the sephone blog

As business owners- sure gas prices effect how we do business.

• Do you take the meeting for a probable project knowing the likelihood could be 50:50 and it will cost a tank of gas?
• Do you expect the client to always make the trip??
  Would they??
• Now who would blame them if they dont?

So what to do?

For Starters- Make your customers know (or re-enforce) they can do business with you online or atleast give them enough information regarding you and your services to be able to make a good decision.

Yes, OK I know you are already doing this…. but it cant hurt to refresh the message.  Especially now- keeping your site fresh and relevant is more important than ever.

Would you  buy a stale loaf of bread from a reputable baker? or would you expect them to have the freshest in town.  If not- then  go to the next one down the street- sometimes sacrificing quality over “value”.

This doesnt take alot of effort, but some.

IF you can- offer incentives or specials to entice them to “come-in” or log-in.  Anything that makes sense is something to consider-  Just don’t give things away.

Marketing is the last thing to cut when times are difficult- same with your web presence-  keep it fresh- and drive more people to it any way you can!  The more the merrier.  Right!?

A Side Note!

Twice this week two of our clients experienced undesired domain expiration syndrome (domainus_expiridius latin).  This is where the client does not own their own domain and allows their hosting provider or marketing company register the domains in their own name. Then through a series of events- the domain is allowed to expire and the related website stops serving….  This could be terminal!

If you are not referenced on the domain record as the registrant…Admin Contact… then YOU DONT OWN THE DOMAIN.

Unscroupulous organizations can use that as a means to hijack your domain or in this case- allow it to expire due to lack of response regarding a renewal notice, then buy it and try to “Sell” it back to you.

Dont let this happen to you.  Make sure YOU are the named contact as the ADMIN contact on the domains you own; and that the email address associated with it is current.  Your hosting provider can be the Billing and Tech contact- but you should be the admin contact.  Also see if your provider can set it to automatically renew.  We do!   This way- it should never end up in the bit-bucket!

There are exceptions to every rule- so just because your provider does register in their name- doesnt mean they are bad or wrong-  it could have a valid reason.

But-  did you lose a domain?   How much did you spend to get it back??

Ask yourself that.  Can you afford to lose your domain?

Today we’re excited to announce the launch of SephoneCast, a new service from Sephone. SephoneCast is an easy way to create your own podcast simply by uploading MP3 files within a Sephone-hosted login area.

Simple from the start

Have an audio or podcast recording program that creates or exports MP3 files? SephoneCast makes turning those files into a podcast as easy as 1-2-3.

Once we’ve set up an account for your podcast in SephoneCast, you’ll be given a username and password to log into your show’s administration area. From this area you’ll be able to view past episodes and upload a new one whenever you choose. Simply supply a title, description, and file from your computer to upload and your new episode will be immediately available online and to anyone subscribed to your podcast.

Use a site or start from scratch

SephoneCast makes it easy to integrate your new podcast into your existing site. Create a link straight to your podcast’s RSS feed. You can even integrate a Flash audio player with a list of episodes directly into your current site so that visitors can listen to the latest episodes without ever leaving their browser.

Don’t have a site? No problem! SephoneCast also automatically creates a show page whenever you update your podcast. The generated page has a list of episodes, a link to subscribe to the show, and an integrated audio player.

Upload once, use everywhere

Once you have a SephoneCast account, anyone can grab your podcast’s RSS feed and listen to your show in any application that supports podcast subscriptions. We can also help you submit your show to popular podcasting directories like iTunes.

SephoneCast also integrates with FeedBurner, a service from Google that gives podcasters a wealth of information about their podcast’s listeners and stats. It also provides many other options for your show ranging from buttons and stats to put on your site to a way to e-mail visitors whenever new episodes are available. We’d be happy to let you know what’s available.

Only the beginning

Over time we hope to add new features and enhancements to SephoneCast to make the experience for you and your listeners even better.

Want to learn more about SephoneCast or get started today? Give us a call at (207) 262-5040 or e-mail sales@sephone.com. We’ll be happy to answer any of your questions!