I-COM Blog feed

What do you need from your website?

2008-11-22T05:17:22+0000

When you work in the internet business it is amazing how many times you get asked for advice on websites from family and friends. This week was no different when a friend and I were approached by an acquaintance asking some questions.

He is one of the many millions of people around the world who have no background in computers, no technical knowledge, no design knowledge and certainly no search engine optimisation knowledge who set up a simple site with Yahoo! The reason he did so was he felt under pressure from customers who kept asking for his website address.

Now, you may ask if his business needed a website, and the simple answer is not as a sales and marketing tool. He runs a small business teaching martial arts classes in local gyms and schools. His is not an online business and he currently does not rely on online traffic to drum up business or get his message across. However, in the day and age in which we live, whether or not a small business needs a website in order to find customers, customers expect to find a website no matter the size of the company or the service they provide.

Now, back to the problem in hand. With his experience level, he had in fact set up a site which currently generates up to 200 visits a day; but it is a simple site designed by a novice and he knows that his customers would like to see something a little prettier. So, his first question was, "What will it cost to fix my website?"

What do I need to do to fix my website?

The first thing my friend asked him was "What do you need to get from your website?"

This may seem like an odd question, but if all he needs is a resource where his students or their parents can look up locations and times of different classes, then his website needs a lot less work than if he wants to allow online bookings, offer instructional videos, install a forum and sell equipment via an online shop.

His website will also look different if he has capital to invest and is looking to expand his business or whether he only has a small cash resource and just wants some information online so he can direct people with questions to the website.

He explained that he just wants information on the site for his current students - his classes are already oversubscribed so he can't cope with the website bringing him any additional business. He's not yet at a stage where he is looking to market his business more broadly or expand his clientele but he does want a professional look and feel to his website to mirror the fact that he runs a professional, legitimate business and he is fully qualified to teach martial arts classes to children. So followed the next question -

Does my business need a professional web designer yet?

Essentially, he does not yet need a professionally-designed and built website - yet. At some point in the future he may have the resources to take his business to the next stage of development and he may want to put some money into a bespoke website and some internet marketing - but right now, what he needs is a simple do-it-yourself solution.

We recommended WordPress. This is an Open Source piece of blog software that he can download and install for free which enables him to create static pages with information that will remain relatively unchanged, will allow him to link out to resources he finds useful and will enable him to make quick news updates if he wants to let people know about upcoming events, demonstrations, etc.

What is WordPress and will I be able to manage it?

WordPress is W3C compliant, creates a user-friendly navigational structure, can be set-up so it is very search engine friendly, is completely customisable so he can change themes at will and, best of all, is well-supported. So, even though he should rarely have to do any actual HTML coding, if he does, he has a vast online resource to help him.

In the meantime, he will not only be able to provide a useful resource for his customers, he will be establishing a trusted domain which will be found and indexed by search engines. By the time he is ready to launch a professionally designed site and begin his first internet marketing campaign, his domain name will have some weight to it and he'll have already cleared the first hurdle.

Hopefully when that time comes, he'll remember that we gave him good advice and come back and ask for more.

Not optimising your PPC campaigns can harm you

2008-11-22T05:17:22+0000

I was doing a bit of research earlier and noticed the following ad appearing for the search term "injury caused by an animal":

The SERPS look something like this:

Presumably, as shown by Google's organic results and the top 3 sponsored results, somebody searching for information about injuries caused by animals either wants a solicitor to advise them on filing a compensation claim or statistics about the numbers and types of animal injuries. Certainly the searcher is not looking to buy an animal - even for a charitable cause.

In this instance, only four ads appear which suggests that the offending ad will be shown every time this search result appears - and is unlikely to get many clickthroughs. A low CTR means a poor quality score which means higher bid prices - something a charity can hardly afford, much less the average business.

Four new hires at I-COM to support new client wins

2008-11-22T05:17:22+0000

This month we're pleased to announce that we've hired four new people for the I-COM team.

Clair Wescott joins the companys team of 5Google Adwords professionals, and David Walsh is the latest addition to the highly accomplished in-house programming and web development team.

We're also building our award-winning SEO (search engine optimisation) team through the recruitment of two experienced SEO consultants, who are starting with us next week.

The four new staff members round off a successful couple of months for us as we continue to grow and extend our client base. New client wins include The Kit Team, PUMA, The National Obesity Surgery Centre and the Sellick Partnership.

Welcome to the business, clients and colleagues.

How do I make my online press release newsworthy?

2008-11-22T05:17:22+0000

When it comes to coming up with news stories to use as online press releases, it never ceases to amaze me how seemingly difficult clients find it. But we dont really have any news at the moment is often the response I get. Or Im just waiting on X to happenI should have something next month.

Call me a slave driver, but if your business doesnt have some sort of news, something new or exciting or interesting to talk about each week, its time to start thinking harder. Or at least thinking differently

Here at I-COM, we do (try to) practice what we preach by sending out at least one online press release per week. This isnt to say that we are involved in something ground breaking on a weekly basis or we regularly have massively exciting news we just have to tell the world about. But we do have interesting stories, comments and news to put our angle on.Â So heres my guide to creating news for online press releases (even where there isnt all that much)

Read The News

There is always some way of contorting a current and interesting news story and putting your spin on it.

At the moment, many companies are talking about the credit crunch, recession and overall economic crisis.Â This is a great one theres any number of ways to spin this to your advantage.Â If you sell home improvement products dont move, improve, if you sell lifestyle products escape the doom and gloom, if you sell something which could save people money looking to save money on X? etc.Â Â Â

Use Surveys and Research

Everyone loves a survey. Especially one that has surprising or interesting results. Just look through any national newspaper and youll come across many stories based upon opinion polls or surveys. You can even come up with your own survey stats reasonably cheaply, though adding a quick survey to your website, asking customers to complete a questionnaire or asking people questions at an event you are holding.

Once you are armed with the stats, its time to put your angle on it to promote your product or service. 75% of people are unhappy with Xtime to switch supplier

Look at what other people in your industry are talking about/publicising

Didnt someone once say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery? Well, they may have done, not that this saying necessarily applies here. In the case of online PR, imitating your competitors, or at least keeping an eye on and reinventing what they are saying with your own spin, is one of the easiest ways of creating news for press releases. Â

Not that Im condoning copyingbut keeping abreast of what your competition are up to is always a good idea, and this just gives you an additional reason to do so.

Talk about your achievements and triumphs

Its amazing how reluctant clients seem to be to promote their achievements. New client wins, pitch wins, new products, new services, awards, accreditations, nominations for awards etc. Clients should be banging our doors down to get all of this good news out there. Â But in the majority of cases, I can only get at it when I prod clients with an extremely large stick. Â The more good news you can get out there about your company, the more credible your company appears.

Online PR is a great tool to get your news out into the public domain, attract visitors to your website, benefit your website with link value, and potentially attract further media attention.

Theres always a story to be told, so think hard, think differently and get typing!

Facebook - Your Business New Best Friend!

2008-11-22T05:17:22+0000

I recently read an article which was based on research on how Facebook was good for businesses. It suggested that allowing employees to use social networking sites such as Facebook built bonds with colleagues and stronger communication within the team. It also suggested that this was the new way to network and build business relationship whether this was through branding or seeking new business.

What struck me though was the omission of benefits of advertising on Facebook.

There are different ways in which to advertise on Facebook including placement ads with Google Adwords. This method, although easy to set up and run, does not give you the control that you would normally command from a Google PPC campaign.

However if you opt to advertise directly with Facebook, the accuracy of who you target is superb and more ingenious to some extent than (dare I say) Google Adwords. Advertising on Facebook allows you to reach such a niche target market that you are able to micro market.

This spells great news for the small business, as it allows you to get your message across only to those that you would want to see your message thus costing you less in showing your advert to a lager group.

The real extent you are able to target is overwhelming to the point that you can filter your ad not only by gender and education even down to the school/university a person went to but even factor in on their social activities, martial status age and city/town.

So for example a local sports shop wants to promote a new range of mens rock climbing boots - instead of running a local ad or mass ppc they could or directly on to Facebook set up what they want to say and just target men who list Rock Climbing in their profile with in local area or for increased online sales on a non demographic catchments.

If you feel that you would like to explore this type of online marketing then you can find out more from Facebook advertising or contact the search team at i-com.net who could manage an online account and target new clients for your business.

Want to be next US President? Get switched on to online marketing

2008-11-22T05:17:22+0000

I was fascinated to read an article on just how Barack Obama has utilised the web to promote his Presidential campaign.Â Â

Just how did a junior Senator from Illinois manage to rocket to campaign front runner? Â A much needed pledge for change, a fantastically orchestrated political campaign and the ability to connect with voters from all walks of life throughout the country are undoubtedly the main contributors to Obamas success.

But whats really interesting from the perspective of an online marketing company is how the Obama campaign has used online marketing methods and online communication channels, such as social media networks, YouTube and blogging to directly reach his potential supporters. Â And whats more, encourage them to donate to his presidential campaign. Back in January, Obama broke all previous campaign records by raising an amazing $32 million in campaign contributions, dwarfing rival democrat candidate Hillary Clintons meagre $13.5 million.Â

The fact is that the Obama team have embraced the internet like no other political campaign before. Ive never seen so many social media widgets in one place Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Flikr, Digg, Twitter, Stumble You name it, youll find Barack there.Â The Obama blog is also actively contributed to by campaign team members with multiple entries each day, allowing supporters and contributors to follow the Obama campaign trail step by step.

As always, there are things that could be improved from an online marketing perspective. Any SEO person worth their salt would decry the splash page on Baracks site, and some of the SEO basics, such as the meta titles and tags have not been optimised to maximum effect.Â But with a page rank of 8 and a reported 1 million website visitors per month, Im sure even the most steadfast of SEOs would be willing to get over such oversight. Â

Sure, were not all cut out to be world leaders. But the point is, there are lessons all of us can learn from Obamas utilisation of the web that can be employed across all business sectors.

The Obama campaign has been so successful online as Baracks team has been proactive and aggressive in their utilisation of online communication with their target audience the American public successfully casting their net and broadcasting their campaign messages through as many mediums as possible.Â As with every online marketing campaign, you get back what you are prepared to put in.Â Barack Obamas website and online marketing efforts are perfect examples of this case in point.

What the FTP is going on?

2008-11-22T05:17:22+0000

Following recent conversations with web developers, whilst trying to obtain FTP access for prospective clients sites, I have begun to notice a certain trend developing in the response from said developers and it has led me to wonder what the big secret is.

When advising clients on search visibility and whether their current web site will support SEO, FTP access is needed to get the complete picture of what you are going to be working with.

So you call the web developer or hosting company and ask them for FTP access, so you can actually help one of their customers to build their online business, and the response is one of shock, denial and secrecy. This I do not understand

Is it because the idea of customer service is completely alien to these people, or is it because of the highly sensitive information thatÂ can be accessed here, perhaps secret files on the truth about who shot Kennedy?

Apparently not, all most web sites have is source code, files and folders, data and images Etc. Nothing desperate intellectual property wise and no reason for a veil of secrecy.

So whats the big to do?

Im no techie, but even I get what read-only access means and access can be limited to a single public folder, so surely there is no big problem, but these people react like you have asked to for their cash card and pin number

I now believe it is this: that customer service within this industry has a got a long way to go, and that these people are protecting themselves.

In an age where people are hysterical about data theft, many developers are reluctant to release any information on the development ofÂ a client web site - they want to be seen as the only knowlegable person (after all "knowledge is power" the guys at microsoft are keen to tell us) on a particular web site, the only person who can work effectively on a web site - persuading many companies not to change their web sites or hosting companies for years - for fear of losing everything.

Im sure there must be many companies and individuals out there with older websites with no idea of what a modern web solution could be doing for their business,Â because they are wary of crossing those who people who hold the keys to their online real estate and somehow loosing the lot.

So FTP Gate keepers, open up and chill out!!

Six Marketing Mistakes Your Business Cant Afford to Make

2008-11-22T05:17:22+0000

As the economy downturns, businesses often panic and make marketing mistakes that prove very costly. Mistakes that could cost you dearly in lost customers and shrinking profits. It may even threaten the very survival of your company.

Here are six of the more common mistakes;

Mistake # 1- Im ok my business has plenty of satisfied customers and I dont need to do anything. I can ride the current downturn out: Doing nothing may only make matters worse. Its important that you actively seek new customers and new channels for sales, whether there is a downturn in the economy or not having a website or an online presence opens your business up to a much wider audience. Its also worth remembering that in times of economic downturn many businesses and customers are looking to cut their supplier costs and go online to source more price conscious products and services.

Mistake # 2 Ive got to slash my marketing budget to save money: A typical knee-jerk reaction is to simply cut your marketing budget, believing it will stop your business losses. Truth is that all it cuts is profits, making a bad problem much worse. What you really need to do is make your marketing campaigns more effective and make more informed decisions.

Mistake # 3 Im way too busy to research my marketing campaigns. Most companies dont understand which marketing works for them and which doesnt. Proper research can identify marketing that generates profits. Online marketing allows you to track all aspects of your marketing campaigns, keywords used to find your web site, web traffic, referrals, visitors, conversions, page views and even bounce rates for individual web pages.

Mistake # 4 I dont know how much my leads are costing. Anyway does it matter if were in profit? Every pound you spend on marketing should have a specific measurable result. If you dont measure your marketing results effectively you may as well throw your money away.

Mistake # 5 I dont need to check the changes I make to my marketing campaigns: You need to monitor any changes you make to your marketing campaigns to make sure that they are effective if after a set period of time a campaign is not effective then stop it immediately and assess any changes that may be needed remember dont throw good money after bad.

Mistake # 6 Everything I do wont work were in a recession and no one is spending: Spending doesnt stop because of an economic downturn its simply that businesses and customers are looking for better prices, more value for money and quality services. Your business should look to provide these and your marketing campaigns should reinforce this.

Increased costs of raw materials, services; products etc will lead to businesses and customers looking further afield and, more importantly, online for more cost effective solutions. Now is actually a good time for your business to have a website.

The state of todays economy should be seen as an opportunity to scrutinise your marketing campaigns, identify new opportunities and to look at new ways of maximising your present profits. Plus if you can maximise profits in a downturn think how successful will you be when the economy begins to grow again?

Are you promoting your business online? If Not, Why Not?

2008-11-22T05:17:22+0000

Following the Business Yorkshire Exhibition where I gave a talk on "Maximising the potential of your website" I was asked the question; " Isn't this the worst time to launch or promote your website?"

What?! The truth is this could not be a better time toÂ start an internet business or promote your business online. It doesn't matter what state the economy is in!

Why?

- Online sales have never been stronger, study the facts; UK Retail E-Commerce Sales First half 2007 = £19.2bn compare that to the First Half of 2008 = £26.5bn that represents 38% growth!! Where else have you seen that? If you are a retailer and you are not online make it your priority.

- Unlike bricks and mortar you have access to a global market.

- Start up costs are a lot less, yes, you will need a sensible start up investment and/or marketing budget but nothing like a high street budget!

- Over 37 million online in the UK, over 1.3bn people worldwide!

- 97% of the 37 million online in the UK have shopped online! More than enough to make a profitable business!!

Do you want me to go on... Yes/NO I know you have the message.

I cannot stress the importance of you taking action, however, you need to focus and dedicate time on the following;

1. Research fully who you want to work with for your online website design, development and online marketing. This is crucial and could cost you a lot of money and time if you have the wrong partners.

2. Make sure your proposition has a unique USP (Unique selling points) and/or if possible identify the Niche Market for your products and services and focus on these when building your online marketing.

3. Concentrate on becoming the recognised expert in your field and market.

What is the cost of delaying? Well, only you know the answer to that!

In my opinion there is no better time to get your website up and running and , above all, promoted. Whilst others put their heads in the sand or procrastinate on whether this is the right time or not this is an opportunity for you! Remember the 90's! Maybe your not old enough but take it from me the companies that went out there into their markets and advertised went on to be very successful companies.

All the top economist are stating that 2009 is going to be difficult, well who am I to argue?

I know one thing! If you focus on building your companies online presence providing your visitors with excellent products, services, information and customer care you will be ahead of the majority. So don't procrastinate...

If you'd like to discuss starting a new business online in more detail with me I-COM will be exhibiting at Business North West 19-20 November at Manchester Central (Formerly G-Mex). It's free to attend and you can register for the exhibition here.

Tynt 404 Error Page

2008-11-22T05:17:22+0000

Following on from Mindy's post on the perils of Tynt I had to laugh when I saw this custom 404 error page from the guys at seoconsultants - classic - Â Tynt 404 error page

I-COM Blog feed

What do you need from your website?

What do I need to do to fix my website?

Does my business need a professional web designer yet?

What is WordPress and will I be able to manage it?

Not optimising your PPC campaigns can harm you

Four new hires at I-COM to support new client wins

How do I make my online press release newsworthy?

Facebook - Your Business New Best Friend!

Want to be next US President? Get switched on to online marketing

What the FTP is going on?

Six Marketing Mistakes Your Business Cant Afford to Make

Are you promoting your business online? If Not, Why Not?

Tynt 404 Error Page

Facebook - Your Business New Best Friend!

Six Marketing Mistakes Your Business Cant Afford to Make