Event Marketing Articles and Event Promotion

Choosing the Right Online Market

Yesterday I went out with one of my good friends for dinner.  We discussed possibilities for creating additional revenue streams. My friend is already doing well with one of his side businesses.  He's known as "The Gumball King!" The King wants to expand his empire with other business ideas.  As always I pushed my online agenda.  One thing I mentioned was that he needs to choose the right market before expanding his ambitions.

Ken McCarthy, an online marketing guru, makes an excellent point when it comes to choosing the right market.  Success for many online businesses comes down to one simple thing. Are you choosing the right market?  Mr. McCarthy stresses that the right market should also be an easy market.

Ken McCarthy's list for an easy market:

1. Easy to reach
2. They have a burning desire for what you have to offer
3. Based on past behavior a willingness to spend money on what you have to offer

If your online market exemplifies the above characteristics you should be in for a much easier journey.  Too many people fail the day they start their online business because they choose the wrong market.

The most immediate example I can think of is the fast food industry. Millions of dollars have been spent to ensure my brain associates fast food with McDonald's.  Yes, there are a number of other companies.  But unless you have very deep pockets, it is going to be very difficult to compete with all the fast food chains that are already established.

Are you in an easy market?

Additional Resources:

• Ken McCarthy's Blog
• Are You Targeting Search Keywords?
• Missed Opportunity and Online Strategy
• Web Centric Marketing

Are You Targeting The Correct Search Keywords?

People always ask me about keyword research and why it is important to their web site.  Not targeting keywords and optimizing for those terms is a missed opportunity at getting more targeted traffic to your site. You start most SEO projects with basic keyword research.  It involves finding terms that relate to your web site or product and to what extent those terms are searched on search engines.  You optimize for those terms in your title tags and body copy. 

Many companies misunderstand or overlook keyword research.  Sites that rank well in search engines are targeting and optimizing for a set of keywords.  Some of the most successful companies online target specific niche markets. Keyword research is also an ongoing process. You can't just do it once and forget about it.

Are you targeting the right keywords for your web site? There are a number of web sites and companies who choose to target the wrong keywords or not target at all.  This isn't intentional, but most likely because of a lack of knowledge.  I know of one major US Corporation that is missing massive opportunities because they are targeting the wrong keywords.  They are missing out on millions of dollars in potential sales.

There have been numerous times when a company gloated about being at the top of search engine rankings for a given phrase or keyword.  When someone showed them that nobody was searching for their keywords the mood quickly changed.  There is little or no value on targeting on keywords that nobody searches.  One rare exception is when you target a word or phrase that might become buzz worthy in the future.

Your keywords should be specific to your target market.  Check that your keywords are generating enough searches monthly.  How many searches are enough? It depends on the market. You should concentrate on a variety of niche market terms that pertain to your company or service.  There is a great deal of value in keywords that bring highly targeted traffic. 

Let's use the example of the keyword "soccer."  An estimated 1.5 million people search on this every month between Google, Yahoo, and MSN.  Most people assume if you can get on top of this list you are all set.  The answer is maybe.  Yes, you will have a tremendous amount of traffic if you ranked well for the term "soccer" and you are a soccer site.  Keep in mind your visitors might be looking for soccer clubs, soccer news, soccer equipment, or soccer history.  In short "soccer" is a very broad term.  You are better off targeting more specific terms that pertain to specific niche markets.

Target "Soccer" Keywords

• International Soccer News
• Ireland Soccer Jersey
• How to play soccer
• USA Soccer
• Soccer Shirt

These terms get far less searches than "soccer" but bring higher quality visitors to your web site.

Concentrate on optimizing keywords for each individual page on your web site.  One to two keywords or phrases per page is usually a good place to start.  Gone are the days when you could use the META keyword tag to your advantage.  Your keywords need to appear in your title tag and throughout your body copy.

Your log files can show you what terms people are searching to get to your web site. There might be a term you find that if optimized will bring you more traffic.

The very basic concepts outlined above are merely the tip of the massive SEO iceberg.  Hopefully some of the information provided will get you thinking about your site.

Additional Resources:

• Overture Keyword Tool
• Google Adwords
• Wordtracker
  

Thomas Edison and the Internet

This article is based on Michael Michalko’s research into the creative thinking exemplified by Thomas Edison. Mr. Michalko is one of the world's foremost experts on creative thinking.

Would you be willing to try something over 10,000 times to make your web site successful? What if it brought you and your company tremendous success? If Thomas Edison was still around he wouldn’t flinch at making that many mistakes with his web site.  After he accomplished whatever web site goal envisioned, he’d probably have more ingenious online ideas.

"Thomas Edison, while pondering how to make a carbon filament, was mindlessly toying with a piece of putty, turning and twisting it in his fingers, when he looked down at his hands, the answer hit him between the eyes: twist the carbon like rope. B.F. Skinner summarized a first principle of scientific methodologists: when you find something interesting, drop everything else and study it. Too many fail to answer opportunity's knock at the door because they have to finish some preconceived plan. Creative geniuses do not wait for the gifts of chance; instead, they actively seek the accidental discovery." Michalko, p 228, Cracking Creativity: The Secrets of Creative Genius

Edison was considered a genius and most people don’t think they’re capable of the same level of thinking.  In fact Thomas Edison never had a true formal education, most likely suffered ADD, and was almost completely deaf.  What separated Edison form other people was his creativity, tenacity, and approach to problem solving.

Thomas Edison’s methodology falls directly inline with some of the  core internet success fundamentals.  Try as many times as it takes until you achieve your online goal. If you don’t succeed analyze the failure and try it another way.  Most people respond with “I won’t waste my time trying to figure this out” or the classic, “I don’t have the time.” Those simple statements separate the successful people from the unsuccessful online and elsewhere.

You can try many things with your web site that don’t cost you any additional money, just time. Take a lesson from Edison's methodology: “You can only fail at something so many times before you are successful.”

My personal friends, who are doing amazingly well online didn’t get it right the first time or after the hundredth time. They still struggle today.  One friend gets over 40,000 visitors a day to his web site. On his best day he’ll pull 60,000 visitors.  Another successful friend sells t-shirts online.  The t-shirt business is a highly competitive online market. It took years to get both their web sites where they are today.

You don’t need money to discover profitability online.  There are tremendous resources available to people who want to succeed online. You just need to find those resources. Look for the second part of the Edisonian Internet Methodology in the future.

Additional Resources:

• Creative Thinking - Michael Michalko's Homepage
• Thomas Edison's Biography (Painting form Edison's biography)
  
  

Event Marketing and Search Engines

My involvement on both sides of the air show industry, performing and producing, has taught me a great deal about event marketing. Specifically how user search for a given event online.  Traditional advertising and brand awareness definitely come into play.  But for users who lack brand awareness or aren't in a local advertising market, the ability to search and locate information online is a critical.

One particular event this year illustrated the frustration users can endure.  A few days before leaving for the event, I went online to try and find out who else would be performing at the air show.  My first stop was the search engines.  I tried standards search terms and some abstract search terms.  In the end I couldn't find any information on the event.  My total time searching had been about 30 minutes and no information to be found.  It was a very frustrating experience. To this day I don't even know if they have a web site for their event. 

One of the first places any users looks to find information about your event is search engines.  The following advice is predicated on you having a web site for your event. At the top level people will typically search for the type of event (air show) and location (Rochester).  Secondary search terms include your event's main attraction (Snowbirds, Thunderbirds, Canadian Harvards) and event performers (Sean Tucker). I believe the same methodology can be applied to most event marketing. Never work from the assumption that because you have a web site you are easy to find.

If you have a web site that has been up for at least one subsequent event, analyze your server log files. This is the single best place to find keywords people are using to locate you online. Concentrate on finding the top search phrases and keywords and optimize for those terms.  At the same time don't discount relevant search terms that might not be in your log files.  Always be on the lookout for good keywords.

Not every event is branded or advertised outside local markets.  People looking to attend your event are looking for information online.  Make sure information for your event is easy to find.  Optimizing for search engines is one of your best forms of low cost or free advertising.

Online Video Explosion

It seems like many people are jumping on the online video bandwagon.   With Google's recent purchase of YouTube more people are looking to integrate video in to their web site.  As with everything else in life, with every virtue comes a vice.  There are a number of things you should consider before using video on your web site.

The virtuous side of video is that almost anyone can easily post their videos online.  In years past video production was a very expensive process.  Today people with camera phones are capturing video and quickly posting it online.  Video allows you to easily present messages in different ways.  A number of companies and organizations are pushing online video through their web sites.  You can show your users or potential consumers something that words might not always be able to convey.  Video also allows you to pass along sound and music with your imagery.  George Lucas, states it best: "sound and music are 50% of the entertainment in a movie."

How can video be a vice?  With so much video going online very little of it is high quality content.  The quality has nothing to do with how nice the video looks, but the quality of the information you convey.  The more time passes, the more low quality video makes it online.  How many times have you sat through a two minute video and found it to be a complete waste of time?

Use video responsibly.  If you are going to post video on your web site make sure it relates to what you are trying to convey on your site and to your target market.  Tease people with your videos.  There is a reason why movie trailers are only a minute or two long.  They want to get you wrapped up in something without boring you or giving too much away.  Many people forget to optimize their online video presentations. They'll post large files that take a while to download even with broadband connections.

Take a look at how YouTube.com presents video.  After you select a video to watch, featured video is presented in the main window with related videos (presented as static images) off to the right.  You don't want to overload your user with options. An example of information overload can be found at: http://www.dosomethingamazing.com/. The videos are nice but presented poorly.  They are task saturating the users as soon as the home page loads with sound and video.

Online video is here to stay. Make sure you use it tastefully and responsibly. One of the most important things to remember is because you can have video on your site doesn't mean you need to have video.  You can create highly effective messaging with words and pictures. Some of the most effective messaging comes courtesy of the written word.  Make sure you don't load your site up video just so you can say you have video.

The Mobile Web Experience

Today is a quick overview of my brief mobile web and smart phone experience.   Yesterday I decided to upgrade my LG phone to the Motorola Q.  The first few hours were quite the experience.  I'll delve into some simple points about smart phones and designing for the mobile web.

It all started with holding for customer service to for an hour and a half.  I was having an issue restoring my contact list. For whatever reason they inadvertently hung up on me three times.  In the end, a nice gentleman was finally able to straighten me out.  All I was looking for was an honest answer. Not someone telling me "you're doing something wrong."  It shouldn't be this difficult for a geek!

Here is my point for today: I've been hearing for years about how the mobile web is going to explode and that everyone should jump on board.  This day is eventually coming, but I think we still have a way to go. 

Companies are pushing "up to near broadband speed." with specialized service. Unless you are standing outside next to the cell tower with perfect atmospheric conditions, you won't be getting anything near broadband.  Only one person from the company I have service with has actually admitted to me that the technology is far from perfect.  And I'm not expecting perfect. But I do expect you to deliver something close to the service you advertise for your company.  There is a good article on 37signals.com that addresses my I've had it up to here with "up to" issue.

There is still a learning curve for me to figure out how to surf the web with my phone. But given my personal experience it should have been a bit easier.  Most sites don't render properly because they weren't designed to be displayed on mobile phones.  I fully understand that.  The easiest sites to access were those sites that were primarily HTML based. 

If you are designing for the web, especially the mobile web, keep it simple!  Use a sub domain: mobile.mywebsite.com or redirect users to a mobile optimized page of your site. It should contain more HTML text that images. I don't recommend Flash or video within your mobile pages. Mobile  Flash content delivery is very archaic. The big companies are pushing their own technologies via their networks for video.  I have yet to see a personal site or small business site that delivers quality video to mobile phones. There is a reason why everyone likes big computer monitors!

The new generation of smart phones are best suited for the power users.  If you are looking to purchase a smart phone they do have their limitations.  Surfing the not mobile web is very tedious. Email and messaging seem to work the best. Do you homework on which phone might best suit you.

The mobile web is still waiting in the wings.  If you don't need a smart phone, I would recommend staying away for a while. Good luck!

Why Create High Quality Content?

In a previous article I explored Jakob Nielsen's HOME RUN acronym. In this article we'll look more closely at the High Quality Content portion of HOME RUN.  Two very important things to consider regarding content is how the content relates to the user and how content is viewed by search engines.

The biggest reason to create high quality content is for your users.  Ask yourself this question: "How often would you revisit a web site that is never updated or has nothing that is interesting to you?" I'm guessing never. Always think in terms of the user experience and what you can offer.   The most popular web sites give users exactly what they want in terms of content.  Those same sites keep users coming back by offering high quality content on a regular basis.  You need to do the same with your web site.  Most of your content should take the form of HTML text. This is one of the most basic yet hardest to adhere to principles of successful web sites.

"Why should I concentrate on providing high quality (HTML text based) content on my site?" 
Aside from the user, a huge reason to create high quality content is for Search Engine Optimization purposes.  Search Engines crave HTML text and are always on the prowl for content. As long as your pages are properly formatted and tagged, you'll have a much better chance of getting indexed in search engines.  Properly indexed pages can automatically bring traffic to your site.

I look at my personal challenges of trying to convince graphic design firms and agencies to create web sites with a decent amount of HTML text.  One firm that I consult for does great visual work with the web sites they create.  Unfortunately, the search engine bots that visit web sites are indifferent to how nice a web site looks visually.   The firm's web sites look visually spectacular, but the over emphasis on design creates a liability to their client's SEO goals. Those bots look for HTML content.  You need to balance content with design.   

Most companies refuse to create high quality online content.  When it comes to firms that maintain their own web site, few of them "get it."  They'll tell me how they don't have time to create content or that they don't think it's important for their web site. The worst part is that content can be generated internally for little or no cost.  It only takes time and the benefits are massive. This is one of the primary reasons companies don't do well online.

Don't make the same mistakes as everyone else.  Make sure you keep serving up high quality HTML content. The content needs to be relevant to your users.  Pay particular attention to specific target markets.  If you can follow the suggestions above on a regular basis your web site will soar.

Additional Resources:

• High Quality Content - Three Types
• Creating High Quality Content

 

Location Does Not Matter (Here)

There were a few personal experiences yesterday that rekindled a strong personal business belief.  We've all heard the business phrase "location, location, location." I firmly believe the Internet allows you to operate your business from anywhere. This is one of the oldest maxims of the Web. And, I'm not saying anything most people don't already know.  I bring the point up because every once and a while we need a reminder.  If you have a business idea, look at the online possibilities.

My friends would always tell me "if you're looking to do something big in business, it isn't going to happen in Rochester, New York."  I disagree with their assessments. Most young people end up leaving the area because of a lack of opportunity in the job market.  I agree that there might be a lack of job opportunity in comparison to other cities.  This happens all over the world.  But there definitely isn't a shortage of business opportunity. 

Because of the Internet it doesn't matter where you are located.  All you need to do is have access to the Web.  I know of friends and local businesses that are doing five to six figures in revenue per month within the greater Rochester area.  They are making that sum of money through their web sites.  In many cases the revenue doesn't include their retail sales.

For today my message will be short and sweet.  With the Internet, it doesn't matter where you live.  If you play your game on the Internet you enjoy the privilege of playing by a different set of rules.  Make the most of it.

Additional Resource:
Top 10 Dumbest Online Business Ideas That Made It Big Time

Online Communication - Email and Telephone

Being able to contact a person or company is essential to any business.  It is the at the forefront of customer service. One particular deficiency that I notice on many web sites is they don't always make the contact info easy to find or upfront.  If you are doing business online, you need to make sure people can easily contact you. 

Most users will send an email before they call via telephone. Email is a quickest and easiest way to make contact, it's painless.  For some people email isn't enough.  You should always offer a telephone number where people can contact you or your business.  If someone is desperate for information or has a pressing issue it will come as a telephone call.  People call when there is a customer service or technical issue.

A great place to feature your contact information is on the home page, above the fold.  One standard location is in the mast head or header bar.  The contact info should be noticeable, yet discrete.  You can also feature a contact us page link in the navigation or footer of each page.  Doing so builds redundancy into the system and ensures people won't miss the information.  Make sure it is easy for the user to contact you.  It should be noted, based on the size of your company and privacy issues, you might not always want users to contact you directly.  In this case it is the company's discretion on what information to make public.

One particular hurdle that I find many users reacting to negatively is online contact forms.  Instead of allowing the user to contact a company directly they need to fill out a form.  I understand that the forms help companies deal with a multitude of inquiries.  But, in many cases having an email or telephone number available can resolve an issue much faster.

Communication is an essential part of any business.  You need to ensure people can quickly and easily get in contact with you.  Good contact information is essential to the user when making online purchases or the consideration of services. This also helps to build trust and credibility for your company.

Missed Opportunity and Online Strategy

Most companies with a web presence never realize their full online potential. My personal belief is that a company’s web site is one of their best marketing tools. Regardless of this belief, you still need some of your marketing rooted in traditional offline advertising.  Two significant miscalculations that most companies make online are the inability to learn from their online mistakes and the refusal to try something new.

Here is an example of refusing to learn from the past.  One perspective client wasn’t keen on trying PPC advertising again.  They tried it before and it “didn’t work.”  I’m reasonably certain had the company tried another PCC campaign with conversion tracking, thoroughly researched keywords, and a new strategy, they would have been successful in the PPC arena.  They had a negative experience, but refused to take the lessons learned and try again.

Many companies refuse to try something new online.  On the net the adage of “if it is not broke, don’t try to fix it” is a terrible policy.  I know plenty of business owners who live by this motto in regards to their web site.   They refuse to change any aspect of their site.  In many cases a small change can bring great rewards.  Consider reworking your homepage or try new search keywords.  There are so many possibilities for your web site. You might discover additional revenue streams without having to spend a dime.

Another example of trying something new comes in the search arena.  Several companies ignore any type of organic search engine strategy.  They don’t have the time to build links or refuse to hire someone to create new relevant content for their site.  No matter how hard you try to sell the benefits of organic search, most companies won’t make the time or investment.  Investing in organic search can bring you traffic for your particular niche market.  The web sites that generate the most revenue are usually at the top of the search engines for certain keywords.

There are a number of companies that are perfectly positioned on the Internet to increase revenue via their web site. Doing something different online requires ideas and patience.  You don’t always need to spend additional money to learn new lessons.  Follow the path of people who have become successful online.  They all write books about it!

I encourage any company to take “baby steps” online.  Formulate a strategy and stay the course until the strategy works. If you do make a mistake or miscalculate, turn into a learning opportunity.  On the web, change is good.  If an idea doesn’t work, you can always change it back.  Sometimes the smallest changes can make the biggest difference on the online world.

How Web Users Navigate and Read

On the web users have a certain way they navigate and view web pages.  The two most common ways users navigate web sites is either known-item searching or surfing.  When users are on your web site they don't read every word, users scan text.  Keep these facts in mind when creating your user's experience.

Known item searching involves a user looking for very specific information.  This is typical of a user that is doing research on a product or service, or looking to make a purchase.  The process involves use of search engine to find the companies that offer a certain service or product.  Chances are that when a user visits your site they are known item searching.

Surfing is most analogous with going through a web site or series of sites with no particular purpose.  The user might jump from topic to topic and visit a variety of different sites.  It is just like channel surfing on television or the radio.  When they find something that is of interest they might stay around or go elsewhere.  Users who surf tend to be the minority online.

After getting to your site users probably aren't going to read every word. They will most likely scan the text.  The user will pick out keywords and look at dominate elements on your page.  Known-item searching comes into play with this process.  The user wants to find information online quickly and painlessly.  You can assist the user by making your copy user friendly.

Online Copywriting Tips:
Writing for the Web, Kilian

• Group your text in chunks, 100 words in a group
• Orient users with headlines and subheads
• Break down information into bulleted lists
• Don't try to impress the user with your vocabulary
• Use simple sentences: Subject + Verb
• Organize information into a hierarchy, use navigation as supporting tool
• Print out the page to proofread

Is Your Text the Right Color?

Everyone should know some fundamentals about online copywriting.  It is a very large topic area. Today I'll concentrate on one particular aspect: text color.  I'm running across web sites daily that aren't sticking to basic online text standards:  specifically, text color in relation to background color.

Remember that you put significantly more strain on human eyes when reading text off a computer screen.  Unlike a book, our eye must interpret light coming from the screen. Because of this, you need to keep your text as easy to read as possible.  One of the easiest ways to ensure better readability of your site is by choosing the right text and background colors.

If you are using text on a light colored background, make sure that text has enough contrast.  Use dark text on a light colored background.  The same applies for the inverse.  If you have a dark colored background use light colored text.

One particular color to watch out for is red.  It deviates from the standards. My understanding is the color red is difficult for the human eye to detect because of the particular spectrum of light.  This is compounds the challenges of reading online.  Make sure you don't use red colored fonts on dark backgrounds.  Recently we had a client insist on red fonts on a dark background.  In my professional opinion, they made a poor decision to use red text and it dilutes the quality of their site.   It doesn't look good and is very difficult to read.

Always mind your online text color. Make sure you provide your user with online text that minimizes eye strain and maximizes readability.

Try Not To Splash Please

Years ago splash pages seemed to be all the rage.   Thankfully there are far fewer web sites that use splash pages.  But, there are several prospective customers that still request splash pages and several web sites that use splash pages.  This leads back to the all too common struggle of being cool versus useful.  Remember what motivates web users: useful information.

Here is the typical scenario when being exposed to a splash page over time. The first time you see a good splash page, it is "really cool."  The second time you load up the splash page it is "nice."  By the third time around you are looking for the "Skip Intro" button.  Hopefully there is a skip intro button. Each subsequent visit is followed by prickly comment under your breath.

My issue with splash pages is that they are usually used as a canvas for pictures and sound.  For too many graphic designers the splash page becomes an opportunity to showcase their talents.   There are some great looking splash pages that do little to enhance the user experience. Imagine if your favorite news site used a splash page before allowing you entry?  Highly trafficked news sites know that doing so would be online suicide.

Splash pages are detrimental to on site search engine optimization efforts.  Because splash pages typically include a large graphic or flash multimedia, it leaves little for the search engines to index. Remember that search engines look for HTML content to crawl. You can still rank decently with a splash pages, but it is difficult.

I have yet to come across a splash page that is really useful or enhances the marketability of a web site. Splash pages are a barrier to entry. Most people prefer to not to sit through all the commercials and trailers before seeing a movie.  It is our recommendation to avoid using splash pages altogether.  Make sure the first page to load on your site is full of useful content, not flashy introductions.

Hitting a HOME RUN

When it comes to web usability, we subscribe to the concept presented by web usability expert Jakob Nielsen on the essentials in successful web sites. In his book, Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity, his concept is summed up in the acronym HOME RUN. Users look for High quality content, that is Often updated, with Minimal download time, Easy to Use, is Relevant to the users needs, Unique to the to online world, and Net-centric to corporate culture.  For the purpose of this article we will concentrate on the HOME portion of the acronym.

High quality content
“Research has shown that web users generally prefer writing that is concise, easy to scan, and objective (rather than promotional) in style. We incorporated these and other attributes into a redesign of web content. Doing so required trade-offs and some hard decisions, but the results were positive. The rewritten website scored 159 percent higher than the original in measured usability. Compared with original-site users, users of the rewritten site reported higher subjective satisfaction and performed better in terms of task time, task errors, and memory.” In Applying Writing Guidelines to Web Pages - by John Morkes and Jakob Nielsen, it is established that well written content is high quality content.  Make sure your website is loaded with high quality content.

Often updated
The reason news sites are visited frequently is because they always have something new to offer. Because there is not as much information to disseminate on company web sites as news sites, releasing new and compelling content is the best way to keep people coming back to your site.  Whould you return to your favorite news site if it didn't update regularly?

Minimal download time
Your web site needs to load in the minimum amount of time. In the past, the average attention span of a web user was eight seconds. If they could not load a website in that time, users were very likely to leave that site. Try to keep your home page and individual pages under 100 KB.  Around 50% of home users have a high speed connection.  Hence, attention spans are getting shorter.  You only have a few moments to get a point across to users.  Make sure the information is at their fingertips.

Ease of use
The more information you can provide the user, the better, right? Not necessarily. Your principle tool for organizing information and making it accessible is your navigation or menu bar. I recommend keeping navigation items organized either horizontally along the top of the page or vertically along the left hand side. Make sure the information and navigation follows a logical progression.  Your navigation needs to make sense to the user.

One of your top priorities on any web site is to keep navigation consistent and above the fold. Some people might ask, “Above the fold?!?!”  This phrase comes from our friends in the newspaper business. If a newspaper is folded in half, the most important headlines and articles are found on the top half. The same is true on the web. In the case of the web, “above the fold” is the all information that appears in a user’s browser without needing to scroll down.

Make your web site easier to use by following the HOME RUN acronym.  It is the easiest way anyone can make their web site more attractive online.

Web Centric Marketing and Marketing Leverage

The Ultimate Marketing Tool
I always find myself in a debate when I tell others that "Your web site is your most important marketing tool." That is a bold statement, and I believe it to be true.

Today, it is fairly rare to see or hear an advertisement that does not include a web site address. Is it easier to remember all the information that was given to you over the radio in 30 seconds or a simple web address?

No Commercial Interruptions
Remember, when people visit your web site their attention is focused 100% on you. There are no commercials to interrupt the "program," and most likely, they have chosen to view your site by choice. In radio and television, you are typically limited to a quick 30 to 60 second blurb.  Web sites are presented for the convenience of the user, not the convenience of the broadcaster.

Another advantage of your web site is that it is located in one place, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is available for anyone to view across the world 365 days a year.

Compare your web site to print advertising. If a piece of collateral material requires a change, you might run into significant revision costs. In most instances your online information only needs to be updated once and in only one place. Your web site also provides you with the ability to circulate information digitally. In some cases, this can save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars annually on printing costs.

Traditional Advertising Is Still Important
But, don't forget that traditional advertising is still an important part of your marketing. Make sure you prominently display your web site address, so you customers always remember your address. You can have the greatest web site in the world. But if people don’t know the address, it is of little use to interested users.

Your web site is also a valuable customer service tool. It allows you to quickly collect feedback and respond in short order via email or other online tools.

Balance Online With Traditional Marketing
Web sites offer you a tremendous competitive advantage over traditional advertising in both cost and the ability to update almost instantaneously.  Make sure you are maximizing your marketing through your web site. For all the advantages the web can offer, you still need to effectively and efficiently utilize traditional media to build awareness of your company and your web site.

The Billboard Test and Beyond

Does you domain name pass the billboard test?
This article is based in part on "The Billboard Test."

When we first started designing billboards for airshows and other events, we quickly became aware of getting the message across in the most effective way possible.  The billboard methodology can be applied to almost any form of traditional advertising. 

My personal belief is that all your traditional advertising should take a web-centric emphasis.  If you can get people to visit your web site, you can pass along far more information for less money.

Keep in mind most people won't remember specific details of your billboard the first time.  I'm a firm believer in "the Magical Number Seven." In short, you can only remember small bits of information upon your first exposure.  This has little to do with intelligence.  It is a cognitive limitation of the human brain.  In most cases we can only remember 7, plus or minus two bits of information.  As a result, keep your messaging simple.

The limitations of the human brain and driving 55+ MPH makes it increasingly more difficult to remember small details.  When advertising for your company, service, or event: keep the domain name prominent, your message short, and make sure it is easy to remember.  You might want to consider dropping the "www." from the domain name.  In a recent survey of some magazines advertising I noticed more than 65% of companies dropped the "www."  Make sure your hosting company supports no "www." with your domain.  Here are some domain name guidelines for ensuring your billboard passes the billboard test.

There are far too many billboards that clutter their message with useless information.  People won't always have traffic to carefully study your billboard.  If they remember anything from your billboard or another piece of advertising, make sure it is your domain name.

Additional Resources:
Marketing via Voicemail

Stories and Connections

Yesterday, I had a very good meeting with a prospective client.  The meeting should have gone on for 45 minutes to an hour.  Ultimately the meeting ended up being almost three hours long.  Most people would assume that a three hour meeting would be completely boring and a waste of time.  In fact it was one of the best prospective client meetings I had in a long time.  I found a mutual connection with this person because of aviation. We spent half the meeting talking about airplanes and sharing aviation stories.  In business you need to find common ground, especially when you initially meet someone.

The ability to find common ground isn't an every day event, nor is it easy.  At the start of the meeting I had no idea that the person was passionate about aviation. On my business card I have "Specializing in Airshow Web Sites" under our logo. Even for people who aren't aviation buffs, the "Airshow" line gets more unique conversation than anything else. 

According to Dale Carnegie in How to Win Friends & Influence People ". . . even in such technical lines as engineering, about 15 percent of one's financial success is due to one's technical knowledge and about 85 percent is due to skill in human engineering - to personality and the ability to lead people."  Some of the most successful entrepreneurs I know personally are excellent communicators and charismatic.

Two topics I think every business student or entrepreneur should be skilled in are the ability to communicate effectively and storytelling. These skills help tremendously in building trust and creditability.  Clients want to work with vendors with whom they can relate.  Be sure you hone your communication skills. But don't forget to be a good listener, first!

Benefits of Web Usability

In "What is Web Usability" I briefly defined usability.   Now that you know a little about web usability, let's delve into some of the benefits of web usability. 

Some of the biggest benefits of usability are reflective of what web site owners seek daily, traffic and conversions.  According to research by Jakob Nielsen, web sites with higher usability increase online conversion by 100% and increase the online visitor count by 150%. 

Any web site owner should implement some form of usability testing on their web site.  It can be as simple as getting family and friends to surf your site and getting feedback.

Users flock to sites that are simple and concise. During one web site redesign we reduced the total number of pages on a client's site by 85%.  The 100+ page web site had a tremendous amount of information, but people were not accessing all of it.  When we analyzed the server usage logs we were able to find only 5-10 pages had 90% of the traffic.   Looking at usage logs can tell you what the user finds most interesting. After we implemented the findings and reducing the size of the site, visitor traffic began to rapidly increase.

The benefits of a usable site also come into play with E-commerce web sites.  I cannot stress enough the importance of making the shopping experience as simple as possible.  There have been many E-commerce web sites that have failed because they were difficult to use.

"E-commerce sites lose almost half of their potential sales because users cannot use the site. In other words, with better usability, the average site could increase its current sales by 79% (calculated as the 44% of potential sales relative to the 56% of cases in which users currently succeed)." - Jakob Nielsen

Ensuring web usability also saves you time and money.  Usability testing allows you to determine if you are investing budget into technology with no ROI.  Too many companies dilute their message  with "bells and whistles."  Users are looking for a straightforward message that isn't hidden behind intrusive technology.  From the time perspective, you won't be investing effort that isn't beneficial to you and your company.  You are providing the user with the most direct message in the shortest period of time.

When you make your site easy to use, visitor traffic and online conversions go up. Easy to use web sites leave the user with a higher sense of trust and credibility for the site.  Trust and credibility are significant motivating factors to online buyers.  Keep your web site usable and reap the benefits.

Face Reader

Recently, I said something that a friend took completely out of context.  My statement was a bit of a "jab," yet I did not mean anything seriously or maliciously.  Unfortunately, he was really offended by what I said. This incident was a good check into being wary of what your body language might tell someone.   It is amazing all the small cues you can pick up or give off. 

I am currently reading Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port.  It goes over body language and getting the right message across.

"It's More Than Just Words - The 55/38/7 Rule

There are so many different way to articulate your message.  Don't just depend on your words to do it.  How you communicate goes far beyond the spoken message. Dr. Albert Mehrabian, a communications researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles, reported in his book, Silent Messages - which was based on extensive clinical experiments on communication, attitudes, likes, and dislikes - that 55 percent of the way that people respond to you is based mostly on facial cues, 38 percent is based on your tone, and only 7 percent is based on what you say - the information you provide."

So much time can be lost in business if you aren't getting the proper message across. Always be conscientious of what your body might be telling someone else.

Why Weak Passwords are BAD!

Today I'm checking in from lovely Kerhonkson, New York.  A quaint cove nestled in the Catskill Mountains of New York State.  The air outside is clean, crisp, and refreshing. It reminds me of Canada.  And when I think of Canada, I think of my good friend "Gnome." He is one of Canada's top ethical hackers and provides me with some of the best Internet security advice available.  His job is to ensure companies that they are as secure as possible on the Internet.

Enter into the discussion the topic of personal passwords.  Everyone has a password for something they do online.  Passwords represent the front line of defense against people who might look to compromise your personal or business information.  It is important to ask yourself "how secure is my password?"  Here is a comforting statistic brought to you by the United States Department of Agriculture:

"Your computer password is the foundation of your computer security, and it needs to stand up against the tools that hackers have for cracking it. There are 308,000,000 possible letter combinations for a six letter password using all upper case or all lower case letters.

A readily available password cracker can check all of them in only 2 minutes 40 seconds."

Pretty comforting thought, eh?  You need to make sure you have the best password possible.

Example of a bad passwords:
"bob1967" (Name and birthday)
"Blueleaf23" (Simple words and numbers)

Hint: Gnome told me to include a space in all passwords. The default setting for many automated password cracking programs don't check for spaces.  Also use nonstandard characters such as "%, !, &" and "MiXed cAse"  Doing these simple things will ensure you are significantly more secure.

Example of good passwords:
"45g-$ sd"
"2^hu4@1p"

Aside from a good password, you should also adopt a password protocol.  Other people engage in the nefarious activity of social hacking. Social hackers are individuals who misrepresent themselves as agents for various companies. This involves trying to get people to unwillingly give up their passwords. Never give out your passwords to anyone over email, telephone, or otherwise.

Keep yourself "safer" on the online world.  Use a good password for everything you do online.

Using 40 Million Dollar Words

Recently, an old web project came up in discussion.  Like any web site you work on, you learn something about a client and their services.  One would think after 25 hours of development and reviewing thoroughly their copy that I could tell other people about this client. In fact I can tell people what field the client specializes in, but I can't tell you any other details.   Their web site copy was so far above my head, that I don't fully understand what services they offer.

Too many company web sites use "corporate verbiage" or other high end vocabulary for their web copy.  Remember that the user might not always use the same words or phrasing.  Web writing, like your web site, should be clear, concise, and simple.  There is no benefit in writing above the average comprehension of your users. In most cases being a vocabulary scholar confuses users and makes retaining information from your site difficult.   How many sites do you visit regularly because the writing is extraordinary?   I'm guessing not very many, if any at all.  You probably visit sites that provide high quality content.

Your site will keep people coming back if it offers high quality content that is easy to read.  Use a conversational style of writing.  Be informative and interesting at the same time.

Additional Resource:
Lower-Literacy Users

Getting Listed In Search Engines

Have you ever been tempted to use a "Submit Your Site" service? Such services promise to get you listed in hundreds of search engines.  Unfortunately, it isn't always that simple.  They get your money and you end up wondering "what just happened?"

I would like to save you some time and money in regards to getting listed in search engines for new sites.

Don't bother with all the extravagant site submission tools, especially paid submission and inclusion.  You'll spend too much time filling out forms and laying out cash with few measurable results.  Most searching is done on Google, Yahoo, MSN, and AOL.  Those sites account for approximately 90% of the Internet search market.   Thus, there is no need to "Submit to over 100, 250, or 1000+ Search Engines instantly!"

The best way to get search engines to find you is by getting another site to link to your site. Links from other sites to your site (Back-links) are worth a great deal. Recently a friend and I launched a web site. We were able to get indexed in Google in about a day, without submitting our site.

Google controls almost 50% of the search market as of the summer of 2006.  I start with optimizing for Google when posting a new site. You need to start with some links going to your site.  As opposed to spending a great deal of time searching for other sites to link to your site, use an existing site.  Most people have friends that maintain a personal web site. Ask him or her for a back link to your site. 

Make sure whatever site you get a link from has a Page Rank of 4 or 5.  A simple utility for determining Page Rank is the Google Tool Bar.  Higher Page Ranked Sites are visited more often by Google's search spiders.

Blogs and Forums
Consider leaving a comment on a blog or forum with a link to your site.  Most blogs and forums allow you to link your site when leaving a comment. Net etiquette note: In your comment, DON'T ask people to visit your site. Just make an honest comment to the post and leave a link to your site.   

There is one site that is worth submitting to: the Open Directory Project (OPD), better know as dmoz.org.  You need to be approved by an one of their editors to get into the ODP.  On occasion this can take a while, but you're index with higher quality sites.  One common mistake many people make is not getting listed in the proper category.

Visit the dmoz.org submission page for more information.

Keep building links to your web site!  It will save you the trouble of getting found by search engines. And you'll get better search engine rankings.  One of the biggest measures of where you fall in the search engine rankings is the number of links to your site.

Resources:

• Google Page Rank (PR)
• Google Tool Bar
• dmoz.org submission page

 

Your Company Logo Online

Have you ever tried to track down another company’s logo for a project? 

Such a scenario is created when companies are trying to cross promote brands, advertise, or are involved with sponsorships.  Perhaps you are on a tight schedule and you needed another company's logo hours ago. 

Having been through the experience of tracking down logos on numerous occasions "painful" is the first memory that comes to my mind.  The real fun begins when you are forced to redraw another company's logo because you can't find an acceptable version online.  You can spend hours doing something that should only take minutes or isn't even your responsibility.

Most people try to get another company’s logo via the web. Unfortunately the web is not an acceptable place to acquire a high quality version of another company's logo. My reference to "logo quality" specifically pertains to the resolution of a company's digital logo.  Low resolution logos look sloppy and unprofessional.  Many people try to pull logos directly off another company's web site.  Doing this is not good business practice.  Web graphics are rarely more than 72 dpi.  This might be suitable for very low quality printing, but not for brochures or high quality marketing packets.  Don't use a low quality version of another company's logo.  It diminishes the quality of that company's brand.

Online Media Section
Currently, most companies don't provide any way to easily access their logo online.  Your company web site should have an online media section.  As a security precaution, consider having the media section password protected.  You don’t want everyone on the web having access to your company logos or branding pieces. At a minimum have high quality versions of your logo in various formats available online for downloading. Formats should include:

• Vector images .eps, .ai, or .pdf. 
• Bitmap images .gif .jpg. or .tif.

Here is a link for more information on Bitmap versus Vector images

You should include at least one version of your logo in vector and bitmap formats.  Provide a version of your logo with a transparent background. This is useful for web purposes. For printing purposes be sure you include black and white versions of your logo.  Some companies include style and usage guides on proper use of their logo. Make sure you adhere to their recommendations. 

Save yourself and other companies countless hours of frustration by having a high quality version of your company logo online.  It saves times and money for all parties involved.

The Client (Customer) Isn’t Always Right

Properly serving clients is by far one of my greatest challenges when it comes to doing Internet consulting.  Where do you draw the line between doing what’s right and doing what a client requests?  This specifically pertains to requests that go against good Internet practices.

Last year, I lost a prospective client because I took a hard stance on their request.  In my professional opinion what they were requesting was not in line with their online goals or good web standards. 

The person wanted me to do some Search Engine Optimization (SEO) work on their web site.  Nobody could find their web site searching with Google. They insisted on having a Flash animation on their home page. At the time they had no back links or HTML text on the home page. Both of these are important to proper SEO. I told them it would be a liability doing all Flash on their home page without concentrating on back links, page titles, proper search keywords, and HTML text. They further insisted on Flash and I responded again with my concerns.  I wasn’t about to take their money for something that would not benefit their business online. Because of my stance they decided to use someone else.

Many clients or perspective clients can get caught up on the latest and greatest Internet trinkets.  Trinkets are synonymous with cool web sites.  People see something neat or cool on a web site and want the same for their web site.  My belief is that it is more important to have a useful web site rather than a "cool" web site.  Google is our favorite example.  There is nothing cool about Google, except that it is easy to use and is worth billions of dollars.

This forces me to ask the following: Are clients paying you to do what they request or are they paying for your skill and experience?  When a client insists on doing something that won’t benefit their site what do you do?

You should always treat the customer professionally and provide them with the best service possible.  Deliver them value in everything you do.  But, I don’t believe you should do something the customer requests because they are “paying you to do work for them.” 

Work with people who value your opinion and take your expertise for all it’s worth.  My favorite clients are those who give honest feedback on our advice and willing to try new things with their web sites. They are also the same people whose sites outperform the sites of people demanding something their way.

Why do you have a web site?

Have you ever asked a small business owner why they have a web site?  Based on their response, I can quickly tell if a company is knowledgeable about the online world.  There are far too many companies that have a web site for all the wrong reasons.

My web site philosophy is centered on B2B and B2C web sites.  I don't hold personal web sites to this standard.  I encourage everyone to have fun with their personal web site.  But don't forget to balance your fun with usability and design standards.

B2B and B2C web sites need to be held to a much higher standard.  Personal web sites usually don't have to worry about a bottom line.  Whenever I ask a business owner, "Why do you have a web site?"  I usually get the following answers:

1. "We have a web site because someone inside the company thought it would be a good idea."
2. "Our competition has a web site, so we need a site."

The above justifications are probably two of the worst reasons to have a web site.  Yet, most small business owners and companies respond with similar justifications.

Your company web site should be based on fundamental business practices.  My core beliefs about a company web site follow these key objectives:

1. "My web site saves our company time"
2. "My web site saves our company money"
3. "My web site increases our company's revenue and profitability"

They key objectives listed above are what I encourage every business owner to accomplish with their web site.  In tandem with these key objective, the smartest companies can outline a set of online strategies and goals.

In 3G Marketing on the Internet by Sweeney, MacLellan, and Dorey, you can find their recommended  "Formula for e-Business Success."  It looks like this: "The Right e-Business model + The right Web site + The right Web site traffic (and lots of it) = e-Business Success."

Are you accomplishing your key online objectives?  If not, it might be time to rethink your online strategy.  The information presented above is only the "tip of the iceberg."

The Written Word

Here is an honest admission: I've never been the best at writing thank you cards.  But, I also believe it is never too late to start.  There are some good friends of mine from Florida who inspired me to write on this topic.  They do an excellent job of sending hand written birthday cards to all their friends year after year.

What do birthday cards and the Internet have to do with one another?  Everything!

In today's chaotic world of Internet, movies, TV, radio and everything else, it becomes easy to forget the simple things in life.  Hand written cards are becoming a lost art.  For most people, it is far easier to open up our email program and write a thank you letter.

Be different! If someone does something above and beyond the norm, send them a written thank you card.  The positive impact of a written card is far greater than any email. You can achieve far more impact with less words.

Here is what someone told me after receiving a written thank letter: "Thanks for the card, I didn't think people did that any more."

If you get a chance, write a hand written thank you card. 

Additional Resource:
In Wired World, Handwritten 'Thank You' Still Tops

Balancing Content and Graphic Design

In the web development world, supremacy battles are waged between visual designers and those who create content.  Visual design is the work of a graphic designer.  When I talk about "content," I am specifically referring to text or the written word.  Unfortunately, when a good balance isn't maintained, it is the user of the web site who ultimately loses out.

Information
It is said that content is king in the online world.  Relevant high quality content is the one universal that every user seeks.  In today's video blogging and picture sharing world, it is more difficult to find high quality content.  Content becomes the first thing compromised on a web site. This is because of the need to post anything online regardless of quality.

In Robert Bly's book, The Copywriter's Handbook, an excellent point is made about content and graphics.  Mr. Bly points out a web site should be able to stand on its own without any graphics or pictures. 

You can't do much online without text: click here, buy now, login, search, etc.

To illustrate the point, do this short exercise:
Go to Google.com and search on your favorite web site.  I'll use "Yahoo" as my example.  When the results page appears, don't click on the link.  Look at the description of the page you are searching.  Under the link to the page and description, you should see a line like this:

www.yahoo.com/ - 74k - Cached - Similar Pages

Click on the Cached link for your results.  Doing so will bring you to a page showing when the site was last viewed by Google's spiders.  Within the block of text that comes up there should be a link for, "Click here for the cached text only."

Finally click on the cached text link.  This will display the page without any graphics. 
Can you understand  your favorite web site without any graphics? 

Graphic Design
"Don't I want my web site to look good?" My answer to this is a resounding yes!  But, you need to be careful and not go overboard with graphics. Users enjoy visiting visually appealing web sites.  Visual appeal goes beyond just pictures on a web site, it encompasses all aspects of graphic design.  This includes, but not limited to the following elements: navigation, pictures, typography, etc.

Does the web site portray a consistent look and feel?  A uniform design and layout complements and reinforces user comfort and appeal.  Yet, many graphic designers confuse visually useful design with the opportunity to showcase their artistic skills.  The need to be artistic has little benefit or value for the client or users.   <