OK, a small step back to understand just what inbound marketing actually is since there are a lot of people that don't yet know about it and how powerful a process it can be as use of the internet continues to grow...what an understatement that is!
Inbound marketing is the process of creating relevant internet content that is well optimized and promoted for your target audience to increase traffic, along with the implementation of effective conversion tactics that will generate inquiries/leads and through the use of marketing and competition analysis tools allow your company to review and refine your web development initiatives to achieve the maximum ROI for your marketing dollar. Simply put:
Traffic
-Content
-SEO
-Promotion
+ Leads
-Conversion
-Landing Pages
-Tracking
+ Results
-Analysis tools
-Competition Evaluation
-Lead Nurture
= ROI
In some recent posts these subjects have been talked about individually (improving traffic, generating leads, evaluating results) and you can be certain that there will be more in future.
So...why does this kind of process make sense today? After all, look at the results that were achieved by companies like Coke, Nike and Johnson & Johnson. What has changed that would require a different marketing process than these great companies used?
These companies (and of course there are many others) were built up for the most part before the public access to the internet was developed and as a result they had to use conventional outbound advertising and marketing practices to build their businesses. Television, radio and print media were all used extensively to make certain that these companies were in our collective minds on a continual basis and huge $$$ were spent to make that happen! Have you heard the recent news about these traditional media companies? They are in contraction, why? Because we are blocking this outbound activity! Are you on the "Do not call" list? Do you have Sirius radio or some other ad free radio service? Do you have a DVR so that you can fast forward through the commercials? ...and the list goes on. Here's the final nail, we as consumers now have the ability to self research what we want with...the internet. I don't know about you, but I don't go to trade shows anymore to find out about stuff, I go online. I don't go to a store when I want to do research on my new TV, home theatre, dishwasher, renovation project, insurance, vacation etc. I go online and I'm not alone...billions, BILLIONS of queries are going through Google and other search engines every single month.
The continuing expansion of the internet as a means of information sharing has fundamentally changed the relationship between business and their customers and that is why inbound marketing makes sense today. Put your company in position to deliver information (content/traffic), respond effectively to inquiries (conversion/leads) and measure and evaluate what is going on (analysis/results) and you will achieve the business outcomes you're looking for. Don't want to engage in this process? It may cost your business more than you can imagine.
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
Can I help you? Contact me.
Showing posts with label internet marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label internet marketing. Show all posts
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Website Marketing and Conversion, Step 3
Metrics, measurement and meaning!!! If you're website is going to be successful over time then you must use some sort of metrics program to provide you with accurate measurement and interpret that information so that it has meaning for you in a way that allows you to take action and improve the results. Many small and medium sized businesses overlook this critical element of their online development and waste resources doing what they think is the right thing to do, not really knowing whether it is or not. This is costly both in time and capital resources and the solution is readily available. If you aren't, your competition is, and they're winning your prospective business.
You know how difficult it is to measure how successful your marketing activities are, is it the ad in the paper, the direct mail piece, the radio, television or print ad, the flyer campaign or trade show that is generating your results? In the years that I've spent in the world of small business development, I've counseled every company that I've had the pleasure to work with to do their best to track the results they are getting but it's very difficult. You have to make certain that your staff are trained to find out how inquiring prospects heard about your business, make certain you have a process in place to record this information, then analyze the information and finally decide if it's right or not. (In my experience it's as right as it is wrong!) This leads to the often heard expression "I know that 50% of my marketing spend is what is getting the results I want, now if only I knew which 50%."...so true!
Imagine campaigns where you knew how many prospective clients were responding to each individual offer you had. Where the prospect had come from, some of the reasoning behind how they had found your offer. what if you knew the company they were from and what their email address was? Do you think you could use this information to improve your company's sales figures? What if you could know some of this information about your competition? Welcome to the online world! The right metrics solution can give you this and more. No more wondering what is or is not working, just solid information that you can build on going forward to further improve your results.
You may have heard of Google Analytics, hopefully you have, and hopefully you're using at least this basic information to assist you in evaluating what results your website is generating but let me be clear, there is much more information available if you know how to find it. For example Site Meter (www.sitemeter.com) offers a free software that will give you pretty good information and the paid service they offer (starting at $6.95/month based on up to 25,000 page views/month) gives pretty good information for you to work with and there are many other solutions out there that will provide you with similar or better information. I repeat, this information is critical for your ongoing success online! As a website owner please recognize that once you have a website that's just the beginning. Like any other form of corporate promotion you must evaluate and modify to improve the results on a continual basis so budget for it. How much more is available? Lot's!!!
In the last three postings I've given a very brief outline of a three step process that will absolutely improve the results you're getting online from your website: 1- create content and promote it; 2- give your website visitors ample opportunities to convert in some manner or another while they are visiting your website; 3-measure the results for meaning. There is a lot of work to do but whatever time and resources you commit will provide you with the best ROI of any marketing investment you make. What if there was a platform that gave you this and so much more? I encourage you to check out www.hubspot.com because they have the best most cost effective solution for small and medium size businesses that I've found. If you are going to spend anytime investigating what possibilities there are for your business online, I urge you to check out Hubspot, and I guarantee that at the very least you'll learn something valuable for your business. Let them know how you found them!
Want some help? Contact me. I want to help you be as successful as you want to be with your online presence development. I'm your outsourced VP of Online Marketing and I will deliver more and better results from your website than you have ever had before and love doing it.
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
You know how difficult it is to measure how successful your marketing activities are, is it the ad in the paper, the direct mail piece, the radio, television or print ad, the flyer campaign or trade show that is generating your results? In the years that I've spent in the world of small business development, I've counseled every company that I've had the pleasure to work with to do their best to track the results they are getting but it's very difficult. You have to make certain that your staff are trained to find out how inquiring prospects heard about your business, make certain you have a process in place to record this information, then analyze the information and finally decide if it's right or not. (In my experience it's as right as it is wrong!) This leads to the often heard expression "I know that 50% of my marketing spend is what is getting the results I want, now if only I knew which 50%."...so true!
Imagine campaigns where you knew how many prospective clients were responding to each individual offer you had. Where the prospect had come from, some of the reasoning behind how they had found your offer. what if you knew the company they were from and what their email address was? Do you think you could use this information to improve your company's sales figures? What if you could know some of this information about your competition? Welcome to the online world! The right metrics solution can give you this and more. No more wondering what is or is not working, just solid information that you can build on going forward to further improve your results.
You may have heard of Google Analytics, hopefully you have, and hopefully you're using at least this basic information to assist you in evaluating what results your website is generating but let me be clear, there is much more information available if you know how to find it. For example Site Meter (www.sitemeter.com) offers a free software that will give you pretty good information and the paid service they offer (starting at $6.95/month based on up to 25,000 page views/month) gives pretty good information for you to work with and there are many other solutions out there that will provide you with similar or better information. I repeat, this information is critical for your ongoing success online! As a website owner please recognize that once you have a website that's just the beginning. Like any other form of corporate promotion you must evaluate and modify to improve the results on a continual basis so budget for it. How much more is available? Lot's!!!
In the last three postings I've given a very brief outline of a three step process that will absolutely improve the results you're getting online from your website: 1- create content and promote it; 2- give your website visitors ample opportunities to convert in some manner or another while they are visiting your website; 3-measure the results for meaning. There is a lot of work to do but whatever time and resources you commit will provide you with the best ROI of any marketing investment you make. What if there was a platform that gave you this and so much more? I encourage you to check out www.hubspot.com because they have the best most cost effective solution for small and medium size businesses that I've found. If you are going to spend anytime investigating what possibilities there are for your business online, I urge you to check out Hubspot, and I guarantee that at the very least you'll learn something valuable for your business. Let them know how you found them!
Want some help? Contact me. I want to help you be as successful as you want to be with your online presence development. I'm your outsourced VP of Online Marketing and I will deliver more and better results from your website than you have ever had before and love doing it.
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Website Marketing and Conversion, Step 2
Website marketing requires time and intelligent planning to create the business outcomes you want for your business. In this series, I've been outlining the simple basics of how to begin creating a website that will:
1- Receive targeted traffic;
2- Convert that traffic to new client relationships;
3- Allow you to monitor results, change/develop content to constantly improve results.
Today we'll focus on #2, converting your websites traffic to new clients.
What is meant by the term conversion? Web conversions take many forms ranging from accessing information such as a whitepaper, filling out a form for contact, to completing an online purchase. Regardless of what the conversion is, as small and medium sized businesses your number one priority should be creating conversions and if appropriate having a series of conversions that lead to the creation of a new client...really, what else matters? Website designers will have you believe that your website needs to look a certain way and that this colour or that layout is better...the best return on your investment is when visitors to your website ultimatley become clients right? Stay focused on conversion!!!
How is this done? There are many details that I won't go into, (branding, language, etc.) that's not the intention here, what I want to give you is some ideas on how to make this work for your business. What's important is to remember that a conversion doesn't necessarily mean that you create a new client right away, remember relationships take time, all you want to do is begin a relationship and provide opportunities to develop that relationship over time. Generally this can be accomplished when your website provides the site visitor with different ways to engage with information that will help them answer questions, questions that you should understand for your business based on real world experience. Here is a simple example.
Company XYZ has a website that promotes their residential HVAC solutions. One very common question will be "How much will my new furnace or air conditioner cost?". It may not be the first question, but it will certianly come up at some point as the site visitor continues their purchase decision making process and it opens a great opportunity for XYZ to begin a relationship. How? Simply offer a "FREE NO OBLIGATION QUOTATION". This could be a link in the appropriate position in the text that takes them to a form, or it could be a "button" link at the side of the text that takes them to a form, or it could be a specific call to action in the text that says something like, "Call us today to get yoru free no obligation estimate." Regardless of which one (or all) of the conversion options used here, any serious prospect is going to want this information and there are three ways outlined in this example that will allow the site visitor to begin or deepen their relationship with Company XYZ that can lead to that prospect becoming a client. Converted! As noted earlier, there are many other considerations, but the basics outlined can dramatically improve the ROI from your website.
Are there other conversion possibilities? Many! Depending on your business and how relationships are created in the 'real world' you could use information in the form of whitepapers, landing pages that speak to a prospect in a certain manner on a specific question or concern typical prospects have, create "FREE TRIALS" or "SPECIAL OFFER" buttons, and these are just a few ideas. What's of greatest importance is to make certain that you are in fact providing visitors to your website with a variety of relevant ways to begin a relationship with you. If you're uncertain about the details, contact somebody who can help you, again I repeat, as a small or medium sized business, your number one objective should be to create new business from your website, anything and everything else...justs costs you money!
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
1- Receive targeted traffic;
2- Convert that traffic to new client relationships;
3- Allow you to monitor results, change/develop content to constantly improve results.
Today we'll focus on #2, converting your websites traffic to new clients.
What is meant by the term conversion? Web conversions take many forms ranging from accessing information such as a whitepaper, filling out a form for contact, to completing an online purchase. Regardless of what the conversion is, as small and medium sized businesses your number one priority should be creating conversions and if appropriate having a series of conversions that lead to the creation of a new client...really, what else matters? Website designers will have you believe that your website needs to look a certain way and that this colour or that layout is better...the best return on your investment is when visitors to your website ultimatley become clients right? Stay focused on conversion!!!
How is this done? There are many details that I won't go into, (branding, language, etc.) that's not the intention here, what I want to give you is some ideas on how to make this work for your business. What's important is to remember that a conversion doesn't necessarily mean that you create a new client right away, remember relationships take time, all you want to do is begin a relationship and provide opportunities to develop that relationship over time. Generally this can be accomplished when your website provides the site visitor with different ways to engage with information that will help them answer questions, questions that you should understand for your business based on real world experience. Here is a simple example.
Company XYZ has a website that promotes their residential HVAC solutions. One very common question will be "How much will my new furnace or air conditioner cost?". It may not be the first question, but it will certianly come up at some point as the site visitor continues their purchase decision making process and it opens a great opportunity for XYZ to begin a relationship. How? Simply offer a "FREE NO OBLIGATION QUOTATION". This could be a link in the appropriate position in the text that takes them to a form, or it could be a "button" link at the side of the text that takes them to a form, or it could be a specific call to action in the text that says something like, "Call us today to get yoru free no obligation estimate." Regardless of which one (or all) of the conversion options used here, any serious prospect is going to want this information and there are three ways outlined in this example that will allow the site visitor to begin or deepen their relationship with Company XYZ that can lead to that prospect becoming a client. Converted! As noted earlier, there are many other considerations, but the basics outlined can dramatically improve the ROI from your website.
Are there other conversion possibilities? Many! Depending on your business and how relationships are created in the 'real world' you could use information in the form of whitepapers, landing pages that speak to a prospect in a certain manner on a specific question or concern typical prospects have, create "FREE TRIALS" or "SPECIAL OFFER" buttons, and these are just a few ideas. What's of greatest importance is to make certain that you are in fact providing visitors to your website with a variety of relevant ways to begin a relationship with you. If you're uncertain about the details, contact somebody who can help you, again I repeat, as a small or medium sized business, your number one objective should be to create new business from your website, anything and everything else...justs costs you money!
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Website Marketing and Conversion, 3 Steps
The terms web marketing, SEO, social media etc. are now heard, well in my case daily, but even for unrelated businesses, they're out there and used regularly, but are you taking advantage of what they can do for your business?
Recently I was sitting with a new prospect who owns a small business and brochure style website that wasn't really doing anything for the business other than providing a space that he could direct people to. It has a few pictures of work done, descriptions of services offered and basic contact information...pretty uninspiring overall. I asked him what he would like the website to do for the business and the answer was (as I expected) generate leads that he could turn into business, what every business wants in an ideal world. I know this is hard to believe for some of you, but if this is truly what you want, you can easily achieve your goal, but you must invest either time, capital and sometimes both to achieve what you want...more business!
The process is simple really and involves only three steps however, these three steps can vary in complexity and depend on what resources you can and will allocate to getting the job done. Over the next few entries I will expand on each step but here in very simplest terms are the steps:
1- Generate traffic- Provide optimized content, consider blogging and social media;
2- Provide for conversions- To create leads develop conversion forms, landing pages and make sure you're tracking the outcomes;
3- Monitor results- Use tools that provide competitor analysis, lead scoring and marketing analytics so that you can effectively see what's working and what's not.
As mentioned, it is really three simple steps but there is much to consider for each of these steps. Too often companies start out in only one direction and then when they don't get the desired results they throw their hands up and say "It doesn't work!". It does work, but you need a comprehensive plan that allows you to make it work and as mentioned you'll have to commit time and or resources to get it done. The result, more business, more cost effectively resulting in better profits for you.
Consider this; my prospective client spent about $10,400 in trade shows last year and figures that he got about $20,000 in business for his efforts...not good! Spend that same money to create a better website properly planned, constructed and implemented and you'll get the results you are looking for, more business with greater profitability...Make it so #1!
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
Recently I was sitting with a new prospect who owns a small business and brochure style website that wasn't really doing anything for the business other than providing a space that he could direct people to. It has a few pictures of work done, descriptions of services offered and basic contact information...pretty uninspiring overall. I asked him what he would like the website to do for the business and the answer was (as I expected) generate leads that he could turn into business, what every business wants in an ideal world. I know this is hard to believe for some of you, but if this is truly what you want, you can easily achieve your goal, but you must invest either time, capital and sometimes both to achieve what you want...more business!
The process is simple really and involves only three steps however, these three steps can vary in complexity and depend on what resources you can and will allocate to getting the job done. Over the next few entries I will expand on each step but here in very simplest terms are the steps:
1- Generate traffic- Provide optimized content, consider blogging and social media;
2- Provide for conversions- To create leads develop conversion forms, landing pages and make sure you're tracking the outcomes;
3- Monitor results- Use tools that provide competitor analysis, lead scoring and marketing analytics so that you can effectively see what's working and what's not.
As mentioned, it is really three simple steps but there is much to consider for each of these steps. Too often companies start out in only one direction and then when they don't get the desired results they throw their hands up and say "It doesn't work!". It does work, but you need a comprehensive plan that allows you to make it work and as mentioned you'll have to commit time and or resources to get it done. The result, more business, more cost effectively resulting in better profits for you.
Consider this; my prospective client spent about $10,400 in trade shows last year and figures that he got about $20,000 in business for his efforts...not good! Spend that same money to create a better website properly planned, constructed and implemented and you'll get the results you are looking for, more business with greater profitability...Make it so #1!
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
Monday, June 8, 2009
Free Website Development Tools
Small business is in a tough position, you want to make the business grow and you know that there is opportunity with the internet, you just don't have the resources (here I'm talking of capital resources) to take advantage of what's out there to help you. Maybe you've even heard that there are many tools offered that target your problem in a cost effective way, either free or very low cost, but finding them can be time consuming. Here I offer for you 20 great tools that you can use which fit into the category of free or very low cost. They will help you, you just have to use them. If you don't...know that your competition is, so invest the time or hire someone who will invest the time on your behalf, the cost of inaction to your business is too high!
CRM - contact and lead tracking, sales and contact management, sales pipeline management and forecasting, customer service and business management. Keep yourself organized! Free version available from www.freecrm.com, from $7/mo at www.sugarcrm.com
Market Research - Google Alerts is a "must-have” clipping service. Set up your favorite key words and www.google.com/alerts finds and delivers articles about any subject of your choosing to your inbox every day. Watch for news and mentions of your own company, your customers and your competitors. Free
Creative Design – Want a design for a new logo, brochure, website or business card? Go to either www.crowdspring.com or www.99designs.com, upload your requirements, run a contest and pick your favourite. You pick the purse size, I’ve seen contests get dozens of great results for only a few hundred dollars.
Marketing Collateral – Want fast easy printing? Upload files for brochures, business cards and stationary. These companies, www.overnightprints.com and www.vistaprint.com, will print and ship – too easy. vistaprint.com is also available in Canada at www.vistaprint.ca
Permission-based Marketing – create and send opt-in newsletters, deliver and track blog posts and updates to customers, prospects and colleagues. www.campaigner.com starts at $10/mo, www.constantcontact.com starts at $15/mo
Accounting – track your time and expenses, manage contractors, send and manage your invoices, totally on-line, getting rave reviews. Join the wave at www.freshbooks.com, pricing starts at $15/mo
Conference Calling – when you need to convene a meeting (and look professional doing it), you can get free reservationless conference calling at www.freeconference.com
Remote PC Access – for those times when you need to get to a file on your computer but your computer is in your office and you’re not. www.gotomypc.com starts at $20/mo
Long Distance Calling - www.skype.com offers free or very low cost long distance calling (works best with headphones), and it can also do conference calls
Project Management – web-based project management software that marries time tracking and task management in a collaborative online space with powerful reporting. www.myintervals.com is $20 for up to 15 projects
Taking orders/selling stuff – the dead easy way to accept credit cards on your website, www.paypal.com only charges you when you sell, a transaction fee up to 3% of sale value
Keeping track of it all - make notes on anything on the web or on your computer using www.evernote.com and have these memory joggers available (and search able) at any time - free
Sending really big files – www.yousendit.com – for when you need to send a really big file that your customer may not be able to receive otherwise, or when you absolutely need to know a file reached it’s intended recipient – yousendit has a pay as you go option or plans from $10/mo
Virtual Fax – if you deal with Fortune 1000 companies you know how they love their faxes. www.efax.com lets you receive faxes in your email account instead of on a fax machine – way more convenient. You can also send scanned docs as faxes using the same service. Starts at $17/mo
On-line Meetings – www.dimdim.com makes your meeting almost as good as in-person and much less expensive than airfare. Use it to deliver synchronized live presentations, whiteboards and web pages and share their voice and video over the Internet. Free and $20/mo options
Virtual Receptionist - an Internet voicemail system accessible by phone, email, or the web. an auto-attendant that acts as your virtual receptionist. You can create virtual mailboxes for your employees and enjoy voicemail call forwarding, call transfers, call routing, voicemail notifications, and much more.... www.my1voice.com from $10/mo
Transcription – For those people who just hate to type but love to talk, you can record your messaging, upload it to www.speakwrite.com and receive a typed doc back via email in about 3 hours.
Sharing your thoughts – absolutely the best way to publish your powerpoint presentations on the web and share them with others - www.slideshare.com is free
Document sharing and collaboration – my personal favorite, docs.google.com allows you to upload word or excel files and work on them collaboratively with selected people. Takes all the hassle out of emailing docs around for comments. - free
Running an event? Use www.eventbrite.com to create a webpage for your event, accept and manage registrations and even publish who has RSVP’d. Free if your event is free, 2.5% of ticket price for paid events.
Many thanks to the group of great people at www.onedegree.ca for compiling this information!
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
CRM - contact and lead tracking, sales and contact management, sales pipeline management and forecasting, customer service and business management. Keep yourself organized! Free version available from www.freecrm.com, from $7/mo at www.sugarcrm.com
Market Research - Google Alerts is a "must-have” clipping service. Set up your favorite key words and www.google.com/alerts finds and delivers articles about any subject of your choosing to your inbox every day. Watch for news and mentions of your own company, your customers and your competitors. Free
Creative Design – Want a design for a new logo, brochure, website or business card? Go to either www.crowdspring.com or www.99designs.com, upload your requirements, run a contest and pick your favourite. You pick the purse size, I’ve seen contests get dozens of great results for only a few hundred dollars.
Marketing Collateral – Want fast easy printing? Upload files for brochures, business cards and stationary. These companies, www.overnightprints.com and www.vistaprint.com, will print and ship – too easy. vistaprint.com is also available in Canada at www.vistaprint.ca
Permission-based Marketing – create and send opt-in newsletters, deliver and track blog posts and updates to customers, prospects and colleagues. www.campaigner.com starts at $10/mo, www.constantcontact.com starts at $15/mo
Accounting – track your time and expenses, manage contractors, send and manage your invoices, totally on-line, getting rave reviews. Join the wave at www.freshbooks.com, pricing starts at $15/mo
Conference Calling – when you need to convene a meeting (and look professional doing it), you can get free reservationless conference calling at www.freeconference.com
Remote PC Access – for those times when you need to get to a file on your computer but your computer is in your office and you’re not. www.gotomypc.com starts at $20/mo
Long Distance Calling - www.skype.com offers free or very low cost long distance calling (works best with headphones), and it can also do conference calls
Project Management – web-based project management software that marries time tracking and task management in a collaborative online space with powerful reporting. www.myintervals.com is $20 for up to 15 projects
Taking orders/selling stuff – the dead easy way to accept credit cards on your website, www.paypal.com only charges you when you sell, a transaction fee up to 3% of sale value
Keeping track of it all - make notes on anything on the web or on your computer using www.evernote.com and have these memory joggers available (and search able) at any time - free
Sending really big files – www.yousendit.com – for when you need to send a really big file that your customer may not be able to receive otherwise, or when you absolutely need to know a file reached it’s intended recipient – yousendit has a pay as you go option or plans from $10/mo
Virtual Fax – if you deal with Fortune 1000 companies you know how they love their faxes. www.efax.com lets you receive faxes in your email account instead of on a fax machine – way more convenient. You can also send scanned docs as faxes using the same service. Starts at $17/mo
On-line Meetings – www.dimdim.com makes your meeting almost as good as in-person and much less expensive than airfare. Use it to deliver synchronized live presentations, whiteboards and web pages and share their voice and video over the Internet. Free and $20/mo options
Virtual Receptionist - an Internet voicemail system accessible by phone, email, or the web. an auto-attendant that acts as your virtual receptionist. You can create virtual mailboxes for your employees and enjoy voicemail call forwarding, call transfers, call routing, voicemail notifications, and much more.... www.my1voice.com from $10/mo
Transcription – For those people who just hate to type but love to talk, you can record your messaging, upload it to www.speakwrite.com and receive a typed doc back via email in about 3 hours.
Sharing your thoughts – absolutely the best way to publish your powerpoint presentations on the web and share them with others - www.slideshare.com is free
Document sharing and collaboration – my personal favorite, docs.google.com allows you to upload word or excel files and work on them collaboratively with selected people. Takes all the hassle out of emailing docs around for comments. - free
Running an event? Use www.eventbrite.com to create a webpage for your event, accept and manage registrations and even publish who has RSVP’d. Free if your event is free, 2.5% of ticket price for paid events.
Many thanks to the group of great people at www.onedegree.ca for compiling this information!
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Keeping Social Media Fun
As I speak with more and more businesses on the subject of social media engagement and what they can expect from their effort, I'm also recognizing that these initiatives can get tiresome and become just one more thing that has to get done on a list of many. Questions start coming up about whether this is really worth the effort. Do you want to achieve a richer web presence? Elevate your search rankings? Drive traffic to your website? Ultimately these are questions you'll have to answer for yourself but before making any rash decisions consider this; if you aren't engaged who is? You're competition? If so, why are they and not you? In the end analysis it all comes down to ROI. A well planned and thought out social media campaign will drive traffic to you and assuming you have a website that has been carefully designed to achieve the conversion you want, more traffic = more conversions = more customers. If not yours your competitions...what does that cost you?
This article I found today and it gives great direction about how to keep your social media initiative vibrant and on track: http://econsultancy.com/blog/3936-keeping-social-media-sustainable It's a very worthwhile read and only takes about 2 minutes to get through, well worth the investment if you're considering some sort of social media engagement or need to re-ignite the effort.
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
This article I found today and it gives great direction about how to keep your social media initiative vibrant and on track: http://econsultancy.com/blog/3936-keeping-social-media-sustainable It's a very worthwhile read and only takes about 2 minutes to get through, well worth the investment if you're considering some sort of social media engagement or need to re-ignite the effort.
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
Friday, May 22, 2009
Social Media or Email Marketing...What Comes First?
Lately I've been involved with many discussions related to social media, (blogging, Facebook, Twitter etc.) and in a post on http://econsultancy.com/blog today Andrew Gordon brings forward the idea that email marketing has been lost in all the hubbub surrounding the social networking craze and...I agree! What do you think? Now the question, as a business, what is your best approach to using the internet to achieve the business improvements you're looking for?
Here's are some thoughts. Social media and email marketing result in different outcomes, socializing online brings about awareness, branding, client engagement, discussion and interest among other things, and email marketing brings about prospect conversion. Are the two at odds with each other, or exclusive of one and other? The short answer is no, now let's look at a slightly longer answer. Engaging with a social media campaign that is well thought out and executed, will improve your visibility or branding and should result in improved traffic to your website. Now let's look at your website. Here a visitor should become engaged with your offering and begin the process that leads from prospect to client and if that is working then more traffic to your website will generate more clients. Now we add email marketing into the mix. With email you're in a position to extend your relationship with your site visitor, for some businesses this is a one step process, for others it may require a number of "touches" before a visitor is moved to being a client and email is a very effective means to facilitate this process. Social media drives traffic and email marketing converts that traffic into new clients. Simple? Hmmmmm...
Yes it is, but no it isn't either and more...what comes first? You guessed it, a plan! Once again, back to planning. Both social networking and email marketing are effective and generate a positive ROI, (social media drives traffic, leads to lifted conversions, results in revenue boost) but truly, you must think of this in the context of your overall business development. Again, this is not an event but a process with a number of milestones or benchmarks along the way and numerous considerations as to input to achieve each step. Where does that leave you? Each and everyday the internet is growing and presenting greater opportunity than ever before in history to achieve the outcomes you want for your business. Failing to plan is a sure plan to fail...the cost of failing is for you to decide...
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
Here's are some thoughts. Social media and email marketing result in different outcomes, socializing online brings about awareness, branding, client engagement, discussion and interest among other things, and email marketing brings about prospect conversion. Are the two at odds with each other, or exclusive of one and other? The short answer is no, now let's look at a slightly longer answer. Engaging with a social media campaign that is well thought out and executed, will improve your visibility or branding and should result in improved traffic to your website. Now let's look at your website. Here a visitor should become engaged with your offering and begin the process that leads from prospect to client and if that is working then more traffic to your website will generate more clients. Now we add email marketing into the mix. With email you're in a position to extend your relationship with your site visitor, for some businesses this is a one step process, for others it may require a number of "touches" before a visitor is moved to being a client and email is a very effective means to facilitate this process. Social media drives traffic and email marketing converts that traffic into new clients. Simple? Hmmmmm...
Yes it is, but no it isn't either and more...what comes first? You guessed it, a plan! Once again, back to planning. Both social networking and email marketing are effective and generate a positive ROI, (social media drives traffic, leads to lifted conversions, results in revenue boost) but truly, you must think of this in the context of your overall business development. Again, this is not an event but a process with a number of milestones or benchmarks along the way and numerous considerations as to input to achieve each step. Where does that leave you? Each and everyday the internet is growing and presenting greater opportunity than ever before in history to achieve the outcomes you want for your business. Failing to plan is a sure plan to fail...the cost of failing is for you to decide...
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
B2B or B2C Blogging for...What?
There is some disagreement out there about whether or not corporate business blogging is really beneficial or not. On one side, those who adamantly feel this is an important component of your company image, an the other side that feel it has no value particularly because the ROI is not clear and so it is a waste of time and resources. One thing is certain, if you don't have a blog, the ROI is...zero! I personally believe that a blog does have value but there are certain conditions required to achieve returns...uh oh , here we go with PLAN again!
Before beginning to blog brainstorm some questions for example, who is your audience? What information do they want? What problem(s) are they looking to solve?...and so on. A good next step is to determine what blogging is to accomplish in the scope of your overall corporate strategy, is this an info, dialogue, branding or other type blog? If you're comfortable that you're on firm ground up to this point get to blogging...with certain conditions.
Speak truthfully in a clear voice that will be heard by your audience, there's enough 'stuff' out there. If you offer information or insight that is not the truth expect to be called out on the carpet, we don't have time for it. A key to successful blog development is that you become recognized as a trusted source, so stay true. Reflect on real experience or comment similarly but you must have a motivation that stays on the high ground or you will not develop any loyalty from your readers.
It's true that there are many blogs that are not generating the desired outcomes and there is little or no ROI, but a well planned blog, that forms part of a consistent corporate strategy and is patiently nurtured and adheres to the highest level of integrity will have tremendous ROI. Want to invest the time? Ultimately this is your decision but here's a final thought. If your blog initiative resulted in one more satisfied customer, what would that be worth to the company? What about two? Three? If you don't blog, it could be that you would never generate that business, its lost to a competitor...
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
Before beginning to blog brainstorm some questions for example, who is your audience? What information do they want? What problem(s) are they looking to solve?...and so on. A good next step is to determine what blogging is to accomplish in the scope of your overall corporate strategy, is this an info, dialogue, branding or other type blog? If you're comfortable that you're on firm ground up to this point get to blogging...with certain conditions.
Speak truthfully in a clear voice that will be heard by your audience, there's enough 'stuff' out there. If you offer information or insight that is not the truth expect to be called out on the carpet, we don't have time for it. A key to successful blog development is that you become recognized as a trusted source, so stay true. Reflect on real experience or comment similarly but you must have a motivation that stays on the high ground or you will not develop any loyalty from your readers.
It's true that there are many blogs that are not generating the desired outcomes and there is little or no ROI, but a well planned blog, that forms part of a consistent corporate strategy and is patiently nurtured and adheres to the highest level of integrity will have tremendous ROI. Want to invest the time? Ultimately this is your decision but here's a final thought. If your blog initiative resulted in one more satisfied customer, what would that be worth to the company? What about two? Three? If you don't blog, it could be that you would never generate that business, its lost to a competitor...
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
Thursday, April 23, 2009
What is a Website For?
So...what is a website for? Really! Give me some answers I want to know what you're thinking.
As I observe what is happening with online communications and the conventional marketing options, here is a comment that I would be really interested in opening a discussion on:
Traditional marketing vehicles, print, TV, radio, trade shows etc. continue to be valid options but they are expensive and very difficult at best to track results. The internet offers business accurate, trackable results, unlimited ability to communicate relevant information, and a return on investment that is unmatched by any conventional media offering on a minute by minute basis and as a result, more and more companies are investing in their online presence.
What do conventional media do? They are supposed to get the prospect to engage with the company. What is a website for? In my opinion... get the prospect to engage with the company! In the online world we call this conversion. What do you think? I'm interested in hearing from you, leave a comment.
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
As I observe what is happening with online communications and the conventional marketing options, here is a comment that I would be really interested in opening a discussion on:
Traditional marketing vehicles, print, TV, radio, trade shows etc. continue to be valid options but they are expensive and very difficult at best to track results. The internet offers business accurate, trackable results, unlimited ability to communicate relevant information, and a return on investment that is unmatched by any conventional media offering on a minute by minute basis and as a result, more and more companies are investing in their online presence.
What do conventional media do? They are supposed to get the prospect to engage with the company. What is a website for? In my opinion... get the prospect to engage with the company! In the online world we call this conversion. What do you think? I'm interested in hearing from you, leave a comment.
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
Monday, April 20, 2009
How Much Does a Business Lead Cost You?
Really, how much? Do you ever think of this as part of your business planning cycle? I would be truly interested in hearing from you, leave a comment. Why do I ask?
Here's an example of some simple business math:
Gross Revenues- $100,000
Advertising/Marketing Spend- $10,000
Totl Number of Leads- 100
Cost per lead- $100
What would be the effect of reducing the cost per lead? Again straight forward answer, if the cost per lead is reduced, one of two things happens, the net profit of the business is improved or the Advertising and Marketing budget goes further allowing the company to grow revenues further, either way this is a significant win for business. So why am I talking about this?
If there was a way for you to reduce your cost per lead 25% would that make sense for your company? Well there is, in fact here's some news, businesses are reducing lead costs by 61%! Inbound Marketing, if you don't know about this, it is time to learn, the upside potential is tremendous, the result, a better bottom line. More on this in my next installment, but answer this...who wouldn't want to reduce their lead costs by 61%? Truly, I would like to hear from you, leave a comment.
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
Here's an example of some simple business math:
Gross Revenues- $100,000
Advertising/Marketing Spend- $10,000
Totl Number of Leads- 100
Cost per lead- $100
What would be the effect of reducing the cost per lead? Again straight forward answer, if the cost per lead is reduced, one of two things happens, the net profit of the business is improved or the Advertising and Marketing budget goes further allowing the company to grow revenues further, either way this is a significant win for business. So why am I talking about this?
If there was a way for you to reduce your cost per lead 25% would that make sense for your company? Well there is, in fact here's some news, businesses are reducing lead costs by 61%! Inbound Marketing, if you don't know about this, it is time to learn, the upside potential is tremendous, the result, a better bottom line. More on this in my next installment, but answer this...who wouldn't want to reduce their lead costs by 61%? Truly, I would like to hear from you, leave a comment.
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
Friday, March 6, 2009
In the beginning...5 steps to a website idea.
Since I've been having a number of discussions lately with companies that are creating their first website I want to go through what I believe to be a good planning process for that first website. This will be done in a number of installments, what I hope to do is give you a road map that will take you from your initial idea, to being live on the internet, so here we go...
1- Requirements: Meet with your key personnel, stakeholders or trusted advisors to brainstorm what essential requirements you have for the website;
2- Define objectives: What is the purpose of your website? Information, sales, registration, membership, employee communications? What do you want the website to accomplish? At this stage let your imagination run wild, if you can think it, it can probably be done;
3- Competitive analysis: You know who the competition is, what are they doing, and what are they NOT doing that you can address;
4- Business processing: Are there repetitive tasks associated with new client development? Would automating these improve efficiency, and profitability?
5- Budget: Decide how much you can afford in both human and capital resources.
I've saved the budget for last intentionally. When you are planning don't think about the budget first because you want to be as creative as possible. It may be that your first website isn't everything you had conceived but if you know where you would like to get to it will help the overall development process. It's also important to think of this budget item as an ongoing expense because just like any other asset you have it will require at least maintenance, and in all likelihood, once you see the results you achieve with a well planned and implemented website, you will want to add the next level of functionality that you had initially dreamed of. Budgeting appropriately is key to the long-term project success.
As a final observation, too often I talk with companies that think of the website as something that is separate from the rest of the business. I strongly urge you to think of your website as a partner or another tool for your business. This kind of thinking will allow you to see the future more clearly and achieve the greatest ROI. By the way, companies who go through this kind of process and implement an effective website and internet presence plan, end up identifying this asset as having the greatest ROI for their business. Take time, get help, engage!
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
1- Requirements: Meet with your key personnel, stakeholders or trusted advisors to brainstorm what essential requirements you have for the website;
2- Define objectives: What is the purpose of your website? Information, sales, registration, membership, employee communications? What do you want the website to accomplish? At this stage let your imagination run wild, if you can think it, it can probably be done;
3- Competitive analysis: You know who the competition is, what are they doing, and what are they NOT doing that you can address;
4- Business processing: Are there repetitive tasks associated with new client development? Would automating these improve efficiency, and profitability?
5- Budget: Decide how much you can afford in both human and capital resources.
I've saved the budget for last intentionally. When you are planning don't think about the budget first because you want to be as creative as possible. It may be that your first website isn't everything you had conceived but if you know where you would like to get to it will help the overall development process. It's also important to think of this budget item as an ongoing expense because just like any other asset you have it will require at least maintenance, and in all likelihood, once you see the results you achieve with a well planned and implemented website, you will want to add the next level of functionality that you had initially dreamed of. Budgeting appropriately is key to the long-term project success.
As a final observation, too often I talk with companies that think of the website as something that is separate from the rest of the business. I strongly urge you to think of your website as a partner or another tool for your business. This kind of thinking will allow you to see the future more clearly and achieve the greatest ROI. By the way, companies who go through this kind of process and implement an effective website and internet presence plan, end up identifying this asset as having the greatest ROI for their business. Take time, get help, engage!
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Website Maintenance...To Do or Not To Do...
You have a website and you're pretty much happy with what it does for your company. It doesn't have a database management system, or a CMS, or even any formal email management system, but, from all the feedback you've received, the visitors that have been coming have found at least some of the information they were looking for and some followed up with a phone call. You do wonder about a few things, for example, you've been looking over the traffic numbers, and the number of calls compared to the number of visitors you get sure seems low, no conversion. The other thing you've been wondering about is the new line of 'widgets' you now have in stock and there's no information on your website about them. Finally, you're going to be having the big promotion on ______'s next month and again, no online info about it. Oh yeah, there was also that 'blog' thing that someone was telling you about at the chamber of commerce business lunch last week, it seemed to be generating some good results for them and you've been wondering about that...even though you're not really certain what a blog really is. Maybe you're not so happy with your website after all...you're not alone, a surprising number of companies are frustrated with their website for one reason or another.
The state of the art with respect to your online presence is changing so quickly that to ever think, "There, we're done!" is no longer an option. If you want to fully capitalize on the investment you've made in your website and achieve the optimum ROI, you must consider carefully how you are going to facilitate the changes on your website as you determine what is best for your organizations evolving web presence and business development. In the list of solutions, be certain to investigate whether a website maintenance arrangement with a competent company who will be able to support you as you move forward with your plans is the way to proceed. Of course you can always resort to ad hoc measures, and many do this quite successfully, the problem with this approach can be time of delivery because more and more of the professional website service and development companies are structuring their service so that maintenance clients receive priority service and ad hoc work comes in a distant second. Understandable right? Organizations who commit to a maintenance agreement with their website services provider demonstrate that they are serious about the development of their online web presence and want to execute on a well thought out plan, their maintenance agreement is the vehicle to accomplish this. If you don't have one, how serious are you about what you want to accomplish online?
Five reasons to have a website maintenance service agreement:
1- Allows you to develop your online presence in a structured but flexible manner;
2- Reduces your capital intensity because you pay for ongoing development overtime rather than with any single 'big' hit;
3- Stay ahead of your competition with updated content (maybe a CMS), state of the art SEO, web based applications to streamline business operations and processing, email management or marketing etc. etc.;
4- Save money! Usually these arrangements offer you discounts from regular ad hoc development rates;
5- Maximize your returns on your investment.
To the best of my knowledge, given the continued explosion of internet use, there is no single investment that you can make in your organization that has the potential for positive returns that your strategic web presence does. Take advantage of what is out there for you, when executed properly, you will be impressed with the results achieved. If you don't...it will cost you!
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
The state of the art with respect to your online presence is changing so quickly that to ever think, "There, we're done!" is no longer an option. If you want to fully capitalize on the investment you've made in your website and achieve the optimum ROI, you must consider carefully how you are going to facilitate the changes on your website as you determine what is best for your organizations evolving web presence and business development. In the list of solutions, be certain to investigate whether a website maintenance arrangement with a competent company who will be able to support you as you move forward with your plans is the way to proceed. Of course you can always resort to ad hoc measures, and many do this quite successfully, the problem with this approach can be time of delivery because more and more of the professional website service and development companies are structuring their service so that maintenance clients receive priority service and ad hoc work comes in a distant second. Understandable right? Organizations who commit to a maintenance agreement with their website services provider demonstrate that they are serious about the development of their online web presence and want to execute on a well thought out plan, their maintenance agreement is the vehicle to accomplish this. If you don't have one, how serious are you about what you want to accomplish online?
Five reasons to have a website maintenance service agreement:
1- Allows you to develop your online presence in a structured but flexible manner;
2- Reduces your capital intensity because you pay for ongoing development overtime rather than with any single 'big' hit;
3- Stay ahead of your competition with updated content (maybe a CMS), state of the art SEO, web based applications to streamline business operations and processing, email management or marketing etc. etc.;
4- Save money! Usually these arrangements offer you discounts from regular ad hoc development rates;
5- Maximize your returns on your investment.
To the best of my knowledge, given the continued explosion of internet use, there is no single investment that you can make in your organization that has the potential for positive returns that your strategic web presence does. Take advantage of what is out there for you, when executed properly, you will be impressed with the results achieved. If you don't...it will cost you!
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Website Design Do It Yourself Options
This is a different direction for me because normally I want to provide you with reasons that would encourage you to use professionally outsourced website design and development services. But (this is a big but) I've come to the realization that there are those of you who might just be better off doing this yourself. Afterall as so many people have told me, there are many resources now available online that will allow you to build a fully functioning and visitor friendly website. In this intallment I'd like to offer a plan for you if this is the route you want to go.
Step 1- Make a plan. You know what your website is about so all you need to do is make a plan that should include: site design plan, content development ideas, idea market research, competitor analysis, website marketing plan and optimization strategy and tactics, conversions desired, content management system requirements, email management and marketing requirements, client relationship development requirements, process automation needs, background database application development. This will provide you with a sound platform to move forward with.
Step 2- Define and allocate adequate resources to the project development. Again, you know what your website is about so all you have to do is decide who within your organization is going to take on the responsibility for each of the above mentioned plan elements. Depending on the competency and experience of the person who is undertaking one or more of the elements outlined in Step 1, I would allocate anywhere from 1-5 planning hours for each item for a total range of between 12 and 60 hours planning time.
Step 3- Build the website. Again, depending on the level of expertise (at a minimum you should have someone who is reasonably competent with a design program like Dreamweaver, much better to have someone competent in a variety of web programming languages) available within your organization, you should probably count on a minimum of 2 weeks to as much as several weeks to ensure that the page SEO tasks are properly done, the content is credible, coherent and well laid out for easy navigation etc. This will vary depending on the level of sophistication you've decided on. For example, if you are implementing database program applications such as email or client relationship management tools, you'll need to allow significantly more time, particularly as this will be your first design build project of this kind.
Step 4- Review the website and correct as needed. Programs like Dreamweaver or Front Page are notorious for creating websites that have W3C compliance issues so that your website visitors may have significant problems viewing your webpages properly, or the applications you've developed won't run properly. Again, depending on the expertise available and the complexity allow 3 days to several weeks for this process.
Great! You're done until you want to do some updates and you've only had to take...whoa. Hang on a second, I really didn't realize this, you've just created a project outside of your core competency area that will probably take 3 to 8 weeks person time to complete and the outcome is not guaranteed to be what you wanted!
OK, I did realize what was happening in my blog entry here. My point? How much time, energy and effort does your business save your clients? What value do you offer them? Could they do it themselves? Maybe they could, but does their investment in time and capital resources justify the outcome?
How much is a do it yourself website really going to cost you?
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
Step 1- Make a plan. You know what your website is about so all you need to do is make a plan that should include: site design plan, content development ideas, idea market research, competitor analysis, website marketing plan and optimization strategy and tactics, conversions desired, content management system requirements, email management and marketing requirements, client relationship development requirements, process automation needs, background database application development. This will provide you with a sound platform to move forward with.
Step 2- Define and allocate adequate resources to the project development. Again, you know what your website is about so all you have to do is decide who within your organization is going to take on the responsibility for each of the above mentioned plan elements. Depending on the competency and experience of the person who is undertaking one or more of the elements outlined in Step 1, I would allocate anywhere from 1-5 planning hours for each item for a total range of between 12 and 60 hours planning time.
Step 3- Build the website. Again, depending on the level of expertise (at a minimum you should have someone who is reasonably competent with a design program like Dreamweaver, much better to have someone competent in a variety of web programming languages) available within your organization, you should probably count on a minimum of 2 weeks to as much as several weeks to ensure that the page SEO tasks are properly done, the content is credible, coherent and well laid out for easy navigation etc. This will vary depending on the level of sophistication you've decided on. For example, if you are implementing database program applications such as email or client relationship management tools, you'll need to allow significantly more time, particularly as this will be your first design build project of this kind.
Step 4- Review the website and correct as needed. Programs like Dreamweaver or Front Page are notorious for creating websites that have W3C compliance issues so that your website visitors may have significant problems viewing your webpages properly, or the applications you've developed won't run properly. Again, depending on the expertise available and the complexity allow 3 days to several weeks for this process.
Great! You're done until you want to do some updates and you've only had to take...whoa. Hang on a second, I really didn't realize this, you've just created a project outside of your core competency area that will probably take 3 to 8 weeks person time to complete and the outcome is not guaranteed to be what you wanted!
OK, I did realize what was happening in my blog entry here. My point? How much time, energy and effort does your business save your clients? What value do you offer them? Could they do it themselves? Maybe they could, but does their investment in time and capital resources justify the outcome?
How much is a do it yourself website really going to cost you?
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
Monday, January 19, 2009
Web Presence=Relationships
I'm stuck on the web presence theme...I truly believe that a web presence vs just a website is what will separate online success from failure for the SMB marketplace. Why? Because generally we do business with those we like and trust and a web presence is a sure way to build that relationship online and it is in the online virtual world that more and more relationships are being initiated. How many? In 2006 Google was receiving 2.7 billion queries monthly, in 2008 that has grown to 37 billion! (See "Did you know" http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=jpEnFwiqdx8 for an informative change of perspective.) How many of these inquiries are important for your business?
When did you last 'google' for information on something you were looking for? Do you recognize that action as the beginning of a prospective online relationship? One way to think of this relationship for your website is as a site visitor...when you go looking for 'something' online what do you look for, the website that says, "Wow have we got a deal for you!" or the one that provides you with all the relevant information you need, in an easy to navigate well thought out manner? When you come across the latter (which is a very small % of websites by the way) you know that you've found a prospective solution for your need, a solution that you can have confidence in.
What truly separates a website from a web presence? A comprehensive plan that incorporates your bricks and mortar operations with your online initiatives in a manner that supports and enhances. If up to now you have only viewed your online activities as another 'item' on your list of organizational must haves, I urge you to re-think and re-engage with your online development so that your business, with a comprehensive web presence, will have a far greater likelihood of successfully converting site visitors to real world clients.
The cost of not pursuing this development route? You'll lose the potential relationships that 37 billion monthly inquiries (and growing) could mean for your operations. Your call...
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
When did you last 'google' for information on something you were looking for? Do you recognize that action as the beginning of a prospective online relationship? One way to think of this relationship for your website is as a site visitor...when you go looking for 'something' online what do you look for, the website that says, "Wow have we got a deal for you!" or the one that provides you with all the relevant information you need, in an easy to navigate well thought out manner? When you come across the latter (which is a very small % of websites by the way) you know that you've found a prospective solution for your need, a solution that you can have confidence in.
What truly separates a website from a web presence? A comprehensive plan that incorporates your bricks and mortar operations with your online initiatives in a manner that supports and enhances. If up to now you have only viewed your online activities as another 'item' on your list of organizational must haves, I urge you to re-think and re-engage with your online development so that your business, with a comprehensive web presence, will have a far greater likelihood of successfully converting site visitors to real world clients.
The cost of not pursuing this development route? You'll lose the potential relationships that 37 billion monthly inquiries (and growing) could mean for your operations. Your call...
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
Monday, January 12, 2009
Web Presence=Relevant Content="Sticky info"
What, you ask does that mean? Again, I want to stay on the theme of a web presence and today a brief comment on content, in a nutshell content is king...no question about it!
You've probably heard the old adage for business success, "Location, location, location", how, if at all, is that modified in our internet world? I offer you this "Information, information, information" as a replacement. What you want is to have relevant information that engages your visitor to stay on your website and go through a 'conversion' whatever that may be for you and your organization. Is this valid? Let's look briefly at a real example...
Industry: Home renovations
Competitors: http://www.homefocus.com/ and http://www.homerenovationguide.com/
These two sites offer consumers a similar product, ultimately both want the homeowner interested in a renovation project to connect with one of their service providers. Here is a big difference, Homefocus about 1.5 page views per visit and Home Renovation Guide (HRG) about 4.5, which visitor is more engaged with the information, and therefore more likely to take action? The numbers don't lie and the HRG site has been steadily on the increase for over two years because they are progressive and offer what...relevant information! Articles, pictures, links, all to provide visitors with the information they are seeking.
No content, no traffic, no conversion, no business or...
Interesting and engaging information= interested and engaged visitors= happy to follow through and convert= great business. Take action today.
We're at the edge of the future...
Andy Xhignesse
You've probably heard the old adage for business success, "Location, location, location", how, if at all, is that modified in our internet world? I offer you this "Information, information, information" as a replacement. What you want is to have relevant information that engages your visitor to stay on your website and go through a 'conversion' whatever that may be for you and your organization. Is this valid? Let's look briefly at a real example...
Industry: Home renovations
Competitors: http://www.homefocus.com/ and http://www.homerenovationguide.com/
These two sites offer consumers a similar product, ultimately both want the homeowner interested in a renovation project to connect with one of their service providers. Here is a big difference, Homefocus about 1.5 page views per visit and Home Renovation Guide (HRG) about 4.5, which visitor is more engaged with the information, and therefore more likely to take action? The numbers don't lie and the HRG site has been steadily on the increase for over two years because they are progressive and offer what...relevant information! Articles, pictures, links, all to provide visitors with the information they are seeking.
No content, no traffic, no conversion, no business or...
Interesting and engaging information= interested and engaged visitors= happy to follow through and convert= great business. Take action today.
We're at the edge of the future...
Andy Xhignesse
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Back to Web Presence...
The other day was having a discussion with a business owner and introduced the idea of a web presence as opposed to a website...well I had some explaining to do! So I thought I'd take a moment to clarify a little of what I mean by a web presence. I say a little because this is a lengthy topic and I already have the tendency to 'wordiness' (don't tempt me!) and so I'll uncover little by little what I mean by web presence and what the benefits are vs a website approach.
There are many elements involved in the creation of a web presence but they all start from the same place, a good plan that integrates all facets of your business. You see, I believe that a web presence allows your business or organization to benefit fully from all that the internet has to offer, it is not just about having some info up there for people to see, a presence is a way to really extend your message to your audience that is inviting and interactive, it engages your visitor to the point that they will take a next step, whatever that next step might be that is relevant to your business outcomes. Just as with anything else in your business or organization you need a thoughtful plan that views your ongoing internet activities as another doorway to new visitors. This requires that you invest adequate resources to the task, but as study after study shows, the internet is now the best investment you can make for your organization/business with the greatest ROI when properly executed.
You can think of it a little like this:
Website: A place where people end up by chance;
Web Presence: An online location that visitors go to with intent;
Inaction is costing you, who knows how much but I guarantee it is costing you, get started it's free to plan!
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
There are many elements involved in the creation of a web presence but they all start from the same place, a good plan that integrates all facets of your business. You see, I believe that a web presence allows your business or organization to benefit fully from all that the internet has to offer, it is not just about having some info up there for people to see, a presence is a way to really extend your message to your audience that is inviting and interactive, it engages your visitor to the point that they will take a next step, whatever that next step might be that is relevant to your business outcomes. Just as with anything else in your business or organization you need a thoughtful plan that views your ongoing internet activities as another doorway to new visitors. This requires that you invest adequate resources to the task, but as study after study shows, the internet is now the best investment you can make for your organization/business with the greatest ROI when properly executed.
You can think of it a little like this:
Website: A place where people end up by chance;
Web Presence: An online location that visitors go to with intent;
Inaction is costing you, who knows how much but I guarantee it is costing you, get started it's free to plan!
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Want outstanding online results?
So here it is, the end of another year and I've been asking myself is there one thing above all else that stands out as a must do for business to thrive in the evolving online world? Great news, I think I've got it, by George, I think I've got it! We must recognize that the dynamics of the fundamental relationship between buyer and seller have changed and act accordingly.
If you have not seen "Did You Know" follow this link, this video of about 8 minutes may dramatically alter your perspective on what is taking place in our world: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U
When is the last time that you 'googled' for information on something you were considering purchasing? There are about 3 billion google searches monthly, obviously not all purchase related, but out of that huge number it is safe to say that millions of buyers monthly, go online to begin seeking information that will begin a relationship that ends in a transaction. As providers, you must now find ways to engage and cultivate that relationship. The era of intrusive outbound marketing is less and less effective in creating new relationships, the age of appropriate and targeted information to a permission based audience is quickly emerging as the way forward. What is inaction costing your organization? Take action now.
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
If you have not seen "Did You Know" follow this link, this video of about 8 minutes may dramatically alter your perspective on what is taking place in our world: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U
When is the last time that you 'googled' for information on something you were considering purchasing? There are about 3 billion google searches monthly, obviously not all purchase related, but out of that huge number it is safe to say that millions of buyers monthly, go online to begin seeking information that will begin a relationship that ends in a transaction. As providers, you must now find ways to engage and cultivate that relationship. The era of intrusive outbound marketing is less and less effective in creating new relationships, the age of appropriate and targeted information to a permission based audience is quickly emerging as the way forward. What is inaction costing your organization? Take action now.
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
Monday, December 22, 2008
Is a blog an important tool for your business?
We hear a lot about blogs, in fact it's hard not to hear about them. Should you be blogging? Is it worth the time and energy you'll have to put into it? The answer in my opinion, absolutely! Let me explain.
Have you gone online recently to google for information on something? Maybe given the time of year, you've done a little research into a gift you were considering for someone, or maybe you were looking for information to help solve a business issue within your organization. The point is, powerful information is now at your fingertips. You can now access much of the information that you need in order to make your buying decisions online...and you are no different than all the rest of us. So, how does this affect the way business is being done? You need to be noticed so that people will come to YOU for the information and ultimately for the solution to their need. Blogging helps. How?
1-Blogging is part of an inbound marketing program that will help direct inquiries to you;
2-It improves your SEO to help prospects find you;
3-It's an effective method to participate in social networking;
4-It is a permission based form of marketing that can allow you to begin a relationship with a new prospect.
Check out http://www.hubspot.com/ I think they're a well organized internet marketing company that has great ideas for the small and medium sized business.
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
Have you gone online recently to google for information on something? Maybe given the time of year, you've done a little research into a gift you were considering for someone, or maybe you were looking for information to help solve a business issue within your organization. The point is, powerful information is now at your fingertips. You can now access much of the information that you need in order to make your buying decisions online...and you are no different than all the rest of us. So, how does this affect the way business is being done? You need to be noticed so that people will come to YOU for the information and ultimately for the solution to their need. Blogging helps. How?
1-Blogging is part of an inbound marketing program that will help direct inquiries to you;
2-It improves your SEO to help prospects find you;
3-It's an effective method to participate in social networking;
4-It is a permission based form of marketing that can allow you to begin a relationship with a new prospect.
Check out http://www.hubspot.com/ I think they're a well organized internet marketing company that has great ideas for the small and medium sized business.
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
Thursday, December 18, 2008
W3C compliance, does it matter?
W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) is comprised of over 400 members including all the major search engines and global corporations such as AT&T, HP and Toshiba among others, that develops standards for the internet so that communications online perform consistently.
In the last few years, the discussion over compliance has become more intense and there is an increasing awareness of problems arising from non-compliance. For you the small and medium size business, here are three significant concerns:
1-Some browsers like Firefox, Opera and Lynx (among others) won't display your pages correctly.
2-Search engines will not be able to efficiently and precisely indexing your site.
3-Site and hearing impaired internet users won't be able to use your site.
So...does W3C compliance matter? Of course! The outcome of the above problems mean that you may not be found, that SEO actions may be less effective, that applications on your website may not operate properly and all of this leads to a loss of engagement by your visitors which in turn leads to lost opportunities. How much is this costing you?
Check your compliance at http://validator.w3.org/
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
In the last few years, the discussion over compliance has become more intense and there is an increasing awareness of problems arising from non-compliance. For you the small and medium size business, here are three significant concerns:
1-Some browsers like Firefox, Opera and Lynx (among others) won't display your pages correctly.
2-Search engines will not be able to efficiently and precisely indexing your site.
3-Site and hearing impaired internet users won't be able to use your site.
So...does W3C compliance matter? Of course! The outcome of the above problems mean that you may not be found, that SEO actions may be less effective, that applications on your website may not operate properly and all of this leads to a loss of engagement by your visitors which in turn leads to lost opportunities. How much is this costing you?
Check your compliance at http://validator.w3.org/
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Do you want a website or a WEB PRESENCE?
5 questions to consider...
1- Your competition is probably on the web. Are they attracting your potential customers?
2- All of us are using the internet to meet more and more of our needs. Do you have effective SEO web presence development to drive prospects to your business?
3- A professionally developed web presence works for you 24/7, how better can you leverage your time?
4- E commerce allows clients to purchase your goods and services while sitting at their computer and it is estimated that this transaction is up to 8 times less expensive than a conventional business transaction. How much better would this be for your bottom line profitability?
5- A professional web presence is an investment that has a greater ROI than any other form of promotion since pages and pages of information can be developed at a fraction of the cost of conventional advertising. Can you afford not to develop an effective web presence?
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
1- Your competition is probably on the web. Are they attracting your potential customers?
2- All of us are using the internet to meet more and more of our needs. Do you have effective SEO web presence development to drive prospects to your business?
3- A professionally developed web presence works for you 24/7, how better can you leverage your time?
4- E commerce allows clients to purchase your goods and services while sitting at their computer and it is estimated that this transaction is up to 8 times less expensive than a conventional business transaction. How much better would this be for your bottom line profitability?
5- A professional web presence is an investment that has a greater ROI than any other form of promotion since pages and pages of information can be developed at a fraction of the cost of conventional advertising. Can you afford not to develop an effective web presence?
We're at the edge of the future!
Andy Xhignesse
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