Heard of the 4 P's of Marketing?

Price, Product, Place and Promotion?

Then I am sure you will find the 4 P's of Social Media Marketing ( with a bosweb twist!) just as helpful to focus your marketing efforts

Platform - where are your customers hanging out?

Most likely not in Google+ as yet!

Are they in Facebook, Twitter, Linked In or Pinterest? When planning your social media strategy and how you wish to use these tools to market your products and services, not all platforms are equal. You may find different types of customers are mainly focussed in different areas. You may find you need to use slightly different communication styles in these various platforms.

Which leads to our next P

Personality - who are you and how do your represent yourself in these platforms?

When you speak to your customers via social media, are you engaging them, are you speaking to them like you would face to face? Think about the style and tone of your words and imagery you use. Is this a reflection of your business? Be authentic, social media can tell fakes pretty quickly, so make sure you speak with honesty to build credibility and expand your reach.

And remember have a personality! Don't be too staid and buttoned down in your comments. The social media medium allows you to be more relaxed in your style that a traditional press release. Loosen up people!

Piggybacking - Connect with fellow businesses online

I am not recommending that crazy tagging of unrelated businesses to build up an audience. Again that kind of approach to social media just doesn't work long term. Think about who in your industry, your business community and your circle of friends ( this is social media!) that can be brand advocates for you - and also you for them. Acknowledge and share great content around. There are a lot of resources we can share and as small business owners, it pays to acknowledge those that you recognise as good value and they in turn will recognise you.

One thing to remember with this approach is when you are looking to launch, reach out to those in your circle with a large footprint, the influences and brand advocates who can kick off your project with some well timed tweets, likes and +1's. It really pays to build these relationships overtime.

and the final P

sPontaneity - yes well it's not a P is it!

That's the point! Mix it up, inject some fun. This is the fun stuff in your marketing activities. Remember it is SOCIAL media...

Why do you think we use Google as opposed to picking up the phone book to find a product or service?

For me, I find Google very smart.  It works effectively to find what I am looking for and gives me a wider choice of options for the product or service I am seeking. 

At my fingertips, I am then exposed to the website of a business that will provide me with the service or product offerings that I was searching for.  The website allows me to make an informed decision on whether I then choose to spend my money with this business. 

Instead of just a phone number I have the whole business in front of me allowing me to make an informed decision.

It sounds simple and it is simple.  Your website should answer questions. 

It needs to provide a solution for search criteria relevant to your business.  When we type words into that search field on Google, we are looking for an answer to a question. 

The words and images found on your website should reflect the products and services that you specialise in.  Be proud of what your business does and talk about it within your web content.

Before diving in to launch your new website, consider the following:

• Can you tell me about your business clearly defining all of your services and product offerings?
• What Search Criteria would you like to be found in for Google Search Listings?
• Who is your target market?  Will your website content answer their questions?  Will your home page direct them to the answer quickly and efficiently?
• What would you like viewers of the site to do once they have landed on your site? Do you expect that they will make a purchase, call you, download a document or brochure, register?
• Do you have a great logo that you love?
• Do you have any existing marketing material?
• Do you have great photos that represent your products and services?
• Who are your competitors, online and offline?  If your competitors are not online they will be very soon.
• Do you use Social Media?  Do you understand the benefits of Social Media and Online marketing?
• Do you have someone in your business that can take responsibility for the website moving forward to ensure your site is active and up to date?

Stuck for answers?

Our team specialises in helping you answer these questions, we can guide you through the process so that it becomes simple and more importantly will help get you the results from your site that you are expecting.

As part of our website development build we provide a site map template to our clients to help you identify the questions you should be asking and then focus on how your content provides the answers to those questions.

Contact us NOW for help!

1.       Practise makes perfect – I cannot stress how important it is to just get in an have a go! Try try and try again. The more time you have with your camera the more you will learn. Experiment, be playful, go wild, go crazy! go Go GO! Have fun!!!


2.       Good ol’ rule of thirds. Never heard of it? Basically an image can be split up in a grid of 3 rows across and 3rows down (think O & X’s board). Try and have the main subject of an image sit on this third. It’s an old rule but it works.


3.       When taking an image always try and have the subject come at you. For eg, don’t just have someone standing with their hands behind their side. Get them to lean into the camera, hold something up to the camera, jump etc.


4.       No sunnies. You might feel cool and sexy wearing your sunnies, but when taking a portrait we need to see those beautiful eyes that God gave you. Eyes are important they help the viewer engage. Ok so sunnies are acceptable on your pet dog, I will allow this, but only cause it’s cute.


5.       Try different angles. Get down low, in fact lie on the ground, trust me you will feel bit silly but at the same time your shot will look awesome. Shoot from above. Climb up on the car, stand on a seat etc – JUST PLEASE make sure whatever you stand on is stable, we don’t want any injuries.

It is predicted that smart phone usage will dominate web browsing in the coming years. This is definitely one of the faster growing ways that people are finding your site online.

So is your website mobile friendly?

I don't just mean can it be viewed correctly on a mobile - but is it allowing for "fat finger syndrome". A mobile version of your site, detects what kind of device you are using and shows a version of your site that suits that device.

Ask yourself these questions

• do you have a version of your site that specifically is designed to suit a hand held device
• if you do, is it easy for fat fingers to navigate
• does the copy flow straight up and down and not across and then down
• does it suit our tendency to browse with our thumbs when on the phone

If the answer is NO - then you need to start thinking about a mobile version of your site right now!

The Apple iPhone, Android and Windows 7 phones are fast becoming the norm rather than the exception – in fact in June 2011, there were 29.28 million mobile services in operation in Australia (more than the number of people that live here!) and 46% of those were Smartphones.  

Industry estimates put this figure at 60% by the end of 2012.
 
This kind of growth is hard to ignore and Smartphones are changing how consumers access the internet, search for products,  consume news and manage social networks. 

In July 2011, Telstra in association with The Nielsen Company released their yearly Smartphone Index Report which highlights some interesting facts relevant to small businesses marketing.
 
The full survey can be found here - but I have summarised 4 key points to consider below 

1.    44% use Smartphones daily to check email.
 
It is important that your email communication is clear and easy to read.  Clear call to action graphics will work wonders in email campaigns.
 
2.    24% use their Smartphone to find locations of retail stores.
 
Hook up your address to google maps - claim your business location in Google Local. Make sure your phone number is text to allow for easy one click calling.
 
3.    61% of Smartphone users are accessing the mobile internet daily.
 
The Smartphone is likely to overtake the desktop as the device most consumers use to get access to the internet. This is predicted to occur at some stage in 2014. There is a higher proportion of MALES using smartphones at present - so if your site is a natural fit with a male demographic - than a dedicated mobile version of your site is a must (ie a trades site, technology, automotive etc)
 
4.    31% of users compare prices of products before going to the store.
 
To be considered by consumers, your products and pricing must be available on your website. If you don’t clearly display your product information, how do consumers compare? Vital for all sites - not just mobile versions!

May is going to MOBILE MONTH here at bosweb systems, so if you wish to take advantage of our exclusive offer for any Adobe Business Catalyst site, contact us now 

Some samples of recent mobile sites are listed below ( the images are not their actual size - have a look at them on your phone!)

 www.cwcu.com.au

www.dcls.com.au

www.wpa.net.au

www.popupparramatta.com.au

While in San Francisco last week, I took a two hour trip north of San Francisco to the webcasting studio's of TWiT.tv (This Week in Technology) in Petaluma, California.

This fabulous (web only) broadcast station, (http://twit.tv) has as many as five shows a day, and I spent a whole day meeting their team and interviewing Leo Laporte on the technology used in the station including sitting in on his shows.

Over the course of the day, I met with their technical staff, Eileen Rivera (Supervising Producer and featured below on mixing desk), CEO Lisa Kentzell and Sarah Lane (host of iPad today & The Social Hour) and was also given a guided tour through the operations and technology that powers the studio.

We're looking forward to applying what we learnt towards Rocket! tv, the establishment of our own interactive education and support webcast station for our Business Catalyst clients & reseller partner network. So stay tuned!

* Special thanks to Eva Laporte for organising my time with Leo & Lisa at TWiT.tv :)

 

As web developers, we are always thinking about the outcomes of our work. So uppermost in our minds when we design a site, or even the layout of text on a page is what will trigger a response in a customer to do something.

Sometimes clients think that a great big red flashing button, different sized fonts and different colours will encourage people to ‘do’ something, i.e. click on something or call. Whilst this might work in the world of print, on a billboard poster or a loud TV ad, this tends to have the opposite effect with a website.

So what are some guidelines to make people click

1 - Make your site easy and enjoyable to use – key to this a navigation that makes sense

2 - Arrange content in an F shaped pattern; the pattern of how people read

3 - Ensure pages download quickly - no big images!

4 - Online readers skim content – so aid retention and action by breaking it up, using bullet points, numbered lists and sub headings. These are tools to help the eyes focus on what is important ( just like using BOLD here)

5 - Put key information above the fold – i.e. above the first screen length before people start to skim

6 - Put important stuff on the left – we have had quite a few arguments with clients who want logos on the right – ‘just to be different’ – WRONG! Being different does not actually make it better!

7 - Use white space to enhance readability – that’s probably why you like sites with lots of white – they are easy to read!

8 - Check things across all browsers – these days there is a smorgasboard of browsers and devices to use, so we need to check a million places!

9 - Focus on all your key landing pages – what do you want people to do on each of these pages – not just your home page

So get Clicking!

Many businesses have websites today, but how many are effective?

How many attract the right kind of clients and convert them to customers?

Lots of people just look - but we want the buyers.

We put together a list of 7 deadly website sins and what you should do to avoid them.

Sin No 1: - Starting with a dud logo

No site will work if your logo is crap. As the saying goes, you cannot make a silk purse out of sow's ear.

Sin No 2: - Not promoting your site enough

Many first time website owners can 'forget' their traditional marketing methods when promoting their new site. 
'Build it and they will come' - is not how it is done.

Remember: -

• Good Banner graphics ( yep that dud logo is really going to drag you down )
• Consistent taglines as part of your brand - you need a hook
• Good SEO practices, including perhaps Google Adwords for key times of the year
• Social Media - Facebook, Twitter and Linked in - tell everyone, in every network
• Blog - you know your stuff, share, create interest, you are an expert in what you do!
• Offline - yes your traditional marketing tools - don't forget them!

Sin No 3: - No WIFM

If a client can't see the 'what's in it for me' - they are gone. Make sure your site is about benefits and not features. Everyone sells widgets, but how will yours benefit your clients?

Sin No 4: No Calls to Action

Your website must be a lead generator. If you are not picking up contact details, then you are not using your investment to its fullest. Make sure you entice viewers to signup to newsletters, click here for more, fill in forms to get more information, give away free tools. Do whatever you need to do to grab a future lead.

Your blog and your social media channels will also help with this - make sure people can subscribe to your news feeds, twitter, facebook and linked in accounts.

Today they are browsers, but tomorrow they might be buyers!

Sin No 5: It's all about me

Actually it's not - it's about your customers. So whilst your vision, mission and values may be vital to you, your customers don't really care. Awards, flash office photos have a place, but it is well in the background. Your site is all about attracting and converting clients.

Sin No 6: Not looking at the numbers

Like any investment, you need to understand your ROI. With your website, you need to track the metrics and regularly be across them. What are your visits, what products are being viewed or searched on, what forms are being filled in, what is your most visited pages?

Sin No 7: Poor Auto Responders

What do you feedback forms say to people when they fill them in? Are they welcoming, professional and in the tone of your business? Or are they very blunt and robotic? Make sure you use your forms like you expect your front line team to answer the phone. Bring your business personality into your site, from every angle.

Remember if your website is an extension of your office, how do you greet, meet and treat your potential clients.

Did you know that Australia is the most prolific user of Social Media globally?

No?

Then check out this Australian video infographic view of Social Media ... 

 

When first starting out with your website, or even for those people who have had a website for a long time, understanding the basics of page titles can seem a mystery.

Most people still talk in keywords, and whilst this is important as it feeds into on page SEO and ultimately your page title, it is the actual page title field itself that is the most important area of each page at your website.

 

 

The Adobe Business Catalyst platform makes it easy for you to take control of your page title and keywords to get the best results from your website leading to quality traffic.

For a little 3 step tutorial on how to edit your page titles  - just click here!

Our top 7 tips are listed below

 

1. Write short Titles

Ideally your page title should have a maximum title length of 64-70 characters. This is mainly a display feature, Google spiders will still read the text, but a user will not see the full text in search results.

2. Identify your Keywords

Identify the keyphrases of your web page’s content. List down all possible words describing the content of your page. Step in the shoes of the user and list all the relevant search terms that he/she may formulate. The words used in your title will be displayed in search engine results as a clickable link. Therefore it should contain your page’s main keywords.

3. The important goes first

Start your title by adding the important keywords that you found during research. The words appearing first are considered to be more important.

4. Use targeted keywords

Choose specific keywords for your title in order to have more targeted traffic.

5. Be descriptive

Make sure that your title summarizes the content of your web page. In this way users will know what the topic of your page is, when it appears in the search results. This will help you decrease the bounce rate and increase the click through rate.

6. Create unique titles

Make sure you use unique titles for each web page. Duplicate titles might lead to duplicate content issues.

7. Avoid Keyword Stuffing

Keyword stuffing or any other spam technique should be avoided. Even if you manage to rank first, an “over optimized” title will reduce your click through rate.

Don’t forget that you should always write webpage titles and content that is attractive to users!

By trying to achieve high rankings, people can forget that the most important factor of success is that users’ “click” on the website link.

The Adobe Business Catalyst Platform makes it easy for you to control your page title tags, giving you the power to maximise your search results. The latest round of enhancements to our platform has made this even easier for clients.

To make changes follow these 3 easy steps!

1. Go to the page you wish to make changes on - Via Websites - Web Pages

The new page title field will be visible straight away

2. Enter in the Keywords you wish to appear in your page title

Refer to our blog post 7 tips to boost your SEO results from Page Titles for more information

Save and Publish your page as normal

3. Your page title will now be amended, you can check this at the live site.

 

Note: When we build our sites, often clients do not know what to put on each individual page of their site, so we embed code that dynamically creates a page title tag for you (that summarises the key aspects of your business as well as the page name). Please contact us if you are ready to create unique page titles in this manner so we can amend our code.

This does not replace the actual PAGE TITLE that appears within the body of your content