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5 Things You MUST Know Before You Begin Designing Your First Web Site

This is an article I wrote years ago… I find that it still applies to today’s online world.

In today’s world, if you are in business, and you want people to take you seriously, then you need a website. The common response to needing a web site is to just throw up a couple of pages about who you are and what you do and then hope for the best. Unfortunately, because everyone and their aunt does that, your website tends to look and feel like everyone else’s, and your results end up being less than stellar in their performance. Before you put your first page out on the Internet, it is important to have a well-planned Internet Business Strategy. To improve your chances of receiving more exposure and business for your website, you should know these 5 important things before you ever begin to design your first web page.

1) Who is your target audience?
This isn’t just the generic term like “my target audience is people with money to spend”, but who is your target audience really? What are their likes and dislikes? What kind of words and phrases are their “hot buttons”? What are their fears, and what kinds of problems do they have? What services to they require in addition to yours? If you don’t have an answer to any one of these questions, then you don’t really know your target audience enough to target your website specifically to them.

2) What makes you different than anyone else in your field?
You are a unique individual and have your own special way of serving your clients. Why would someone want to do business with you instead of your competition? Remember, people buy experiences along with […]

By |June 3rd, 2015|Website Development|0 Comments
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How Would BtoB Service Oriented Businesses Market Their Services Online?

Business to Business (B2B) service oriented businesses tend to have different marketing needs compared to (Business to Consumer) B2C and product oriented companies.  As a result, their online marketing efforts take on a slightly different focus than the other type of businesses.  So how would a B2B business approach online marketing online?  Below lists a few different area on how a service oriented business would focus their online marketing efforts to get the most return on investment.

 

1) SEO – Search Engine Optimization

This is still a very effective method to get more exposure for and traffic to your website therefore generating more leads for your business.  Ranking for specific keywords is powerful because you are able to specifically target your marketing based on the keywords people use to find your services.  If they come to your website from the search engines using your targeted keywords, you can be certain they are interested in your services.  Once they get to your website however, you still have to convert the visitors into leads and customers.  There are many web conversion tactics that are outside the scope of this article that you can engage in which will increase your percentage of ‘converted’ visitors on your website.

 

2) Social Media

Social media is a very powerful way of connecting with your target market.  For B2B businesses, it is very imperative to know which networks will work best for your because not all networks are the same.  In my experience, I have found that while Facebook can be a great resource for generating leads, it depends upon the type of business you have and who your target audience is.  For more BtoB service oriented businesses, LinkedIn is usually a better solution because […]

By |April 15th, 2013|Marketing|0 Comments
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Lead Conversion and Tailored Content – Better Web Conversion?

In reading a  ChiefMarketer.com article I ran across, I had an interesting idea.  The article (link shared below), discussed using content, such as ebooks, webinars and teleseminars, and whitepapers to generate leads.  Although the article didn’t specifically mention it, you can use any form of content including articles, videos and audios/podcasts/internet radio shows as well.  The whole point of using this content is to inspire opt-ins into the sales funnel.

The whole point of this article, and it makes a good point at this, is that when you get the opt-ins and leads, from using these methods, you need to realize that the prospect is usually not ready to buy at this time.  They are in the research phase.  The know they have a problem, but they don’t know which direction to turn in to solve it.  So it’s not about selling the prospect once you get the lead information, but about supporting the prospect into realizing that your service is what they are looking for.  So what are the keyword in the last sentence?

1) Support

2) Service

You support the prospect because by sharing with them the information they require be able to know where to go to solve their problem.  If you share the information from a true mindset of service, you will naturally attract those to you that are your ideal target market and then guide those that aren’t part of your target market onto someone who would love to serve that segment of the market.  This is the “wealth is in the few” mentality that comes from having an abundant mindset of knowing there is plenty for everyone.

So how is this done?  Adding personalization through experiences and stories is usually a great way to […]

By |June 24th, 2012|Marketing|0 Comments
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How to Know If You Need An Internet Business Strategy

Having an online presence is one thing,  Having an active online marketing tool is another.  What is the difference?

Online Presence:
An online presence can be something as simple as a website.  Many websites are online brochures that aren’t set up of for active marketing.  These kind of websites can be used for branding your business, but the only way your target market is going to see it is if you happen to send people there personally.

An online presence is the starting point for a business if their target market is found online.  Unfortunately most businesses stop here and don’t go any further.  They know they need to be online, so the put up a website and they think they’re done.

An Active Online Marketing Tool:
When you web presence is an active marketing tool for your business, this is another ball-game altogether.  An active online marketing web presence is something that is generating continuous leads and business from your website.  Your target market finds your website and calls you up, or purchases your product or service without you having to send anyone there on your own.

So how do you, as a business owner, know if you need to have an Internet Business Strategist on your team before you move forward?

You should serious look into investing in an online business strategist if you:

  1. Are looking to add additional services to your online business, or are looking to change services.
  2. Need to get more traffic to your website and aren’t sure how to go about it
  3. Want to get more business from the traffic you are currently getting
  4. Want to incorporate Social media marketing and you want to keep using your traditional marketing methods.
  5. Want to rank better in the search engines
  6. Want to generate […]
By |April 22nd, 2012|Internet Business|0 Comments
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Internet Strategy Tips for More Traffic

Getting more traffic to your website is not about a tactic, or an activity… it is about an overall Internet strategy.  There are many ways to get traffic to your website and many

different kinds of traffic as well to send to your website as well.  Before you begin your journey of getting more traffic to your website, you will need to be clear about who you are marketing to and how you intend to get your web presence out there in the Internet.

1) Keywords for SEO traffic:

When you understand your target market, you will know the keywords that they are using to try to find you and your products or services.  This is one of the most important yet basic pieces of your online strategy.  Knowing your target market to this degree will give you the ability to not only know things like the keywords, but also knowledge like how much your target market will be willing to pay for your products and services, and what kinds of value propositions that would get them to buy… but I digress.

2) Know which social networking mediums your target market hangs out on:

You need to get your website in front of your target market.  The popularity of social media means that there is a good chance that your target market is on one or more of the social media platforms.  You will also need to understand how your target market would tend to use this social media platform so you can know which marketing tactics, if any, will be effective on this social media platform. […]

By |April 16th, 2012|Internet Business|3 Comments
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3 Tips on Converting Web Traffic Into Sales

It is one thing to get a lot of traffic to your web site, but if you aren’t receiving any benefit from your traffic, then you have to ask yourself what needs to be changed in your online strategy.  If you want to generate sales from your web site then there are a number of things you must have in place in order to convert the traffic that comes to your website into sales.  In this posting, I will discuss 3 things that can make a significant difference in the response rate of your web site.

1 – Narrow your target market

The more focused your target market is, the easier it is to connect to your target market because it becomes easier to communicate directly to them in their language and emotionally connect to their needs.  For example if your business focuses on serving women’s needs, you would need to narrow that market down because women in general are so diverse.  They are in different stages in their lives, different cultural groups, different socio economic groups, different hobbies, interests, and different goals.

A better target group would be newly married working women with children on the way and a combined household income of over $100,000.  This target market has specific needs that can be directly addressed in your marketing material and on your website.  Addressing this market with content, images, videos and other forms of medium can really build a powerful enough message that will encourage your website visitors to connect with you.

2 – Concentrate on what you offer your target market

After you have thoroughly researched your target market, you will know their issues, problems and desires.  The thing that will get your target market interested […]

By |March 19th, 2012|Internet Business|1 Comment
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Is Your Web Presence Road Kill on the Information Superhighway?

Let’s face it…. Long gone are the days when you could launch a website, do some occasional blogging or random marketing and expect to see a decent amount of traffic from your inconsistent efforts.  It worked in the early days however now when it comes to the Internet and getting your web presence to effectively bring in clients and customers, you need to have a strategy in place that will allow your efforts to continually build upon each other to create an effective marketing tool for your business.

So what is Internet road kill?  For the most part, it’s a revenue generating website doesn’t fulfill it’s intended purpose.  If you have a website intending to create more business and it isn’t doing so, then it’s Internet road kill.  Your website traipsed upon the information superhighway and got run over by the machinations of the Internet.  The good news is that unlike real road kill, you can bring your website back from the dead.

So what are some of the things you can do to resurrect your website to something more than a post-apocalyptic reanimated mindless flesh-eating zombie drone?  (How marginally clever!  I put website and zombie in the same sentence without it referring to a website about zombies).  Implementing the following 3 tips will put you on the right track and can raise your website up from the remnants of a 7 day old squashed animal carcass baking on the asphalt of a hot summer day.

1)   Strengthen your website’s connection to your target market

Are you still connecting strongly to your target market?  As your business grows and changes/expands/contracts, your target market can change as well.  What […]

Related terms:

By |March 4th, 2012|Marketing|0 Comments
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5 Steps to a More Effective Website

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Having a website is certainly a necessity in today’s business environment.  However, if you want to have your website become more than an online brochure and be an active marketing partner for your business, you as a business owner need to make your website an effective lead generating tool.  So what are the differences between a standard online marketing brochure and a website that generates revenue?  Here are 5 steps to a more effective website.

1) Get a more narrowly focused section of your target market.

The more focused your target market is, the better you can connect with then.  People make decisions emotionally and justify it intellectually.  The more similarities your target market has, the easier it is to emotionally connect with your market through words, niche phrases, images, colors, offers, etc.  An example is if you are selling insurance, and focus on Gen Y’s vs. 2 income family Gen Y’s with small children who live in single family homes in urban areas.  As you can see, Gen Y’s are a very diverse group that have very different needs and interests, so by more narrowly focusing on the group, you will be able to more easily connect with the needs of your target market and communicate how you can serve their needs.   If you serve a more diverse market, separate your market into more narrowly focused groups and change your website to add landing pages that address each of these markets.  This step alone should increase the response rate of your website.

2) Include the most pressing problems your products/services solve/alleviate

It should be prominently displayed/communicated on your website about […]

By |January 22nd, 2012|Website Development|0 Comments
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How do I get my web presence to generate more business?

Sign up for our free web conversion webinar on how to get more business from your website!

This is a very common question that really has several parts to it.  Overall, generating more business can mean 1 of 2 different things, or both things together.  The first step is to have an overall business strategy.  You will need to decide on a target market and connect to that market.  Who is it you love to serve?  That passion will show itself on your web site, and that is what gets the clicks, phone calls, sales, email signups, etc.  That passion cannot be communicated to your target market if it isn’t there.

Another factor in generating more business from your web presence is being very aware of where your traffic is coming from.  What is your strategy for placing your links out on the web?  Random link exchanges and placing your links on directories that are filled with junk websites will not bring you visitors worth anything.  Those links may get you some search engine ranking clout, but in the long run, it’s what you receive is not worth the effort it takes to do all of that insignificant directory submissions.  4 or 5 good, quality and targeted directories will give you better results than 300 poor quality general directories.  So take the time up front to develop your strategy before you move forward on some random tactic here and there.

So what are the steps to generating more business?

  1. Determine your target market – the more defined and the smaller the better.  – you will be able to more easily connect with that market when it shares more characteristics in common.  Find out as much as you […]
By |December 5th, 2011|Marketing|0 Comments
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Are your website visitors leaving as soon as they get to your website?

Your website is your online chance to connect to your target market.  It is the chance to influence them to follow your call to action to have them call your sign up for your mailing list or even purchase something.  So if your visitors are leaving as soon as they get to your website, then you are leaving business on the table.

A website metric that you want to pay attention to is something called the bounce rate.  The bounce rate is the percentage of people who leave your site on the same page that the landed on your site…. so basically what that means is they come to your website, look at the page for about 5 seconds and then hit the back button or enter another URL in the browser address bar.  A bounce rate of about 75% means that 3 out of every 4 people who come to your website leave as soon as they land on your website.  This isn’t a good rate.  You want to get your bounce rate down to below 30%.

What could be going on with a high bounce rate?

  1. Your traffic is not targeted at all.  People are coming to your website and expecting something else entirely.
  2. Your traffic is targeted and whatever page your visitors are landing on, they don’t feel connected to your website, or like they can get what they need from your website.

You can place a form on your website asking visitors if they have found what they are looking for.  That should give you some insight into your target market and what they are expecting, or what they feel is missing from your website.  The information gathered from this informal survey will help you […]

By |November 27th, 2011|Website Development|0 Comments
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