Business marketing Category

Sunday, October 16th, 2011

How to Build a Highly Converting Website

Your website needs to communicate your message in the first few seconds. Your unique selling proposition and your opt-in forms need to be easily seen without scrolling down. Conversion Rate Optimization means delivering something of value to your audience that they will want. They also need to trust you.

Your Image: Your website needs to portray a professional and credible image. This includes the design, colors, fonts and the organization of your home page. Avoid dark oppressive colors; instead use light, bright and inviting colors. Avoid a wide variety of fonts, placing text in all CAPS or reversed out fonts. You want a professional design to instill confidence. Avoid strong colors.

Use Images: Images are processed much faster than text. If you offer free shipping, create a simple graphic that includes the words “free shipping.” Free shipping is an excellent incentive to get people to purchase. Also use to build your email list with free shipping for first time customers when you sign up on our mailing list.

Right Keywords: People search for answers. People arrive to your website with a specific intent. This could be intent to learn more about a problem or a product. Others come looking to take action and are ready to buy. Different keyword phrases will indicate different levels of buyer intent.

Call to Action: Drive your visitors toward a desired action. Make it clear and highly visible. This could be to sign-up, join, call or buy now. Place your primary call to action where it can be easily seen and above the fold. It needs to be highly visible to arriving visitors. Examples of calls to action include- “Buy Now”, “Order Now”, “Join Today”, and “Sign Up For A Free Report”.

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Monday, July 18th, 2011

The Business of Doll House Miniatures

As I was wandering around downtown the other day, I came across a small shop selling doll house miniatures. I was intrigued by how this business has managed to stay alive throughout the past few challenging years. The shop was approximately 200 square feet, so rent must not be astronomically high. Although, it is in a prime downtown hotspot. The shop looked to carry a wide variety of doll house miniatures including doll house kits, doll house furniture, accessories and many types of supplies and building components used in building a dollhouse. During my visit, I noticed that the shop employed at least 2 people. I also witnessed about 6 customers browsing at the same time I was looking around the store. Dollhouses have been around for many years and I suspect they will be around for many more. A business such as this must understand their customer and make sure they are offering the right products to customers at the right prices. Moving to an internet-based business model could also be a winning strategy, especially if local customers are in short supply. I suppose it goes to show you that even businesses with a well thought-out business plan that appeal to a niche market can still do well during economically challenging times.

Friday, July 15th, 2011

Does Yellow Page Advertising Make Sense Anymore?

Should I spend $1700/month on advertising in the phone books or should I invest in online advertising? As far as I am concerned, print yellow pages are obsolete and just a waste of precious natural resources. Each year the books keep getting thinner with fewer people advertising in them.

Each year at the office whenever the directories get dropped off and they go straight to recycling. The same happens at home. I ask myself, why would anyone use the yellow pages when they have the Internet? Now online yellow pages have some value, but the printed books?

Why are print directories still around? The answer is habit. Local businesses are in the habit of buying phone book advertising and they are afraid to change.

In this age of Internet, websites, online advertising and social review websites, printed yellow page directories are a dying resource. A business gets a much better return from a great business website design or from business blog marketing.

You may ask why we keep renewing our yellow page ads. It is because we still get a few new customers from the yellow pages. We ask every new client how they found us and we still get a few who tell us they found us in the Yellow Pages. We get barely enough customers to make advertising in the yellow pages worthwhile.

What do I recommend to other business owners? Track your advertising dollars carefully. If it makes money for your company, keep doing it. If it doesn’t make you money, quickly eliminate it. Replace it with something that works for your business.

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