Trust

You don't ever want to be in a position where you're asking someone to trust you.

Trust me,

I know.

;-p

Trust is not something you can ask for, it is something earned, it is something freely given.

If you earn your living from people  who find you on the internet, you'd better make damn sure that your digital marketing is a true reflection of who you are.

From your web address to the image on your about page, from your latest blog post to your most recent tweet, these are not just opportunities to earn trust, they're  huge opportunities to lose it.

An example

Here's an example of well written copy combined with great imagery that is designed to build trust in the visitor from the moment they arrive on the website.

http://www.elizabethmarshall.me

Do you trust yourself?

Take a look at your digital  footprint, do you believe it?  Would you go on a metaphorical magic carpet ride with your business?

Let's talk

If you'd like some help winning the trust of your online Princes and Princesses,  call me on 310 980 2499 or use the form below.

Contact Andrew

Trust

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Written while listening to: Trust by music2work2

Image Credit: Do you Trust Me - Giphy

Why Your Data Is Like A Fine Wine

Got KPIs?

I know -  Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) can be a little difficult to begin with.  They're a pain  to put together, there's too much data,  they deliver information that you don't really understand and they often look like crap.

Here's the thing...

Just like you - just like me - KPIs get better with age. 

Seriously - I'm not kidding. 

I know it sounds strange but after a while, figures start to speak to you and tell you what's going on in your business.  If you keep at it, you'll find your behavior changing as you become more efficient in how you spend your time.  Ultimately your business makes more money.

It's the beginning of the month 

Have you reviewed last month's figures, assessed performance against the estimate, looked at your available resource and set a new estimate and plan of action for September?

If you haven't, maybe you should.

Let's talk 

If you'd like to get more efficient with the your marketing, call me on 310 980 2499 or use the form .

Contact Andrew

Why your data is a like a fine wine

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Written while listening to: music2work2 - Fibonacci Series Playlist (I am seriously digging this playlist now!)

Image Credit: Age like a fine wine by Derek Gavey on Flickr

The Truth About Creating Content

You're not creating "content"  you're marketing your business.

This is a really huge thing to wrap your head around!

Here's why:

Content for content's sake sucks!

Seriously - if I read another blog post titled "5 ways to market your  blog with content" that starts with the admonition "you must create quality content" - I'm going to scream.

Scratch that - I'm already screaming!

The thing is - these kind of posts all start with that because the majority of content published, particularly from small businesses,  is crap.

Creating good content is really hard

I teach digital marketing for a living, so you'd think I'd be pretty good at this content thing, but reflect on this for a minute:

• It took me 52 weeks to develop the habit of writing a "good" newsletter.
• It took me another 52 weeks to get some traction and win my first "random" client
• 3 years in, my business is now growing and it is 100% down to two things:
  1. my ability to execute
  2. my weekly newsletter

Content marketing is a life changing practice.

If you're going to market your business effectively you have to make creating content a part of your life - as entrenched as your month-end invoices.

It needs to be scheduled then fought against and hated and dreaded - until it becomes habit - until it becomes second nature - until you're sitting on a Tuesday night jotting down ideas because you know when you put them out into the world they are going to grow your business.

The truth

If you are a smart, creative, small business owner - there has NEVER been a better time for you to market your business - just don't kid yourself that it'll be quick and easy.

Pick a strategy, keep your head down, get good at it and then thank yourself in a few years time!

Let's talk

If you'd like to avoid the most popular pitfalls and make the best use of your resources, call me on 310 980 2499 or use the form below.

Contact Andrew

The Truth About Content Marketing

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Written while listening to: music2work2 - Fibonacci Series Playlist

Image Credit: Oh, be quiet by Maki Maki on Flickr

How Do You dress For New Business?

When it comes to new business there are generally three types of customers:

• People with immediate needs
• Researchers
• Personal referrals

People with immediate needs

These people are short on time, they use search engines and phone up or email the first few results they see.  They reckon that if you can appear on the first page of Google then you probably know what you're doing.

If this is your typical new customer then you should be driving your content strategy hard and your website should be utilitarian - function should drive form and it should be super easy for the customer to see what you do and how to contact you.

Researchers

These are people sitting at home in the evening on their iPad or grabbing time at work on their desktop.  They have plenty of opportunity to look at the competition and compare products and services.

Website form becomes more important as people have time to reflect on how things look - if you appear lame next to the competition you're going to lose.  Social media and social proof become more important as they have time to read what people say about you.

Personal Referrals

This is the lifeblood of most smaller businesses - mine included and they can be either of the above.
These people are less worried about your digital footprint, sure it's got to look professional but it acts as a verifier rather than a converter.

Does your website match your customer?

Go back and look and your last 20 transactions, is there is a typical customer type?  Now look at your website and marketing strategy.  Do they match?

Let's Talk

Call me on 310 980 2499 or contact me using the form below.

Contact Andrew

Dress For New Business

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Written while listening to: music2work2 - Fibonacci Series Playlist

Image Credit: Business Fashion by Barbie Fantasies on Flickr

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What I've learned about web design in the last 12 months

(or - why websites are kind of like human beings)

• There is no one design that works for everyone
• Your website should be as unique as you are
• The only way to find out what that looks like is to change and measure the results
• It costs less to change your website today than it ever has

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Think about it, we've evolved over millions of years - sure we're pretty recognizable as humans instead of say gorillas, or fish, or sofas even, and yet we're all unique!  We're different shapes and sizes, colors and creeds, we have different languages and behaviors and we dress in a myriad of ways to help us get what we want.

But this didn't happen overnight - there had to be change, there had be a selection process in order for the most "successful" traits to win out.

The Takeaway For Your Website

There is a utopian design for your business' website, one that turns all those visitors into paying customers or clients.  The only way to get there is to try different versions - hell, call them generations,  of how it looks and functions.  So do this:

• Decide how long each generation will have to develop useable data - say two to three months
• Choose which metric you want to improve
•  Make changes to your site and / or strategy
• Measure the results
• Discard what didn't work
• Rinse and repeat

 God With a Fast Forward Button?

The only question you need to ask yourself right now is how quickly do you want to evolve?

Big Caveat

This isn't just about the design of your website, it's about your content too.  What you put out into the world has a huge impact on who visits you and whether they choose to engage.  When it comes to SEO, website design is inextricably tied to content strategy so to evolve successfully, you need to be looking at both.

Let's Talk

This isn't complicated, it just requires a little strategy, planning and execution.  If you'd like some help setting it up, call me on 310 980 2499 or email me and let's talk.

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Written while listening to: Drive (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Image Credit: Dog Reads Newspaper by Steve Eng on Flickr

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How to be more visible to local search

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Get your location in the title of your home page

If you don't know how to do this - shout me

Pay for a tool that gets your local data out to the major US data aggregators

Many of you might recognize names like Yext ($499 a year) or Do-It-Yourself ($346 a year) and yes they're bloody good at what they do - but if you want a quick easy entry to this world at just $49 a year, check out Moz Local

https://moz.com/local

It's made by one the most open and effective companies in the SEO world and I highly recommend it.

Sort out your Google+ page

Google are finally getting their act together when it comes to business pages.  Yes it's been messy in the past but there's a new interface and it actually makes sense.  It's now call Google My Business and here's what you should do today:

• Log into your Gmail account
• Click the +YourName link on the top right of the screen - this takes you to your G+ page
• Underneath the Google logo on the top left of the page, click the home button and a drop down menu appears - click on pages
• You should now see your business page - select it and you'll arrive on the new Google My Business dashboard
• Follow the instructions - add photos - check your address and phone number (you might need to be verified first but they can now do that over the phone!)
• If you don't have a page - maybe you should.  Get in touch if you'd like some help.

As with any other social network you'll need to be active in order to really get the benefits, so a nice easy win is to write reviews of other local businesses as your G+ page. 

Seriously - this is a great idea!  If your business frequents the local coffee shop and they're on G+ - write a review - same with the local dry cleaners, market, car wash,  etc.  The more reviews you write - the more visible you are and the more likely it is others will review you - and yes - reviews are good!

Check out Bing

Once you've got Google up and running check out Bing's version:

http://bingplaces.com

There.  That should keep you busy for a while. 

If you've got questions - you know what to do.

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Written while listening to: Minecraft Playlist - music2work2

Image Credit: Me!

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