Podcast Number 72 – January 2012
In this podcast Glenn and Tom talk about business profile pages within the major social media outlets of Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube.
What should be considered when setting up a business profile page?
- This social media is about business and is not personal.
- Brand the pages like your Website, they are not personal social pages.
- Allow for ease of communication and content.
- Strive for interaction with these pages from users.
- Develop a strategic plan for social media for 2012.
- Page look and feel, content and how you get support are key areas.
- Include your key products and services.
- Who and what will be the voice of your brand in the social media content?
What are a few examples of strategies for business profile pages.
- The people at your organization are highlighted.
- Smart use of photography works as branding and messaging.
- Link back to your company Website and landing Web pages for conversions.
- The content is the implementation of your strategy.
- Include brief content on services and products.
- Find ways to conveniently help people solve problems or gain benefit.
How is the content posted on these pages different from other content postings?
- Content is brief snippets that drive attention to links or the principle Website or blog.
- Keep content relevant, current and use multiple media.
- Assign someone in the organization to drive this content.
- Keep it brief and interesting with photos.
- Be aware of posting the same content on all social media sites, some variety is needed based on your strategy and how users interact with the content.
Here are the action items from the Podcast:
- Build a great company Website first.
- Layout your social media strategy for the year and find a team to implement.
- Build a business profile page for Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google+ and Twitter.
- Do user testing and check your stats.
- Recognize direct and indirect benefits that can be measured.
January 10th, 2012
Tom
Podcast Number 71 – January 2012
In this podcast Glenn and Tom review 10 Website trends that are expected to be hot for 2012. Plan ahead and be ready for these trends before they happen.
- Prepare for the “Internets”
- Some Websites are so large, have many users can be considered an “Internet.”
- This includes Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter and the emerging Google+.
- Business profile pages and regular content additions are a must.
- Users will stay on these Web pages for resources, to solve problems and help.
- Each site will have their own strategy and stats monitoring.
- The Mobile Web
- Mobile traffic is growing fast.
- Develop a mobile version of your site when traffic hits 10% or more.
- Mobile traffic is highly qualified and needs conversion points.
- Adapt your Website to the screen size of the user.
- Publishing and Content
- Content is free and valuable content will draw traffic.
- eBooks are the future of publishing and magazines are next.
- Stale content is a negative influence of Web results.
- Google Wants New, Relevant and a High Volume of Content
- Fresh Content is more important than ever for Google’s search results.
- Google will continue to grow and Google+ will increase market share.
- Blogs and regular Website content updates will drive growth.
- Apple Slips
- Apple will start to struggle for the first time in a while in 2012.
- There is a lack of awesome break-through products.
- Service is dropping in the stores.
- Competitors are likely to come in.
- Lack of leadership will be evident in 2012.
- Excellent run for Apple could start to end in 2012.
- Offline Success Drives Online Growth
- Brands that are strong outside the Web will enjoy the most growth.
- Websites without a strong offline presence will struggle.
- More strong offline brands will embrace the Web fully in 2012.
- Wild Election Process
- The 2012 election will be won on the Internet.
- Fundraising will go online and voter influence will come from the Web.
- Obama will easily be re-elected with more online support than ever.
- This will influence elections at all levels.
- Website Knowledge Explodes
- Knowledge of Web marketing is no longer for the geeks or Web masters.
- This knowledge will explode among small to medium sized businesses in 2012.
- Web marketing terms will become an accepted and critical part of marketing.
- Integrated Media and the Death of Flash
- User preferences will drive the use of more media on Websites.
- Video, audio, written content, photos, slides, graphics and more will need to be on Websites to meet user needs.
- This will drive job growth for graphic design and Web media jobs.
- Flash will decline and HTML5 and other universal formats will emerge in 2012.
- Website Development Speeds Up and Budgets Fall
- CMS systems and Web savvy developers will build Websites faster and cheaper.
- CMS templates and modules will make Website success more about strategy, messaging and content and less about development.
- Good design is not going away, but development is now a piece of cake.
- WordPress will continue to lead the way along with substantial growth for Magento.
- This will also drive job growth in 2012.
Here are the action items from the Podcast:
- Be looking ahead at where the Web is going so it is not a surprise when you arrive.
- Set as a New Year’s resolution to include training and education in Web marketing.
- Learn more about CMS, open source platforms of WordPress, Joomla, Drupal and Magento.
- All these things may not happen in 2012, but they are coming soon.
January 10th, 2012
Tom
Don’t stop marketing your Website for Holiday sales just yet. There is still time to convert last minute shoppers and to develop strategies for new buyers after the Holidays and into early 2012. Here are a few ideas to make that happen.
Last Minute Ship Dates Email Campaign
A favorite late Holiday marketing tactic is the “last chance to order” email based on Holiday shipping dates. This places a very specific call to action on the buyer and targets select products to drive a strong conversion rate. Use email and Website messaging and recommend products that include free shipping.
Help the Very Busy, Undecided Buyer
This is a very busy time of year and can stress the undecided shopper. People go to the Web to make shopping more convenient, but it’s often difficult to buy the right gift, especially for the person that has everything. Help the undecided buyer with options, add-ons, unique gifts and other ideas to help them find a great gift. A good subject line for this promotion is: “Having a hard time selecting a last minute gift? We can help.”
What is Selling this Holiday?
A great way to help buyers is to show them top-selling products and what is popular.
This assures the Website visitors because many people have purchased this item so the masses can’t be wrong. Top sellers help simplify the decision making process for buyers.
The Brand’s First Exposure
Many customers become aware of your company for the first time over the Holidays. Surprise gifts are common and this leads to new Website visitors. Welcome them to the site with complimentary products, accessories, email subscribe options and other methods for capturing them as a loyal customer.
Post-Holiday Marketing
Don’t stop marketing after the Holidays. Online selling continues strong into January as people continue to buy late gifts or visit Websites selling the gifts they received to find accessories or to buy related items. Many gifts received this year will be a first time exposure to the brand by the gift recipient and they are very likely to go to the Web to learn more and be up-sold. It is important for the brand, for January sales and repeat business. Develop post-Holiday selling strategies to drive these goals.
Here are a few more ideas for last minute Holiday sales and post Holiday sales campaigns:
- Didn’t Get What You Wanted?
Not everyone gets what the gift they wanted. Many people buy gifts for themselves around the Holidays.
- The Perfect Accessory to Your Holiday Gift
- Did One of Our Products Make it Under the Tree?
If you received one of our products as a gift, buy direct for the first time and receive a discount.
- Keep in touch all year long and subscribe to our email offers.
If you enjoyed our products as a gift, you’ll love what we offer all year long.
We hope these ideas offer and few creative suggestions to market for the remaining Holiday sales rush and into 2012.
Thomas Young
December 12th, 2011
Tom
Podcast Number 69 – November 2011
In this podcast Glenn and Tom talk about content for the Web and how often should content be added to blogs and Websites. When is it too much for the user and when is more content needed to drive conversions and traffic.
How often should content be added to a Website or blog?
- It depends on the goals of the site and why is content being added to the site?
- There are pros and cons to the volume and timing of content.
- Content can be added to drive traffic or conversions
How can new content drive more traffic?
- Google is now rewarding new content and punishing stale Websites.
- Find a happy medium from daily posts to monthly updates.
- Think like your target market.
- Seth Godin blog’s too much.
- Steve Marten and Stephen Colbert Twitter too much.
What about back-dated content?
- This is OK to help spread out the dates of your posts.
- Does not work as well if you write many articles or posts.
How does new content drive conversion?
- New content creates new search engine landing pages.
- Fresh content shows the site is relevant.
- Content-rich sites compete better.
- Google loves new content.
Who should write the content and how do we come up with ideas?
- Find a writer or do it yourself?
- Content writers for the Web are available for higher.
- Use topics that happen in your everyday work life.
Here are the action items from the Podcast:
- Schedule and write new content based on your site goals.
- Keep notes of interesting stories and events that happen during the work day or week and turn them into blog posts.
- Review www.CastingWords.com
- Content comes in many varieties including videos, audios, photos with captions and more. Use a variety of content sources.
- Track the results in Google and in your stats.
- Go back and listen to our podcasts on content for the Web for more information.
November 28th, 2011
Tom
Podcast Number 70 – November 2011
In this podcast Glenn and Tom review strategies and recommendations on meeting the needs of Website visitors who may not understand your Website or come from various market segments. Can a Website be everything for everyone? Or should it focus strictly on its target market?
Should Websites be expected to meet the needs or even be understood of all Web visitors?
- Remember the Seinfeld Soup Nazi?
- You don’t want your Website to follow that role.
- Look at the upside risk versus the downside risk.
- As a rule of thumb, keep the site understood by as many visitors as possible.
- Follow the 10-out-of-10 rule.
- Don’t assume any Website visitors “get it” just because you do!
- What if Bill Gates visits your home page?
How does a Website go about communicating with a broad ranges of users?
- Keep it simple and use direct, easily understood concrete terms.
- Landing pages should be easily understood.
- More detailed and market specific content should be in place on interior pages.
- Keep in mind the reading level of your visitors.
Is there a risk that the actual target market may be alienated?
- If you upset a segment with content, then buy a separate domain name because you will need multiple Websites.
- Research and talk to your target market and referral sources.
Where should Websites find a middle ground in these area?
- The best and most popular Websites have wide segments.
- The best Websites communicate broadly, even in niche areas.
Here are the action items from the Podcast:
- Analyze your market segments and understand each’s hot buttons and triggers.
- Understand and know how referral sources work on the Web.
- Use this to develop a messaging strategy and Website segmentation approach.
- Track your data and do user testing on broad segments and niches.
- We all tend to be focused too much on how we perceive the world, the Web forces to get out of this bubble or vacuum and better communicate to new and current target markets and referral sources.
Websites Discussed in the Podcast:
November 28th, 2011
Tom
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