Archive for September 2010
In order for your small business website to gain the attention and traffic you need to start attracting more customers, it needs to be visible. By visible, I mean visible to search engines. While you may have great content, it might not be on Google’s radar.
The best way to get higher search engine rankings is to use search engine optimization strategies. One great way to use SEO is to have a blog on your website, where you post content once a day, filled with useful keywords and backlinks.
David Rothschild, director of marketing at Insight Forge (a San Francisco SEO consultant company), wrote a great brief on Focus.com. He focused on some key points for using SEO in your blog posts.
Use the tips below for your blog posts to create greater visibility and drive traffic to your website.
SEO Blog Writing Tips
- Create linkable content: Page Rank and search engine standings are in part determined by the number of incoming links from content specific sites. These “linkbacks” are most helpful if they are coming from high traffic sites related to the keywords you are attempting to optimize for.
- Become an authority: Use your blog as a means to establish your site as an authority in your industry.
- Fill the Gaps: If you know there are gaps in available information for your industry, then attempt to create posts to fill in the blanks.
- Create a Conversation: Find other bloggers in the same space and write posts that respond to topics they bring up. If you get yourself in the mix of established “topic specific” bloggers, your own credentials will benefit.
- Keep a Narrow Focus: Write a post with the knowledge that you will use a specific keyword in the post title and specific keywords throughout the post copy.
- Make it easy to digest: Social media plays a major role in generating incoming links and readership for your blog. Make sure to write articles that are easy to read and informative for someone who may not be directly involved in the industry.
- Be yourself: Despite the fact that you are intentionally creating search engine friendly content, it is critically important to be yourself. This means writing about industry specific topics that you find compelling and writing in your own voice.
- Feel free to be creative: Feel free to throw out standard SEO blogging conventions and write a post for your own purposes. Just having fresh content in the ballpark of your industry will benefit your search engine standings.
How To Convert More Customers
Posted on: September 29, 2010
Say you have a great product, a regularly updated blog, and pretty good web content, but you just can’t figure out why customers are getting to the purchase page, and bailing at the last minute.
You need a strategy to keep those customers from panicking and deserting your business website at the last minute. What qualities does it take for a customer to make a commitment and purchase the product of their interest? From your website?
These qualities are trustworthiness, transparency, credibility, and brand awareness. Much of this can come from high-value content, but you really need to pay attention to details throughout your website.
Transparency is key
Every aspect of your website should project trustworthiness. Have real contact information. Include a personal photo. Have seals and banners for anti-hacker technology and a seal for the Better Business Bureau on your purchase page. Post a blog everyday, not just once a week. Create a help section that actually addresses real customer issues.
These tactics make life easier for the customer, which is your ultimate goal. Customers look for products that aim to solve their problems. Be a strong, viable solution for them.
Why are customers so hesitant?
Customers have developed a high awareness of sales tactics. This causes anxiety in the general consumer population for high-involvement purchases. All of us have been scammed or disappointed after making a purchase from an unscrupulous business. These experiences compound and give consumers purchase-anxiety.
Consumers second-guess their judgments all the time when it comes to making purchases. Don’t give them any reason to mistrust you or hesitate. Your customer testimonials are a huge asset in this realm. Be transparent, trustworthy, and credible. Answer questions and don’t hesitate to follow up with customers who have expressed interest but never taken initiative.
Customer cases and referrals work. That is a fact. However, there is a certain tactic you can use to write a customer case so that it appeals to a potential customer personally, as opposed to focusing on the benefits of your product or service.
When consumers consider making a purchase, they generally trust information they receive through their peers, or word-of-mouth marketing, over information distributed by the company. This is where social media comes in. By using social media to distribute customer testimonials that are actually relevant to other people, you will actually gain credibility as opposed to being dismissed as another sales call.
Focus on the customer
So the main point here is to focus on the customer in the testimonial, not the product. What sort of challenges was your customer facing? What were his or her needs? Thoughts? Hesitations? The main focus in your testimonials should be how your product or service improved your customers quality of life, rather than what benefits he or she received from the purchase.
Building trust and credibility is the only way to see successful results from social media marketing. Because social media is simply an aggregate conversation, your input into the conversation needs to be a genuine human interaction, not a sales pitch.
If your testimonials are informing, true, and valuable, they will help build brand loyalty and also inspire word of mouth marketing. You will gain credibility and eventually convert more customers than if you were simply posting beneficial factors of your product.
You need to focus on offering value to our readers. Solve people’s problems, tackle challenges they face. This will help you more in the long run than perfecting a sales pitch. Testimonials stand out to readers; people are able to personally identify with real-life stories.
Social Media is earning its own segment in business’s marketing and advertising strategies across the globe. Businesses are adding entire departments in order to narrow their focus on social media marketing.
The success rates of social media marketing are so high that several marketing experts have done case studies on large corporations that are using Facebook and Twitter to gain exposure and drive traffic to their websites.
One such case study was done on McDonalds by Anthony Deacon:
McDonalds is a prime example of how the use of the ties between mass social media can result fantastic results. Something as simple as launching chicken for breakfast, under the slogan “who came first – the egg or the chicken”, proved that anything can go ‘viral’ on the internet. By looking at the following key objectives McDonalds teaches us that anyone can turn around how many people are exposed to them.
1. Driving Traffic
It is no secret that being a top search hit on Google drives traffic to your website. McDonald’s approach is proof of this. They used social media, micro blogging, social bookmarking, online media, blog relations, and online video all to drive users to their website and Facebook event. Specifically the use of multiple social media sites to reach all users resulted in a total of 162 million impressions due to the human web. Think about it for your business, if you like a link then all your friends can see it – what happens if just two of your friends also like the link and so forth. This is the realization that many businesses need to come to when sharing their digital presence with the community at large.
2. Inciting Debate
As aforementioned it is important to encourage self-expression in online communities. Traffic routed from the Facebook fan page to the whatcamefirst.com site, resulted in more than 45,000 visitors when they held their ‘Facebook event.’ True Success.
3. Bolstering Reputation
It is no secret that McDonalds has been faced with some issues with global health experts tarnishing the reputation of the company. Harnessing community engagement is a simple way for McDonalds to open a forum to share that they are doing to fix the problems associated with their company.
So the point is, in order for your small business to succeed, you need a social media marketing strategy. Your social media interaction will build your brand, and encourage your consumers to interact with the company on a more personal level, rather than a relationship solely based on simple buy-sell transactions.
Vesta Digital is proud to announce that IntelBuilder website platform now offers an ability to create unlimited social media websites for one flat monthly fee. IntelBuilder Website Platform integrates all aspects of online marketing tools and brings them into one powerful web based application.
Online Marketing with Social Media
Social media can do a lot to increase your company’s audience and awareness. It’s all about building and tapping into the specific industries and communities that fit your target audience. Successful social marketing isn’t as simple as installing a set of apps and regular Facebook updates. A lot of companies rush into blogging by creating a Blog on a free, 3rd party service instead of integrating it into their existing site. Social media is a long-term process and therefore should be one of the primary structural components of the website, not an add-on.
As Artem Gassan, president and CEO of Vesta Digital, points out “Having your company website should be a core business tool that builds trust; social media efforts with clearly defined objectives help complete the picture”.
Benefits and Key Features of IntelBuilder Website Platform
IntelBuilder solutions are both easy to use and robust to meet the needs of any business. The platform is offered at a very competitive price, flexible and scalable to offer additional functionality. It is also a turnkey solution that offers businesses a platform to manage a website, publish content, maintain a blog that is part of website, and distribute content across many social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogger and WordPress. The visibility and exposure of your content increases over 200%.
With the unlimited websites feature of the IntelBuilder platform, users are now able to create as many websites as needed while paying one flat monthly fee.
About Vesta Digital
Vesta Digital is a South Florida Software as a Service (SaaS) company providing web-based software and business solutions to help businesses establish brand recognition and increase search engine visibility and website traffic.
Vesta Digital is proud to announce that IntelBuilder website platform now offers an ability to create unlimited social media websites for one flat monthly fee. IntelBuilder Website Platform integrates all aspects of online marketing tools and brings them into one powerful web based application.
Online Marketing with Social Media
Social media can do a lot to increase your company’s audience and awareness. It’s all about building and tapping into the specific industries and communities that fit your target audience. Successful social marketing isn’t as simple as installing a set of apps and regular Facebook updates. A lot of companies rush into blogging by creating a Blog on a free, 3rd party service instead of integrating it into their existing site. Social media is a long-term process and therefore should be one of the primary structural components of the website, not an add-on.
As Artem Gassan, president and CEO of Vesta Digital, points out “Having your company website should be a core business tool that builds trust; social media efforts with clearly defined objectives help complete the picture”.
Benefits and Key Features of IntelBuilder Website Platform
IntelBuilder solutions are both easy to use and robust to meet the needs of any business. The platform is offered at a very competitive price, flexible and scalable to offer additional functionality. It is also a turnkey solution that offers businesses a platform to manage a website, publish content, maintain a blog that is part of website, and distribute content across many social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogger and WordPress. The visibility and exposure of your content increases over 200%.
With the unlimited websites feature of the IntelBuilder platform, users are now able to create as many websites as needed while paying one flat monthly fee.
About Vesta Digital
Vesta Digital is a South Florida Software as a Service (SaaS) company providing web-based software and business solutions to help businesses establish brand recognition and increase search engine visibility and website traffic.
You can find great business advice all over the web. You can learn how to start a small business, market your business, and expand your business. Some of the best tips I’ve personally learned have been tips from small business blogs and forums.
If you are interested in starting your own business, the most comprehensive list of startup tips can be found at SCORE, Counselors to Americas Small Business. For example, SCORE offers a 6-step strategy to succeeding in small business.
Below are the 6 steps to setting up your small business for success:
1. Start Smart.
Identify a niche. Don’t compete to be the lowest cost provider. Look for what makes your product or service unique and adds a special value for the client and charge for that value. Every business has many facets. Start with what you know and like; start a business that has meaning to you. Keep in mind that we don’t know what the future holds, many of the jobs and businesses of tomorrow don’t exist today. You can create your own success.
Now is the time to dream. To start smart, you should like the idea of the business. The way to earn a good income and build wealth is by serving clients well, making their life better in some way—it’s more than filling a need in the marketplace. To succeed you want to test the idea to make sure your potential clients like the idea too.
2. Set up Systems.
The most basic system every business should have is a good financial system. Ask yourself how am I going to generate enough income to support my family and myself? Begin here. Put together a personal budget, so you know what it costs you to live. Now, you can move on to the business budget and sales planning, so you can see how many sales you need to break even and make a profit. The start-up expense plan, operating budget and your accounting software are vital to your success.
3. Seek out Sales.
The daunting question is how do you go about seeking out your first sale. Recognize that since you don’t have a big ad budget to be seen by everyone, you need to target a niche and get connected in your market community, be it local, regional or national. You need other people selling for you—not employees—affiliates. Get out and talk to as many people as you can. Join organizations that would have clients for your product or service. Become a visible part of your market, and then ask for the sale. You begin the sales process with people that you know. Yes, it’s okay to start with friends and family as your first customers, and then broaden from there.
4. Aim for Growth.
The basic tenant of creating a company is that you own the company. You are not just creating a job for yourself. It’s less risk and less investment to get a job. Building a business is creating a company that is more than the job itself. Think about the future. How large do you want the company to be in terms of sales, net profit and employees? Your answer to each of these questions will influence how you grow. There are varying costs and profits associated with growth. It’s important to make a deliberate choice early about how you want to grow your company.
5. Leverage Opportunities.
Good luck. Good fortune. Good timing. All play a part in business. As a business owner, be very clear about your core focus for the business and how it serves clients. Your core business is what pays the bills. Then, as an entrepreneur you are about opportunity. When you see a potential opportunity or stroke of luck measure it against your core business focus. Good fortune is great, when it matches your vision for the business. Always consider if a good opportunity is the right fit for your business. If something looks great, but it’s not in sync with your long-term plan and budget, think carefully before committing your company’s resources.
6. Plan Your Exit.
Someday you may want to sell your business or retire from business. Today, ask yourself what’s next? How can I have an asset in the future that someone will buy? If you are going to sell someday, you have to have something to sell—a plan, vision, business on the books, equipment and systems. Whether you have been in business for one week, one year or 15 years—look ahead to what the business itself will be as an asset. Your business has value, value you are creating today. To sell or distribute equity in the business you need to have it down on paper and keep good financials. Know the worth of your business, so you can know the value it can bring to your future wealth and/or retirement.
A business website can use search engine optimization in two ways:on-page and off-page. Simply put, on-page SEO is the process of makingphysical content changes to your website to help its search enginerankings. Off-page SEO is the process of posting links to yourwebsite on other sites outside of your own to drive traffic to yourwebsite.
Intentionally building links can be a tricky process because the main thing you want to avoid is being labeled a spammer. By leaving 10 different links on the same website, you risk being blocked and labeled as a spammer, which immediately compromises your credibility. There are a few ways to circumvent this problem and build valuable links at the same time.
Find Related Websites
Find websites that relate to your product or your industry. If they have a blog or forum, or really anywhere you can post a comment, post one! By engaging in conversation you are well on your way into improving your credibility and contributing value to the industry as a whole. At the end of whatever (valuable) comment you post, feel free to leave a link to your own business website to encourage the continuation of the conversation.
Use Social Media to Your Advantage
Social media is basically one condensed conversation about the industry of your choice. Join (or “Like”) a group that relates to your product or service. For example, if you sell athletic equipment, visit other groups on Facebook that sell similar equipment. Talk about new products that are coming out on the market. Talk about products you feel are underrated that you genuinely feel people should try. Truly try to engage in conversation. Afterward, leave a link to your own business website so people can see the validity behind your opinions.
Why it Works
Is this process time consuming? Absolutely. Does it work? Absolutely. There is no better advertising than consumer conversation. If you engage in social media as well as other forms of consumer conversation, you gain the ability to not only build links to your website, but gain insight as to what consumers truly feel about the market your in. You can find out what components consumers are dissatisfied with, and make changes. These changes can do nothing but help your business grow and improve.
Essentially you’re killing two birds with one stone. You are building your company’s credibility while also driving traffic to your website. In addition to building credibility – you are separating yourself in consumers’ minds from other spammers and black hat SEO’s out there.
If you own a small business and you do most of your work at home, it is likely that you are probably feeling the strain of your business costs. Here are a few easy ways to save money and allocate money where it should go – towards driving your income. Having a small business can be trying, so do what you can to make it easier for yourself.
Lesley Spencer Pyle, author of The Work-at-Home Workbook: Your Step-by-Step Guide on Selecting and Starting the Perfect Home Business for You, wrote a great article recently on Entrepreneur.com. Here are a few small tips to save money while working at home, as according to the article.
Reduce Marketing and Advertising Costs
Reducing doesn’t mean you should stop advertising. In fact, this is the time you need to get as much exposure as possible to keep customers coming in. Take advantage of free or low-cost advertising.
• Use social media marketing, such as Twitter, Facebook, and blogging channels like WordPress or LiveJournal
• Find local networking events that are easy for you to attend
• Submit press releases to free news wires like PRNewsWire
• Make phone calls to existing and potential customers, send emails with various promotional offers
Office Supplies
• Buy in bulk and share expenses with other small business owners.
• Shop on e-Bay for great deals on both office and shipping supplies.
Pay Bills Online
Paying bills online will save on the cost of checks, postage, and envelopes – you name it. It will also help you manage your time better and stay organized. Organization is the key to being efficient. Allow yourself time to take care of other things, like making money – not paying money.
Tax Deductions
It’s recommended to meet with your accountant to ensure you’re taking advantage of all tax deductions.
• Are you utilizing all possible deductions for your workspace in your home?
• Are you deducting business miles?
• Are you tracking meals and entertainment expenses?
Reduce or Eliminate Travel Expenses
It’s important in business to have a human connection. Many times we feel the need to meet in person for lunch or a meeting. One way to keep that connection but not have the expense is to take advantage of conference calls. Using a webinar service is an excellent way to connect with a group of people without paying travel expenses.
By cutting costs where it doesn’t hurt you, specifically with your marketing strategy, you can maximize your effort into improving your small business. Don’t let little things like initial business expenses take you backwards.
In theory, affiliate marketing is the fuel that powers e-commerce. Everyone wins with affiliate marketing. The company profits, affiliate marketers earn a commission, and consumers have more access to the products they are searching for.
What is Affiliate Marketing?
Many businesses expand on affiliate marketing in an effort to gain more traffic to their website and business. Affiliate marketing is the idea of rewarding other blogs or websites for every customer that is referred to the original company. So, the affiliate marketer’s priority is to bring as many visitors to the affiliate’s website as possible.
Often times, affiliate marketers sell high-involvement products that require the consumer to be educated before the purchase. Affiliate marketers are required to not only advertise and promote the product to consumers, but also begin the education process required by uninformed consumers.
Generally each individual affiliate marketer has his or her own set of regulations about how the advertising will be done. Due to the fact that there is no association or organization for the industry of affiliate marketing, there is a lot of room and flexibility in marketing methods. It is extremely cost-effective, because affiliate marketers earn a commission from converted consumers, as opposed to traditional marketing strategies that have upfront costs and financial risks.
Affiliate Marketing for your Business
If you are trying to market your small business online, you should certainly consider employing the use of affiliate marketing. The main reason being: it’s cost effective. It’s a strategy that would only cost you after you have already converted a customer. So regardless, you profit.
There are varying types of strategies a business can use to drive traffic to their sites. These strategies may include e-mail lead nurturing, or social media marketing. However, while these tactics may very well drive an increased amount of traffic to a business’s website, what does it do for converting viewers into buyers?
Affiliate marketers deliberately seek out potential customers and pitch the product to them by addressing how the product will solve whatever dilemma they are facing. This strategy allows marketing efforts to be completely focused and targeted, rather than casting a giant net out into cyberspace, hoping to catch and keep a few customers. Using affiliate marketing will allow you as a business to increase sales at a much lower cost.
