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Digg it UP - Why Most Websites Don't Work and What to Do About It
Finding the right salesperson can be tricky. However, with people as the key differentiator and primary competitive advantage, you must have a sound sourcing, assessment, and selection process to ensure your business grows. Use the following dimensions to help you assess the right attributes for sales candidates interviewing with your organization.Help your organization grow by assessing the right indicators in individuals slated for revenue-generating positions within your company. "Growth Talent", such as sales, account executive, consultant, sales engineer, or other individuals responsible for top-line revenue growth. The SalesFit processes addresses the individual uniqueness of your organization and the candidate. The power of the methodology is its ability to ensure an objective understanding of where the candidate is a good fit within your company.To find the right salesperson for your team, you must analyze the candidate within the following parameters:Does the Individual'
Search engine optimization focuses on improving your ranking in the natural results. Pay-Per-Click advertising focuses on the sponsored results area.
As indicated by the name, Pay-Per-Click advertising means you only pay when somebody clicks on your ad. This is a vital point that distinguishes PPC from other forms of Internet advertising.
Because of its highly targeted nature, PPC is fast becoming the most popular type of online promotion available to small businesses.
3. Free Traffic Sources
In conjunction with paid advertising, the Internet also offers numerous free sources of traffic.
These include:
- Writing helpful articles to promote yourself in industry-based websites.
- Publishing media releases to get free exposure.
- Establishing joint ventures with other businesses to promote your product and services to their database of customers.
- Funneling traffic from popular websites like eBay and online shopping directories.
4. Email Marketing
Did you know that most people spend more time reading their emails than they do surfing the web?
It's true - email is the number one application on the Internet with over 500 million users worldwide.
According to Forrester
For many years in business we concentrated on total customer service and then one day I bought the book on customer service. Well one of the books. There are many very great books on the subject to help you in your business. In Carl Sewell’s book; Customers For Life; How to Turn That One Time Buyer Into A Lifelong Customer; I sure learned a lot.Almost as much as the books on customer service, which explain how to survey customers to find out what they really think. And boy will you be surprised when you find out too. In fact these types of books in combination seem to make a winning customer service program for any small business or large corporation.I once thought that maybe Carl Sewell’s book could be called the Bible of customer service in the Real World. The author is right and well, his customers love him in Dallas. I surveyed his customers; think of it. I surveyed the authors customers in his business to see if he was legit. Indeed he practices what he preaches and th
Victor Hugo
French Novelist and Poet
Victor was right. In the short ten years we've had access to the Internet; the world has changed dramatically.
Just contemplate these statistics for a moment:
- There are now approximately 934 million Internet users worldwide
- Projections from technology research company Forrester indicate that, by 2006, total online sales will increase to more than $560 billion dollars a year.
- In the last few years, China has grown to 99 million Internet users
- Online advertising spend has reached a record $9.4 billion in the US alone, with research firms expecting businesses will double their spending on web advertising by 2008.
Think about all the things you can do online that were impossible (or at least a little 'sci-fi') just ten years ago:
- Researching your favorite topics
- Booking plane trips
- Paying household bills
- Internet banking
- Getting in touch with long lost friends
- Buying or selling houses; and almost anything else you can think of
Just as the industrial revolution radically changed the way mass goods were produced, the Internet is now changing the way business operates at its core.
Small businesses that were once restricted to a small local market can now trade on a global scale. Selling goods and services to the world out of your garage is now a practical reality.
But the flipside to this amazing growth is that the competition for customer dollars is now fiercer than ever.
The web makes it easy to shop around for anything, so just 'having a website' is not enough. Whatever industry you're in, your website needs to offer compelling benefits to your customers.
You need to stand out from the crowd.
Web surfers need an easy way to find you when using their favorite search engine.
Your website needs to save customers time, money or hassles (preferably all three). It needs to solve their problems or provide them better value than they can get from your competitors.
The bottom line is - your website needs to deliver real value.
Unfortunately, lack of quality traffic is the number one reason why many small business websites fail.
Most people would agree that getting your website up and running is relatively easy - the hard part is getting people to visit your website and take action.
This is called the 'Billboard in a Desert' problem.
As an example, imagine you're building a five star restaurant:
- You spend a fortune fitting it out and buying the best equipment you can get your hands on.
- The food is fresh and prepared by the best chefs money can buy.
- All of your staff have been trained at the best hospitality schools in the world.
In short, you're a perfectionist and no detail has been spared... except the location - it's in the middle of the Sahara Desert.
Would it survive?
Of course it wouldn't. Without prominent exposure and foot traffic you'd be dead in a week. The same goes for your website.
Real World Internet Marketing Strategies
Fortunately, there are several simple and cost-effective ways you can attract people to your website.
These include:
1. Search Engine Optimization
Major Search engines like Google, Yahoo! and MSN are the first place 85% of all web surfers visit to find information.
If your website is built to be search engine friendly, you can generate a great deal of free traffic to your site.
We've all heard the real-estate mantra of 'location-location-location'. Well, getting listed in search engines is exactly the same - it's all about 'position-position-position'.
Most web users don't look past the first two pages of search results - so anything past this point is useless. To be truly effective, your website needs to be ranked within the top 30 results.
Search engine optimization (SEO) refers to a combination of strategies designed to make a website more appealing to search engines and therefore achieve a higher ranking.
In layman's terms, search engine optimization (SEO) means getting your website found in search engines.
Please note that there is no magic wand to magically place you in the top results. If there were, everybody would be using it and it would lose its effectiveness overnight.
There are, however, proven guidelines that will dramatically increase your chances of getting a good ranking.
2. Pay-Per-Click Advertising
In addition to the regular search results, all major search engines sell advertising space called 'sponsored links'.
This form of advertising is called 'Pay-Per-Click' and is the fastest way to attract targeted traffic to your website.
Pay-Per-Click advertising works by allowing you to bid on keywords that are relevant to your business.
For example, if you sell cell phone accessories, you might bid 20 cents for the keyword phrase 'cell phone accessories'.
When a user searches for 'cell phone accessories' your ad will appear in the sponsored links area. By clicking on the ad they are taken directly to your website and you're charged 20 cents for the click.
Pay-Per-Click advertising is extremely effective because it's targeted.
Unlike a typical 'shot-gun' marketing approach, your ad is only displayed to the people who are actively searching for your products and services.
Search engine optimization focuses on improving your ranking in the natural results. Pay-Per-Click advertising focuses on the sponsored results area.
As indicated by the name, Pay-Per-Click advertising means you only pay when somebody clicks on your ad. This is a vital point that distinguishes PPC from other forms of Internet advertising.
Because of its highly targeted nature, PPC is fast becoming the most popular type of online promotion available to small businesses.
3. Free Traffic Sources
In conjunction with paid advertising, the Internet also offers numerous free sources of traffic.
These include:
- Writing helpful articles to promote yourself in industry-based websites.
- Publishing media releases to get free exposure.
- Establishing joint ventures with other businesses to promote your product and services to their database of customers.
- Funneling traffic from popular websites like eBay and online shopping directories.
4. Email Marketing
Did you know that most people spend more time reading their emails than they do surfing the web?
It's true - email is the number one application on the Internet with over 500 million users worldwide.
According to Forrester
Internet paid surveys is definitely one of the most sought-after opportunities online. People see the merits in taking online surveys. They can be completed online without you leaving your home. There is no need to meet anybody or face ridiculous deadlines. And the most important of all, it pays well. But with so many people getting online, trying to make a quick buck or two from these surveys, it does make sense that competition is getting stiffer. It is hence logical that you should know more than your competitors to beat them and be among the top earners for internet paid surveys.How Do You Make Sure You Earn Money From Internet Paid Surveys?Internet paid surveys do pay well if you do it right. Two common mistakes committed by many survey takers is that they are dreaming of being rich from taking surveys and the other is they fail to be registered with many survey companies. They cannot be blamed entirely since there are so many scammers out there making bold claims that with one or t
But the flipside to this amazing growth is that the competition for customer dollars is now fiercer than ever.
The web makes it easy to shop around for anything, so just 'having a website' is not enough. Whatever industry you're in, your website needs to offer compelling benefits to your customers.
You need to stand out from the crowd.
Web surfers need an easy way to find you when using their favorite search engine.
Your website needs to save customers time, money or hassles (preferably all three). It needs to solve their problems or provide them better value than they can get from your competitors.
The bottom line is - your website needs to deliver real value.
Unfortunately, lack of quality traffic is the number one reason why many small business websites fail.
Most people would agree that getting your website up and running is relatively easy - the hard part is getting people to visit your website and take action.
This is called the 'Billboard in a Desert' problem.
As an example, imagine you're building a five star restaurant:
- You spend a fortune fitting it out and buying the best equipment you can get your hands on.
- The food is fresh and prepared by the best chefs money can buy.
- All of your staff have been trained at the best hospitality schools in the world.
In short, you're a perfectionist and no detail has been spared... except the location - it's in the middle of the Sahara Desert.
Would it survive?
Of course it wouldn't. Without prominent exposure and foot traffic you'd be dead in a week. The same goes for your website.
Real World Internet Marketing Strategies
Fortunately, there are several simple and cost-effective ways you can attract people to your website.
These include:
1. Search Engine Optimization
Major Search engines like Google, Yahoo! and MSN are the first place 85% of all web surfers visit to find information.
If your website is built to be search engine friendly, you can generate a great deal of free traffic to your site.
We've all heard the real-estate mantra of 'location-location-location'. Well, getting listed in search engines is exactly the same - it's all about 'position-position-position'.
Most web users don't look past the first two pages of search results - so anything past this point is useless. To be truly effective, your website needs to be ranked within the top 30 results.
Search engine optimization (SEO) refers to a combination of strategies designed to make a website more appealing to search engines and therefore achieve a higher ranking.
In layman's terms, search engine optimization (SEO) means getting your website found in search engines.
Please note that there is no magic wand to magically place you in the top results. If there were, everybody would be using it and it would lose its effectiveness overnight.
There are, however, proven guidelines that will dramatically increase your chances of getting a good ranking.
2. Pay-Per-Click Advertising
In addition to the regular search results, all major search engines sell advertising space called 'sponsored links'.
This form of advertising is called 'Pay-Per-Click' and is the fastest way to attract targeted traffic to your website.
Pay-Per-Click advertising works by allowing you to bid on keywords that are relevant to your business.
For example, if you sell cell phone accessories, you might bid 20 cents for the keyword phrase 'cell phone accessories'.
When a user searches for 'cell phone accessories' your ad will appear in the sponsored links area. By clicking on the ad they are taken directly to your website and you're charged 20 cents for the click.
Pay-Per-Click advertising is extremely effective because it's targeted.
Unlike a typical 'shot-gun' marketing approach, your ad is only displayed to the people who are actively searching for your products and services.
Search engine optimization focuses on improving your ranking in the natural results. Pay-Per-Click advertising focuses on the sponsored results area.
As indicated by the name, Pay-Per-Click advertising means you only pay when somebody clicks on your ad. This is a vital point that distinguishes PPC from other forms of Internet advertising.
Because of its highly targeted nature, PPC is fast becoming the most popular type of online promotion available to small businesses.
3. Free Traffic Sources
In conjunction with paid advertising, the Internet also offers numerous free sources of traffic.
These include:
- Writing helpful articles to promote yourself in industry-based websites.
- Publishing media releases to get free exposure.
- Establishing joint ventures with other businesses to promote your product and services to their database of customers.
- Funneling traffic from popular websites like eBay and online shopping directories.
4. Email Marketing
Did you know that most people spend more time reading their emails than they do surfing the web?
It's true - email is the number one application on the Internet with over 500 million users worldwide.
According to Forrester
Friday, April 13th, Christian businessman, Kirk Leipzig, owner of J.L. Kirk and Associates, an employment consulting firm using a fee-for-service business model began to receive harassing phone calls and cancellations of appointments at an alarming rate. This was quite unusual for the young company known for its high success rate in finding higher paying jobs for highly qualified individuals. Investigations into the source of the matter pointed to a local blogger who had accompanied her husband on his second interview at the Nashville, Tennessee office of J.L. Kirk. This local online reporter, who makes her journalistic mark by looking for controversy in everything from her local library’s lack of parking spots to The Weigh Down Workshop, began denigrating the J.L. Kirk organization, especially their Christian atmosphere and Christian music on the lobby sound system.The misleading information along with completely false statements began a small blog storm pointing to Christians who particip
- All of your staff have been trained at the best hospitality schools in the world.
In short, you're a perfectionist and no detail has been spared... except the location - it's in the middle of the Sahara Desert.
Would it survive?
Of course it wouldn't. Without prominent exposure and foot traffic you'd be dead in a week. The same goes for your website.
Real World Internet Marketing Strategies
Fortunately, there are several simple and cost-effective ways you can attract people to your website.
These include:
1. Search Engine Optimization
Major Search engines like Google, Yahoo! and MSN are the first place 85% of all web surfers visit to find information.
If your website is built to be search engine friendly, you can generate a great deal of free traffic to your site.
We've all heard the real-estate mantra of 'location-location-location'. Well, getting listed in search engines is exactly the same - it's all about 'position-position-position'.
Most web users don't look past the first two pages of search results - so anything past this point is useless. To be truly effective, your website needs to be ranked within the top 30 results.
Search engine optimization (SEO) refers to a combination of strategies designed to make a website more appealing to search engines and therefore achieve a higher ranking.
In layman's terms, search engine optimization (SEO) means getting your website found in search engines.
Please note that there is no magic wand to magically place you in the top results. If there were, everybody would be using it and it would lose its effectiveness overnight.
There are, however, proven guidelines that will dramatically increase your chances of getting a good ranking.
2. Pay-Per-Click Advertising
In addition to the regular search results, all major search engines sell advertising space called 'sponsored links'.
This form of advertising is called 'Pay-Per-Click' and is the fastest way to attract targeted traffic to your website.
Pay-Per-Click advertising works by allowing you to bid on keywords that are relevant to your business.
For example, if you sell cell phone accessories, you might bid 20 cents for the keyword phrase 'cell phone accessories'.
When a user searches for 'cell phone accessories' your ad will appear in the sponsored links area. By clicking on the ad they are taken directly to your website and you're charged 20 cents for the click.
Pay-Per-Click advertising is extremely effective because it's targeted.
Unlike a typical 'shot-gun' marketing approach, your ad is only displayed to the people who are actively searching for your products and services.
Search engine optimization focuses on improving your ranking in the natural results. Pay-Per-Click advertising focuses on the sponsored results area.
As indicated by the name, Pay-Per-Click advertising means you only pay when somebody clicks on your ad. This is a vital point that distinguishes PPC from other forms of Internet advertising.
Because of its highly targeted nature, PPC is fast becoming the most popular type of online promotion available to small businesses.
3. Free Traffic Sources
In conjunction with paid advertising, the Internet also offers numerous free sources of traffic.
These include:
- Writing helpful articles to promote yourself in industry-based websites.
- Publishing media releases to get free exposure.
- Establishing joint ventures with other businesses to promote your product and services to their database of customers.
- Funneling traffic from popular websites like eBay and online shopping directories.
4. Email Marketing
Did you know that most people spend more time reading their emails than they do surfing the web?
It's true - email is the number one application on the Internet with over 500 million users worldwide.
According to Forrester
Starting a new business requires creativity. You need to think of innovative ways to entice people to give you a shot when you are starting a new business.Often times early paying clients come from friends of the family and other family members. When you're starting a new business it is best if you can avoid this type of business. It's very difficult to do business when you don't have an arm's length. When things go bad or expectations get out of control, dealing with friends and family is very difficult.Here are some ideas for getting clients when starting a new business:One thing that works very well to drum up clients when starting a new business is to put together a "who knows that you are starting a new business" list. With this type of list you track all the business contacts you make before, during, and after staring a new business.Very important to include on your "who knows that you are starting a new business" list are the people who OUGHT to know. You fill
In layman's terms, search engine optimization (SEO) means getting your website found in search engines.
Please note that there is no magic wand to magically place you in the top results. If there were, everybody would be using it and it would lose its effectiveness overnight.
There are, however, proven guidelines that will dramatically increase your chances of getting a good ranking.
2. Pay-Per-Click Advertising
In addition to the regular search results, all major search engines sell advertising space called 'sponsored links'.
This form of advertising is called 'Pay-Per-Click' and is the fastest way to attract targeted traffic to your website.
Pay-Per-Click advertising works by allowing you to bid on keywords that are relevant to your business.
For example, if you sell cell phone accessories, you might bid 20 cents for the keyword phrase 'cell phone accessories'.
When a user searches for 'cell phone accessories' your ad will appear in the sponsored links area. By clicking on the ad they are taken directly to your website and you're charged 20 cents for the click.
Pay-Per-Click advertising is extremely effective because it's targeted.
Unlike a typical 'shot-gun' marketing approach, your ad is only displayed to the people who are actively searching for your products and services.
Search engine optimization focuses on improving your ranking in the natural results. Pay-Per-Click advertising focuses on the sponsored results area.
As indicated by the name, Pay-Per-Click advertising means you only pay when somebody clicks on your ad. This is a vital point that distinguishes PPC from other forms of Internet advertising.
Because of its highly targeted nature, PPC is fast becoming the most popular type of online promotion available to small businesses.
3. Free Traffic Sources
In conjunction with paid advertising, the Internet also offers numerous free sources of traffic.
These include:
- Writing helpful articles to promote yourself in industry-based websites.
- Publishing media releases to get free exposure.
- Establishing joint ventures with other businesses to promote your product and services to their database of customers.
- Funneling traffic from popular websites like eBay and online shopping directories.
4. Email Marketing
Did you know that most people spend more time reading their emails than they do surfing the web?
It's true - email is the number one application on the Internet with over 500 million users worldwide.
According to Forrester
Blogging is a great way to obtain traffic to your site. It can also be a way of obtaining free traffic if you choose one of the sites that offer free blogs. By maintaining a blog, you can increase your exposure on the internet.One method of bringing traffic to your blog is by writing high quality articles. These articles should have unique content and should relate to the product that your are promoting. Another method would be to post other people's articles but be aware that then you run the risk of having duplicate content on your blog. By writing your own articles, you do not have to worry about the risk of duplicate content, because you will have content unique to your site. You will rank higher in the search engines by having high quality unique content on your blog.You also should submit your articles to the article directories to give your blog increased exposure for the search engines. Be sure to put a resource box at the end of your articles. The resource box should inc
Search engine optimization focuses on improving your ranking in the natural results. Pay-Per-Click advertising focuses on the sponsored results area.
As indicated by the name, Pay-Per-Click advertising means you only pay when somebody clicks on your ad. This is a vital point that distinguishes PPC from other forms of Internet advertising.
Because of its highly targeted nature, PPC is fast becoming the most popular type of online promotion available to small businesses.
3. Free Traffic Sources
In conjunction with paid advertising, the Internet also offers numerous free sources of traffic.
These include:
- Writing helpful articles to promote yourself in industry-based websites.
- Publishing media releases to get free exposure.
- Establishing joint ventures with other businesses to promote your product and services to their database of customers.
- Funneling traffic from popular websites like eBay and online shopping directories.
4. Email Marketing
Did you know that most people spend more time reading their emails than they do surfing the web?
It's true - email is the number one application on the Internet with over 500 million users worldwide.
According to Forrester Research, in 1999 email marketing revenue was $164 million; today, email marketing is more than a $5 billion a year industry.
When you take into account the negligible cost of producing and sending an email, compared with 25 cents to $3 for the postal equivalent, it's easy to see why email marketing has grown so much in popularity.
Permission-based email marketing is used by over 80% of the world's largest companies, including Amazon, Microsoft, Ford, Dell, HP and eBay.
According to a recent DoubleClick Consumer Email Study:
- Permission-based email is the most preferred method of communication from online merchants to consumers: 75% rated it as their first preference, with only 25% preferring postal mail and 0% choosing telemarketing.
- Over 78% of all online shoppers have made purchases online as a result of email marketing.
- 80% of all online shoppers say they want to receive email from their favorite online merchants.
Regardless of what industry you're in, email is one of the most powerful mediums you can use to communicate with your customers.
By keeping in constant contact with your customers, you can substantially increase your sales and reduce your expenses.
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