Netvantage News

Capitol-area Marketing Firm Opens Office in East Lansing

Netvantage Marketing announces move to new office to accommodate growth.

Netvantage Marketing, a Lansing-area Internet marketing firm, is moving to a new office in East Lansing, Mich., to better serve their growing staff and client base.

The new office will support operations by providing a more functional space for the Netvantage staff. Since their launch in May, business has expanded quickly for managing partners Adam Henige and Joe Ford. The experiences have not only afforded Ford and Henige with the opportunity for a larger office space, but the need to accommodate expanding staff and client needs has become imminent. The move is planned for December 2008.

“It was becoming more and more apparent that we were going to have to bring in additional staff to meet demand,” said Henige, “We look at this as a great opportunity to position ourselves for further growth over the next several years.”

The new location, near the corner of Lake Lansing road and Hagadorn in East Lansing, Mich., will also offer proximity for another marketing firm. Capitol Research Services (CRS), a full-service market research agency, is a part of the complex as well. Though providing different services, the connection will benefit both organizations.

“As demand for our online marketing services grows, we have the opportunity to grow our staff, and our new location will accommodate this,” said Ford. “We are very excited about the prospects of having a synergistic relationship within the complex with Capitol Research Services.”

Netvantage Marketing provides Internet marketing services to their clients to increase search engine visibility and drive more qualified traffic to their websites. Additionally, they provide web analytics consulting services to measure and provide feedback for marketing initiatives and possible steps to improve site content and track a site’s performance. The new office will provide a superior location to provide these services to clients, both in space and convenience for staff.

The new office is located at 2940 Lake Lansing Rd, East Lansing, MI 48823.

Michigan Business Beat Showcases Benefits of Internet Marketing

Nov. 17, 2008

Netvantage Marketing Managing Partner Joe Ford offered listeners of the Michigan Business Beat Internet marketing insight in his interview with Chris Holman on Nov. 15.

Ford’s interview on the Michigan Business Beat highlighted the benefits of Internet marketing for Michigan businesses. “A lot of times, we have clients come to us and say, we’ve developed this fantastic website, nothing is happening-why not? So what we do is literally help this website get found,” said Ford. Netvantage Marketing, based in Okemos, Mich., offers Michigan search engine optimization, pay per click management and web analytics, but also performs these services for national clients.

Each weekend, Holman hosts the Michigan Business Beat on the Michigan Talk Network (MTN), a show that highlights business and finance news from around the state. Holman also serves as Michigan’s Small Business Advocate, and hosts “Business Today” on WILX-TV 10.

“From a traditional marketing perspective… [businesses] go find prospects. Search engines have fundamentally changed all that,” said Ford. “With search engines, now the customers are trying to find you, and if you can be positioned there in those results pages it’s going to mean that more people coming to your site, and more business for you.”

According to Ford, these internet marketing processes offer a way to better track marketing efforts, and therefore bring more price-efficient ways to attract customers. For many clients, there is an “education gap” in this area, where Ford and his staff can be of assistance. “These processes can be very time-intensive for one person or a team to handle,” said Ford. Methods, such as those provided by Netvantage Marketing, increase search engine visibility and qualified traffic, as well as measure and provide feedback possible steps to improve site content and navigation and track a site’s performance.

The full interview is available here:

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Google Advertising Professionals Achieve Qualification for Marketing Michigan Businesses

Oct. 22, 2008

With the recognition of Google behind them, Netvantage Marketing can assure Michigan businesses of their paid search marketing expertise. Joe Ford, managing partner, passed the Google AdWords Professional Exam, and Google awarded his “AdWords Qualified” certification on Oct. 17. This status will benefit endeavors in Internet marketing for Michigan businesses.

This certification means that Netvantage Marketing has experience executing successful search marketing campaigns. Google certifies individuals who have passed their comprehensive examination, and evaluation of their past campaigns.

“I am very pleased to have this certification,” said Ford, who also serves as Paid Search Analyst Team leader at Netvantage. “Because this is a relatively new industry, there still aren’t a lot of certifications. Google provides this, and we are happy to have achieved this. As we continue to gain staff in the paid search management area, we will ensure that they study and pass the exam to be certified.”

Netvantage Marketing strived for certification to provide the best level of service for Michigan businesses. Small businesses are often buried in the multitude of search results produced by search engines. Netvantage uses this opportunity to aid organizations through search engine optimization, paid search, online ad placement services, and web analytics consulting, which they believe help drive tangible business results.

The Michigan SEO consultants offer services for several local organizations. Netvantage also offers free seminars, which discuss how to leverage Google to market and advertise small businesses. The presenters will educate business owners at their next conference on natural search engine optimization and AdWords, a pay per click management program, as well as instructions how to implement these strategies. A Nov. 11 seminar will include training in tools that will improve organic optimization and paid search efforts through Google.

Netvantage Marketing is a Michigan SEO, pay per click management and web analytics consulting company based in Okemos. For more information, you can reach the Netvantage office by phone at 517-853-5838 or on the web at http://netvantagemarketing.com.

Mid-Michigan Red Cross Expands Communications Committee to Raise Awareness

Oct. 14, 2008

The Mid-Michigan Red Cross adds community support from Adam Henige, newest member of their Communication Committee. Henige, managing partner of Netvantage Marketing, will help the team tackle web and branding issues that currently affect donors and the hungry of Mid-Michigan.

In an effort to raise hunger awareness and locate volunteers, the Mid-Michigan chapter of the American Red Cross expanded their Communications Committee. Adam Henige, the newest member of the team, will help the organization by directing traffic to their website through his knowledge in web consulting.

The Mid-Michigan Red Cross and one of its services, the Mid-Michigan Food Bank, both have websites that offer information about services, volunteering, donating and service assistance for those in need. Both of the organizations have had concerns about reaching key publics through their websites. With the current condition of the economy, locating need and donors is increasingly important.

To assist in this matter, Community Relations Coordinator Alison Bono invited Henige to join the team. Henige has a strong internet background in internet marketing, and his position on the committee will help both organizations gain donors and volunteers. As managing partner of Netvantage Marketing, Henige offers consulting in search engine optimization, web analytics and paid search management. A study by the Pew Institute revealed that 84 percent of Internet users have used search engines, making search engines a vital marketing tool.

Henige is a graduate of Michigan State University, and participated in several charitable causes while involved with the University. In 2005, he helped Michigan State collect more than 200,000 pounds of food for the annual MBA Food Fight, a contest held between 20 different MBA programs in conjunction with non-profit sponsor America’s Second Harvest to provide hunger relief across the country. “It’s very rewarding to have the chance to partner with these types of organizations,” said Henige.

Currently, Netvantage Marketing serves the Mid-Michigan Food Bank in search engine optimization and web analytics through their recent non-profit contest. Henige’s new position on the Communications Committee will further this service by also serving the Mid-Michigan Red Cross. The Mid-Michigan Food Bank recently changed their name from The American Red Cross Regional Food Distribution Center to the Mid-Michigan Food Bank, creating branding issues for the food bank.

The Mid Michigan Food Bank is a division of the Mid-Michigan Red Cross. For the past twenty-five years, the organization has aided hunger prevention in mid-Michigan by supplying salvaged food to 185 area non-profit agencies serving the hungry and the homeless. The organization serves to warehouse, inspect and deliver food in seven Michigan counties. Last year, the food bank distributed nearly 7.5 million pounds of food.

Michigan IT Professionals to Present at Greater Lansing Business Showcase

Oct. 10, 2008

In association with the Capital Area IT Council, the Greater Lansing Business Showcase will exhibit “Using Search Engines to Market Your Business” on Oct. 30. The presentation will feature Netvantage Marketing’s Managing Partner Joe Ford.

The presentation will discuss how to leverage Google to market and advertise small businesses. Presenters aim to educate business owners about natural search engine optimization and AdWords, a pay per click management program, as well as instructions how to implement these strategies. “We want to give our attendees action-oriented tactics, so they can go back to their desks after the presentation and know how to do this,” said Ford.

The Capital Area IT Council’s presentation will begin at 2:00 p.m. Other presenters on this topic include TechSmith CEO Bill Hamilton, Spartan Internet Consulting President Ryan Vartoogian, and Liquid Web Director of Marketing Travis Stoliker. “I am thrilled to be on a board with Lansing’s top industry leaders, promoting the advantages of marketing and advertising on Google,” said Ford.

The Greater Lansing Business Showcase is a trade show and networking event that highlights mid-Michigan businesses and offers an opportunity to network with customers, potential customers, and other professionals throughout the community. In addition to the seminar, the Capital Area IT Council’s exhibit will draw attention to one of the fastest growing sectors in the Capital area. Between 1998 and 2004, information technology grew 20 percent.

Netvantage Marketing is also hosting a series of seminars, Search Engines for Small Business. At their August event, Netvantage Marketing greeted a considerable audience for their presentation on site content improvements, Meta tags, and other processes at East Lansing’s Dublin Square. In November, Ford and Managing Partner Adam Henige will present the second installment, “11 on 11/11 - 11 Ways to Use Google to Your Advantage,” at Claddagh’s Irish Pub in East Lansing, Mich. This seminar will include training in tools that will improve organic optimization and paid search. The Michigan search engine optimization firm offer services for several local organizations, including the Mid-Michigan Food Bank, McDonald’s & Company and Tires By Web.

Those interested in the Greater Lansing Business Showcase presentation may purchase tickets Lansing Center box office from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 30. Those interested in the “11 on 11/11″ seminar must register by e-mail at seminars@netvantagemarketing.com. Netvantage Marketing is a Michigan SEO, pay per click management and web analytics consulting company based in Okemos. For more information, you can reach the Netvantage office by phone at 517-853-5838 or on the web at http://netvantagemarketing.com.

Internet Marketing Presentation Brings Career Ideas to Mason High School Students

Oct. 8, 2008

Google is no longer simply a search tool to Mason High School students, thanks to Okemos-based Netvantage Marketing Managing Partner Joe Ford. Ford presented a lecture on October 8, and discussed careers in Internet marketing, the basics of search engine optimization and use of AdWords.

Mason High School business teacher Kristen Higgins provided her 10^th-12^th grade classes with this opportunity. “I’m an advocate for bringing real world experience to the classroom,” said Higgins. “I’m hoping kids will make the connection that search engines do more than just ‘search’-they are a marketing, networking, and interest-specific tool that can be used beyond the standard research paper.”

Ford hopes that this experience will help students realize the importance of this growing industry. “I’m very excited about the opportunity to share my experiences and knowledge about the search engine optimization industry with these students,” said Ford. “Working in this industry, for me, has been both challenging and rewarding.” Ford is a managing partner of Netvantage Marketing, an Okemos-based firm specializing in search engine optimization, pay per click management and web analytics consulting.

“Presenting this material might open an eye (or two)… maybe they will find their niche,” said Higgins. “I think just being exposed to different career opportunities is good for kids at this stage in life.”

Ford hopes that students will take this information to expand their future career plans. “This is a great opportunity to alert students about careers in the search engine optimization field, and start the pipeline to work in marketing and IT in the Lansing area.” IT is the fastest growing industry in the Capital Area.

Netvantage Marketing is also hosting a series of seminars, Search Engines for Small Business. At their August event, Netvantage Marketing greeted a considerable audience for their presentation on site content improvements, meta tags, and other search marketing processes at East Lansing’s Dublin Square. In November, Ford and Managing Partner Adam Henige will present the second installment, “11 on 11/11 - 11 Ways to Use Google to Your Advantage,” at Claddagh’s Irish Pubin East Lansing, Mich. This seminar will include training in tools that will improve organic optimization and paid search. The Michigan SEO firm offer services for several local organizations, including the Mid-Michigan Food Bank, McDonald’s & Company and Tires By Web. In addition to Netvantage’s seminars, the organization participates in several other community events. In October, Managing Partner Joe Ford will present for the Capital Area IT Council at the Greater Lansing Business Showcase.

Mid-Michigan Food Bank declared winner of internet marketing contest

Sept. 4, 2008

Okemos-based online marketing firm, Netvantage Marketing, announces The Mid-Michigan Food Bank as the winner of their recent contest, which offered pro-bono services for a non-profit organization in Michigan.

As the winning organization, the Mid-Michigan Food Bank will receive six months of free search engine optimization services including keyword selection, link building, article writing and submission, and coding recommendations. Additionally, Netvantage will perform free web analytics consulting to help the organization better understand how their site is working, and what can be done to improve its performance.

The contest winner was announced on winner on Sept. 2. “We chose the Mid-Michigan Food Bank because they have a tremendous impact on our community, and that this organization could best benefit from our services,” said Adam Henige, Managing Partner of Netvantage Marketing.

The Mid Michigan Food Bank is a division of the Mid-Michigan Red Cross. For the past twenty five years, the organization has aided hunger prevention in mid-Michigan by supplying salvaged food to area non-profit agencies serving the hungry and the homeless. The organization serves to warehouse, inspect, and deliver food in seven Michigan counties.

“We just changed our name from The American Red Cross Regional Food Distribution Center to the Mid-Michigan Food Bank, and America’s Second Harvest (the National Food Bank) has just changed their name to Feeding America. So - we have branding issues!” said Mid-Michigan Food Bank’s Community Relations Coordinator, Alison Bono. “I am really excited about this opportunity. We are really under-staffed when it comes to our online communication efforts.”

The food bank has several events planned in the next few months that will direct greater traffic to their website. September is Hunger Action Month and Sam’s Clubs in Michigan will host a food drive on Saturday, Sept. 27. In the Lansing area, the Eastwood and Edgewood Sam’s clubs compete against each other as the East Lansing - Lansing food Fight. Additionally, the Mid-Michigan Food Bank will host an “Empty Bowls” event on Oct. 14. A $20 donation offers event-goers a handcrafted bowl donated by local artists, and choice of soup and drink donated by local restaurants. All proceeds assist feeding the hungry through the Mid-Michigan Food Bank.

“Many non-profit organizations build nice web sites to communicate their mission and message” said Joe Ford, who is Managing Partner of Netvantage Marketing along with Henige. “It is important for these organizations to be able to learn how to drive more visitors to these sites in order to fully maximize the potential of the web as a communication medium.” With the help of Netvantage Marketing, the food bank’s increased web presence will help direct needed donors and volunteers to the website, whose assistance is vital to the success of the organization.

Ford and Henige hope that through their assistance to the Mid-Michigan Food Bank, other non-profit groups will realize the importance of search engine optimization. “To be a successful organization, just having a web site isn’t enough,” said Henige. “If you can’t be found by search engines, you’re requiring people to know your name or your web address. So if they’re looking for a need, and not a specific organization, that user is going to go somewhere else.”

Michigan Search Engine Optimization Company Offers Free Seminars to Benefit Local Businesses

Oct. 5, 2008

Michigan-based Netvantage Marketing presents “11 on 11/11 - 11 Ways to Use Google to Your Advantage,” at Claddagh’s Irish Pub in East Lansing, Mich. This free seminar is the latest installment of their Search Engines for Small Business series.

This seminar will focus on Google products, and their application for small businesses. “To be a successful organization, just having a web site isn’t enough,” said Adam Henige, managing partner of Netvantage Marketing. “If you can’t be found by search engines, you’re requiring people to know your name or your web address. So if they’re looking for a need, and not a specific organization, that user is going to go somewhere else.”

Without the knowledge of the products and services available, small businesses are often buried in the multitude of search results produced by search engines. Netvantage uses this opportunity to aid other Michigan organizations through their expertise in search engine optimization, web analytics, and pay per click management. The Michigan SEO consultants offer services for several local organizations, including the Mid-Michigan Food Bank. The Nov. 11 seminar will include training in tools that will improve organic optimization and paid search efforts through Google, another Michigan company.

At their August event, Netvantage Marketing greeted a considerable audience for their presentation on site content improvements, meta tags, and other processes at East Lansing’s Dublin Square. In addition to Netvantage’s seminars, the organization participates in several other community events. In October, Managing Partner Joe Ford will present for the Capital Area IT Council at the Greater Lansing Business Showcase.

Those interested in the “11 on 11/11″ seminar must register by e-mail at seminars@netvantagemarketing.com. Appetizers will be provided for those in attendance. Netvantage Marketing is a Michigan search engine optimization, pay per click management and web analytics consulting company based in Okemos. For more information, you can reach the Netvantage office by phone at 517-853-5838 or on the web at http://netvantagemarketing.com.