Archive for June, 2009

Is Your Website Broken?

Published
by
Christian Bowman
on June 30, 2009
in General
. 1 Comment

Want develop an online component to your business - but don’t know how? Internet Marketing is much easier than 10 years ago, thanks to a variety of helpful software - from setting up your site, to bringing clients to see it, to mass emailing people with your offer, to tracking how many people have actually opened your email.

There is software out there for every aspect of running your online business – let’s take a look at a few options.

How Good Is Your Website?
How much traffic you get is the key to success. Do you really know how good your website is?

Some Free Tools
A very useful and free tool is http://www.grader.com/ You can get a score of your website, Facebook, Twitter and a few others. At least grade your website. Each time you make a change check your grading.

This grader will analyse the market effectiveness of your site. It is also a Search Engine Optimisation tool - a strategy that maximizes the opportunities that your site will show on search engines like Google and Yahoo when people type in phrases related to your products/services.

If the SEO tool shows very little optimization, it means that you need good writers who are specialized in SEM (Search Engine Marketing).

Also have a look at http://www.linkvendor.com It does a similar job. In some ways it’s a better tool for grading your website and keywords.

Find The Best Software
What software should you buy to market your site? Don’t be fooled by pretty website designs; that’s not what you want. You want a website that will reach thousands of potential customers. Have a look at http://www.hubspot.com/products for some useful information.

Peter Caputa, the author on the hubspot blog, suggests…
“Don’t just stop with a content management system. Make sure you can launch landing pages (the page that appears when a potential customer clicks on an advertisement or a search-engine result link) and edit the right spots on your pages to do SEO.”

Make sure you have a marketing analytics package that knows where your leads are coming from. Based on my experience, it’s very beneficial if your SEO analytics tools gather data from your analytics package and your customer relationship management integrates with your landing pages.

Others Can Help You
OK, it’s a bit confusing at first. But you don’t have to learn all the technical jargon. If you team up with a reputable marketing company (do your homework, just like for any supplier), they will do most of the work for you. After all, there are specialist internet marketing companies that can help you out.

You Must Have Good Copy
I mentioned skilled writers at the beginning to help you obtain the most benefits from search engines. One place that you can try, probably the most successful in the freelance business, is http://www.elance.com

There you will find a whole array of specialists who can help your site become successful, from copywriters, to web designers, to SEO specialists, to software engineers. There is a profile for each provider that lets you choose the most experienced and most competent for much less money than through a regular supplier.

And don’t forget the social networking.

HubSpot also suggests…
“This may be obvious now, but you’ll be much more successful if you can connect online with your real world clients, suppliers and networking partners. If you can get your whole network blogging or using LinkedIn effectively, you’ll stand a much better chance of success yourself.”

Most Important
Make sure you have an effective tool to measure your response rate from your email campaign (Oh, yes, email remains the most effective tool to sell something on the Web).

Again, choose the software you use carefully. Some products are very expensive. You may want to start with a cheaper software that gives you the basics.

In other words, how many targets opened your email (the text is extremely important, so consult a specialist) and how many of those actually clicked on your link (that will take them to your site).

CALL TO ACTION
1. I have built up some good contacts when it comes to Internet Marketing. If you have any questions or want to know where to get advice

OR

If you want some help with technology to handle your internet marketing…

Then contact me:
gail <at> achaeus.com.au. This email address comes direct to me and is the best address to use.

2. Use Google Analytics (www.google.com/analytics) to measure statistics related to website visitors. It’s the best. There are other choices but you can’t go wrong with Google Analytics.

3. Keep track of email statistics like open rates and links clicked for all emails you send to your mailing list. Your email ‘Subject Line’ is a key component for getting emails opened. Monitor different email ‘Subject Lines’ for open rates.

How to Use Joint Ventures to Increase your Sales

Published
by
Gail Geronimos
on June 24, 2009
in General
. 2 Comments

Here are 3 scenarios where a joint ventures may increase your sales.

1.    You have just developed a new product and it is ready for exposure. While you know your product is fits a market need, you can’t seem to get it off the ground. People just aren’t paying attention.

2.    Your product still needs some testing, but you don’t have the capital needed for that or the forthcoming production. Your new product is sitting on your desk collecting dust instead of rave reviews.

3.    Your business offers a ‘one of a kind service’. No one can handle these details like you can, but for some reason you just can’t seem to connect with the right people who are in need of your service. You’re spinning your wheels, but you know if you can find more help and the right contacts, your business will flourish.

The Solution
These three people are faced with the same problem. They need help to start making sales. They need exposure, resources, and money, but where are they going to find those things?

What they need to find is a Joint Venture Partner (JVP). A JVP can offer assistance in finances, but they can also help with research and development and marketing. They might have the resources or the exposure potential to help get a new product or service into the market.

The Process
While it is helpful to know what you need, where are you going to find a JVP to help make your journey a bit easier? The key is to do your research and make sure that those you contact are reputable and trustworthy.

Know what you are willing to offer your JVP in exchange for their help. Ask around, has your prospective JVP done this before and what return did they expect? Before you contact anyone, make sure you know exactly what you need and the potential of your business.

Finding the right JVP for your business might take some time, but it is time well spent. In some instances, finding a JVP may cost you money in location/membership fees. Again, consider this money well spent if it saves you time.

Read, Read, Read
Know your industry. Read newsletters, journals, articles, and forums that may have information about the advances and product developments. Watch for the names that appear, time and again, as the leaders in your field. While these people may seem out of reach, the important thing is gaining knowledge so that when you have the chance to act, you can act quickly and with confidence.

Head of the Class
Look for people who run successful forums, web sites and newsletters related to your product or service. These people will be able to offer you a large contact base if they choose to support your business. Some of these people will have mailing lists and readerships that reach in the thousands. That is exactly what you are looking for to promote your business and increase sales.

Online Services
There are services online that match up potential JVPs. Some of these are free, but some may charge a fee. Since they are doing all the leg work for you in making the matches, it just might be worth your time and money to consider this an option.

Networking
Nothing beats getting to know the people in your product or service field. Word of mouth has made many businesses successful and it can also lead you directly to the right person to help your business grow.

Consider joining and being involved in any organizations that will aid you in meeting successful people that would be interested in your business. For some larger organizations a membership fee may be charged, but it may be worth the fee to get in closer to people with shared interests.

CALL TO ACTION
How to approach people about joint venture partnerships

1. Consider what you need from a joint venture partnership.  Is it funding that you’re after?  Exposure to new potential customers?  The reason for contacting people about joint venture partnerships will facilitate the type of arrangement you set up.

2. You must make the joint venture partnership attractive to the people you approach.  Think about their businesses and what they need that you might be able to offer in exchange for their help.  Perhaps an ongoing referral program with businesses that have similar target market customers.

3. Join mailing lists and newsletter programs online of leaders in your industry. Keep up with what they’re doing and watch for opportunities to contact them about your idea for a joint venture.

Till next time.

Do You Exercise Your Ethical Muscle?

Published
by
Gail Geronimos
on June 16, 2009
in General
. 6 Comments

Achaeus Business Advice

We don’t often talk about the ethics of the decisions we make every day in business. Yet, the Global Financial Crisis has shown us that ignoring the ethical side of our business lives can lead to $billions lost, suicides and hardship all round.

Sounds pretty gloomy when I put it this way.

There were many issues that led to this crisis but it all started when bankers lent money to families that had no hope in hell of ever paying off those loans.

What was going through their minds? Did common sense just fly out the window? Didn’t they care about what they were doing and what would happen to those families when crunch time came?

These bankers were driven by the Christmas bonuses, meeting targets and building their portfolios.

But why has this happened?

Here’s what I think…

Generally, decisions aren’t ethically based because ethics doesn’t pay. In fact, your ethics may cost you your job, your investments or more importantly, your life. There is no measurable, sustainable relationship between ethics and our own self interests. There are few rewards for acting ethically.

Of all our human qualities, ethics has the hardest edge and is the most demanding.

We’re losing the ability to make ethical decisions about our businesses and our lives. Mostly because we don’t exercise our ethical muscle often enough in small ways. So what hope do you have of making the really tough ethical decisions?

Here’s what I mean.
Do you buy your mate a dinner on your expense allowance?

Do you use office stores and equipment for your own use without approval?

Do you ‘add a few things’ in your insurance claim when you get robbed?

These small decisions all help to exercise your ethical muscle. You get used to making decisions where you lose but that make very little difference in the overall scheme of things. Nobody may ever be aware of your decision. You make the decision purely because you personally won’t cross that line.

You may argue that it just doesn’t matter and nobody will be any worse off anyway. But that’s not the point. These small decisions prepare you for the big decisions. The decisions that will make a difference.

You’ve just got to read about what’s happening with the MP rorts in the UK to see what I mean. It’s disgraceful and it’s unethical. But many may well have been within accepted practice or even, the law.

I’ll leave you with this story, it’s my favourite.

Jean Moulin organised the French Resistance in the Second World War. He was betrayed in Lyons in June 1943. He was slowly and horribly tortured by the Germans and died without revealing any names, saving the movement and many lives. He died for his beliefs and for his honour.

But this is not the real ethical story.

When the Germans invaded France in 1940, Jean Moulin was a top public servant who controlled the region around Chartres. He was well known, respected and ambitious.

On the first day of occupation he was asked to sign a document that detailed the massacre of 9 French women and children by French colonial troops. He refused to sign without proof.

He was beaten and tortured and thrown into a cell with the swollen cadaver of a woman. He knew he could not last another round of torture and this sort of treatment so he tried to commit suicide.

The suicide attempt failed and finally the Germans relented.

The Germans wanted to compromise Jean Moulin. He was respected and had influence and they wanted him to do their bidding. They failed.

But how often are we compromised. We see ourselves as useful. Our compromise today will save us to do better tomorrow.

This is a tough one because compromise keeps people talking and living successfully together. But there is a real difference between this talent and the marginalisation of ethics in the name of a smooth process.

Unfortunately when someone who has made ethical compromises reaches the summit, he usually discovers himself to be too compromised, too dependent, too tired, to do as he intended.

And there is our problem.

Exercise your ‘ethical muscle’ every day in small ways. It’s like any muscle, unless you use it there will be no strength there. You can’t lift a 150kg without first lifting 15 kilos.

Acknowledgement: The ideas and some of the content was taken from ‘On Equilibrium’ by John Ralston Saul. Well worth the read.

I would love your comments and thoughts about this, feel free to join the discussion by commenting below under “Leave a reply”.