Posts Tagged ‘Web’

How “Better” Can Be The Enemy Of “Good”

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

Here’s an anatomy of a marketing nightmare. The folks at Sprint.com were ready to roll out a new and improved website last weekend, planning to flip the switch early Sunday morning. Unfortunately, it didn’t take and the customer portal for the nation’s third largest cellphone company disappeared from the Internet.

Fast forward three days later and there’s still no Sprint.com. Customers are flaming Sprint in online forums for leaving them unable to manage their accounts online.  Other than numerous apologies, the most Sprint has done to deflect all this anger is to launch a Twitter feed with updates on the outage that can be summarized in four words — “we’re working on it.”

The saddest part of this story is that the new website does look pretty cool, but all that coolness will be washed away in the sea of bile that’s being spilled with all the spleen venting over this botched rollout.

But there are lessons to be learned in The School of Hard Knocks.  First is the favorite adage of my boss — always under-promise and over-deliver. That’s true for marketing campaigns the same as it is for launching new websites.  And let’s crib another one — as they say in the Hippocratic Oath, “first, do no harm.”   Your new marketing concept may not be a smashing success, but be sure it doesn’t sink your image either. Due diligence in planning and rollout goes a long way to prevent the kind of serious, self-inflicted wound that Sprint is trying to recover from now.

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Marketing Your Website

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Building a website is only the first step toward online success. Attracting your target audience and staying relevant so they come back again and again is an ongoing process. Watch our quick Marketing Minute video below for a few tips.

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What’s In A Name, SEO-Wise?

Sunday, August 16th, 2009

When optimizing our web site title bars for search engines, we were faced with the choice of spelling our company name correctly as one word - “BusinessVoice” – or breaking it up into two words - Business Voice. Theoretically, the two-word version would help us rank higher in a greater percentage of natural searches, but, as one of the “keepers of the brand,” I wasn’t willing to bastardize our name, no matter what the SEO consequences.

Have you had a similar experience when marketing online? If so, how did you handle the need to present your company and brand consistently with the desire to maximize the pull to your web site?

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Building A Better Business Web Site

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

Remember the movie Field Of Dreams and the famous line, “If you build it, they will come?” Some people think that’s true about business web sites — just build a great one and they’ll come. But to keep them coming, you need to begin renovations immediately.

Keeping your web site fresh is vital for everyone and every thing that is visiting. People like to see new content and features, and so do the search engine robots that sample your web site looking for updates to your pages. But what should this content be? Scott Randolph of 7xo Media has some sound advice in this area:

You need to craft all your content with an eye for the ultimate goal – conversion.  You need to come up with a schedule and stick to it (this is much harder than it sounds).  You will need to create content that is interesting and useful for someone, even if they aren’t your customer.  You need to give options to share your content (social bookmarking buttons, email this buttons, etc…) – and encourage people to use them.

A web site upgrade doesn’t have to be a huge task if you’re freshening your content on a regular basis. You can create customer tips and produce mini case studies. Add testimonials or begin a blog that lets you comment on industry trends and pass along great ideas.  Open a Twitter account for your business and include a listing of your Twitter posts on your web site. Piece by piece, you can build a better business web site by never finishing the job.

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Your Web Site Can Anchor A Marketing Wheel Of Fortune

Monday, June 1st, 2009

More on the game show analogy later. But first, some opening credits.  Jonathan Kranz is one of the best voices in marketing and a favorite of copywriters everywhere. That’s why I’m always happy to pass along his wisdom, like this from a recent Kranz On Copy newsletter article regarding Web trends. By now, we all know that a web site is a vital tool in your marketing arsenal. But Kranz says rather than a “tool,”  you should think of your web site as the “hub” at the center of your wheel of marketing activities:

…a kind of way-station where communications flow both in and out. Your site is simultaneously a potential first point of contact with prospects (via search), a warehouse of information and content, and a switching station that directs visitors to other communications vehicles, such as your blogs and social media communities. It’s no longer a static presence, but an active manager of ever-shifting relationships.

You need to think about how people come into your site, i.e., through paid or organic search, from links on other web sites or via your web address that’s part of other print, email or mass media marketing materials. How do you want visitors to move through your web site? Do you take a linear approach from page A to B to C, or more like a flow chart, with paths dependent on their interests and needs?

And what should your web visitors do as they’re leaving?  Here’s where the game show analogy comes in. Imagine they were contestants on the original “Wheel Of Fortune.” Remember the “parting gift” that every player received? Often it was a home version of the game.  Now that’s brilliant self-promotion. What can you give your web visitors to keep them engaged with your message after they leave?  How about an e-newsletter subscription, or a free demo of a product or service?  Consider anything that can mesh with your other marketing, communications and business efforts.

A strong hub makes for a solid wheel, and your web site can be the hub of your marketing plan, always in motion and reaching out to all points along the wheel of communications.  Think of your web site not as a destination, but a central station that keeps the conversation flowing as you tell your story.

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How To Get The Boss To Use Twitter

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

OK, let’s start with a confession — the owner of my company is Twitter-phobic. Just last week he said he’s afraid that all this social media is taking time away from getting REAL work done. That’s a fair concern for someone who signs the paychecks, but how do I get him to embrace the power of Twitter to grow our brand and connect with clients and prospects?

Mike Volpe at HubSpot has the answer that just might work for my boss and yours. Twitter is all about brevity — hey, it’s just 140 characters! That means it’s not a lot of time commitment to post a Tweet. So for busy bosses, it’s much easier than crafting a blog post, or even writing an email. As Mike says:

It’s all about short thoughts and comments.  If your CEO can send a text message, they can use Twitter from anywhere in the world as a marketing and PR tool.  Twitter is actually perfect for CEO or founder who is always on the road meeting with people and who has some interesting opinions on your market.

My boss loves to find new techniques to improve sales and marketing. A lot of that searching and discovery happens on the web. And there are plenty of free tools available that make it quick and easy to manage your Tweets and create a post instantly from the web page you’re viewing. Twitter is the fast way to share ideas with followers far and wide, while building the credibility of your brand. And for busy bosses, that’s a formula for success.

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In The Know

Monday, August 11th, 2008

Reading: it’s something you learned to do a long time ago. (I can barely remember learning the alphabet and how to sound out difficult words.)

When I was a kid, Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys were some of my favorite characters. I would stay up late at night, hiding under my covers with a flashlight just so I could finish one more chapter about them.

That enthusiasm waned a bit as I got older. Magazines replaced books and television replaced newspapers.

But reading is important, and not just for enjoyment. It’s important for success on the job too.

Think about your industry. How do you find out about trends or breaking news? Where do you turn to learn about new technology or applications? Do you have clients? How do you learn about what’s happening in their industries?

In our office, nearly everyone subscribes to several e-newsletters. Some are about marketing, like AdAge and MarketingProfs; others have a telecommunications focus. We also subscribe to client-specific items, such as health and sciences RSS feeds for our healthcare clients, or FMI daily Lead to keep abreast of changes in the supermarket industry.

A quick Internet search can yield a lot of great information, and most of it’s free. And don’t forget about the blogs! Your peers, clients, and even your competitiors are writing content that you should be reading. Â

Yes, reading takes time, but the reward is being well-informed, and that puts you and your company in a better position to succeed.

Build some time into your day for reading. Peruse industry blogs while you enjoy your first cup of coffee. Scan newsletters for pertinent headlines before you zip off to lunch. And since you don’t really get anything done after 4:30 anyway, take the last half hour of the day to catch up on industry gossip.

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As The Marketplace Turns

Friday, June 20th, 2008

In times of economic struggle, business slows down. For some companies, hard times lead to budget cuts, lay-offs, even closure. When the economy rebounds, the companies left standing are stronger for the struggle.

In times like these, it’s important to position your business to be on the top of the heap when the economy turns.

But how?

Shift your strategy.
Instead of growing your customer base, which is tough to do in a slow economy, concentrate on customer service and penetrating your existing customers. New customers are expensive to court, and the ROI isn’t apparent until they become regulars. Your current customers will generally spend more with you, and they’ll appreciate the attention.

Shore up your marketing.
Prepare your company for the eventual turn-around. Spruce up your website and prepare it for new visitors. Develop an innovative product or service. Create an email campaign to re-introduce your business to your customers. Companies who prepare won’t get caught with their pants down when business picks up.

Hone your processes.
Can you think of 1 process you have in place that’s a complete waste of everyone’s time? Evaluate your internal systems and trim the fat. Get rid of antiquated processes and implement more effective tools. You’ll find yourself more productive in no time.

Focus on your team.
It may smack of cheesy corporate retreats, but you don’t have to do the “trust” exercise to achieve team unity. Promote open communication on all levels. Encourage your staff to job-shadow each other to foster understanding and cooperation. Organize a company outing. (Business is slow, so you’re not losing much by closing the doors for a day and heading to the beach or to your neighborhood bar for a little co-worker camaraderie.)

Whatever you do, don’t put your head in the sand and wait for things to get better. With ingenuity and passion, all things are possible.

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Buckeye Chose Jerry

Monday, March 24th, 2008

BusinessVoice President Jerry Brown is featured as a satisfied customer in Buckeye TeleSystem’s new “We Chose Buckeye” campaign. Check out Jerry’s TV spot, his billboard, and his web ad.

Jerry is taking full advantage of his new celebrity. He’s signed on to appear on next season’s “Dancing With The Stars,” he’s already penning his tell-all autobiography, and he’s launching his own line of popcorn and spaghetti sauce.

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Capitalization On Call Girls

Wednesday, March 19th, 2008

The marketing industry as a whole can be an unfriendly place. Shops are criticized for decisions on spokespeople, underlying messages, and judgements are made within seconds by the public. But after reading this article in AdAge concerning Georgi Vodka’s clamoring for former Governor Spitzer’s call girl’s “butt,” I can’t help but feel those same negative feelings.

While this is not nearly as repulsive as the capitalization on tragedy that we saw with purchasing Internet key words in relation to the Virginia Tech shootings to boost website traffic, it certainly doesn’t bode well for us. Pushing the envelope is one thing; getting folks to think outside the box is evolutionary; but toying with the idea of launching a Vodka Brand titled “No. 9″ after Spitzer’s designation by the call-girl service? Putting a twenty-something escort who has come to be associated with lies and betrayal in the American political scene on the back of buses and tops of taxis? That’s low.

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