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Casual Articles - Helping Your Visitors: a State of Mind
There is a growing public perception that companies are ignoring health and environmental concerns in their quest to maximise profit and in doing so they ignore other equally important issues such as environmental concerns and local communities. You only need to watch the news to see another company being fined for destroying the environment or the rainforests to achieve higher profits.Business such as the co-op offer a real alternative for people concerned with these issues and with businesses that combine a strong ethical dimension in tandem with making profits. With corporate social responsibility the new buzz word, businesses need to have ethical values that are embedded in their company, the way they operate, and seek to make a contribution towards local communities where they a
And to write a homepage that really and truly is there to help the visitor above all else, we first have to un
As a small business operator, personal checks may be one method to receive payment for your goods or services. As a way to receive payment, a personal check is actually better than credit cards because the fees are less and there can be no charge back.Fortunately, most people are honest and studious in taking care of their checking account. But sooner or later every small business operator will receive a bad check. The first thing to do is politely contact the individual and give them an opportunity to make the check good.Most times you'll find that the customer has simply been careless with their checking account or finances. They will probably be embarrassed about the incident and will immediately replace the check with a good one. Unfortunately, there are rare occasions whe
It means writing your sites, newsletters and emails in such a way as to help each visitor achieve his or her goal.
That may sound like a simple task, but it isn’t. Before you can write in a way that helps your visitors, you have to recognize and achieve a number of things.
1. Recognize that websites are hard to navigate
Even the simplest site is a lot harder to figure out than a catalog or magazine. We all know how to “use” a catalog. Start at the front cover and keep turning the pages. Same deal for every catalog you touch. It has always been that way and always will be.
If only it were that simple with a website. Unfortunately that’s not the case. With every new site we visit, we have to “learn” how it works, how its “pages” turn, how to find what we are looking for.
The fact that no two sites are exactly the same creates a roadblock or speed bump for each new visitor. When they arrive at your site they have to pause, look around and figure out exactly how this “catalog” works.
Recognize this moment of difficulty and you’ll see that the text on your homepage has to be very clear and has to help direct the visitor forward to the information he or she is looking for.
2. Understand what it is your visitors are looking for
We may pay lip service to being “visitor-centric,” but all too often our homepages primarily serve the needs of the organization, or even our own egos.
We carve up the real estate of the page to represent the different stakeholders in the company. Or we thrust our own views on design upon the visitor. Internal politics and ego are just two of the things that make it even harder for a first-time visitor to figure out how to find what she’s looking for.
And to write a homepage that really and truly is there to help the visitor above all else, we first have to und
Investor sentiments are a very crucial issue for any company. If the investor confidence is high, the share price of the company soars. If the investor confidence weakens, the value of the stock plummets. Therefore, it is crucial for a company to keep its investors in mind before taking important decisions and to maintain a flawless management quality.The recent spate of corporate scandals has sent investor confidence plummeting to an all time low. Mismanagement in companies like Enron and World Com left the national exchequer poorer by around $80 billion. As recent studies have shown, companies rated high in good management practices had higher returns than those rated low on the same parameters.Many investors use their savings, including pension funds, to purchase shares in
Even the simplest site is a lot harder to figure out than a catalog or magazine. We all know how to “use” a catalog. Start at the front cover and keep turning the pages. Same deal for every catalog you touch. It has always been that way and always will be.
If only it were that simple with a website. Unfortunately that’s not the case. With every new site we visit, we have to “learn” how it works, how its “pages” turn, how to find what we are looking for.
The fact that no two sites are exactly the same creates a roadblock or speed bump for each new visitor. When they arrive at your site they have to pause, look around and figure out exactly how this “catalog” works.
Recognize this moment of difficulty and you’ll see that the text on your homepage has to be very clear and has to help direct the visitor forward to the information he or she is looking for.
2. Understand what it is your visitors are looking for
We may pay lip service to being “visitor-centric,” but all too often our homepages primarily serve the needs of the organization, or even our own egos.
We carve up the real estate of the page to represent the different stakeholders in the company. Or we thrust our own views on design upon the visitor. Internal politics and ego are just two of the things that make it even harder for a first-time visitor to figure out how to find what she’s looking for.
And to write a homepage that really and truly is there to help the visitor above all else, we first have to un
Not many business owners know how to get to their target market for next to nothing, but by utilising your existing contacts that you have met through your local business networking group, it’s well within reach.How?By utilising an alliance strategy called a host beneficiaryA host beneficiary is where you offer another business owner a special gift or discount for your business for them to then pass on to their client base either via email or in person. Instead of marketing through tv, radio or the newspaper, you suddenly start marketing through your business colleagues instead.It works out a hell of a lot cheaper and more targeted when you align with the right kind of business.This strategy benefits the three parties involved, the business owner who take
The fact that no two sites are exactly the same creates a roadblock or speed bump for each new visitor. When they arrive at your site they have to pause, look around and figure out exactly how this “catalog” works.
Recognize this moment of difficulty and you’ll see that the text on your homepage has to be very clear and has to help direct the visitor forward to the information he or she is looking for.
2. Understand what it is your visitors are looking for
We may pay lip service to being “visitor-centric,” but all too often our homepages primarily serve the needs of the organization, or even our own egos.
We carve up the real estate of the page to represent the different stakeholders in the company. Or we thrust our own views on design upon the visitor. Internal politics and ego are just two of the things that make it even harder for a first-time visitor to figure out how to find what she’s looking for.
And to write a homepage that really and truly is there to help the visitor above all else, we first have to un
Successful Business Marketing means different things to different people but the bottom line is that whether you are marketing a product, a brand, the business itself or anything else, your success will depend on having a plan - and following it.Every now and then in marketing, as in life, a series of unplanned or unexpected events take place and voila! – you have an unexpected but successful outcome. For example, a mysterious foreign millionaire takes a liking to the plastic gizmo your factory produces and you suddenly land an export order worth millions.That is NOT successfull business marketing! It's nice to have it happen but it's not wise to count on for your future prosperity!For sustained successful business marketing, you must have a marketing plan in place. An
2. Understand what it is your visitors are looking for
We may pay lip service to being “visitor-centric,” but all too often our homepages primarily serve the needs of the organization, or even our own egos.
We carve up the real estate of the page to represent the different stakeholders in the company. Or we thrust our own views on design upon the visitor. Internal politics and ego are just two of the things that make it even harder for a first-time visitor to figure out how to find what she’s looking for.
And to write a homepage that really and truly is there to help the visitor above all else, we first have to un
You’ve come to the second day of the week in our examination of your yellow Page advertising. With so many elements that are tucked into your Yellow page ad, it’s not often easy to know where to start, when looking what to change or evaluate. The very first is most likely the headline. The second, although sometimes equally important, is the sub-head or sub-title. It functions as a supporter for the main headline usually offers clarification or further describes the pertinent focus of the ad itself. If your ad currently does not contain such an item, consider the following information and how it might help.Start with the headline. Assuming it’s just not your name or something banal like “Low-Cost Experts,” you can think about how the sub-head will operate. Let’s look at how they work
And to write a homepage that really and truly is there to help the visitor above all else, we first have to understand the needs of the visitor.
At this point too many people just throw up their arms and give up. “We have so many different kinds of people looking for so many different products and services, we can’t possibly write our homepage for the visitor.”
Nice excuse, but no reward.
Dell.com does it. Dell has what is probably to most visitor-centric site of all the computer manufacturers. For years now they have built a homepage that holds back on saying, “Look at us, we’re great.” Instead they devote a significant part of the page to an area where visitor can self-select.
The design and text on the page immediately recognizes that some people are looking for home computers, while others are looking for networks for local government offices. Both audiences and more are addressed. The Dell.com page says, in effect, “Yes, you’re in the right place. Yes, we can help you. Yes, self-identify and please click here so we can help you find exactly what you need.”
If they can do it, why can’t the rest of us? Why can’t we design and write homepages that are primarily created with a view to helping each visitor find what he or she wants as quickly as possible?
3. Accept that visitors scan your headings and links
You’ve done it yourself. You go to a new site and scan the page. You may read one or two headings and links in their entirety, but often you will skim over others.
Here comes excuse number two: “Hey, we have a huge site here. We have to create a large number of sub-heads
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