My mom would have been proud of me today. Our softball team won the Championship Tournament this afternoon.Yes, I know it was a Church league. Yes, I know it was slow pitch. However, this 44-year-old recently-injured player pitched two games in the heat and we came out on top. Bet your bippie I kept the game ball.
We had such a good team this year. Many women showed up each week to play (we are required to have two playing each game) and our regulars really had a great reason.
When my mom died a few years ago, many (almost all) of her friends showed up to the wake in their softball uniforms. I should explain that. She had been in high school at the time Title IX passed, allowing girls to play in league sports. So she was one of the first to sign up. Many years later, she started a women's softball league in her retirement community, The Villages, in Florida. She even took that team to the Senior Olympics! Most importantly, to me, she was my first softball coach in 4th grade.
So even though today was Church league slow pitch, I am pretty happy to be continuing the tradition of kicking butt in softball. Did I mention my daughter was on the team this year? The tradition continues.

I played a game once called red black. When the game was over I learned that I had been quitting things in my life when they became difficult. The game taught me to not be afraid of success and to work through those difficulties. At first it was easy to see some of the smaller difficulties that I had been allowing to stop me from moving forward. As those difficulties disappeared, however, I  found that difficulties were still there and looked differently than before. 

Sometimes they catch me offguard and I am not prepared. I find myself sometimes feeling like I want to quit. But I know it is just those old programs coming to the surface. There may come a day when I decide to quit. But today is not that day. Tomorrow looks pretty good too.

Notes from the Field: Leap Year Marketing

Notes from the Field: Leap Year Marketing

I often get asked, "How much does it cost to build a website?" Here is a very good general rule of thumb. The cost of a website is directly proportional to the amount of time it takes to build it. The amount of time it takes to build a website, is directly proportional to the amount of functionality a business owner wants or needs in the website. If you need a simple, basic, but attractive and functional website, you will not pay as much as someone who needs, for example e-commerce, videos, and many other dynamic characteristics.

Other costs to consider are, purchase of URL name, hosting, and general managementof the website. A good website person can offer any or all of these services as part of a website package.

Websites have replaced the Yellow Pages and customers expect a credible businessto have an online address, or website. I am happy to consult with that small business owner, who needs some advice about what functionalities he or she may want and need in their website. Our packages are flexible and affordable. We also refer larger clients to other website companies if the functionality is beyond our level of expertise. But don't take my word for it. Shop around and ask a lot of questions. There are some bad eggs in the carton, so to speak, so make sure you check up on your website company's reputation and history.

How Much Should I Pay (If Anything) for SEO?

I get SEO guys calling me all the time.

Here is the deal. As a business owner you have to decide how much money one new paying customer brings in for you on average. This will be your gauge to compare value of SEO, advertising, or any marketing expense, including the cost of hiring someone like me. If you feel the expense has or will bring in enough paying customers times the value of  new paying customer, then do it. OR if utilizing a marketing program, like Leap Year Marketing, saves you time and/or money because you are not trying to do it yourself and can now focus on income-producing activities, then it is worth it. If it isn't saving you time or money in this fashion, then you shouldn't be using it.

With that said, SEO is very effective, but only if your business is something people search for. If you are and you have competition, then SEO is a good idea (this is most people). If people are already finding you or there is limited demand (and therefore not a lot of searching going on) then don't pay for it. SEO can be expensive, but you need to compare it to the value of a new paying client. 

SEO will drive people to your website, so make sure the site is something worth looking at where willing people can make purchases or find the information they need to make the next move toward purchases. 

If you have questions about SEO, websites, or Marketing Strategy, contact us at Leap Year Marketing, 724-603-LEAP, or joanne@leapyearmarketing.com.