are other ways of syndication, but the above is most important for B&B Websites.

4. Utilizing Social Media

After a while and some work on your end promoting facebook to your friends, customers etc. you will have a nice group of followers. The biggest plus on Social Media and Business is that you are able to stay fresh in people's vision. They will remember you, your hospitality and recommend your facebook page for example to your friends. Let's propose it is February and you have all your rooms available. Now, lets propose you have 500 followers on your facebook page. You could put out a special that may say "Couples Retreat in the Shenandoah Valley - 25% off includes Dinner, Champagne and Breakfast". You will get some responses and hopefully fill those vacant rooms. This was just an example and I am sure you understand the logic here. If you are in our platform, you would put this special on your website and it would syndicate automatically to your syndicated channels and social media instruments.

5. Update Update Update

A good practice to at least update a "Solid Base Website" monthly. If you are doing the blog route, you may need to do it bi weekly so you can get content rolling. Update upcoming events in the area, etc. Example for upcoming events.. If on your website you advertise for example: "Fourth of July Shenandoah Fireworks Valley". Now say, someone searches "Fourth of July Shenandoah Valley", your website will appear. It's a good practice to publish events at least a month ahead of time so the search engines have to get your content.

6. Email Marketing

Not spam, but actual people that want to get updates from you. VBWebSites is a listed expert of about 50 companies around the web at MailChimp, a third party email newsletter management company. They offer incentives for those who use an expert, take a look. Same concept goes here as it does for facebook and social media. Stay current with your base, stay fresh on their minds. Have an opt in "Sign Up For Newsletter" on your website, in your B&B, etc.This will take some time to establish, but down the road will be helpful!

7. Online Advertising

Spend a little money to make some money as the saying goes. You can setup an account, or have us do it, at http://adwords.google.com . Depending on your market, you may only what to target specific geographical areas. You can also define a daily spending budget.

8. Image is Everything

Have a Professional photographer take your pictures, it will go a long way.

9. More Coming Later, or contact us for more info


Written by Brady Behrman 

New Website Launched - Bay Beyond Inc.

Company Bio: Bay Beyond Inc. is the wholesale entity for Blue Crab Bay Co.. Blue Crab Bay Co.®, now a brand of Bay Beyond Inc., has won top honors and prestigious awards at international competitions and has been featured in many national publications. 

Website: http://www.BayBeyond.net 

Mission: Bay Beyond needed a unique solution developed for their needs. Most importantly, Bay Beyond needed the ability to easily manage their website. 

The End Result: VBWebSites developed a complete custom environment that allows Bay Beyond the ability to easily and effectively manage their web presence that includes custom modules such as:

• General site page
• Ability to manage Site Pages Imagery
• Products management
• Ability to associate products with departments
• Ability to manage Product Imagery
• Category / Department management
• Recipes Management
• Dealer Management
• Dealer Login / Dealer Pricing shown once logged in.
• Upcoming Events Management

Further Extending: Smart Development @ VBWebsites

• We developed the ability to correspond recipes with Bay Beyond / Blue Crab Bay Products and backwards correlation between Products and Recipes.
• This is key for Search Engine Optimization and User Experience.
• Example: http://baybeyond.net/recipe/view/jims-bloody-mary-chili
• Notice on the right, you will see products that correspond with associated products.
• Further More, From a Product page that has Associated Recipes, These recipes are accessible from the product page.
• Example: http://baybeyond.net/blue-crab-bay-brand/food-service/sting-ray-bloody-mar_00071
• Smart Product Linking to Consumer website, Blue Crab Bay.
• This website is geared towards wholesale dealers. We have hidden elements in this development that show when a dealer is logged in. If a consumer (non-dealer) stumbles upon a product page from Search Engines etc, they are displayed a “Consumers Click Here” Link that redirects them to the product they are viewing on the consumer site. By doing this, there are no missed leads or opportunities.

Blue Crab Bay Company has trusted in VBWebSites since 2008 for all of their website needs and online marketing strategies that include e-mail marketing, online advertising, Facebook & Social media elements integration and much more.

Does your company require unique solutions on the web, Visit us at http://www.vbwebsites.net or call (757)271-8293.

Website - Visit VBWebSites
Facebook - Become a Fan
Twitter - Follow us

Hampton VA E-Commerce Grant Receives Additional Funding

SUMMARY

HAMPTON ELECTRONIC COMMERCE PROGRAM

Program Intent

To assist Hampton small, minority and women owned businesses with electronic commerce technology and aid in the stability and growth prospects of Hampton companies, potentially increasing tax revenue and jobs within the City of Hampton, Virginia. 

Definitions

Small business is defined as a business which is at least 51% independently owned and controlled by one or more individuals who are U.S. citizens or legal resident aliens, and together with affiliates, has 250 or fewer employees, or average annual gross receipts of $10 million or less averaged over the previous three years. One or more of the individual owners shall control both the management and daily business operations of the small business.

Minority/Women owned business is defined as one in which one or more minority individuals control at least 51 percent of the voting stock or ownership and manages daily operations.  Minority groups are defined as:

1. African Americans
2. Hispanic Americans
3. Native Americans
4. Asian-Pacific Americans
5. Asian-Indian Americans
6. Women

Minority/Women owned businesses must be certified by the Virginia Department of Minority Business Enterprise.

E-Commerce Program Grant Amounts

• Grants are made on a first-come, first served basis and eligibility is determined at the discretion of the Hampton E-Commerce Grant Administrator.
• Maximum individual awards of $1,500 may be granted once every three years and Virginia certified minority and women owned businesses can receive a maximum of $2,500 once every three years.
• Grant amounts shall not exceed 50% of total project cost or the allowable grant, whichever is less.

Approval Criteria

• Must be a for-profit business currently licensed in and with its principal office located within the City of Hampton.
• Projects must be legal, no adult only material, ethical, and commercially viable.
• Applicants must use preapproved Certified E-Commerce Grant Service Providers.
• Grant funds cannot be awarded for a project which has been initiated prior to the approval of a grant application.
• Grants are to be used for the creation or enhancement of e-commerce sites and cannot be used for domain registration, web hosting, general maintenance services, or annual subscriptions.
• Certified Service Providers are not eligible to receive grants for their own websites or to create or make enhancements to an affiliated business website.
  

Approved Grant Uses

• Consultation Services – information technology strategic planning, ecommerce needs and marketing assessments, domain name registration assistance, hosting service needs assessments, website analytics, and website security assessments and testing tools.

• Web Design and Development Services – custom website design, information architecture and graphic user interface planning, database driven website design and development, content management solutions, usability testing, advanced scripting and programming, custom database development, collaboration and social networking (Web 2.0), website accessibility analysis, and maintenance contracts.

• E-Commerce Services – Shopping carts, donation and membership systems, and online security assessments and testing tools.

• Internet Marketing Services – email marketing, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, eNewsletters, blogs, RSS, Wikis.

• Other e-commerce innovations as approved at the discretion of the Hampton E-Commerce Grant Administrator.

Grant Application Process

• Qualified business obtains printed application from City website or by other means.

• Applicant contacts at least two (2) certified service providers to obtain a minimum of two (2) quotes for work it wants done.  Applicant, at its discretion, selects a service provider to perform the work.

• Applicant completes the application form, signs and submits the application to the Hampton Department of Economic Development (HDED) with the two (2) quotes via fax, mail, or hand delivery but no on-line submittals allowed (see attached application).

• Letter and e-mail are sent to the Applicant verifying the receipt of the application.

• Application is reviewed and is approved or denied by HDED, in its sole discretion, within three (3) to five (5) business days.  (Requires checking status of Hampton Business License, current on Hampton business taxes, Small, Women and Minority-Owned Business (SWAM) status, review scope of work to verify the eligibility of services, etc.).

• Letter and e-mail are sent to Applicant informing it of the decision and, if approved, providing notice of the amount of grant funding it is eligible to receive.

• Applicant must obtain a contract with service provider setting forth the scope of the services to be performed and work done by the service provider.  The contract must be approved by the IDA and will be attached to, and become a part of the Grant Agreement between the Applicant and the IDA.  The contract with the service provider should be conditioned upon the approval by the IDA and the issuance of the Grant.

• Once the project is completed the Applicant must complete a “Customer Satisfaction Survey”.

Service Provider Application Process

• Service provider obtains application form from the City of Hampton website or by other means.

• Service provider completes the application form, signs and submits the application to HDED.

• Letter and e-mail are sent to the service provider verifying the receipt of the application.

• Application is reviewed and is approved or denied by HDED, in its sole discretion, within five (5) to ten (10) business days.

• Letter and e-mail are sent to service provider informing it of the decision and, if approved, providing it with a contract which stipulates its willingness to participate in the Hampton E-Commerce Grant Program and that it will abide by certain terms and conditions for payment and assist in the promotion of the program.

Grant Payments
Authorized service provider completes the project as quoted and invoices the grantee for its services and a grant check will be issued to the service provider for the grant amount.

More Details can be found here or call VBWebSites at 757-271-8293.

Syndicate Your Website - it helps!

Greetings Everyone..

I wanted to take a moment of your time and give you some positive ways to better position your website on the web.

First off > In today's market, It's not just a matter of having a website, those days are gone. In order to achieve results you must have a sound dynamic site that you can manage in house and keep updated.

Secondly > Use Social Networking sites (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc) to create awareness of who you are, what your company represents and put emphasis on the services and or products you provide and then syndicate this content. With the platforms we develop, we make it so when you update your site, your content is automatically syndicated to various channels, networks.

Why is syndication important?

A Mock Example:

1. Say for example you own a Vacation Rental Company
2. Then let's say your focus is summer tourism
3. Then let's take it one step further - Weather stations are predicting a tropical storm to hit in a few days.
4. Now you have a dozen cancellations or date changes.
5. Guess What, The Weather Man was wrong, Imagine that.
6. Now, if you had a following on Facebook or twitter you could instantly announce a weekend special to hopefully recoup what you may have lost due to incorrect predictions from the 'Weather Man'.

- end example

So now, go analyze your website and think about the scenarios in your industry and how you might be able to dig into social networking opportunities. Chances are, you don't have any way to syndicate your site so you will just need to work a little harder to manually syndicate your info or better yet Contact VBWebSites.net @ 757-271-8293 to develop your cutting edge web presence (sorry, shameless plug).

Hope this message helps shed some light and open your eyes to web possibilities outside of your actual web presence. I have a ton of other ways to achieve results under my belt but can't give away all my secrets :)

Thanks for reading..

If we can help, visit us online http://www.vbwebsites.net

Love a Local Business - Nominate VBWebSites.net

Intuit is awarding over $100,000 in grants! You determine which 10 local businesses deserve them.

VBWebSites entered in the content - Nominate Us

Thank you to our clients who already nominated us. We appreciate it very much!

VBWebsites – Is professional and pleasant to deal with. We appreciate all of their hard work and professionalism during the creation of our website.
Dorothy (01.12.10) Dominion Law Group

Very good at what they do & professional results!
Vince (01.12.10) Eubank Frames

Great customer serve and innovative business model.
Susan (01.11.10) Suntrust Bank

Working with http://www.VBWebSites.net had been a great customer experience! Very helpful and at a reasonable price. Please take a quick look at what he has done to our website; http://www.mooreclocks.com
Terry M (01.11.10) Moore Clocks

Starting a business is a lot of work, and knowing you have a company you can trust to handle your website and doing it right the first time is a key step in being profitable.
Jason (01.11.10)

VBWebSites provides responsive/reliable services and a quality customer service scarce in today's market. They strive to understand the client need and provide the absolute best product in a timely and cost effective manner.
Gayle (01.11.10) Command Decisions and Solutions (CDS2)

Brady is incredibly responsive and personable. We are so lucky to have VBWebSites.com on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
sara (01.11.10) Sara Baldwin Designs / New Ravenna

I love this business because the developed a great web site that was user friendly. I can call Brady and work through any problems I have within a few minutes.
Lynn Gray (01.11.10) Cape Charles Realty

I love this business because of the personal customer service and their continuous new/innovative ideas. Investing in this company is like investing in cutting edge technology to build and grow your own business!
Tee Daniel (01.11.10) Harper Hardware

Good people and good business practices!!
shana (01.11.10) Marine Concepts

VB Websites is dedicated and driven. They've worked hard to earn my trust and respect. They certainly have it!
Vicki M. (01.11.10) Moore Clocks

I recently found vb websites and these guys are fantastic at what they do. dedication and desire! Good Luck vb web sites
Bryan (01.11.10)

I have trusted in VBWebSites.net for 6 years and they have never let me down only delivered beyond expectations.
Jeff (01.11.10)

I enjoyed working with the team at VBWebSites. You'll are truly professional in what you do. You know how to tackle problems from all angles and you are friendly and easy to work with. I will definitely recommend VBWebSites to my friends and customers. Again, thanks. Leon (06/01/2010) propane delivery company web design

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