Making Your Website Work For You
July 17, 2008
Your website can work as much, or as little, as you want it to. It can be a very simple "calling card" for your business on the web, a simple brochure with a few pictures and some text, or a fully-functioning, interactive, sales tool. To maximize the power of your website, there are a few things you need to keep in mind.
- The more information you provide, the easier it is for a customer to make a decision. Product details, photos, comparisons, prices, even reviews of a product or service all help customers make informed purchasing decisions. Informed customers can make their decision without being limited by store hours and availability of your sales staff.
- Make it as easy as possible for your customers to get the information they are looking for. Requiring registration before being able to view product/service details may build up your direct mail database, but it will also drive away a number of potential customers. When a customer walks into your store, do you require them to fill out a form before they can speak with a salesperson?
- Know when to back off. Keeping in contact with your customers by email is an important marketing tool. Letting them know of new products or services, special pricing, or other news about your business helps establish a relationship and leads to increased sales. But abusing that relationship by sending emails too often without quality content will lead to customers unsubscribing from your newsletter.
- Provide real-person support. Customers enjoy being able to research products and services online, but when they have a question, they want to know that there is a person behind the website who will help them and stand behind the products or services being offered. Services such as a live chat can go a long way to helping customers make that informed decision and feeling at ease with your company.
- Keep it fresh. Do you rotate your stock? Refresh the displays at the front of your store? Provide the same service to your online customers and give them a reason to return to your site, while providing a familiar and consistent environment. Regularly adding content (such as news, special deals, etc.) will not only help your customers, but it will also help your search engine optimization efforts as well.
PSPrint.com Affiliate
February 20, 2008
In our efforts to be a complete online resource for small businesses, Falmouth Design is pleased to partner with PSPrint.com for effective and affordable marketing materials such as business cards, postcards, brochures, banners, and more. Get your next promotional materials printed in full color with PSPrint.com
Freelance web designers best bet
April 1, 2007
An article in Sunday's Boston Globe outlines some ways a freelance web designer can be your best bet for getting your business noticed online. Without the high cost of a large design firm, freelancers (such as Falmouth Design!) give you individual attention and a full range of services from initial consultation, design, database development, to search engine optimization and user testing. How do you go about finding a freelance web designer? Start local. If there are small businesses in your town with a website that you like, ask them who created the site for them and how their experience was. Try the local Small Business Development Center - ask if they know of any web designers. Or your Chamber of Commerce may have some web designers as members. Find the designers' sites online and look through their portfolio. Does the work they've done resemble what you envision for your site? If you are looking for a clean and simple, fast-loading site and the portfolio is full of Flash and cutting-edge graphics, you might want to keep looking. Contact a few and inquire about available services and price ranges. Don't expect a hard-and-fast price right off the bat. Each site is unique and the price will depend on a variety of factors. Don't be afraid to ask questions - don't be intimidated by terminology that you don't understand, just ask the designer to explain in plain English what is involved in the process. If you don't feel comfortable talking to the designer, keep looking. Always make sure you get the details in writing - a well-written contract keeps everyone on track and makes sure both parties understand what is required of them, what the costs are, and exactly what services are being provided. Some questions to ask:
- Who is responsible for registering the domain name and acquiring hosting services? (Note: prices for hosting vary quite a bit so if it sounds like you're paying too much for hosting, shop around a bit and ask for other prices to compare.)
- Will the site be standards compliant? (Making sure the site complies with current web standards makes the site more accessible to those with disabilities, and makes it easier to maintain and update in the future.)
- What type of maintenance plans are available? (Depending on your needs, an hourly rate or a monthly plan may be more cost-effective.)
- What is the anticipated timeline for the site? (Remember, you are most likely responsible for providing the content - text and images - so if you lag behind, it will set back the launch date for the site.)
Students Sue Turnitin.com
March 30, 2007
In an interesting (and ironic) case, four high school students are suing an anti-plagiarism site, citing copyright violations. The service provided by Turnitin.com, which instructors or schools can purchase, checks students' papers against a database of academic papers and journals to see if the student plagiarized from any of the sources in the database. In the process, the papers being checked are then added to the database. This is where the lawsuit lies. The company is, in effect, copying students' papers and then using them to make a profit. Copyright law, especially when it comes to fair use, can be a somewhat cloudy legal area. I'm interested to see how this turns out. From: Washington Post (published March 29, 2007)
Customers prefer simple websites
March 29, 2007
The Cape Cod SCORE article (published in the Cape Cod Times on March 29, 2007) reinforces what we at Falmouth Design already know: customers want good, clean websites that work. Not flashy, hard to navigate, complicated sites that are built to impress the business owner. Visitors on a web site are looking for something - whether it's information or a product - and the faster (and easier) they can find what they are looking for, the happier they are (and the more likely they'll return). Don't try to trick them into signing up for a newsletter that they don't want or into purchasing additional items that they don't need. Be straightforward, be professional, and be respectful of your customers. After all, they are the reason your business exists. From the Cape Cod Times
The Anatomy of Buzz
March 28, 2007
Title: The Anatomy of Buzz Author: Emanuel Rosen; ISBN: 978-0385496681; Summary: The author analyzes and explains the phenomenon of buzz, or word of mouth marketing, by looking at examples of how buzz helped (or hurt) a company or product's success. He also offers insight and tips for generating buzz for your own business or product. Pros: The author shares his own experience, as well as many other marketers and business leaders, in how buzz was generated for a company or product and then how the buzz was utilized in the success or failure that resulted. He incorporates the power of the Web and its role in spreading information vs. traditional face-to-face methods. The background and history of product launches or ad campaigns makes for interesting reading but the addition of tips and rules for how to stimulate your own buzz makes this a great resource for any business owner. Using an image of a screen that depicts relationships between people, the author analyzes human behavior - why we talk to the people we do, and what we talk about. More importantly, he emphasizes how successful companies capitalized on that behavior and how it led to success. The Buzz Workshop at the end of the book provides the reader with a blueprint of questions that can help any company examine their own product, marketing efforts, and other factors for successfully implementing buzz. The case studies and real-world examples included are taken from a wide variety of industries and companies including yo-yo's, luxury vehicles, movies, and technology, encompassing small businesses and multinational corporations. Cons: Not all the tactics and approaches mentioned will apply to every small business. It is easy to look at a wildly successful product or company and attribute the success to particular marketing attempts but in reality, these tactics will not work every time for every business and there is some amount of luck, timing, and other non-measurable elements involved. Overall: A pleasant read with some helpful tips. Don't expect this to solve all your marketing problems, but it might provide some useful ideas. To Buy: The Anatomy of Buzz: How to Create Word of Mouth Marketing
Marketing Without Advertising
March 27, 2007
Title: Marketing Without Advertising, 4th ed. (*Note: there is a newer version available now which may address some of the concerns raised in the "Cons" section below). Authors: Michael Phillips and Salli Raspberry; ISBN: 978-0873379304; Summary: The authors offer advice for successful marketing strategies with low-cost or no-cost alternatives to advertising. Each chapter has worksheets to help business owners examine their goals and current status to formulate a plan to implement the suggested strategies. (Note: this review is for the 4th edition, some information may have changed in the latest edition.) Pros: Throughout the book, the authors repeatedly emphasize the need for sound business practices such as honesty, openness, and fairness, which is a welcome change from pushy advertising techniques. Building a solid business model is the first step in getting your customers to spread the word about your company. By exploring real-world examples and inviting the reader to explore his or her own experiences with companies, the authors point out common customer behavior that is easily overlooked or taken for granted by business owners. Cons: The sections dealing with the Internet should avoid technical information and focus solely on using the Internet to market your company. The information provided is incomplete and inadequate. Readers interested in designing or promoting a web site would be better served by reading a book targeted to that specific purpose. Overall: Excellent business and marketing information but ignore the chapter on the Internet. To buy: Marketing Without Advertising: Inspire Customers To Rave About Your Business & Create Lasting Success
The Tipping Point
March 27, 2007
Title: The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference Author: Malcolm Gladwell; ISBN: 978-0316346627 Summary: The author explores "epidemics" in the business and social worlds by analyzing the key factors that create or promote them: the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context. He includes case studies and looks at the key factors that led to epidemics such as teenage smoking, the rise of Hush Puppies, and Sesame Street. Pros: It is an interesting read and will likely have you thinking of how the concepts relate to you and your business. Who do you know that fits the description of a Connector, a Maven, or a Salesman? Looking at the products and brands that you use, what are some of the "sticky" features that make you a loyal user? For anyone who enjoys a behind-the-scenes look at how things work, the book offers background on memorable ad campaigns, human behavior, and business decisions. Cons: The author revisits a few concepts and examples throughout the book, such as Sesame Street, but doesn't always tie them together and sometimes appears to repeat the same basic concept without adding anything new of value. There is some crossover with The Anatomy of Buzz, but the examples and concepts are merely presented here, without the benefit of how The Anatomy of Buzz relates the concepts to how they can be used by other companies to achieve the same success. While it was an interesting book for the most part, the tedious repetitions and lack of "how to" information detract from its usefulness. Overall: Interesting read but I recommend The Anatomy of Buzz instead. To buy: The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
Review: Guerilla Marketing
March 14, 2007
Title: Guerilla Marketing, 3d ed. (*Note: this review is for an older version than the one currently available at Amazon and in bookstores) Author: Jay Conrad Levinson; ISBN: 978-0395906255; Summary: The author provides small business owners ideas and strategies for low-cost marketing. Pros: Many creative and low-cost ideas are presented in a straightforward, no-nonsense approach. The tactics presented are specifically targeted to small business owners with limited budgets. The highlights in the margins allow the reader to skim a page or chapter and look for specific points of interest. Cons: Many of the tactics suggested are aggressive selling techniques, such as pushing for the close, which may not fit in with your business practices. Aggressive sales pitches and closing techniques may win an individual sale but likely will not create a loyal customer or client. As a consumer, you know what characteristics you appreciate in a salesperson. Pressuring a "prospect" to close the sale immediately is not a tactic I can support as a businessperson and is a sure way to lose me as a customer immediately. Overall: If you can accept the ideas for low-cost marketing without buying into and employing the high-pressure sales tactics than this book can be an inexpensive and somewhat useful resource for you. Otherwise, stick with The Anatomy of Buzz or Marketing Without Advertising. To Buy: Guerrilla Marketing: Secrets for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business (Guerrilla Marketing)
