Nesvig quoted on Open Forum

Ben Nesvig, Snap Social Media division team lead, snagged a mention on the American Express Open Forum blog for an article on “8 Easy Ways to Boost Your Website on a Budget.”

Nesvig’s idea revolves around offering daily or weekly deals to consumers. Katie Morell, the author of the post, summed up Nesvig’s tip: “Try offering a daily or weekly deal that is exclusive for your online customers and publicize it on your homepage.”

Nesvig recommends talking to customers in person about your deals, too. “Do what you can to blur your offline and online business worlds,” Nesvig said. “Consider doing merchandising that promotes your website, along with an incentive to go there.”

You can read the full article at OpenForum.com.

Teresa Mataui Sanders overcame the end of one business by launching DogWonderful.com, a dog-friendly travel site. George Lee, president and CEO of Plymouth-based online retailer Probus OneTouch and digital marketing company Snap Social Media, said DogWonderful.com scored 94 out of 100 in his staff’s review of key elements.

But the site doesn’t get the benefit of that high score because of technical issues, he said. Better use of links, page descriptions and keywords would optimize the site for search engines.

While Sanders is active on Twitter and Facebook, adopting social media engagement strategies likely could build her brand and drive traffic to DogWonderful.com, Lee said.

“She appears to be in a very good vertical online business,” Lee said. “With a little work, she might generate a significant amount of additional revenue.”

For the full article, visit the Star Tribune Business page.

George Lee featured in the Star Tribune (photo by Bruce Bisping)

Did you catch us in the headlines? Check out Monday’s edition of the Star Tribune for a special feature on Probus OneTouch’s web services division, Snap Social Media. Launched just over a year ago, Snap Social has grown to provide services for over 125 companies—most of them small businesses in the Twin Cities metro area. The Snap pricing model is designed to make web services affordable for small businesses and nonprofit organizations with tight marketing budgets.

Snap builds on the online skills honed by the team at Probus OneTouch, particularly in the areas of technology and marketing. The online retailer’s success drew requests from other business owners wanting to benefit from the company’s expertise, which has recently become available through Snap Social.

What’s the motivation behind starting a business like Snap Social? “I don’t have pure financial goals,” Lee told the Star Tribune. “I’m trying to build the economy. We can have a greater impact on the economy and the job market in Minnesota by what we’re offering through Snap than anything else.”

What do Snap’s clients think of their services? Connected Families president and founder Jim Jackson said that Snap’s services have greatly increased the reach of his nonprofit organization in Chaska, Minnesota. “When we met George we were getting an average of one or two visits to the website a day,” Jackson said. “Now there are days when it’s in the hundreds.”

Read the full article online at StarTribune.com.

Glitter, puppies, neon – oh my! Snap Social Media is looking for the ugliest, most unorganized, unattractive websites in Minnesota. Do you know a website that is in desperate need of some online therapy? We want to play Dr. Phil.

Snap has launch an Ugly Website Competition in hopes to encounter small businesses and nonprofit organizations in Minnesota who desperately need help with their online presence.

Why are we doing this, you ask? Today more than ever it is crucial for businesses to have quality online presence. Think about it: what’s the first thing you do when you want to get more information about a product or service? You check it out online! Consumers have high expectations from whom they make their investments. Excellent online presence will only help reinforce a company’s great product(s) or service(s). We’re here to help!

Until December 31, 2011, a gallery of nominees will be located on Snap Social Media’s website, where anyone can vote and nominate. The grand prize winner will receive one (1) free redesigned tier 1 website* plus one (1) year of free hosting charges. The runner-up will be rewarded one (1) free custom-designed Facebook “Welcome” page. Winners will be announced mid-January.

Nominated businesses and organizations are encouraged to help spread the word about the contest, directing their customers and employees to vote for their website as the most in need of a makeover. May the ugliest site win!

Have an opinion? Visit our site to submit an ugly website or vote for the ugliest website!

Star Tribune photo of Brian Holmes (Pad & Quill) and Jeff Polacek (Trendex)

CEO George Lee, owner of Probus OneTouch and Snap Social Media, was interviewed by the Business editor at Star Tribune for a feature on Pad & Quill, a startup e-commerce business and client of Snap Social. Sales for Pad & Quill’s iPad book covers have exploded in 2011 and are projected to reach close to the $1 million mark by the end of the year.

George Lee is partnering with Pad & Quill owner Brian Holmes on a strategy for further growth and expansion. Snap Social Media, one of Lee’s businesses, currently provides Web design and social media marketing strategy for the Minneapolis-based client, but Lee and Holmes are looking into other opportunities for partnership as well.

One of the biggest opportunities for growth in iPad cover sales is in the business and education sectors, according to Lee. Lee and Holmes have discussed the possibility of offering a wider selection of covers and price points, including budget cases imported from China, premium leather covers from Mexico, and the current Twin Cities-handcrafted covers that Pad & Quill currently sells.

As Lee said to the Star Tribune, “Everybody has a different reason for buying a protective cover—security, protection, it looks like a book, it feels like a book. But guess what—everybody wants a cover of some kind.”

The popularity of iPad covers, tablet computer covers, and e-reader covers is a trend that is expected to continue for the next few years. According to recent studies, sales for tablet computers will grow from 25-30 million units per year to 120 million per year in just three to five years. Lee and Holmes plan to take advantage of this projected growth in their business partnership.

Fuzed Marketing clients will now receive services from Snap Social Media, a division of Probus OneTouch.

PLYMOUTH, Minnesota (November 15, 2011)–Probus OneTouch, an Inc 500 e-commerce company announced today that it acquired a large number of web design, web hosting and social media clients from Fuzed Marketing. The clients will be transitioned to Snap Social Media, a division of Probus.

“We are excited about the opportunity to bring additional services to the Fuzed Marketing clients that are part of this transition.” said George Lee, president and CEO at Probus. “Our philosophy of creating a WOW experience for our clients enables us to be a partner in their success.”

“Probus has proved to be a valued partner during our transition to more of an agency to focus on the branding and advertising of businesses,” said Dan McCabe, president of Fuzed Marketing. “We look forward to an ongoing relationship with Probus.”

See the full press release on PRWeb.

About Probus OneTouch

Probus OneTouch is an e-commerce company that was founded in 2003 and recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing privately held companies in the United States for 2010 and 2011. Snap Social Media is the services division of Probus, providing web design, web hosting, search engine optimization, and social media services to more than 125 businesses across the United States.

To find out more, visit their website at ProbusOneTouch.com or SnapSocialMedia.com.

About Fuzed Marketing

Founded in 2010, Fuzed Marketing headquarters in Minneapolis, MN and meets the needs of clients from a wide variety of industries. With over 40 years of results-oriented, business-building experience, Fuzed Marketing is the leading resource for helping small businesses locate, cultivate, and close prospects. Fuzed Marketing is focused on the consultative approach to ensure that we match the right product with the right client.

Contact:
George Lee
President & CEO
Probus OneTouch
975 Nathan Lane, Suite A
Plymouth, MN 55441
(763) 548-2341
glee@probusonetouch.com

Minnesota Business Top 20 List

Probus OneTouch ranked among the Top 20 privately-owned businesses in Minnesota Business magazine for 2011. Each of these companies also made the Inc. 5000 list for the fastest-growing privately owned businesses in America. The rankings were based on sales growth for the past three years.

The recognition by Minnesota Business is the latest in a series of awards that Probus OneTouch has received in the past year. Recently, Probus ranked as the 24th fastest growing retailer on the Inc. 500 list, the 4th fastest growing privately held business in Minnesota for the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal, and the 5th ranked mass merchant in the 2011 Internet Retailer 500 Guide.

Probus OneTouch currently owns and operates six e-commerce stores, with products sold across multiple online channels, and a local outlet store based out of the company’s warehouse in Plymouth, Minnesota. Probus has also launched a new social media services division that leverages its knowledge of the online marketplace.

Tech Dump Participants

Just after lunch on August 26th, Probus employees shut down their computers, shuttered the warehouse, and headed out to West End for the first ever TechDump recycling event. The electronics recycling fundraiser was organized as an innovative way to support nonprofits with the donation of used computers, laptops, cords, and other technology equipment. Jobs Foundation is a licensed collector/recycler with Hennepin County and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to transfer, store and process electronic waste.

The Stores at West End partnered with Jobs Foundation to host the event and offer special deals for individual donors who dropped off computers for recycling. Probus employees teamed up with Duke Realty and other volunteers to help set up for the event and man the first shift on Friday afternoon.

Over the course of Friday afternoon to Saturday, TechDump volunteers received over 1500 computer parts—enough to fill an entire semi trailer! Proceeds from the donations went to the nonprofits involved in the event, including Jobs Foundation, Courage Center, PRISM, Parenting with Purpose, Hospitality House, Access Press, and M.A.R.C.H.

Probus OneTouch Featured in MSPBJ

In 2010, Probus OneTouch ranked 4th on the list of Fast 50 companies recognized by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal (MSPBJ). Recently, MSPBJ asked several of the 2010 Fast 50 award winners to give an update on their company’s success by answering three questions: 1) What has been something great that has happened at your company in 2011? 2) What has been the biggest challenge so far this year? 3) Is there something new you tried that has allowed you to continue to thrive in this difficult economy?

The “latest and greatest” for Probus OneTouch has been the launch of a new online store called Adventure Jones. This outdoors store sells car racks for bikes, kayaks, and other outdoor gear as well as ski tubes for boating. CEO George Lee said, “The launch of this store was a result of a 12-month strategic plan to leverage another organization’s capital to fund the initiative.”

One of Probus’s biggest challenges has been finding ways to finance its growth. The process for securing a line of credit from financial institutions has changed dramatically since 2008, making it more difficult to take out a business loan.

The success and growth of Probus is based on finding strategies that work and continually adapting to consumer habits and the economy. In response to the slow economy in recent years, Probus has tweaked its strategy of selling private-label products to include more nationally branded products sourced by other manufacturers. The new strategy has led to almost double the higher-priced product offerings on Probus’s online stores.

To see the full article, visit the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal website.