Mobilize Your Website

Call me old fashioned. Tell me I’m kinda “slow.” I’ll admit I can get set in my ways. But, I think I finally “get it” about Mobile Marketing.

Well, maybe not all of it yet, but I’d like to show you why you might want to consider having a “mobile website” in addition to your “regular website.”

I’m talking about a mobile website, not a mobile app (application). Mobile apps are little programs that you download to your mobile device: games, QR code scanners, a mobile trip planner, etc. A mobile website is a condensed version of your full website.

A Desktop Website on a Mobile Device

Full Website on a Mobile Phone

I use my iPhone to test all the websites that I create to make sure everything
shows up and works correctly. The downside is, depending on your smart phone, you may see only a portion of the website and have to “scroll” around to see other portions or “pinch” it to see the whole page at once. Of course, then it’s too small to read! Here’s my website on a smart phone:

You can see only the upper left corner of the website’s home page. See how the banner is cut off on the right?

I See the Light!

Mobile Website

So one day I run into a colleague and she shows me how she’d converted her website to be easier to view and interact with on her smart phone. The light finally goes on in my head. On the left is what the mobile version of my website looks like.

(The banner actually spans the full width of the phone. The tool I used to render the mobile site so I could get a screen shot didn’t handle the banner correctly.)

You’ll notice that you don’t necessarily want to try to completely re-create your website for a different form factor. That would be no better than a pinched version that you can hardly read. You need to present the content a little differently. Information should be quick and easy to find.

(Addendum, 2/28/2012)

You do need an additional domain name for your mobile site, but you don’t need to add it to your marketing information or business cards (unless you want to). Your mobile site can be programmed to come up automatically when your website is accessed from a mobile device.

(End-Addendum)

What’s On a Mobile Website?

Put yourself in a mobile user’s shoes and decide on the key things to present from your mobile website. Remember: they can always access your full website if they need more details. Here’s what I decided to put on my mobile version:

• Logo banner (you still want consistent branding)
• A brief, descriptive, compelling introduction
• Description of services
• The means to request a  quote
• Push-button calling
• More background information about the company
• Access to the full website
• Access to this blog
• An easy way to tell a friend about the company
• Push-button sign-up for our newsletter
• Jump to our Facebook page
• Jump to our Twitter page

This might seem like a lot of stuff, but when most of it is presented in easy-to-tap icons on your smart phone, it really isn’t a problem. Go ahead and bring up the browser on your smart phone. Go to our website:  www.sunstonesolutions.com. The mobile version should come up automatically.

Getting Started With Your Mobile Website

Take a look at your website. Think about what the key informational elements would be for mobile users and think about a priority order to present them. Design your mobile website layout and get it set up.

There are companies that have converters that help you build your mobile site, some for free, generally with certain restrictions. Other companies will do it for you for a fee. Many of the hosting companies such as GoDaddy and Network Solutions offer a free conversion if you register a .mobi domain name with them. Do a web search for “mobile website converters.” I don’t have any particular converter to recommend, although I did use Network Solutions this time around.

Think About It, Anyway

Not convinced yet that you need a mobile website? Here are a few of the messages I’m coming across more and more each day:

1. Over half the world’s population has a mobile phone. Granted, not all are “smart phones” but it’s only a matter of time.
2. “These days, it doesn’t just seem like everyone has an iPhone, BlackBerry, or
   

   Google Mobile Search

   Android phone. Fifty million people in the United States actually do, according to comScore statistics.” — Inc.com

3. Google has a different search engine index of mobile sites. Sometime in the future, only sites with a mobile version will appear in Google searches on a mobile device.
4. Mobile users/searchers are more likely to take immediate action.

Although the current trend for mobile use favors businesses such as retail, restaurants, and entertainment (theaters, concerts, shows, etc.), mobile usage is destined to increase as will the users’ expectations.

Tap. Tap, tap. Something straight out of Star Trek. Now where’s my food replicator? It’s time for dinner and I don’t feel like cooking.

Are you ready for a mobile website? Share your thoughts below.

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Social Media for Your Business

In a previous blog post describing what you can do to improve your chances of the browser searches finding your website (Search Results – Where Am I !?! ), I made only brief mention of creating your own social account to improve your web exposure. I thought I’d go a bit deeper into what that means.

Traditional Marketing Techniques

If you’ve had a business for awhile, say 5 years or more, the whole idea of marketing through social media may be a little more difficult to get your head around, especially if you’ve become pretty comfortable marketing your business all the “usual” ways: you’re in the yellow pages; you take out newspaper ads occasionally; maybe do a flyer; you have real nice business cards that “say it all.” Maybe you’re actually one of those people who’s a great salesperson just by having a good social-professional network and making connections that result in business.

If your business is doing well and you’re comfortable with your marketing and salesmanship, then you probably don’t need to read further. But I’m guessing that you’re here looking for some new ideas.

What Are Those Differences Again?

In another blog post (Website vs. Email Marketing vs. Social Media), I summarized the differences between the 3 main types of online platforms with the following generalizations:

• Website — In depth; most complete reference for your business, including contact information, products, services, organization information, location, company history or other interesting descriptions; web-wide exposure.
• Email Marketing – Timely, usually topical information, including (but not limited to) newsletters, press releases, announcements, specials and coupons; 2 pages or less is ideal; discrete audience (your customers plus subscribers).
• Social Media – Quick, frequent, “in the moment” messages, often with links for more information; audience can be anyone who’s interested.

So at this point you’re thinking: “I get the website. And whether or not I use email marketing, I understand the concept and reasons to use it. ‘Social media’? That’s Facebook, right? Why would I want to put my company on Facebook?”

Social Media Marketing

There are many social media applications such as FourSquare, Ning, Plaxo, Delicious, Digg, StumbleUpon, Reddit, Flickr, and more. For purposes of discussion, I’m going to focus on a few of the most widely used: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Social media is your opportunity to get more personal with your audience. Let them get to know you and your business or organization beyond the formality of a web page. I’ll give you some examples of potential posts:

Facebook page

“Race 4 The Stars – 5K Run/Walk is this weekend! Don’t forget to register. Registrants automatically entered for drawing for new shoes!”(from a non-profit organization)

“Just tried a new fragrance for one of my traditionally-made soaps. I’m calling it: Café Vienna. Chocolate + cinnamon = mmmm ahhhh! It’ll be ready for orders next week.”  (from a maker of handmade soaps)

“We’re happy to announce that we’ve outgrown our present location and will be moving into the new Midtown Plaza. Watch for our grand opening announcement here in 2 weeks.” (from a brick and mortar business)

“Sharing some pictures of our latest construction project in the Blue Haven residential development. This is a brand new design for us and it turned out great!” (from a general contractor)

Twitter

If you also have a Twitter account, just abbreviate these posts to 140 characters or less.

LinkedIn

I think of LinkedIn as being a little more “formal,” so with a little tweaking, you could use these updates there as well.

YouTube

Using a little imagination, you could turn any of the 4 examples into a video clip.

A Couple of Do’s and Don’ts

Notice that none of these posts made a hard sell. It was just some interesting communication. Something that let you see the business or organization from the inside. Something to build interest, trust, and goodwill. So, DON’T “sell” on social.

One of the great things about all social media platforms is that your reader or viewer can easily “share” your post with their friends and family. That’s like free advertising! DO encourage them to do so.

The other great thing about posting on social media is you can get questions, conversations, and recommendations going for all to see, good or bad.

We hope you get comments such as:

“Participated last year; had a great time. All for a good cause.”

“What time does the race start?”

“I love chocolate and cinnamon! I’m ready to order.”

DO monitor your social sites and respond appropriately to comments and questions. Remember to show your appreciation for your followers and supporters.

But you could also get something like:

“I did Race 4 the Stars last year and it was totally disorganized. No fun.”

As often as you can, resolve a situation like this in full public view. Don’t try to ignore it. In this case, you could respond with:

“I’m sorry your experience was not ideal last year. We didn’t anticipate the number of registrants we got. This year we have more trained volunteers and expect things to go more smoothly.”

Or, to take it off-line:

“I’m sorry your experience was not ideal last year. I’d like to make the necessary corrections for this year’s race. Please give me a call (phone number) or drop me a line (email address) with your suggestions.”

Ok. You get the idea.

Where Do I Start?

There’s a LOT of information (really! A lot!) about using social media for networking and marketing. A good place to start is the Social Media Quickstarter site. And, guess what. They also have a Facebook page. “Like” it, “Share” it, and offer your own comments.

Here’s another opportunity for you to participate in the social media network. Blogs can also be social. What are your thoughts and experiences, good or bad, with social media? Leave your comments below.

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The Most Valuable Information on a Website

I wish I had seen this article before sending out my newsletter this week because it really helps reiterate a point I made. That is: take a look at your website. Does it need a facelift?

The Most Valuable Information on a Website
(Reference: “The Consumer Needs Every Site Must Meet“)

See that? Consumers are on your website looking for:

• Pricing information
• Your list of services
• Contact information
• Your address
• Driving directions
• Testimonials

I’ve brought all of these up at some point in previous blog posts or newsletters, but here they are, all together, right in front of you, don’t blow them off.

Let’s look at each of these areas more closely.

Pricing Information

For some businesses, it’s easy to put an exact price on something. A bar of homemade soap is $4.95. The cost of working with a certified personal trainer is $55/hour.

For some businesses or services, it might not be easy to give an exact price. So, at least give the customer something to start with, e.g., “starting with a basic package for $300″ (describe what’s included in the basic package), or provide a “starting at” or a “not-to-exceed” cost. At the very least, can you offer a free quote? The more specific you can be, the better.

Your List of Services

This should be a piece of cake. Make it a complete list. You never know when something you do as a small job may lead to something bigger in the future from the same customer. You may be known for doing foundations and flatwork, but don’t forget to mention other services e.g., excavation, compaction, and engineering inspections.

And, when things change regarding your products and services, don’t forget to update your website. All those services are also potential keywords for searches.

Contact Information

Again, this seems like a no brainer. In a previous newsletter, I talked about providing your contact information as a way to also build trust. Make it easy for people to contact you. Don’t hide the contact information on some obscure webpage. Put it on every page. Phone, email, and possibly FAX should be the minimum methods of contact.

Your Address

Ok, so this is a judgment call. For some businesses, it absolutely makes sense to include your address so the customer can come by to shop, to see examples of your work, or to get a massage. For other businesses, the transactions can take place completely on-line, or you may want to establish a connection or get more information first from the potential customer. But, if you can, include your address.

Driving Directions

I for one appreciate sites that make it easy for me to see the location of their business on a map. Sure, I could type their address into MapQuest, but it’s so much easier to have the map and directions on their website. Most map applications like MapQuest, Google Maps, etc., make it relatively easy to embed the information in the web page.

Testimonials

The more specific you can get with testimonials, the more weight they carry with someone viewing your website and considering your products or services. A testimonial with the person’s full name, city, state, and picture creates the best impression. If they’re reluctant to go that far, just ask what they feel comfortable with…and don’t forget to THANK them. They don’t necessarily have to write anything down, but if they said something nice about you, your business, your employees, your services, or your products, ask if you can use their comments on your website.

Getting testimonials is so easily over-looked and yet they may have the most influence on a prospective buyer/customer of any of the information on your website.

That Was Easy

Six easy improvements to your website. Make sure your content is clear, straight-forward, easy to navigate, and salted with keywords. Get found. Get business. Be happy.

When you’re the customer, is there anything else that you look for on a business’s website? Leave your comments below.

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Working Websites

We haven’t talked much about websites – the most basic, most in-depth online representation of you and your business.

Typically, a business website will include all the information about your business: your products or services, maybe some history about the business or about you personally, relevant to the business. Good layout, nice pictures.  If done right, SEO (search engine optimization) best practices will have been implemented, the content will be keyword-rich, and the site itself  well-organized for both the users and the search engines to follow.

However, while a site may look great, contain good information, and be rich in keywords, the real goal of the site is to eventually convert the viewer to a customer. You want them to say to themselves, “I feel good about what I see here and I want to take the next step.”

Choosing the Right Words

Certainly you want to provide the information that helps the customer make a logical decision, but in the end, they want to feel that they’ve made the right decision. The words on the page have a lot to do with conveying the right message and the right emotion.

Based on their research, here is a list from Red Rocket Web Specialists to get you thinking about how the message comes across from your website:

1. Replacing words like “learn” with exciting, mysterious words like “discover” could nearly double the conversion rate.
2. Removing the word “buy” and replacing it with other phrases like “order now” or “take advantage of this offer” increased conversion rates by as much as 26.7%.
3. Adding a money-back guarantee increased the success of the sales copy by 207.6%.
4. Adding a deadline to encourage people to act now increased conversion rates by as much as 68.5%.
5. Adding first name, last name, city and state to the testimonials increased sales by 34.4%. [Editorial comment: Testimonials are almost as good as word-of-mouth recommendations. Use the compliments from your customers. Ask for their permission to use their name.]
6. Adding the person’s picture next to their testimonial increased the conversion rate an additional 12.9%.
7. [If you have an e-commerce site…] Making the “add to cart” button say “order now through our secure server” increased sales by 15.8%.
8. Making the same button look 3-dimensional so it looked clickable, increased sales by an additional 31%.
9. Adding a sign up form to collect names and e-mail addresses increased sales by an astounding 237%!
10. Highlighting important phrases in bold or in yellow increased sales by 73%.
11. Removing generic words like “things” or “stuff” and replacing them with more specific words increased sales by 6.2%.
12. Adding graphics like a picture of a lock and the BBB logo to assure visitors that the shopping cart was completely safe and secure increased sales by 26.8%.
13. Adding the Visa and MasterCard logos to the bottom of the page by the order button increased sales by 7.3%.

Making the Conversion

Once you have a viewer interested, you want to make it easy and obvious what they should do next. If you want them to contact you, make sure your contact information (phone, fax, and email address) is clearly visible on the page.

The email address can be hot-linked to pop up a window to create an email message, or you could have it pop up a form for them to fill out which gets submitted to you. Don’t encourage abandonment by asking for too much information in a form. Get the basics that will allow you to open a dialog with them.

If you want them to drive to your location, provide a map that they could print to take with them.

Place links or buttons on the page that makes it easy for them to take the next step without having to search or go to another page: “Buy Now,” “Order Now,” “Get a Free Quote,” “Request a Price List,” “Place Your Reservation,” etc.

Stay Engaged

Sometimes the viewer is interested in your products, services, or information, but is not yet ready to take action. You can still encourage continued engagement such as signing up for your free email newsletter, following you on Twitter, “liking” your FaceBook page, subscribing to your YouTube channel, etc.

For instance, at the bottom of every article or post add call-to-action wording such as:

• “If you liked this blog post, let us email you when we’ve posted others.”
• “If you want to learn more about _____, sign up for our weekly newsletter.”
• “If you want to stay abreast of what’s going on in ______, be sure to follow us on Twitter.”

Make sure you keep your end of the bargain by emailing them, creating blog posts and newsletters, and providing regular tweets.

What conversion techniques have you found to be successful for your website? Leave your comments below.

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Search Results – Where Am I !?!

A short time ago, a client asked me: “Can you explain briefly how this site can be found on search engines.  If I was to google “copper roof bird houses” and I had those exact words somewhere in my website, would it pull it up towards the top of the results or not?”

Although this was a very good search phrase, unfortunately, I had to answer, no, his site would probably not appear near the top of the search results. At that point in time, he had 3 things working against him:

1. he had a new website (no “cred” with the search engines),
2. he was in a highly competitive business (building custom bird houses and feeders), and
3. “copper roof” wasn’t a uniquely distinguishing feature (lots of bird house makers use them).

How Search Engines Work

Search engines are by nature poorly understood by us mere mortals. The reasons are understandable, however. The secrets are well-protected as to not provide SER (search engine results) favoritism to those that can break the code. The search algorithms also change frequently, again, to keep people from thinking they got it figured out.

While I’m not an SEO (search engine optimization) expert, I frequently read blogs and newsletters about SEO to check that I’m implementing SEO best practices for each website, newsletter, or blog that I create. For example, for each website that I implement, I include the following best practices:

• keyword research and selection
• competitor research
• keyword inclusion in page content
• back-end coding of all title, header, alt, and meta tags
• manual submission to top search engines and directories
• inclusion of XML sitemap and search engine directives
• regular assessment of web statistics

Some “experts” would even suggest that the inclusion of sitemaps and submission to search engines aren’t necessary. But, since I’ve found conflicting information on this, I’ll continue to include these steps.

Beyond SEO Best Practices

Implementing SEO best practices, however, is just the start. If your website is new and you’re in an industry with lots of competition (web design? Yeh, I feel your pain!), here are some things you can do to help yourself:

• You have to give the search engines time to realize you have a credible site
• You need to build your online reputation:
  • Look for opportunities to make references to your website via links from other sites, mentions in social media, and contributions to blogs
  • Create good content that keeps the reader interested and on your site
  • Create your own blog, newsletter, or social account
  • Add customer testimonials to your site
• Don’t rely on web searches for people to find out about you:
  • Encourage people for whom you’ve done work to recommend you to their friends. (I give my clients a $100 credit if they make a referral that results in a new client.)
  • Leave several of your business cards in coffee shops that you frequent (Check first, but most shops are ok with this, at least where I live.)
  • Look for other opportunities to leave your business cards behind or to network with people in complementary fields or industries.
  • Make sure your friends and family are familiar with what you do so they can make recommendations (“My brother-in-law makes some great one-of-a-kind birdhouses. You should give him a call…”) I even put a little reminder at the bottom of my personal emails.

What Else Can You Do?

You could implement a pay-per-click campaign, such as Google AdWords. This requires some investment on your part in terms of time and money, but you can do it yourself.

You could hire an SEO consultant that could help further with content, keywords, and “pay-per-click” campaigns. Search for “SEO consultant”; do some research; check reviews and customer comments; compare companies, pricing, and breadth of services. But, don’t pay them to do something that’s already been done on your website.

Monitor your website’s analytical information to identify improvements as well as problem areas. (Example: Visitors may not be on your Products page but a few seconds because there is nothing that interests them.) If you’re not sure how to get this information, talk to your webmaster.

If You Build It…

Unfortunately, we’re not as lucky as Kevin Costner in “Field of Dreams.” Just because you have a website doesn’t guarantee the visitors will come.

However, like a fine wine, a good website does get better with age.

What other techniques have you used to help build the online and offline reputation for your business? Click on “Leave a Comment” below to share your insights.

Next time: TBD

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What Are You Doing For the Holidays?

We’re headlong into the holiday season now. If you’ve ever ordered anything online, you’re probably receiving all kinds of promotions and messages into your inbox.

How do you feel about these? Are there companies you’ve never heard of and have no idea how you got on their list? Conversely, are there some that are offering something that appeals to you, e.g., free shipping for a period of time, 30% off select items, a contest or drawing for a $100 gift card?

As a business, what are you doing for the holidays? If you’re sending out emails to your customers and contacts, make sure you’re not guilty of those practices that annoy you.

I recently read a very relevant post in Constant Contact®’s blog. (You can read the original posting here.) As a recipient of email campaigns myself, I appreciated what was said in the post. So, turning it around and viewing it from the sender’s perspective (you and your business), here are some things to try to do:

1. If you’ll be sending out more email campaigns than usual, let your readers know. They’ll be less annoyed and more likely to continue to read your emails. For example, if you typically send 1-2 messages a month, but from now until January 1, you have plans to send 1 or more per week, let your readership know. You can word it in a way that encourages them to look forward to your messages, e.g., “From now through the end of the year, Acme Company will be sharing weekly holiday tips along with coupons, discounted items, announcements and good cheer for their loyal customers.” See how easy that is?
2. Everyone gives 20%, 30%, 50% off. Why not offer 22% off because your daughter’s birthday is December 27 and she’s turning 22 years old. Think of something unpredictable, even explain how you chose it. Have fun with it.
3. In a previous blog, I talked about using email marketing to nurture a relationship with your customers and subscribers. These are people that are interested in you and your business. Show that you are interested in them. Offer something that is only available to your readers: “Bring in this coupon for ½ off your next massage” or “Get your shopping done before the rush. Doors open 1 hour earlier for customers showing a copy of this message” or “This message is your pass for carefree shopping…”, etc.
4. Along with the specials, offer something completely different: your favorite holiday recipes, decorating ideas, shopping/parking tips, or holiday events happening near you. Ever get one of those emails with some gift ideas? I look at those EVERY TIME because I always need help! You could feature certain products by listing them under “gift ideas for men/women/kids/under $100/under $25”, etc.
5. Now that you have all these great ideas running around in your head, I’m going to pull you up short for a moment: keep your emails short. Remember #1? People are getting lots of email. If yours is too lengthy, too busy, or too hard to read, forget it. Instead, use images, largish fonts, short phrases with just the highlights, white space, and links to your website for more details if necessary. Remember, too, that people will often read these messages from their mobile phone while on the go.
6. Be inclusive. There are actually several holidays being celebrated by different cultures and religions at this time of the year. Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa to name a few. Keep in mind that your audience is likely to be a cross-section of cultures and ethnic groups. Use inclusive terms like, “Holiday Savings” instead of “Christmas Savings,” for example. People can become less interested in doing business with you if they feel you don’t recognize this diversity.

More ideas? Let me know what you’ll be doing for your valued customers this holiday season.

Next time: TBD

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Building a Relationship Through Email Marketing

In my last post, I discussed why you should seriously think about relationship management through email marketing:

“Email marketing, as a rule, sends to lists of people/customers/clients that you know, have done business with, or that have requested to be on your list. These are exactly the people with whom you want to nurture a business relationship.”

The lists of email addresses to whom you send your email campaigns are referred to as “permission-based lists.” This distinction is important for two reasons:

1. Just like you don’t like “cold calls” from telephone solicitors during dinner, people don’t like unsolicited email showing up in their already busy email inboxes.
2. There is actually a U.S. law forbidding the use of third-party, purchased, or non-permission-based lists. It’s the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003, updated in 2008. (This law covers a broader scope of spam definition including content, identification of the sender, false representation, etc.)

Reputable email services such as Constant Contact® make it easy to comply with the CAN-SPAM Act, but it is your responsibility to control the suitability of the lists to which you send email. Constant Contact specifically states:

“An opt-in email address (a.k.a. ‘single opt-in’) is one in which the holder of a specific address has had a previous relationship with you or your business, and has given their consent to receive future email communications from you. This could be through web based or in-store sign-up forms, previous product or service purchases, memberships, business or other personal relationships.

“Addresses that are not allowed are:

1. Any purchased, rented, or appended list of email addresses from ANY source no matter what that source claims.
2. Any non-specific or  role email addresses (Examples of these are: postmaster@somedomain.com, webmaster@somedomain.com, sales@somedomain.com, business@somedomain.com).
3. Any distribution lists or mailing lists, i.e. email addresses that mail to more than one email address.”

If you’re just starting to employ email marketing as part of your overall marketing strategy, use what legitimate email addresses you have. These may not amount to scores of addresses yet, so as soon as possible, implement as many address collection methods as you can. Here are a few ideas:

• Have a sign-up link on your website, social media sites, and in any email you send out.
• If you have a brick-and-mortar store, have a sign-up form and/or ask your customer, client, or visitor if you can add them to your mailing list.
• Have a fishbowl on the counter to collect business cards.
• Request customer email addresses during the online ordering and check-out process of your shopping cart.
• If you attend trade shows, have a sign-up form at your booth.
• As you network and collect names and business cards, ask if you can add your new contact to your mailing list.
• Add a space for email address on any comment cards or surveys.
• Add a field for email address to any memberships, pledges, or donations.

(Click here for more ideas on building your contact list.)

Create a purpose (interesting news, tips, how-to’s, announcements, “preferred customer” initiatives, coupons, special deals, insights, follow-ups, seasonal information, ideas, recommendations, testimonials, product reviews or comparisons) and a schedule for your emails (1-3 times per week, twice a month, quarterly, etc.).

And, remember:  you’re nurturing a relationship. Treat your contacts like they are important to you because THEY ARE.

Can you think of additional ways to collect email addresses? What other information would you send out in your email campaigns? Leave your thoughts or comments below.

Next time: What Are You Doing for Christmas?

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