Check out our October newsletter!
OCTOBER 2019
7462 Old Hickory Drive, Mechanicsville, VA 23111 • www.sklartechnology.com • 804-730-2628
THE ‘90S CALLED. THEY WANT THEIR WEBSITE BACK.
resources available for building websites, but if you want a sleek website that will draw clients in, invest in a professional. Cutting corners on your website is a great way to cut down on prospects.
I never ceased to be amazed by the terrible websites I come across almost daily. And by amazed, I, of course, mean horrified. Consumers have been using the internet regularly since the ’90s, and for some reason, many websites still look like they were built in the ’90s. I see so many fundamental flaws in websites across industries. You don’t have to be a graphic designer to spot these mistakes. Broken links, long load times, and missing security certificates (https) are just the tip of the iceberg. Here are five fatal flaws that will send your clients running into the arms of your competition. It takes 0.05 seconds for someone to form an opinion about your website. And if your website is full of clip art, clashing colors, or looks like a 14-year-old’s Myspace page, they’re going to use those milliseconds to find the back button and get the heck out of there. If you made your website yourself over five years ago, I can almost guarantee that your clients hate it. Outdated visuals are your first enemy. I tried creating the new Sklar Technology website myself with a DIY service and quickly learned how difficult it is. There’s a reason web design is a profession. I had our in-house designer take what I created and turn the website into what it is today and I’m very happy with the results. Our site converts leads regularly. There are plenty of DIY You made it with Microsoft Paint.
It’s not mobile-friendly.
Don’t have time to write blogs? Adapt content from other marketing avenues. Can’t manage the blog yourself? Delegate it to someone on your marketing team. If you can’t do that, then I suggest deleting the blog altogether. Having no blog at all is better than having an outdated blog. To prospects, seeing an outdated blog causes them to question your competency. If you can’t even update a blog, how are you going to take care of your clients? Speaking of blogs and content, who are you targeting with your copy? I see so many websites making this mistake, filling their pages with jargon and statistics their clients don’t really care about. For example, construction companies with web pages dedicated to the specs on their equipment — the only people who care about equipment are other construction companies. Clients don’t really care what machines you’re using; they want to know if those machines can get the job done. Make sure your website appeals to potential clients, not your competition. You’re marketing to the competition, not your prospects.
Come on! It’s 2019. If I can’t read your website clearly on my smartphone or click a phone number and start a call instantly, then I’m probably never going to visit your site again. SimilarWeb, a digital analytics company, found that 58% of website traffic is conducted via mobile device. This means if your website isn’t smartphone- and tablet-friendly, you are missing out on two-thirds of all potential traffic. If you’re not sure if your website is mobile-friendly, take out your smartphone and check it yourself. Can you easily read the screen? Is the layout easy to navigate? Are the buttons large enough to click on a touchscreen? Does it look good? If not, stop wasting time and look into making your website mobile-friendly right away. Blogs are a great way to offer value and show prospective clients that you’re an expert in your field. But only if you are keeping that blog updated. When your website blog hasn’t been updated since July 2015, your whole site looks abandoned. If you have a blog, you need to put up new posts at least once a week. Your blog is a ghost town.
A REFERRAL IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF FLATTERY. WHEN A CLIENT REFERS FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES TO US, IT REPRESENTS AN APPRECIATION OF A JOB WELL-DONE. IF YOUR FRIENDS OR ASSOCIATES COULD BENEFIT FROM OUR SERVICES, I’D BE HONORED TO HAVE YOUR REFERRAL! Continued on Page 3 ...
Don’t Have a Ransomware Plan Yet?
Reignite Your Passion
How Procrastinating Costs You More Every Day
Have you called 804-730-2628 and created a plan to protect your company from a ransomware attack? Why not?
Lessons in Innovation From Henry Ford
According to Cyber Security Ventures, the world’s leading researcher for the global cybereconomy, this year, a new organization fell victim to a ransomware attack every 14 seconds. By 2021, attacks are expected to occur every 11 seconds. Not only are ransomware attacks becoming more common, but they’re also growing more costly. Coveware’s Q2 Ransomware Marketplace analyzed data handled by the firm’s incident response team. The firm found that in the second quarter of 2019, ransomware payments rose 184%, from $12,762 to $36,295. The higher payments did not translate to better results for victims. Coveware’s Ransom Report found that while almost everyone who paid a ransom after an attack received a working decryption tool, those companies still lost around 10% of their data. The ransom payments are only part of the total cost of a ransomware attack. Coveware researchers identified two mains costs of a ransomware attack: recovery costs and downtime costs. Recovery costs are any costs associated with regaining access to data and can include forensics reviews, the cost to rebuild workstations, and any ransom payments. Downtime costs are measured in lost productivity, including slack labor and lost revenue opportunities. Despite being overlooked by many companies, downtime costs are usually more devastating than recovery costs. Coveware researchers determined that “downtime costs are typically five to 10 times the actual ransom amount …” It looks like downtime costs will likely continue to grow. In Q2, the length of downtime after an attack also increased from 7.3 days to 9.6 days. You can do the math to figure out how much money your company would lose if you were shut down for an extra 2.3 days. As the FBI has stated, it’s not a question of if you’ll be the victim of a ransomware attack, but when . Having a plan in place before an attack strikes is the only way to avoid some of the steep, growing costs of ransomware.
As entrepreneurs scale their businesses, there is a lot to focus on: hiring the right staff, creating the most effective marketing strategies, and setting up efficient operations. With so much to do, it’s easy to lose sight of your initial vision for your company. If you’re stuck in a rut, know that you’re not alone. Plenty of the most successful entrepreneurs have endured the same struggles and, with a little ambition and a lot of creativity, came out on top. Take Henry Ford, for example. Henry Ford made the automobile accessible and appealing for the common citizen. This ignited interest in the market from consumers and manufacturers alike, which led to innovations like air conditioning and other appliances we can’t imagine living without today. There were some key factors that played into his success, and, if you apply them to your own journey, you could gain a new perspective and be inspired to create and innovate in your industry.
Consumer-Focused
Ford realized cars were unreliable and unaffordable to most and set out to change that. After developing the first moving assembly line, Ford lowered the price of cars and made them accessible for people outside the upper class for the first time. As long as you keep the consumer and their needs in mind, you’ll find ways to make their experience better and increase your success.
Small Changes, Big Impact
Unlike many companies today who sacrifice quality for quantity, Ford found ways to focus on both. He looked at how cars were actually made and found that, if he could build more cars within a certain time frame, he could pay less per car, per worker. Thus, the moving assembly line was born. When looking for ways to innovate in your industry, rethinking even the smallest, simplest details can make a huge difference for your business. You may not be able to reinvent the wheel, but who said you couldn’t reinvent the brake pads? Henry Ford may have changed the automobile industry forever, but you don’t have to go to such lengths to innovate in your own. The next time you find yourself uninspired or stagnant, look to those who made your industry what it is today. You might just find the inspiration you’ve been searching for.
Windows 7 is reaching its end of life phase on Jan. 14, 2020. Will your systems still be protected from ransomware attacks? Call 804-730-2628 to find out!
3 ‘Health’ Foods You Need to Stop Eating Are You Gonna Eat That?
saturated fat, microwave popcorn bags can also contain a class of chemical called perfluoroalkyl, which some studies have connected to impaired kidney function. Real healthy alternative: If you just can’t say no to popcorn, buy corn kernels and pop them yourself in some coconut oil. Flavored Nuts Unless you have an allergy, nuts are really good for you.Almonds, cashews, pistachios, and almost any other nut contain tons of proteins and healthy fats. But if you want to spice — or sweeten — up your snacking with flavored nuts, you’ll end up with a lot of sugar and salt in a single handful.An ounce of maple cashews has around 10g of fat and 11g of sugar.And if you want something spicy, be warned:A single ounce of Blue Diamond’s Sriracha almonds has 15g of fat and 120mg of sodium.
It’s that time of day again.Two o’clock rolls around and suddenly it’s snack time. Fortunately, studies show that enjoying a light afternoon snack can be good for your health — so long at that snack is healthy. Unfortunately, misleading marketing causes many of us to make food choices that are still bad for our health. Here are a few so-called “healthy” foods to avoid at the grocery store. Dried Fruit Right out the gate, here’s a “healthy” snack that’s extremely misleading.With their vitamins, minerals, and fiber, fruits are a great snack. If you’re craving something sweet, fresh fruit is much better than a vending machine candy bar. However, store-bought dried fruits are a different story. Dried fruits often have high calories and more sugar than fresh fruit. For example, a dried prune contains 32.5% sugar. Real healthy alternative: If you want to avoid seeing your fruits go bad, opt for frozen fruit instead. Microwave Popcorn Sometimes, you just want something with a little crunch. Processed corn chips offer almost no nutritional value, so health-conscious snackers often turn to popcorn instead. Unfortunately, microwave popcorn is a health food nightmare. High in both sodium and I get it. Stock photos are quick and easy.We use them on our blogs sometimes. But you need to be smart about your stock photos. First of all, make sure you are paying for the stock images you use or you’re going to get hit with a steep fine. Second, don’t use stock photos with people who don’t work at your company. Prospects can spot a stock model a mile away. If you want to feature people on your website, bring in a professional photographer. Using your phone to take blurry photos in poor lighting is almost as bad as not having photos at all. I’ve said many times that your website will not magically convert clients, but a bad website will sure as heck send clients running to the hills. Want someone to review your website? Send an email to marketing@sklartech.com . My team can find those bad photos, poor content, broken links, and security flaws before you waste another cent on a website that’s working against you. –Randy Sklar ... continued from Cover You have bad stock photos.
Real healthy alternative: Skip the flavoring and stick with raw nuts.
There’s nothing wrong with a quick snack. Just make sure to read the nutritional facts before patting yourself on the back for your healthy choices.
Inspired by jocooks.com
That’s a (Lettuce) Wrap!
Ingredients • 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup cabbage, shredded, or coleslaw mix • 1/4 cup hoisin sauce • 4 green onions, chopped • 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste • 1/4 tsp pepper, or to taste • 5 leaves basil, chopped • 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, cut in half
• 1 lb ground chicken • 2 tbsp red curry paste • 1 tbsp ginger, minced • 4 cloves garlic, minced • 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
Directions 1. Add olive oil to a large skillet and heat until very hot. Add ground chicken and cook until no longer pink and starting to brown; break it up with a wooden spoon as necessary. Should take about 3 minutes. 2. Add red curry paste, ginger, garlic, red bell pepper, and cabbage or coleslaw mix, and stir-fry for another 3 minutes. Add hoisin sauce, green onions, salt, and pepper and toss. Remove from heat, then add basil and toss. Transfer cooked chicken to a bowl. 3. Serve by placing spoonfuls of chicken into lettuce halves, fold lettuce over like small tacos, and enjoy!
7462 Old Hickory Drive Mechanicsville, VA 23111 www.sklartechnology.com 804-730-2628
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
Inside This Issue
1
Why Your Website Keeps Sending Clients to Your Competition How Henry Ford Innovated His Industry Ransomware Payments Rose 184%— Could You Pay Up?
2
3
Health Food Nightmares Randy’s Lettuce Wraps Learn About Your Gut-Brain Axis
4
The Amazing Connection Between Your Stomach and Your Brain Thinking With Your Gut
According to a recent study published by the National Library of Medicine, when a person’s microbiome — the diverse population of good and bad bacteria living in the GI tract — becomes significantly altered or
While it may seem strange to think about, the human stomach is truly a thing of wonder. Most humans only acknowledge its digestive processes, but the gut plays a much more influential role in our day-to-day lives than simply breaking down food for nutrient production; it is closely connected to our emotional states, as well. Think about it. Have you ever felt butterflies before a date, intestinal pain during moments of stress, or nausea before an important presentation? Have you ever told someone to “follow their gut” before making a big decision? These physical symptoms are not a coincidence; they are known in the scientific world as the gut-brain axis . Your gut is connected to the limbic system, the part of the brain that processes emotions. The brain sends messages to all other organs in your body, so it’s not surprising it communicates with your stomach, too. What is surprising, however, is that the connection goes both ways. Just as your brain can relay information to your gut about excitement and anxiety, your gut can have a direct impact on the way you feel.
imbalanced, psychological or neurological issues can arise. In response to these emerging findings, dietary approaches and probiotics are being explored to see how well they can modulate a person’s microbiome and address symptoms. While research is still being conducted to determine the extent of the stomach’s influence over emotional and mental states, plenty of evidence proves the connection is real. Your stomach “talks” to you all the time, and, if you didn’t have enough reasons to pay attention to the food you eat, now you have one more thing to keep in mind. If you start thinking a bit more with your gut, your health will thank you for it!
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker