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Answer Upon - Is your Website Working?
I often ask clients to tell me about the management and leadership practices they use. Recently, I asked one client how he organizes priorities and plans his work.He stated that he comes in each day and hits the ground running; he's constantly putting out fires, answering questions, solving problems, etc. Sound familiar? My first question for him was "How's that working for you?"It was obvious to me that it wasn't. This pattern was not allowing him to focus on the true priorities of his job or to be proactive, yet he just laughed when I asked the question. He laughed because that simple question made a light bulb go off for him.You see, one of his goals for coaching was to improve his strategic planning and thinking. Now he could see that he was his own worst enemy to success with this goal.His day-to-day practices didn't leave room to thinking or planning strategy, and so he was sabotaging himself inst
Give the right impression
- test market your site
- your customers views are more important than your web designers or advertising agency
- will it get the searchers attention?
Be up to date
- ensure news pages are current
- check offers have not expired
- current offers must be appealing
Reflect the search terms
- if some one searches on used red ferrari, get them directly to that page
- be easy to navigate
- make sure it is easy to move about
- make menus simple and clear
Make the buying experience pleasant and rewarding. Even if the prospect is not buying, the minimum required from their visit is some personal information.
4. Retention
Customers are lost more often than not by poor service rather than quality. However, getting feedback is always difficult.
Make the feedback process rewarding and fun
- it is difficult to get feedback, so why not present the process in a way that encourages the recipient to respond
Find ways to make your satisfied customers your ambassadors
- the feedback process should be capable of rewarding the recipient for referring your products and services to other prospects
Remarket regularly; it goes without saying that this a necessity, but remarket using the method t
Of all the home businesses out there, window cleaning businesses may be one of the best kept secrets around. Most people think of window cleaning as a low paying, low potential, grunt work job, and therefore they never give it a closer look. But, in reality window cleaning is a highly profitable, low overhead, easy to start and run business.Lets take a look at what makes window cleaning such a great business to start:-Low Startup Cost You can literally get your business up and running for $100.00 or less.-Low Overhead For many window cleaners the only expenses they have are gas, and replacement cleaning supplies. The only other expense you may have is liability insurance. Insurance is not required, but is nice to have. Insurance for window cleaners runs $400 to $800 per year.-Extremely Profitable Window cleaners average between $40 to $100 dollars per hour depending upon the job and the speed of t
Before launching into a new strategy it is important to examine why you have made, or are about to make, an investment in the internet. The first question to ask is what is the objective your investment? Do you wish to:
Enhance your brand
Have an electronic advertisement
Generate competitive advantage
Change the way you do business
Attract new business
Increase sales
Reduce the cost of sale
Increase profits
Move to electronic trading
Keep up with the competition, or
Is it just an act of faith?
Your objective can be one, several, all of these, or it may be something that is not on this list. Our contention is that the objective of a commercial organizations internet strategy is to increase profits, and the route to achieve this is by identifying, attracting, winning and retaining customers profitably.
Having agreed that this is a realistic objective to pursue, does your internet strategy support this? Some answers may be:
It does and it is working
It does and is partially working
It has not been in operation long enough to have an informed judgement.
It does not!
In reality it is either working or not! Your strategy must be to deliver customers to your business, getting them to your web site is only the first step. It is vital therefore to understand the nature of the internet user today. In the UK for example (according to the Office of National Statistics) 49% of householders, 12.1m in all have access to the internet; 85% use the internet for email, and 50% use the internet for commercial transactions.
Some recent research from Penn University in the USA shows that there are no longer surfers of the internet, there are searchers - people who are actively seeking something specific. Their survey of 450000 web queries shows that overwhelmingly people use search engines to drive answers to their needs. However,
over 80% stop searching after looking at just three results
50% only enter one search
over 50% only look at the first page of results
only 19% looked at the second page of results
fewer than 10% looked at the third page
people make instantaneous judgements about whether to stay on a site, and if a site doesn't give the right impression users will bypass it
Added to this the search engine suppliers now know how to make money and are actively marketing their services. The net results are more sponsored sites, hence Pay per Click, or Cost per Click is starting to win over free listings. Other ways of driving prospects to your site such as email and banner advertising are reducing in effectiveness?.
There are many organizations that will claim to help you improve your return on investment by driving guaranteed traffic to your site. But is it the right traffic? Having 10000 visits does not guarantee business,
B. Improving the effectiveness of your internet strategy
Bearing in mind the comments above, our view is that the key to successful internet marketing focuses on the four key points below, executed in the most cost effective manner.
1. Identification
How many potential customers are actively looking to buy yours, or your competitors', products/services?
- by identifying key search words for a product or service it is possible to determine the actual number of searches over a given period
Can you increase this number?
- only half the population has a PC, but a large percentage of the population has a mobile phone
- refining search terms may give higher search numbers
How can you find out who they are?
- do your existing customers know you have a website?
- in a B2B environment you can acquire business lists, though the accuracy of these is not always good.
- in B2C lists are also available. However, if an organization can create a viral (referral) environment better quality lists can be created
- the same applies to mobile phone users
? Sources Direct Marketing Association/Iboost
What is the most effective way of contacting them; Is it email, mobile phone (voice or text), search engine optimisation pay per click, banner?
- in most cases a combination of the above is required to drive an acceptable response rate per pound invested
2. Attraction
Having identified the target market and chosen your selected contact methods how can they be attracted to your web site?
Pay per click will get them there if you have made a bid for your key words that put you near the top of the sponsored list. The question is how do you keep them there?
Banners will only be effective if they offer something different, exciting and of real value to the searcher. The same applies to other internet advertising methods.
Email can be really effective providing the mailing list has become an opt in list and if there is value for the recipient.
As far as mobile phone is concerned, avoidance of high tariff response numbers is essential.
Is there value for your existing customers to use your web site?
3. Winning
Having successfully attracted potential customers to your website, how do you get them to buy? Given the Penn University research it was never truer that you only get one chance to make a good impression. One assumes that the products or services on offer are competitive in terms of price, brand and quality, therefore your site must:
Give the right impression
- test market your site
- your customers views are more important than your web designers or advertising agency
- will it get the searchers attention?
Be up to date
- ensure news pages are current
- check offers have not expired
- current offers must be appealing
Reflect the search terms
- if some one searches on used red ferrari, get them directly to that page
- be easy to navigate
- make sure it is easy to move about
- make menus simple and clear
Make the buying experience pleasant and rewarding. Even if the prospect is not buying, the minimum required from their visit is some personal information.
4. Retention
Customers are lost more often than not by poor service rather than quality. However, getting feedback is always difficult.
Make the feedback process rewarding and fun
- it is difficult to get feedback, so why not present the process in a way that encourages the recipient to respond
Find ways to make your satisfied customers your ambassadors
- the feedback process should be capable of rewarding the recipient for referring your products and services to other prospects
Remarket regularly; it goes without saying that this a necessity, but remarket using the method th
When two people join forces, there's a certain synergy that takes place, that's why many ebusiness folks are seeking out joint ventures. What IS a joint venture (JV for short) you ask? Basically it's when you agree to form a partnership and jointly promote someone.== BENEFITS OF JV ==Here are some benefits you can realize from forming joint venture.1. EXPOSURE: You can instantly "double" the exposure of your products and services by tapping into each other's built-in audiences, business relationships, and mail lists.2. MENTORING: As partners, you'll form a powerful relationship and learn from one another. As you create plans together, each partner's specialties and knowledge will complement the others.3. FORM A DYNAMIC DUO: Being associated with other highly successful business people enhances your image and reputation. Look at the fantastic relationships that Jim Daniels, Rick Beneteau and other s
Some recent research from Penn University in the USA shows that there are no longer surfers of the internet, there are searchers - people who are actively seeking something specific. Their survey of 450000 web queries shows that overwhelmingly people use search engines to drive answers to their needs. However,
over 80% stop searching after looking at just three results
50% only enter one search
over 50% only look at the first page of results
only 19% looked at the second page of results
fewer than 10% looked at the third page
people make instantaneous judgements about whether to stay on a site, and if a site doesn't give the right impression users will bypass it
Added to this the search engine suppliers now know how to make money and are actively marketing their services. The net results are more sponsored sites, hence Pay per Click, or Cost per Click is starting to win over free listings. Other ways of driving prospects to your site such as email and banner advertising are reducing in effectiveness?.
There are many organizations that will claim to help you improve your return on investment by driving guaranteed traffic to your site. But is it the right traffic? Having 10000 visits does not guarantee business,
B. Improving the effectiveness of your internet strategy
Bearing in mind the comments above, our view is that the key to successful internet marketing focuses on the four key points below, executed in the most cost effective manner.
1. Identification
How many potential customers are actively looking to buy yours, or your competitors', products/services?
- by identifying key search words for a product or service it is possible to determine the actual number of searches over a given period
Can you increase this number?
- only half the population has a PC, but a large percentage of the population has a mobile phone
- refining search terms may give higher search numbers
How can you find out who they are?
- do your existing customers know you have a website?
- in a B2B environment you can acquire business lists, though the accuracy of these is not always good.
- in B2C lists are also available. However, if an organization can create a viral (referral) environment better quality lists can be created
- the same applies to mobile phone users
? Sources Direct Marketing Association/Iboost
What is the most effective way of contacting them; Is it email, mobile phone (voice or text), search engine optimisation pay per click, banner?
- in most cases a combination of the above is required to drive an acceptable response rate per pound invested
2. Attraction
Having identified the target market and chosen your selected contact methods how can they be attracted to your web site?
Pay per click will get them there if you have made a bid for your key words that put you near the top of the sponsored list. The question is how do you keep them there?
Banners will only be effective if they offer something different, exciting and of real value to the searcher. The same applies to other internet advertising methods.
Email can be really effective providing the mailing list has become an opt in list and if there is value for the recipient.
As far as mobile phone is concerned, avoidance of high tariff response numbers is essential.
Is there value for your existing customers to use your web site?
3. Winning
Having successfully attracted potential customers to your website, how do you get them to buy? Given the Penn University research it was never truer that you only get one chance to make a good impression. One assumes that the products or services on offer are competitive in terms of price, brand and quality, therefore your site must:
Give the right impression
- test market your site
- your customers views are more important than your web designers or advertising agency
- will it get the searchers attention?
Be up to date
- ensure news pages are current
- check offers have not expired
- current offers must be appealing
Reflect the search terms
- if some one searches on used red ferrari, get them directly to that page
- be easy to navigate
- make sure it is easy to move about
- make menus simple and clear
Make the buying experience pleasant and rewarding. Even if the prospect is not buying, the minimum required from their visit is some personal information.
4. Retention
Customers are lost more often than not by poor service rather than quality. However, getting feedback is always difficult.
Make the feedback process rewarding and fun
- it is difficult to get feedback, so why not present the process in a way that encourages the recipient to respond
Find ways to make your satisfied customers your ambassadors
- the feedback process should be capable of rewarding the recipient for referring your products and services to other prospects
Remarket regularly; it goes without saying that this a necessity, but remarket using the method t
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I decided to spend a day in the yard raking up the last of my fall leaves. Not wanting to lose my belt-clipped cell phone during the process, I removed it, placed it on the counter and did my best to corral the leaves that ultimately would fill 23 yard bags.After completing my chore, I went to retrieve my phone, but instead of finding it on the counter where I had left it, I found it submerged in the dogs water dish at my feet. It seems that the vibrating ring tone gave my cell phone just enough mobility to walk to the edge of the counter and take the plunge into the drink.Replacing the phone involved a sales procedure Im sure all marketers would like to mimic, but very few can. It involved me setting an appointment with a sales consultant who actually understood the various cell phones being offered and the service plans that were available- a 45-minute visit with the sales consultant
B. Improving the effectiveness of your internet strategy
Bearing in mind the comments above, our view is that the key to successful internet marketing focuses on the four key points below, executed in the most cost effective manner.
1. Identification
How many potential customers are actively looking to buy yours, or your competitors', products/services?
- by identifying key search words for a product or service it is possible to determine the actual number of searches over a given period
Can you increase this number?
- only half the population has a PC, but a large percentage of the population has a mobile phone
- refining search terms may give higher search numbers
How can you find out who they are?
- do your existing customers know you have a website?
- in a B2B environment you can acquire business lists, though the accuracy of these is not always good.
- in B2C lists are also available. However, if an organization can create a viral (referral) environment better quality lists can be created
- the same applies to mobile phone users
? Sources Direct Marketing Association/Iboost
What is the most effective way of contacting them; Is it email, mobile phone (voice or text), search engine optimisation pay per click, banner?
- in most cases a combination of the above is required to drive an acceptable response rate per pound invested
2. Attraction
Having identified the target market and chosen your selected contact methods how can they be attracted to your web site?
Pay per click will get them there if you have made a bid for your key words that put you near the top of the sponsored list. The question is how do you keep them there?
Banners will only be effective if they offer something different, exciting and of real value to the searcher. The same applies to other internet advertising methods.
Email can be really effective providing the mailing list has become an opt in list and if there is value for the recipient.
As far as mobile phone is concerned, avoidance of high tariff response numbers is essential.
Is there value for your existing customers to use your web site?
3. Winning
Having successfully attracted potential customers to your website, how do you get them to buy? Given the Penn University research it was never truer that you only get one chance to make a good impression. One assumes that the products or services on offer are competitive in terms of price, brand and quality, therefore your site must:
Give the right impression
- test market your site
- your customers views are more important than your web designers or advertising agency
- will it get the searchers attention?
Be up to date
- ensure news pages are current
- check offers have not expired
- current offers must be appealing
Reflect the search terms
- if some one searches on used red ferrari, get them directly to that page
- be easy to navigate
- make sure it is easy to move about
- make menus simple and clear
Make the buying experience pleasant and rewarding. Even if the prospect is not buying, the minimum required from their visit is some personal information.
4. Retention
Customers are lost more often than not by poor service rather than quality. However, getting feedback is always difficult.
Make the feedback process rewarding and fun
- it is difficult to get feedback, so why not present the process in a way that encourages the recipient to respond
Find ways to make your satisfied customers your ambassadors
- the feedback process should be capable of rewarding the recipient for referring your products and services to other prospects
Remarket regularly; it goes without saying that this a necessity, but remarket using the method t
Maybe you often heard that vending machine business is one of the most profitable home based businesses. Yes, it's true that vending machine business is an instant home based business. You can earn decent income by running this business part time and may even more when doing it full time! And there are more reasons and advantages of choosing this vending machine business as stated below: Part time or full time. Even if you still have regular job, you can run vending machine business part time and expand as it grows to full time. Low start-up cost. You only need little investment to start this business. Potential high in profit. If you buy bulk candy of gumball for 2 or 3 cents, you can sell it for a quarter. Think about the profit you may have! Be your own boss. If you run vending business full time, you will be your own boss and never deal with your boss to get paid.
What is the most effective way of contacting them; Is it email, mobile phone (voice or text), search engine optimisation pay per click, banner?
- in most cases a combination of the above is required to drive an acceptable response rate per pound invested
2. Attraction
Having identified the target market and chosen your selected contact methods how can they be attracted to your web site?
Pay per click will get them there if you have made a bid for your key words that put you near the top of the sponsored list. The question is how do you keep them there?
Banners will only be effective if they offer something different, exciting and of real value to the searcher. The same applies to other internet advertising methods.
Email can be really effective providing the mailing list has become an opt in list and if there is value for the recipient.
As far as mobile phone is concerned, avoidance of high tariff response numbers is essential.
Is there value for your existing customers to use your web site?
3. Winning
Having successfully attracted potential customers to your website, how do you get them to buy? Given the Penn University research it was never truer that you only get one chance to make a good impression. One assumes that the products or services on offer are competitive in terms of price, brand and quality, therefore your site must:
Give the right impression
- test market your site
- your customers views are more important than your web designers or advertising agency
- will it get the searchers attention?
Be up to date
- ensure news pages are current
- check offers have not expired
- current offers must be appealing
Reflect the search terms
- if some one searches on used red ferrari, get them directly to that page
- be easy to navigate
- make sure it is easy to move about
- make menus simple and clear
Make the buying experience pleasant and rewarding. Even if the prospect is not buying, the minimum required from their visit is some personal information.
4. Retention
Customers are lost more often than not by poor service rather than quality. However, getting feedback is always difficult.
Make the feedback process rewarding and fun
- it is difficult to get feedback, so why not present the process in a way that encourages the recipient to respond
Find ways to make your satisfied customers your ambassadors
- the feedback process should be capable of rewarding the recipient for referring your products and services to other prospects
Remarket regularly; it goes without saying that this a necessity, but remarket using the method t
Success is easy to measure. It can be quantified in terms of profit, cash flow, and wealth.Failure is more subtle.Of course, some failures can be quantified, such as the value of a lost sale or the cost of a project delay.Since such failures are easy to measure, most people focus on them.But there is a type of failure that people ignore. It has huge costs. And it defies measurement.Its the future you could have had if you had made the correct decisions.Before you become depressed by tallying a lost fortune, realize that some of this can be easily fixed by holding effective meetings.With a bad meeting, there are no results. That means there are no plans, no solutions, no agreements. Thus your business stays stuck with whatever you had before the meeting. And that represents a much larger loss than the time and payroll wasted on the bad meeting.Imagine what your business could a
Give the right impression
- test market your site
- your customers views are more important than your web designers or advertising agency
- will it get the searchers attention?
Be up to date
- ensure news pages are current
- check offers have not expired
- current offers must be appealing
Reflect the search terms
- if some one searches on used red ferrari, get them directly to that page
- be easy to navigate
- make sure it is easy to move about
- make menus simple and clear
Make the buying experience pleasant and rewarding. Even if the prospect is not buying, the minimum required from their visit is some personal information.
4. Retention
Customers are lost more often than not by poor service rather than quality. However, getting feedback is always difficult.
Make the feedback process rewarding and fun
- it is difficult to get feedback, so why not present the process in a way that encourages the recipient to respond
Find ways to make your satisfied customers your ambassadors
- the feedback process should be capable of rewarding the recipient for referring your products and services to other prospects
Remarket regularly; it goes without saying that this a necessity, but remarket using the method that is most likely to drive results
People dont want points, they would rather have cash!
- loyalty schemes are good and they do encourage more spend
- however, if you offer cash back or a discount on a future purchase, and tie it into the feedback process it is more focused, probably less expensive and more effective.
Summary
Have a clear, realistic, achievable, and measurable financial objective.
The strategy should be to identify, attract, win and retain customers profitably
An internet strategy is a business strategy and is not just a website
Review it like any other strategy.
HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
<a href="http://www.hubyou.info/article/28212/hubyou-Is-your-Website-Working.html">Is your Website Working?</a>
BB link (for phorums):
[url=http://www.hubyou.info/article/28212/hubyou-Is-your-Website-Working.html]Is your Website Working?[/url]
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