Find Success Through An Online Strategy.

I know a lot of you can relate to Joe’s email, and maybe have first hand experience with doing just a little bit of everything, and none of it really working.

If you’ve been in business for any length of time, I’m also willing to bet that what worked well three, two, or even one year ago isn’t working the same way anymore. 

If you always mailed out postcards and had a 1 percent sales rate, that’s probably fallen to ½ percent.

Or maybe you’re referral partners just aren’t sending over the same amount of clients they did in the past.

Why is that?

Because marketing as a whole is changing.

And I attribute this to two things.

1. There are a ton of channels opening up all the time.
2. People don’t pay attention the same way.

There are a ton of channels opening up all the time.
What are your options for getting your name out to potential clients? Of course there’s the traditional channels: postcards, phone book, newspaper, magazine, trade publication, radio, television, etc.

And now there are also online channels: email, website, blog, social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, SEO, etc.

Online tools are added every day because they’re easy to create and easy to send out. If one person likes something, they can tell thousands of “friends” quickly and effectively.

While everyone mentions the largest players, niching yourself can be successful. Finding a community that speaks directly to your target audience will benefit you much more than a Facebook account.

And because so many of these new tools are fun and exciting, people are spending a lot more time there than they do in other arenas.

People don’t pay attention the same way.
When we had just a handful of television channels to choose from, the networks had a captive audience. They knew pretty much where we were going to tune in. Then came cable television. And the channels kept growing. Our attention went from a few to hundreds in a very short period of time.

Along with the Internet, we have access to thousands [millions?] of different opportunities every day. If you don’t like reading a newspaper, you can find your favorite news source online. If you hate commercials, record you favorite shows; or better yet, head online and stream them anytime you choose.

As fast as marketers find a way for getting their information in front of you, people have found ways for turning the noise off, and concentrating on something entirely different.

So if you’re marketing in the same manner you did even just a year ago, your entire strategy may need to be evaluated to move you into the new phase of marketing.

• Who are your clients and where do they go?
• How do they get their information?
• What do they prefer and what do they dislike?
• How are your clients changing?

Reevaluate your strategy before its too late, and they turn to your competitors.

image source jaylopez

Well in the case of a web designer and an online marketing strategist, its not only important to have an effective web presence, but also keep it updated on a regular basis.

So as of this week, we converted the old Vision Of Success website, into a new, upgraded site, using WordPress as our platform.

The key behind Vision Of Success has always been to be a community that offers you tools and resources. I’ve always provided dozens of pages of information, and a variety of resources to help you make marketing your small business easier.

So for me, using a blogging platform was the right step.

Take a look and let me know what you think.

This is my starting point. I will be adding a video and several other resource boxes to the left navigation side of the site. But for now, it’s released and is my new starting point.

I would appreciate your comments below. I’ll take them into consideration as I change and grow in the coming weeks. Thanks!

When we look at our own site, we know and understand what we do. We know right where to go, and what everything means. But does your client? When they enter your site, can they navigate around and get exactly what they are looking for?

Take a look at these 10 common design mistakes, and take a second look at your own site. 

1. The Home Page Website. Do you look at your home page as your front door? Think again. If people are finding your through search engines and referrals, they are just as likely to enter on one of your other pages. Is every page welcoming?

2. Poor design. Maybe you’ve fallen in love with a particular look. But is it the most beneficial? Do you stand out from your competition? If you’re in a particular niche that uses a mass design firm, be careful of looking like everyone else. It’s good to have your visitors say WOW.

3. Poor programming. Some designers work part time or until they find their next job. They concentrate on graphics, paying little attention to coding and the detail. Make sure your designer is well rounded in all parts of designing a site.

4. Don’t Fix What Ain’t Broke mentality. You’ve had a generic site for years. It’s not bringing in business, but it’s not costing you much either. Why should you fix it? If you’ve ever had this thought (and I meet a ton of people like this) maybe its time to find out what a website should truly be doing for you.

5. Testing. Do you have a site that is informative to your customers, or just provides them with the information you think they need. The only way to make it better is to keep testing, and respond to what works.

6. Provide everything – including the kitchen sink. Do you sell products and services? Do you host seminars and events regularly? If you don’t have a shopping cart function, you’re missing a ton of sales. People buy things when they find them – even if its 2:30 on a Saturday morning. Be there when they’re ready, not when you are.

7. All the bells and whistles. Who is your target audience? If its in the tech industry, you may be okay adding the latest programming. But if you’re targeting people that look at your site from a home-based computer, don’t assume they have the latest technology. If a site asks to upgrade or download something to make it function, they won’t stay – or be back.

8. Too many chefs. You have one company for marketing, one for web design, one for hosting, one for programming – and they all have a different idea. In some cases it can take months for one idea to make it through several different contacts. Take charge and make decisions. Action is more important than preciseness when it comes to being online.

9. Using the latest tools. Are you using social sites, profiles, forums and blogs to interconnect your website? If not, you’re missing one of the most important parts to being online.

10. Create a strategy. Talk with an online marketing expert and really build for your future. Understand what your website could be doing for you, and set up goals and deadlines for taking action. Make 2009 the year you succeed online.

Our goal with Sprawling From Grace will be to launch its online sales strategy, and to open up the marketplace using social media and social networking as our primary tool. David and Nancy have set the stage with a number of showings around the country – most recently at the Democratic National Convention. We will help them continue that buzz in the online world,  and provide both consulting and online production work to help build online communities that will both promote and purchase the film.

We’re so excited to be able to take on fun and inspiring projects like this one – thanks David and Nancy for joining the Vision Client Family!

That idea spawned a new business for Steve with Straight Up Chess. In January he hung his first prototype on the wall, and was playing 1 or 2 games per week with other co-workers. And the business was born.

StraightUpChess.com was designed to give chess players a new option for playing chess. Part artwork/part chess board, StraightUpChess.com allows people to view the detailed boards, learn more about this unique concept, and finalize their purchase in an integrated shopping cart. 

We had a lot of fun making Steve’s business idea become a reality, all in time for his first showing at the Denver 2008 Parade of Homes, which starts today.

Best of luck Steve! We’re honored to add you to our growing client list.

One of the great things about having a website is you can create it, leave it working for you, and add and make changes when appropriate.

In Regina’s case, we added an entire new section for her newest product launch, teeth whitening. We worked with her navigation to make it fit her current products and services, and added new pages where appropriate. We also work to make sure we have photographs that complement your website, and give people a reason to continue reading.

We’re happy to be working with Cara Bella Studio, and wish you the greatest success with your new product launch.

I’ve been online and had at least one website working for me for over 14 years now. Yet I also know that even though I’ve embraced technology, and couldn’t live without it, there are still people out there that have never created a site for their business. In fact, I currently have a half dozen business cards in front of me without an email address on them.

Let’s look at a few stats for a moment. In 2000, Google indexed about 1 billion pages. By the end of 2004, those numbers had risen to 8 billion. Currently, the latest estimate is that Google has indexed about 14 to 15 billion pages. All of this means people are adding a lot of content to the online arena – and its growing not just in America, United Kingdom and Australia. It’s growing in the far corners of the world.

Doing business online has truly made it to the mainstream. And for all of you that have a website and realize the importance, you’ve probably contemplated the next step. SEO, or search engine optimization is about getting your site ranked and in front of your prospects and your customers. But what most people don’t realize the strategy it takes to make that move.

When you think SEO, what does it bring up in your mind? Getting ranked high in the search engines? Magically appearing in ads? Getting more traffic than you can handle?

All of that may be a part of SEO, but unless you create a strategy, it will never happen.

I recently sat down with Jeff, a business consultant. He created a small website a couple of years ago, and left it up more as a brochure than anything else. It didn’t go into a lot of detail about his business; it just gave a brief explanation about Jeff and his business. He received no business from his site, and he was looking to change that.

After a five-minute analysis, I began to see some definite areas where we could make changes. Jeff had a friend who designed his site. This friend dabbled in web design on the side, and did it more for fun. But he now had a new full time position, two kids – and no time to help Jeff make changes. The first problem was Jeff’s friend had used an old "template" for the design, and all of his keywords were from an entirely different industry!

Next, because Jeff knew very little about SEO, he only had one goal with his online strategy: to be number one under the keyword "business consultant" in Google. He spent a few hundred dollars on Google’s Pay Per Click strategy, but recently gave up when he had little success.

Jeff had never sat down and created an online strategy that would truly help his business. He was guilty of the most common problem made by today’s small business owners – he listened to all the wonderful stories about the power of the Internet, yet he never captured any of it for his business because he never did anything to get his site noticed.

We went on to discuss SEO, and what it means for him, and for any small business owner. SEO means finding out what your clients are looking for online, and being there when they search. You don’t want to show up under "business consultant" if your clients are searching for "small business marketing coach". And you won’t magically appear under the term "small business marketing coach" unless you work with your content and your marketing to make it happen.

Like it or not, business is competition. And thanks to the Internet, that competition is fierce. In years past, the people in your local market were your competition; but now that field has spread across the globe. For you to get to your target audience, and to capture sales, you have to work at it.

But the good news is it’s actually the best time in history to get started in online marketing. For both service and product businesses, the tools available today are amazing. In just a few short months, with the right planning, we’re able to capture high rankings under the terms most often searched. And it’s not just a big business strategy – even small businesses can create a lot of magic online.

And it all starts with a strategy.