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Casual Articles - 21 Must-Have Web Site Elements
As IT specialists, a big way to differentiate yourself is to make sure that you're branding your company. Focus on selling your company name with its new industry twist. In this article, you'll learn why branding your company is so important for IT specialists.Don't go in flashing the certifications and vendor logos because that reduces you to a commodity. Sure, they can be part of your background information and something you can talk about, but don't lead with that-you are IT specialists. Concentrate on marketing and selling YOUR brand and the unique industry-specific value that your firm brings to the table.Filling Unfulfilled NeedsAnother great way to differentiate yourself is to find an underserved local niche and dominate it. How do you find these local niches and dominate them? It's a matter of just asking around.Where to Find Your Industry Twist<
13. Focus-specific information. If you are a specialist in a certain industry, like health care, then there'd better be health care information throughout the site (you don't want to look like a poser).
14. News releases. The Internet is the No. 1 research tool for journalists today, so include news releases, fact sheets, firm backgrounders and longer executive biographies in one area.
15. Public speaking. List upcoming and past speaking engagements with industry and civic groups. This promotes your reputation as an expert and will also help you garner invitations for future speaking engagements.
16. Job postings. Create positive, upbeat descriptions of the stars you attract to your firm.
17. Key employee bios. Keep these short -- 50-100 words. Longer bios belong in the news release section.
18. Client base. This can be tricky, but it's important. If it is appropriate in your field to list marquee clients, by all means do so. If this is inappropriate, then describe the types of clients you work for in general terms (e.g., "A Fortune-500 Manufacturer of Paper and Consumer Products").
19. Case studies. Our focus groups tell us most pr
According to the results of a study presented at the annual conference of the British Psychological Society in April 2005, more than one in eight people admit to being bullied at work, and ganging up against the boss - often a middle manager - is on the increase. But what are ‘bullying behaviours’, and how can you tell if you yourself are being bullied?According to the trade union AMICUS in their publication ’Bullying at work: How to tackle it’, the type of workplaces where bullying is more prevalent are those where one or more of the following factors exist:• An extremely competitive environment• Fear of redundancy or downsizing• Fear for one’s position of employment• A culture of promoting oneself by putting colleagues down• Envy among colleagues• An authoritarian style of management and supervision• Frequent organisational ch
A top priority for any firm that competes in the professional services or technology space is to create an easy-to-update Web site that demonstrates your competence. As the Internet matures, content is slowly becoming more important, but it's amazing how many sites for such firms simply assert how great the company is, rather than helping prospective clients.
According to our best-practices research, the three most common client seduction Web site errors are: sites that are too busy; sites that feature little more than lengthy company histories and other information important to the company itself; and worst of all, a site devoid of meaningful, useful, how-to information. Without how-to information, a Web site is just a glorified electronic brochure. Client seduction is defined as the art of wooing and winning clients by giving away valuable information.
From a best-practices standpoint, here are 21 must-have elements for a superior Web site that begins the client seduction dance:
1. A clear positioning statement. Tell prospective clients, in as few words as possible, what you do, whom you do it for and what results you achieve. If you have a proprietary process or an extraordinary guarantee, this is the time and place to mention it.
2. Free resources. The key to earning your prospective clients' trust is to demonstrate that you know how to solve their problems in general. They will hire you to solve specific problems. With that key fact in mind, your Web site should be filled with how-to articles, white papers and special reports that give away valuable information.
3. Declare your specialization. The No. 1 attribute prospective clients hunt for is specialization, so put yours right up front. No successful small firm is "all things to all people"; figure out who you serve, and how, and put that information on the front page. Be sure also to describe the outcomes you achieve, such as decreased costs or increased revenues.
4. Mission and philosophy. According to our focus groups, you should include a mission statement, but keep it short and meaningful. Clients say they don't really care that much about mission statements, but if you can use one to further differentiate yourself, it's a good idea to do so.
5. Contact information. Don't make your prospective clients work to find you. Put your phone number on every page. Make it easy for prospective clients to e-mail you with requests for more information or a meeting. And definitely consolidate all of your contact information on one page, including address, fax numbers, and so on.
6. Map and driving directions. If prospects ever visit your location, then you must include a map and driving directions to your office. This will not only save you time, but is also another reason to have prospective clients poking around your Web site.
7. E-mail subscription link. Forrester Research studies show that converting prospects into clients via e-mail is 20 times more cost-effective than using direct mail. Once you capture their e-mail, why waste first-class postage? Offer prospective clients solid reasons for giving you permission to e-mail them: free reports, studies, white papers or notifications of key Web site updates. And of course, state clearly that subscribers can easily opt out of your list whenever they want.
8. On-demand materials (PDF). What happens if a prospective client wants to tell someone else about you? The problem with a beautiful Web site is that is usually doesn't look so beautiful when the pages are printed. The way around this is to offer professionally designed PDFs, readable with the free Acrobat Reader. But don't just offer a standard capabilities brochure; we recommend your menu has a how-to guide or tips brochure that includes capabilities information.
9. Proprietary process. After specialization, clients look for a specific problem-solving process. You should create this process, name it, trademark it and describe it with reverence on your Web site.
10. Seminar information. The best lead generation topic you can employ is the seminar, briefing, workshop and/or round table discussion. Focus on the biggest problems that you solve for clients. Your Web site should prominently list upcoming seminars (to promote attendance) and past seminars (to promote your reputation as an expert).
11. Privacy policy. In a confidential business? Then by all means have a clear privacy policy that states you will never share contact information with anyone else.
12. Legal disclaimer and copyright notice. For ideas on legal disclaimers, look in the front on any nonfiction business advice book published today. You will see language that says the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional service and the information is for educational purposes. And protect your intellectual property -- your site content and free resources -- by taking advantage of de facto copyright laws. Post a standard copyright notice.
13. Focus-specific information. If you are a specialist in a certain industry, like health care, then there'd better be health care information throughout the site (you don't want to look like a poser).
14. News releases. The Internet is the No. 1 research tool for journalists today, so include news releases, fact sheets, firm backgrounders and longer executive biographies in one area.
15. Public speaking. List upcoming and past speaking engagements with industry and civic groups. This promotes your reputation as an expert and will also help you garner invitations for future speaking engagements.
16. Job postings. Create positive, upbeat descriptions of the stars you attract to your firm.
17. Key employee bios. Keep these short -- 50-100 words. Longer bios belong in the news release section.
18. Client base. This can be tricky, but it's important. If it is appropriate in your field to list marquee clients, by all means do so. If this is inappropriate, then describe the types of clients you work for in general terms (e.g., "A Fortune-500 Manufacturer of Paper and Consumer Products").
19. Case studies. Our focus groups tell us most pro
08/31/06The 16 Deadly Business Start-Up Blunders!Avoid these blunders, beat the odds and live your dream:Blunder # 1: Choosing a type of Business that you do not Truly Like – but others make money in itBlunder # 2: Failure to find your Niche (eg: Selling an identical product or service that the large chain stores sell)Blunder # 3: Underestimating the initial total Capital Investment required to get the Business off the groundBlunder # 4: Failure to have a Realistic Written Business Plan drawn up at startupBlunder # 5: Failure to set up a Workable Referral Network prior to opening the business- a free sales force for your businessBlunder # 6: Under-Pricing your product or serviceBlunder # 7: Lack of Outsourcing of some business functions to othersBlunder # 8: Misclassifying Employees as SubcontractorsBlunde
2. Free resources. The key to earning your prospective clients' trust is to demonstrate that you know how to solve their problems in general. They will hire you to solve specific problems. With that key fact in mind, your Web site should be filled with how-to articles, white papers and special reports that give away valuable information.
3. Declare your specialization. The No. 1 attribute prospective clients hunt for is specialization, so put yours right up front. No successful small firm is "all things to all people"; figure out who you serve, and how, and put that information on the front page. Be sure also to describe the outcomes you achieve, such as decreased costs or increased revenues.
4. Mission and philosophy. According to our focus groups, you should include a mission statement, but keep it short and meaningful. Clients say they don't really care that much about mission statements, but if you can use one to further differentiate yourself, it's a good idea to do so.
5. Contact information. Don't make your prospective clients work to find you. Put your phone number on every page. Make it easy for prospective clients to e-mail you with requests for more information or a meeting. And definitely consolidate all of your contact information on one page, including address, fax numbers, and so on.
6. Map and driving directions. If prospects ever visit your location, then you must include a map and driving directions to your office. This will not only save you time, but is also another reason to have prospective clients poking around your Web site.
7. E-mail subscription link. Forrester Research studies show that converting prospects into clients via e-mail is 20 times more cost-effective than using direct mail. Once you capture their e-mail, why waste first-class postage? Offer prospective clients solid reasons for giving you permission to e-mail them: free reports, studies, white papers or notifications of key Web site updates. And of course, state clearly that subscribers can easily opt out of your list whenever they want.
8. On-demand materials (PDF). What happens if a prospective client wants to tell someone else about you? The problem with a beautiful Web site is that is usually doesn't look so beautiful when the pages are printed. The way around this is to offer professionally designed PDFs, readable with the free Acrobat Reader. But don't just offer a standard capabilities brochure; we recommend your menu has a how-to guide or tips brochure that includes capabilities information.
9. Proprietary process. After specialization, clients look for a specific problem-solving process. You should create this process, name it, trademark it and describe it with reverence on your Web site.
10. Seminar information. The best lead generation topic you can employ is the seminar, briefing, workshop and/or round table discussion. Focus on the biggest problems that you solve for clients. Your Web site should prominently list upcoming seminars (to promote attendance) and past seminars (to promote your reputation as an expert).
11. Privacy policy. In a confidential business? Then by all means have a clear privacy policy that states you will never share contact information with anyone else.
12. Legal disclaimer and copyright notice. For ideas on legal disclaimers, look in the front on any nonfiction business advice book published today. You will see language that says the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional service and the information is for educational purposes. And protect your intellectual property -- your site content and free resources -- by taking advantage of de facto copyright laws. Post a standard copyright notice.
13. Focus-specific information. If you are a specialist in a certain industry, like health care, then there'd better be health care information throughout the site (you don't want to look like a poser).
14. News releases. The Internet is the No. 1 research tool for journalists today, so include news releases, fact sheets, firm backgrounders and longer executive biographies in one area.
15. Public speaking. List upcoming and past speaking engagements with industry and civic groups. This promotes your reputation as an expert and will also help you garner invitations for future speaking engagements.
16. Job postings. Create positive, upbeat descriptions of the stars you attract to your firm.
17. Key employee bios. Keep these short -- 50-100 words. Longer bios belong in the news release section.
18. Client base. This can be tricky, but it's important. If it is appropriate in your field to list marquee clients, by all means do so. If this is inappropriate, then describe the types of clients you work for in general terms (e.g., "A Fortune-500 Manufacturer of Paper and Consumer Products").
19. Case studies. Our focus groups tell us most pr
Do you know the five things to ask your Yellow Page representative? You should, because they determine a lot about your advertising. How about the best type of headline? Okay, what about ad costs? How much should you be spending? Still in the dark? You’re not alone. Most business people know little about a media that’s been around over 100 years and is a fixture in every consumer’s home. But it’s not your fault.If you’re a typical advertiser, you get the bulk of your information each year when your YP rep comes around. Depending on how efficient they are, they will pass on all the salient data needed to make an educated decision. But what if they fail to tell you something valuable? How do you even know that you’re missing anything at all? Let’s move on.Is the headline really all that important? Well, most times it is the first
6. Map and driving directions. If prospects ever visit your location, then you must include a map and driving directions to your office. This will not only save you time, but is also another reason to have prospective clients poking around your Web site.
7. E-mail subscription link. Forrester Research studies show that converting prospects into clients via e-mail is 20 times more cost-effective than using direct mail. Once you capture their e-mail, why waste first-class postage? Offer prospective clients solid reasons for giving you permission to e-mail them: free reports, studies, white papers or notifications of key Web site updates. And of course, state clearly that subscribers can easily opt out of your list whenever they want.
8. On-demand materials (PDF). What happens if a prospective client wants to tell someone else about you? The problem with a beautiful Web site is that is usually doesn't look so beautiful when the pages are printed. The way around this is to offer professionally designed PDFs, readable with the free Acrobat Reader. But don't just offer a standard capabilities brochure; we recommend your menu has a how-to guide or tips brochure that includes capabilities information.
9. Proprietary process. After specialization, clients look for a specific problem-solving process. You should create this process, name it, trademark it and describe it with reverence on your Web site.
10. Seminar information. The best lead generation topic you can employ is the seminar, briefing, workshop and/or round table discussion. Focus on the biggest problems that you solve for clients. Your Web site should prominently list upcoming seminars (to promote attendance) and past seminars (to promote your reputation as an expert).
11. Privacy policy. In a confidential business? Then by all means have a clear privacy policy that states you will never share contact information with anyone else.
12. Legal disclaimer and copyright notice. For ideas on legal disclaimers, look in the front on any nonfiction business advice book published today. You will see language that says the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional service and the information is for educational purposes. And protect your intellectual property -- your site content and free resources -- by taking advantage of de facto copyright laws. Post a standard copyright notice.
13. Focus-specific information. If you are a specialist in a certain industry, like health care, then there'd better be health care information throughout the site (you don't want to look like a poser).
14. News releases. The Internet is the No. 1 research tool for journalists today, so include news releases, fact sheets, firm backgrounders and longer executive biographies in one area.
15. Public speaking. List upcoming and past speaking engagements with industry and civic groups. This promotes your reputation as an expert and will also help you garner invitations for future speaking engagements.
16. Job postings. Create positive, upbeat descriptions of the stars you attract to your firm.
17. Key employee bios. Keep these short -- 50-100 words. Longer bios belong in the news release section.
18. Client base. This can be tricky, but it's important. If it is appropriate in your field to list marquee clients, by all means do so. If this is inappropriate, then describe the types of clients you work for in general terms (e.g., "A Fortune-500 Manufacturer of Paper and Consumer Products").
19. Case studies. Our focus groups tell us most pr
There's no getting around it. Training is costly. Corporations have to train their employees, of course, in order for them to work most efficiently and productively. But there's no sense in sending employees to training, if they learn very little while they are there. That is just a waste of money.To a corporation, sending employees to ineffective training creates the following situation:• it costs them money for the initial, ineffective training• the employee usually has to take time out of work for the training, which makes things difficult for the corporation while they are gone• when the employee comes back, the corporation may not at first realize that the employee still needs further training — and until they figure this out, the employee operates in an unproductive, inefficient manner, costing the corporation more time and money• The corpor
9. Proprietary process. After specialization, clients look for a specific problem-solving process. You should create this process, name it, trademark it and describe it with reverence on your Web site.
10. Seminar information. The best lead generation topic you can employ is the seminar, briefing, workshop and/or round table discussion. Focus on the biggest problems that you solve for clients. Your Web site should prominently list upcoming seminars (to promote attendance) and past seminars (to promote your reputation as an expert).
11. Privacy policy. In a confidential business? Then by all means have a clear privacy policy that states you will never share contact information with anyone else.
12. Legal disclaimer and copyright notice. For ideas on legal disclaimers, look in the front on any nonfiction business advice book published today. You will see language that says the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional service and the information is for educational purposes. And protect your intellectual property -- your site content and free resources -- by taking advantage of de facto copyright laws. Post a standard copyright notice.
13. Focus-specific information. If you are a specialist in a certain industry, like health care, then there'd better be health care information throughout the site (you don't want to look like a poser).
14. News releases. The Internet is the No. 1 research tool for journalists today, so include news releases, fact sheets, firm backgrounders and longer executive biographies in one area.
15. Public speaking. List upcoming and past speaking engagements with industry and civic groups. This promotes your reputation as an expert and will also help you garner invitations for future speaking engagements.
16. Job postings. Create positive, upbeat descriptions of the stars you attract to your firm.
17. Key employee bios. Keep these short -- 50-100 words. Longer bios belong in the news release section.
18. Client base. This can be tricky, but it's important. If it is appropriate in your field to list marquee clients, by all means do so. If this is inappropriate, then describe the types of clients you work for in general terms (e.g., "A Fortune-500 Manufacturer of Paper and Consumer Products").
19. Case studies. Our focus groups tell us most pr
Franchising companies have her responsibility to insure that their trademarks are not infringed upon. Just because a franchise company has properly registered the service Marks and trademarks with the proper state and federal agencies does not mean that some one will not try to use such Marks without permission.There is no way that a franchisor can be in all places at once to insure no one has stolen their name. However, a franchisor also has a supreme advantage in that they have franchisees all over the country who can look out for such things. It is for this reason that I decided to address this issue in our franchise agreements for my company;3.11.3 Name InfringementFranchisee will promptly notify Franchisor of any unauthorized use of any of the Marks or any colorable variation thereof, by third parties. Franchisee will promptly notify Franchisor of any cla
13. Focus-specific information. If you are a specialist in a certain industry, like health care, then there'd better be health care information throughout the site (you don't want to look like a poser).
14. News releases. The Internet is the No. 1 research tool for journalists today, so include news releases, fact sheets, firm backgrounders and longer executive biographies in one area.
15. Public speaking. List upcoming and past speaking engagements with industry and civic groups. This promotes your reputation as an expert and will also help you garner invitations for future speaking engagements.
16. Job postings. Create positive, upbeat descriptions of the stars you attract to your firm.
17. Key employee bios. Keep these short -- 50-100 words. Longer bios belong in the news release section.
18. Client base. This can be tricky, but it's important. If it is appropriate in your field to list marquee clients, by all means do so. If this is inappropriate, then describe the types of clients you work for in general terms (e.g., "A Fortune-500 Manufacturer of Paper and Consumer Products").
19. Case studies. Our focus groups tell us most prospective clients aren't particularly interested in case studies because they believe specific cases don't apply to them and their own problems. A better approach is to take information out of a case study and turn it into a how-to article.
20. Referral mechanism. Your Web designer can easily include a feature that makes it easy for someone to refer your Web site to a friend or associate.
21. Contact mechanism. The purpose of the Web site is to let prospects check you out and then contact you. Have a device that makes it easy for them to do so.
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