2009 April

Monthly Archive for April, 2009

7 Tips For A More Successful Website

Published
by
Michelle
on April 28, 2009
in Marketing and Search Engine Optimization
. 1 Comment

As a SEO Marketing Strategist, my clients are looking for success from their websites. They want ROI - Return on Investment and frankly, so do I. Here are 7 things that I work diligently to educate my clients about their web marketing experience.

1.) Do you know why you have a website?

Understand for yourself, why you are choosing to have a website - are you collecting leads, selling online, online brochure or just trying to outshine your brother-in-law’s website.

Was it designed to do the purpose you intended?

How well is it performing that purpose?

2.) It is not about traffic, it is about conversion.

Traffic tells us how many “hits” or “visitors” our websites have. Conversion tells us how many take our desired actions.

If your website receives 100 visitors a week and 2 visitors request more information your weekly conversion ratio is 2%

If your website receives 100 visitors a day and you sell 1 order per day, your daily conversion ratio is 1%

It is the number of actions that bring sales to your company - not the number of visitors.

In terms of Sales Revenue - 1,000 visitors who take ZERO action are probably worth less than 10 qualified visitors who take the DESIRED ACTION on your website.

In simple math: 1,000 x 0 = ZERO … 10 X 5 = $50 (assuming that action was worth only $5 to you)

3.) Know what you sell

As you are developing your site - you do need to know what it is you sell - and incorporate those products and services as keywords on your website. And be specific.

For example: If you are a Plumber, don’t just include the words plumbing and plumber, you will also want to include clogged drain repair, or toilet installation. If you are a financial advisor - perhaps your niche is retirement planning or 401K Rollovers.

4.) Know what your customer is buying

That seems simple, right? Not always. Many industries use cryptic abbreviations, industry terms and code words that ONLY other people in that industry understands. Treat your website as if you are explaining your services to 12 years olds. You are not trying to impress the customer with how smart you are, but how good you are at the products or services you offer. People buy promos and imprinted pens, not specialty advertising.

5.) Give them what they need

Create a flow that allows QUALIFIED customers the ability to decide to do business with you. Provide information, give great data, ask for their info, give them a way to CONTACT YOU. Make it simpler for them and they will give you more of their business.

(Side Note: If you currently have a 1% conversion ratio on the web - and can take that to 2% - you will DOUBLE your results). In other words if 2 people sign up out of 100 instead of the original 1 - that is twice as many opportunities for sales. ) A 100% increase - not a 1% increase.

Remove roadblocks that keep them from doing business with you.

6.) Answer their questions

This can be done in two ways - first, have great Frequently Asked Questions with answers on the site / service / product page and second and more importantly - when they call you or send you and email or fill out your online form - RESPOND FAST! The early bird gets the worm is in the past - now its the fastest bird.

7.) Build your website to attract and convert customers - not win design awards.

Don’t get me wrong - a website should look good, credible and reputable - but that should NEVER come at the expense of the ability to attract and convert customers - EVER. If it is beautiful and no one ever sees it, it really doesn’t matter that its there. If it has amazing colors and fantastic design elements that match perfectly with your letterhead - YAH - but if it does not drive customers / sales - it really is nothing more than a billboard at the North Pole.

Sometimes I butt heads with great designers on this, but sales and profits trump pretty and branding.

So that’s it - to me it is really that simple. Know what they want and build a website that attracts and convinces them to take the next step to do business with you. AND NO… this is not just about online retail. It works for Dentists, Lawyers, Restaurants, E-Commerce, Consultants, Plumbers, Marketing Agencies, all of them.

Want to know more ? I’d love to come and present this to your group, corporation or students. Lets continue the conversation - drop me an email at michelle [at] redhawkstrategies.com

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Twitter Search : Like a Wire Tap for the Web

Published
by
Michelle
on April 22, 2009
in Twitter
. 0 Comments

Will Twitter help my website?

How can Twitter help me grow my business?

Isn’t Twitter just a waste of time?

What is Twitter?

I have Twitter account, but I still don’t “Get It”

Why do I care what someone had for lunch?

Why is there all this crap on Twitter?

These are just a few of questions my friends, family and clients have asked me of the last year, all reasonable questions. If you are looking at Twitter as ‘full of junk’ you may never get the value that is out there. YES, Twitter is definitely full of clutter and misuse - as is much of the “no/low cost media.”

I won’t go into great detail about what twitter is, I have another blog post for that. In short Twitter is a 2-way broadcast application that functions via the web and SMS text networks on mobile phones. BORING but true. It is a gateway, nothing more, nothing less. Ahh but the information that is on Twitter, that is where the fun begins.

I like to think of Twitter as a legal Wire Tap for the web - I do use it as a broadcast tool, but I really like to use it as a listening device.

Want to know what’s happening at any given moment in the twitterverse? Just visit the Twitter Search Tool and type in what it is you want to know and POOF. It truly is a wiretap - with results that were posted just seconds before.

And if you leave your page sitting on that search it will continually refresh and let you know when that topic has had new twitter posts, too. So is it a way to attack and send a provoking marketing message? Uh, NO, not if you want to be taken seriously. You can use it to find like minded folks, people who have the same interests or interests in line with your marketing offers.

You can also use it to see when your company name or product appears in Twitter too …so you can monitor the conversation, engage and help when possible. (Just check out @comcastcares )

So what will you listen for today?

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Think Locally, Act Googlely

Published
by
Michelle
on April 21, 2009
in SEO, Search Engine Optimization, Videos and Website Traffic
. 3 Comments

Local search is booming, period.A few years ago we didn’t really go to the web to find brick and mortar businesses, but WE DO NOW. With searches like “restaurant Nix Boatyard in St. Augustine” actually delivers in the first spot, my favorite restaurant in St. Augustine Florida - The Creekside Dinery, but sometimes the name just escapes me.

I know that it has happened to you, too. Is there a time that you just couldn’t remember the business name, or perhaps you didn’t know the business name, but you are searching for a business type in a very specific area of your town? Guess what? Your potential customers ARE doing the same thing, too.

Let’s take that one step further, Jacksonville Florida is a large city, in fact the largest city in land area in the contiguous United States. We don’t have tiny towns one next to another like in many other parts of the U.S. We really don’t even have “suburbs” as much anymore. Verbally it is often referred to as the Metro Jacksonville Area or the First Coast made up of 5 counties. Well if you haven’t visited us before our First Coast is nearly 70 miles from the North to the South and 50 miles from the East to the West. Bottom line — it’s HUGE.

For special occasions I will make the 47 mile trek to St. Augustine to enjoy an Oak Plank Oven Grilled Steak at The Creekside Dinery in St. Augustine, but that is not my usual place to eat - and I bet your customers are the same way.

Years ago I served time (read: held a job) in the marketing department for a commercial real estate firm and learned some pretty interesting facts. Most traditional retail business measure the demographics in 1, 3, and 5 mile radius loops around their location. Small retailers (including restaurants) will draw the majority of their customers from people who work and live within that range. Big box retailers and national restaurant franchises draw from a larger area, however a concentration of their business is still very likely within a 10 mile radius. That’s probably no surprise to you - but did you tell your web designer?

When you are laying out your website, do you include neighborhoods, towns, nearby places to be included? If not you may be missing the boat. If you have a mobile business, is your service area limited to a section of town? Include that on your website.

Help your customers find you when they are looking by including “clues.” The search “italian restaurant jacksonville, fl” turns very different results than “italian restaurant san marco jacksonville, fl” even on the Google map. In the past I have discussed the idea that you can include a ZIP code in the Google search and get VERY TARGETED results.

Some creative ways to include neighborhood information:

On your Find Us page include directions from nearby areas where you may attract business. In Jacksonville it may be:

  • From Jacksonville Beach …
  • From Atlantic Beach …
  • From Arlington …
  • From Orange Park..

Or how about including a nearby thoroughfare or large neighborhood?

  • Conveniently located near Queens Harbor Country Club just off Beach Blvd

What about the nearby towns - this is especially great when you have many small townships close together

  • Proudly serving our customers in Green Cove Springs, Penny Farms and Middleburg for more than 20 years.

And this isn’t just for RESTAURANTS, either. It can work for the Hardware Store, the Florist or any other kind of brick and mortar business that attracts customers to their location. And even mobile businesses that work a specific area:

  • Our mobile detailers serve Downtown Jacksonville, The Southbank and San Marco

Even for me, in SEO consulting, I am not actually limited to a geographic area, but certainly clients really like that I am nearby and I will be working harder to let folks know that I am available in the small towns around Jacksonville, too. If you search Google for SEO Orange Park (which is the next closest town) we show up in the Google Local Results - not because our office is in Orange Park (yet) but because no other SEO companies are in the Google Local listings with addresses in Orange Park.

Google Local results are really local — unless you are geographically close to me, the results you see typing in SEO Orange Park are not the same results I see - not on the Google Map and not on the Organic SERPS and not in the Pay Per Click. Yes, even Pay Per Click can be localized. (More on that later).

If you do not have enough customers beating down the door to your local business (and are there really ever enough?) you really should think about how you can leverage the Google Local and Google Map to draw more traffic in. And oh, by the way, Yahoo and MSN have local search now, too. So don’t forget them as part of your efforts.

I purchased this online quick training on how to get your business on the Google Map in 4 hours. The information is solid, the presentation could be laid out better, and I will be updating my next client listings  based on several tips in the training.

How do you know if you need a “Local” presence for your website, here is a really simple test.

  • Are the products and services you provide useful or usable for customers in your area?
  • Do you have a cash register / service log to ring up walk-in transactions?
  • Do you deliver, install, or provide mobile service customers in your area?

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions. You may want to seriously consider making your website more “Local”

What companies may not benefit from “Local” … Companies that don’t offer any walk in services and never have direct in-person contact with clients may not need Local. For instance Amazon.com - they serve an international office and don’t need local visitors.

What about B2B? Well you probably do still need to think about local. While you are selling to a Business, it is still a person that is researching to find the products and services you offer.

The old saying seems most appropriate now … Think Globally - Act Locally.

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Direct Marketing - Old School Style

Published
by
Michelle
on April 19, 2009
in Marketing
. 0 Comments

I just wish I had a camera with me today, sadly, I didn’t. The kids on the corner had a “Lemonade Stand” - they weren’t selling lemonade, but the sentiment was still the sign. It was perfect, and of course I had to stop the car and buy.

The kids were all holding handwritten signs - and the message was very clear.

“If You’re Thirsty, Stop”

I was thirsty, so I stopped.

Is your message clear?

Do you tell your customers what to do?

Is the call to action actually doable?

Think about the message that your clients are receiving - in person, on the phone, in correspondence, in advertisements, collateral material, email ? The next time you create a campaign - of any kind - check yourself.

My attorney told me the other day that a contract was not written to be clear between the parties - it is written to be clear by the third party / judge / mediator who may eventually have to interpret it. The same message applies: BE CLEAR. Just because you and your team think its great - doesn’t mean the customer will.  Ask the customer - test the message - try it out.

Claude Hopkins’ amazing book Scientific Advertising, though written more than 70 years ago, is still relevant today. I found a public domain copy of Scientific Advertising that you can download. If you have not read it, you should.

In a time where seconds count, be clear, be concise and tell your customers what you want. Just remember, if you’re thirsty, stop.

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Social Networking, Why Freaking Bother?

Published
by
Michelle
on April 18, 2009
in social networking
. 0 Comments

I had the privilege this week to be the guest speaker at the Jacksonville Women’s Network quarterly dinner, and the topic was on Social Networking for Business. I began the evening with the question: “How many of you have used Social Networking ?”… and I was met with a variety of responses, but the most fun being … “what is Social Networking?” Truth be told, I did omit the word ONLINE from the question, but only to prove a point. Social Networking is something humans do (unless they live in complete isolation) every day, with many other humans.

Social Networking is simply connecting with other humans - for a plethora of reasons: fun, pleasure, connections, relationships, business, marketing, profits, friendship, love, desire, greed, help. We do it in our words, actions, remarks. Social Networking can be witnessed around water coolers and coffee pots at work; or at the milk cooler at the super market; or even in the carpool line at school. We are natural networkers, we belong in social groups, and most of us thrive in social groups and wilt when those groups are taken away.

Clients tell me that Social Networking is going to take too much time, it is not profitable, they are being bothered by people they don’t even know, and in many instances it just seems like an intrusion. All valid points.

Keep in mind that the only difference between Social Networking in Person and Online Social Networking is that the tools, programs and computers have reduced the time lapse required to connect with the people we want to. (And if you choose, you can LEVERAGE these virtually free tools, too).

So, Why Freaking Bother?

Frankly, you don’t have to do it. There is no law requiring it, and if you feel that social networking is just a fad, you can ignore it. There is lots of garbage to deal with when you are “doing” social networking, and the technology amplifies that. On sites like Facebook where you can be Cherry Bombed, Lil Green Patched or Passed A Drink … it sometimes feels a bit overwhelming.

I spotted Drew Barrymore on TV yesterday and she said that she really didn’t want to “Facebook”, because if she hadn’t spoken to her friends in 20 years, there was probably a reason. That may be true for many others, too. OK, no problem, just don’t do it.

On the other end of the spectrum is Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk), now crowned the King of Twitter. And he himself was in awe of the idea that folks want to follow him. But in an interview with Oprah Winfrey (@oprah) he conveyed the idea that social media now gives one person the voice of the mass media. A single voice can be heard and can make a difference.

My prediction is that Social Networking is NOT a fad. It may ebb and flow as the years pass, and it will become more a part of what we do with all kinds of mobile tools. Personal Computers didn’t turn out to the be passing fad that IBM once thought they were either.

So again, Why Freaking Bother?

I give my clients 3 specific reasons to consider Social Networking aka Social Media for their busines

  1. Monitor and manage your business reputation.
  2. Open new communication channels with your customers - to reach them where they are.
  3. Create PR and Branding opportunities to attract new customers.

In my next posts I am going to address each of these in-depth and I welcome your comments and conversations about Online Social Networking for Business. And if you haven’t yet heard about “Domino’s Pizza ’s two idiots and a video camera” - you may want to brush up for reason number one.

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