How to Beam the Bat Signal Across Your Website

Wouldn’t it be great if you could inform your website visitors to your availability in a discreetly obvious way without disrupting your site’s Feng shui?

You could easily just slap a banner atop your homepage, or create a time-released pop-up to get your message out there, but so can every other WordPress user simply by adding a couple of plugins.

But wouldn’t you rather keep your website lightweight, bloat-free, and just a little more creative than the next? Thats one of the reasons thousands of business owners (like you) have remained loyal to MD.

Alex’s’ obsession to keep MD free of unnecessary code and speed-sucking plugins is the stuff of legend in the WordPress community, yet like Batman you are still equipped with a full toolbelt to take care of every situation.

…and even those situations you may not have thought of.

One of the situations I never thought of until I spotted it on MDNET (circa 2015) was The Beacon.

As a freelancer, Alex figured out a way to immediately alert me and everyone else to his availability — and in 2016 when I left the comfortable confines of Media Temple, and became a full-time consultant — I had to have it!

And so I got it.

Just like that my website had a brand new alerts shining brighter than the Bat Signal over Gotham, and to make this new shining light boldy effective, I made it the only place prospective clients could find my contact info.

One of my friends thought it was risky to forgo a traditional contact page, but the simpler approach fit my consulting style, so I thought it would be a match made in Heaven the MD Labs.

And I was right.

I started receiving more inquiries than I could handle. Not hundreds, but somewhere around 10-12/week. This may not sound like a lot, but as a single person consultancy, it was more than enough.

I already had three major clients who required the lions-share of my time, so being able to turn-down business was a luxury I enjoyed for four years.

Invariably, every single prospect I spoke with had a question, comment, or compliment about my cool little green button. It even became a talking point during group sessions with my larger clients.

I loved The Beacon so much that I begged Alex to make it a feature for all MD customers. And a few weeks later, he did.

You’re welcome.

Whether you need to send a strong signal to the super villains in your city, or just simply to prospective clients, the Beacon is a shining light that can be used on any website to send a message.

Let’s take a look at a few ways you can use The Beacon to enhance your business no matter what niche your website is in.

Idea #1: Downloadable Content

Do you give away, or sell downloadable content? Then maybe you should use The Beacon to let everyone know when you have a new Case Study, White Paper, Song, or MD Dropin available for download.

Idea #2: New Podcast Alert!

Are you a hot new podcaster? Did you just drop a new episode where you interview Tim Cook about the iPhone 12? Then let the world know! Flip the Beacon from off to on and let your visitors find out what all the fuss is about.

Idea #3: RSS Feed

Who needs a podcast when you have an RSS feed? Yes, RSS is still alive and well, just ask the folks over at Feedly. Anyway, you don’t have to use the generic RSS Feed icon, you can stand out in your niche with The Beacon.

Idea #4: Get Social

Maybe you’re like me and only Tweet 2x’s a year and have the low follow, like and share numbers to prove it. Or maybe you’re a prolific Tweeter and need a little boost.

If you’re either of those people, try using the Beacon to bring attention to your latest Tweet, pic, vid, Story, forum thread, or Product Hunt listing.

And don’t worry, changing the text and on/off status of the Beacon is as fast as logging into your WordPress admin and typing your new message in right from the Dashboard:

Idea #5: Become an Affiliate

That’s right — convert your web traffic into affiliate commission. The trick here is to turn on the green button whenever you have a new product to promote.

You can either direct-link to the product and let the creator do all the selling, or you can smartly link to your post where you promote the product and/or capture the lead.

Idea #6: Open House

Hey you!! Yeah, you! Are you a Real Estate agent? Okay, then you probably have an open house scheduled for sometime in the post-COVID future right? Then use the Beacon as another way to announce it.

Idea#7: It’s (almost) Tax Time

As an accountant, you can use the Beacon to alert everyone of the pending Tax Deadline, thus create a sense of urgency for your services.

Idea #8: Let’s Work

Of course, if you’re a freelancer, you should use The Beacon as it was always intended — to show off your work availability.

Idea #9: Now Streaming

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and if you run a business in the gaming space, perhaps you can use The Beacon to let your community know when you’re playing online.

So there you have it. That’s my brain dump on how one little green button can bring a nice little boost to your business.

Did I miss anything? How do you use The Beacon? Share your thought in the comments below!

Thanks for reading.