Tags |
|
|
Links |
|
|
Casual Articles - Seven Marketing Questions You Should Ask Before You Get A 10 Year Old To Build Your Website
We've all been wondering what's Google trying to do. Why is Microsoft so afraid of them. Why Eric Schmidt joined the Apple Board of Directors.Let's go back in time for a moment and see how they started: The company founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, were not terribly fond of each other when they first met as Stanford University graduate students in computer science in 1995. And although they argued about every topic they discussed, the two founders started working on a search engine called BackRub, named for its unique ability to analyze the "back links" pointing to a given website.In 1998 they finally hit the jackpot and got $100.000 from Andy Bechtolsheim, one of the founders of Sun Microsystems. He made a check out to Google, Inc. Nice, you might say. But Google, Inc didn't existed back then. Ultimately they brought in a total initial investment of almost $1 million.The Google Search Engine launched in
5. How are you going to get people to come back to your site?
On average, four out of five website visitors will never come to a website. And if they only stay 68 seconds, it’s going to take you several lifetimes to become an internet millionaire. To get people to come back you need to do several things:
• Have sufficient quantity and quality of content, that the visitor will bookmark your site to come back for more
• Continually add to and change the content to make visitors want to come back
• Provide special offers to your subscribers that will encourage them to revisit your website
If your website never changes, why would anyone want to come back?
6. How are you monitoring going to monitor the results of your website?
No-one can guarantee what is going to work for you. Therefore you have to measure your statistics. A good webhost will provide you with a statistics package that will tell you how many visitors you have had, when they visited, how they found you and what they did at your site. When you make an offer, make a change to your site, or undertake some marketing campaign, whether online or offline, check the response on your stat
In my day to day training of sales professionals, many who are mediocre at best and failing at worst continue to resist some simple testing and measuring tools for determining what they are doing that is working and what they are doing that is not working. The most common excuse I hear is that they don’t have time. However, when the most successful sales professionals in the world subscribe to testing and measuring, I have a lot of difficulty accepting this lame excuse. Making the same mistakes over and over takes infinitely more time than determining what is working and what is not working and adjusting your activities accordingly.I ran across this little gem this weekend. It really brought into focus how most of us live our lives. The only problem is that many of us are stuck in Chapters, 1,2, and 3, never reaching Chapters 4 and 5. It wasn’t very long ago that I could have written this myself. Through trial
1. What is the purpose of your website?
In business, there are three main types of websites:
• the brochure site
• the lead generator site
• the online shop
The brochure site is an online support to your offline marketing. You will refer to it in your ads, because you pay for ads by the square inch, and acres are cheap on the internet. You will refer to it in your Yellow Pages ads, your business cards and your brochures. An online presence will give you a credibility that your competitors without a website (getting fewer every day) don’t have. But in the end it is just an online version of a tri-fold a printer might do for you. There is nothing wrong with a brochure site, if this is all you want in your marketing plan.
The next step up is a lead generator site. Unlike a brochure site, you want it to generate business on its own. You want people to find your site while browsing on the internet, and having seen your site, feel compelled to call or email you. After that contact is made, hopefully a sale will follow.
The last option is that your website is a storefront where visitors to your site can actually purchase products and services. In other words, after finding your site, and viewing your content, they are compelled to “click here” to make a purchase.
There is a fourth type of website- the vanity site. But financial rewards are rarely connected to this type of site.
Of course a website may be a mixture of these three (or four) types, but unless you have defined your business model, the purpose of your site, it will be a waste of electrons.
2. How will people find your site?
You already know there are 4 billion sites, so the likelihood that a buyer will find it by chance are somewhat remote. And if you calculated the cost per lead on that basis, you would never build such a site. Your business website exists only for one purpose, to make you money- irrespective of the business model. It must pay its way. So if no-one visited your site, why would you pay for it to exist?
Therefore, you must have a strategy to ensure people know your site exists and that there is a reason they should visit it. How can you do that? There are two basic strategies, offline and online.
An offline strategy is based on all your offline marketing- ie advertising, public relations, networking and cold calling. In every case you would refer leads to your website where they can find out more about what you can do for them, and why they should choose you. Your website would build on your offline promotions giving further details of your service, educating your customer and creating credibility for your business.
An online strategy will be built around visibility. The key elements of this are:
• Search Engine Optimisation
• A strategy to get links to your website
• Online advertising
3. What are you going to do to make visitors linger at your site?
The average website visit is 68 seconds. How many widgets do you expect to sell in that time? You must have a strategy to make people linger at your site, get to know you and see the value you can give them.
The three secrets for making people linger are CONTENT, CONTENT, CONTENT.
To get visitors to stay, you need to give them information that they want. This will not be information about you (at least not on the home page). Your goal should be to educate your visitor. Give them information they will not get elsewhere on how to solve the problem that caused them to search for you in the first place. If you website is just sales hype, your visitors will be gone in a lot less than 68 seconds.
4. What do you want visitors to do once they are at your site?
Many would say- “Buy lots of stuff from me.” Well, in your dreams! Most people will not buy from you, or call you on the first visit to your site. They don’t know you (unless an offline relationship has been established). And unless you are selling a commodity, that is the same on every site- eg CD’s, and you are competing on price, you need to be able to establish a relationship. To do this, you need to give visitors a reason to give you a way to stay in contact. This could be by way of a newsletter, or through a free download of information requiring their email details. When you do this, it is essential you provide an unsubscribe option, because otherwise you will be spamming. And there are no rich spammers (although I believe there are rich people selling spam technology).
5. How are you going to get people to come back to your site?
On average, four out of five website visitors will never come to a website. And if they only stay 68 seconds, it’s going to take you several lifetimes to become an internet millionaire. To get people to come back you need to do several things:
• Have sufficient quantity and quality of content, that the visitor will bookmark your site to come back for more
• Continually add to and change the content to make visitors want to come back
• Provide special offers to your subscribers that will encourage them to revisit your website
If your website never changes, why would anyone want to come back?
6. How are you monitoring going to monitor the results of your website?
No-one can guarantee what is going to work for you. Therefore you have to measure your statistics. A good webhost will provide you with a statistics package that will tell you how many visitors you have had, when they visited, how they found you and what they did at your site. When you make an offer, make a change to your site, or undertake some marketing campaign, whether online or offline, check the response on your stati
There isn't a day that goes by that I don't receive some sort of announcement about an awards competition. We get so many, in fact, that I have created a special place on my website where you can learn about what opportunities are awaiting.http://www.womeninpackaging.org/With all the awards programs out there, how many of you incorporate that into your marketing plan? Yes, I know it’s a lot of work but the benefits you reap outweigh the effort invested. What can an award do for you besides making you feel good? For a start it can lend instant credibility to your or your company. Just think about the words "award winner." Doesn't that sound important? Wouldn't you like to see that phrase beside your name? Awards make a good visual to. If you are given permission, use the award’s logo or banner in your promotional material or on your website.So, how do you utilize the award and promote
The next step up is a lead generator site. Unlike a brochure site, you want it to generate business on its own. You want people to find your site while browsing on the internet, and having seen your site, feel compelled to call or email you. After that contact is made, hopefully a sale will follow.
The last option is that your website is a storefront where visitors to your site can actually purchase products and services. In other words, after finding your site, and viewing your content, they are compelled to “click here” to make a purchase.
There is a fourth type of website- the vanity site. But financial rewards are rarely connected to this type of site.
Of course a website may be a mixture of these three (or four) types, but unless you have defined your business model, the purpose of your site, it will be a waste of electrons.
2. How will people find your site?
You already know there are 4 billion sites, so the likelihood that a buyer will find it by chance are somewhat remote. And if you calculated the cost per lead on that basis, you would never build such a site. Your business website exists only for one purpose, to make you money- irrespective of the business model. It must pay its way. So if no-one visited your site, why would you pay for it to exist?
Therefore, you must have a strategy to ensure people know your site exists and that there is a reason they should visit it. How can you do that? There are two basic strategies, offline and online.
An offline strategy is based on all your offline marketing- ie advertising, public relations, networking and cold calling. In every case you would refer leads to your website where they can find out more about what you can do for them, and why they should choose you. Your website would build on your offline promotions giving further details of your service, educating your customer and creating credibility for your business.
An online strategy will be built around visibility. The key elements of this are:
• Search Engine Optimisation
• A strategy to get links to your website
• Online advertising
3. What are you going to do to make visitors linger at your site?
The average website visit is 68 seconds. How many widgets do you expect to sell in that time? You must have a strategy to make people linger at your site, get to know you and see the value you can give them.
The three secrets for making people linger are CONTENT, CONTENT, CONTENT.
To get visitors to stay, you need to give them information that they want. This will not be information about you (at least not on the home page). Your goal should be to educate your visitor. Give them information they will not get elsewhere on how to solve the problem that caused them to search for you in the first place. If you website is just sales hype, your visitors will be gone in a lot less than 68 seconds.
4. What do you want visitors to do once they are at your site?
Many would say- “Buy lots of stuff from me.” Well, in your dreams! Most people will not buy from you, or call you on the first visit to your site. They don’t know you (unless an offline relationship has been established). And unless you are selling a commodity, that is the same on every site- eg CD’s, and you are competing on price, you need to be able to establish a relationship. To do this, you need to give visitors a reason to give you a way to stay in contact. This could be by way of a newsletter, or through a free download of information requiring their email details. When you do this, it is essential you provide an unsubscribe option, because otherwise you will be spamming. And there are no rich spammers (although I believe there are rich people selling spam technology).
5. How are you going to get people to come back to your site?
On average, four out of five website visitors will never come to a website. And if they only stay 68 seconds, it’s going to take you several lifetimes to become an internet millionaire. To get people to come back you need to do several things:
• Have sufficient quantity and quality of content, that the visitor will bookmark your site to come back for more
• Continually add to and change the content to make visitors want to come back
• Provide special offers to your subscribers that will encourage them to revisit your website
If your website never changes, why would anyone want to come back?
6. How are you monitoring going to monitor the results of your website?
No-one can guarantee what is going to work for you. Therefore you have to measure your statistics. A good webhost will provide you with a statistics package that will tell you how many visitors you have had, when they visited, how they found you and what they did at your site. When you make an offer, make a change to your site, or undertake some marketing campaign, whether online or offline, check the response on your stat
Referral Rewards Let’s go through a list of rewards you could give people for referring you business. (Please read the Special Report on “Automatic Success” to understand the psychology behind this – it’s available in your Immortal Members Area under “Sales”)There are two ways to reward. 1. For referrals whether you sell them or not 2. For referrals where you make the saleI encourage you to have systems for both. And like much of what’s on the list below, you need to know your numbers to successfully use some of these methods I am about to share.If you want to make each referral gift stay on the profitable side, you need to know –Cost per leadCost per appointment (if you have this in your sales process)Cost per saleThe Marketing Analysis Calculator spreadsheet I prepared for you in the Software > Free Software of your Immortals Memb
Therefore, you must have a strategy to ensure people know your site exists and that there is a reason they should visit it. How can you do that? There are two basic strategies, offline and online.
An offline strategy is based on all your offline marketing- ie advertising, public relations, networking and cold calling. In every case you would refer leads to your website where they can find out more about what you can do for them, and why they should choose you. Your website would build on your offline promotions giving further details of your service, educating your customer and creating credibility for your business.
An online strategy will be built around visibility. The key elements of this are:
• Search Engine Optimisation
• A strategy to get links to your website
• Online advertising
3. What are you going to do to make visitors linger at your site?
The average website visit is 68 seconds. How many widgets do you expect to sell in that time? You must have a strategy to make people linger at your site, get to know you and see the value you can give them.
The three secrets for making people linger are CONTENT, CONTENT, CONTENT.
To get visitors to stay, you need to give them information that they want. This will not be information about you (at least not on the home page). Your goal should be to educate your visitor. Give them information they will not get elsewhere on how to solve the problem that caused them to search for you in the first place. If you website is just sales hype, your visitors will be gone in a lot less than 68 seconds.
4. What do you want visitors to do once they are at your site?
Many would say- “Buy lots of stuff from me.” Well, in your dreams! Most people will not buy from you, or call you on the first visit to your site. They don’t know you (unless an offline relationship has been established). And unless you are selling a commodity, that is the same on every site- eg CD’s, and you are competing on price, you need to be able to establish a relationship. To do this, you need to give visitors a reason to give you a way to stay in contact. This could be by way of a newsletter, or through a free download of information requiring their email details. When you do this, it is essential you provide an unsubscribe option, because otherwise you will be spamming. And there are no rich spammers (although I believe there are rich people selling spam technology).
5. How are you going to get people to come back to your site?
On average, four out of five website visitors will never come to a website. And if they only stay 68 seconds, it’s going to take you several lifetimes to become an internet millionaire. To get people to come back you need to do several things:
• Have sufficient quantity and quality of content, that the visitor will bookmark your site to come back for more
• Continually add to and change the content to make visitors want to come back
• Provide special offers to your subscribers that will encourage them to revisit your website
If your website never changes, why would anyone want to come back?
6. How are you monitoring going to monitor the results of your website?
No-one can guarantee what is going to work for you. Therefore you have to measure your statistics. A good webhost will provide you with a statistics package that will tell you how many visitors you have had, when they visited, how they found you and what they did at your site. When you make an offer, make a change to your site, or undertake some marketing campaign, whether online or offline, check the response on your stat
Perhaps you have thought about the possibility of work from home, well, this is a great idea and is becoming more popular everyday, people want to stay at home and spend more time with their children, if you are looking for work at home opportunities, you can find all type of jobs and options available.As many people have done, you can also find great job at home opportunities and make some extra money or even create your own financial freedom. Now what? first of all, you need to know that there are many key factors that everyone and anyone need to consider when deciding what online business would be the right one for them.Sure, you have researched all the possibilities and the next step is to choose the opportunity that allow you to save a lot of time, a lot of money and a lot of heartache. I have spoken with many people who have spent a lot of time and money before finding the right job at home o
To get visitors to stay, you need to give them information that they want. This will not be information about you (at least not on the home page). Your goal should be to educate your visitor. Give them information they will not get elsewhere on how to solve the problem that caused them to search for you in the first place. If you website is just sales hype, your visitors will be gone in a lot less than 68 seconds.
4. What do you want visitors to do once they are at your site?
Many would say- “Buy lots of stuff from me.” Well, in your dreams! Most people will not buy from you, or call you on the first visit to your site. They don’t know you (unless an offline relationship has been established). And unless you are selling a commodity, that is the same on every site- eg CD’s, and you are competing on price, you need to be able to establish a relationship. To do this, you need to give visitors a reason to give you a way to stay in contact. This could be by way of a newsletter, or through a free download of information requiring their email details. When you do this, it is essential you provide an unsubscribe option, because otherwise you will be spamming. And there are no rich spammers (although I believe there are rich people selling spam technology).
5. How are you going to get people to come back to your site?
On average, four out of five website visitors will never come to a website. And if they only stay 68 seconds, it’s going to take you several lifetimes to become an internet millionaire. To get people to come back you need to do several things:
• Have sufficient quantity and quality of content, that the visitor will bookmark your site to come back for more
• Continually add to and change the content to make visitors want to come back
• Provide special offers to your subscribers that will encourage them to revisit your website
If your website never changes, why would anyone want to come back?
6. How are you monitoring going to monitor the results of your website?
No-one can guarantee what is going to work for you. Therefore you have to measure your statistics. A good webhost will provide you with a statistics package that will tell you how many visitors you have had, when they visited, how they found you and what they did at your site. When you make an offer, make a change to your site, or undertake some marketing campaign, whether online or offline, check the response on your stat
Publishing ezines brings several advantages that you can benefit from. If you like what the ezine can do for you then publishing your own will be a good marketing technique. The first and most appealing reason to start an ezine is that anyone can do it. You do not need to be a publisher or from the publishing industry. Anyone, regardless of industry and background, can start an ezine and be successful at it. Since everything happens in the digital world there is no cost associated as with regular publishing. You just need to be able to type and have an internet connection to start publishing an ezine.What you will need, only to make the job less cumbersome, is software called "autoresponder". This software will act as your secretary and do all the menial tasks for you. It will manage your contact list, also called opt-in list, send follow up emails, and once you have a new issue of the ezine out you simply tell the autore
5. How are you going to get people to come back to your site?
On average, four out of five website visitors will never come to a website. And if they only stay 68 seconds, it’s going to take you several lifetimes to become an internet millionaire. To get people to come back you need to do several things:
• Have sufficient quantity and quality of content, that the visitor will bookmark your site to come back for more
• Continually add to and change the content to make visitors want to come back
• Provide special offers to your subscribers that will encourage them to revisit your website
If your website never changes, why would anyone want to come back?
6. How are you monitoring going to monitor the results of your website?
No-one can guarantee what is going to work for you. Therefore you have to measure your statistics. A good webhost will provide you with a statistics package that will tell you how many visitors you have had, when they visited, how they found you and what they did at your site. When you make an offer, make a change to your site, or undertake some marketing campaign, whether online or offline, check the response on your statistics, and the conversions that you have achieved on your site. Do controlled experiments. Don’t change too many things at one time, because you will never know what caused the change. Find out what works, and what doesn’t. And when you find a good thing, stick to it!
7. Are you really going to trust your 10 year old nephew to do all this?
You may not be using your 10 year old nephew, you may be using a graphics design company instead. But don’t confuse determining your website business model and marketing strategy with the colour and movement of your website graphics. As a general rule of thumb, the flashier the website, the worse it is commercially. (Check out eBay and Amazon- how flashy are their sites? But is there a clear business strategy?) You will need someone to do the html programming, but almost certainly, someone who is good at that will not be good at everything else. A website is just another marketing tool. Like a brochure. Would you get your printer to write your advertising copy?
I don’t suggest that you should not use a great website design company (or even your precocious nephew) to build your website, but don’t let them be in charge of your marketing!
Copyright 2005 Empower Business Solutions
HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
<a href="http://www.casualarticles.com/article/70153/casualarticles-Seven-Marketing-Questions-You-Should-Ask-Before-You-Get-A-10-Year-Old-To-Build-Your-Website.html">Seven Marketing Questions You Should Ask Before You Get A 10 Year Old To Build Your Website</a>
BB link (for phorums):
[url=http://www.casualarticles.com/article/70153/casualarticles-Seven-Marketing-Questions-You-Should-Ask-Before-You-Get-A-10-Year-Old-To-Build-Your-Website.html]Seven Marketing Questions You Should Ask Before You Get A 10 Year Old To Build Your Website[/url]
Related Articles:
Promotion Conference Bags And Carrier Bags
Enter Data Online - Work From Home Benefits and Drawbacks
7 Easy Ways to Improve the User Experience in Your Website
Bookmark it:
|