5 reasons why you should have a website

24 / 7 / 365 Salesman

A website should be seen as a medium that markets your product, service or brand 24/7/365

Websites remain relatively cheap and have a far reaching audience. If you consider printed media and its limitations you will quickly realize that a website is a far better way to spend your money and still have a good Return on Investment. Brand representatives (although vitally important) can never cover large demographical areas as effectively as a simple website can. Websites can easily be advertised by just using your domain name e,g.  www.yourdomain.com . This is a simple yet effective way to speak volumes without paying an arm and leg for advertising.

A website is descriptive of your brand

Brand representatives can never remember every single detail about a brand or product. Think for example of a car salesman and how impossible it is for them to remember all the features on one vehicle. A website can easily display many products or services and include most if not all of the features of your current stock. Enquiries and orders can be done easily and effectively online with minimum time and effort as your website has already done most of the talking for you.

Your competitor has one

In today’s competitive market there are literally thousands of people trying to offer the same product of service as yours.  Analytics show that more and more people are shopping online. When I look at my own teenage daughter I realize that even a desktop has become a dinosaur –like object to her. The new generation is growing up differently and using smart phones and smart apps. You should be constantly trying to stay one step ahead of your competition and regularly make them aware of your brand by using online marketing. You should start your online campaign with a website.

A website is your shop front

See your website as your shop front and place where you would display your services or products to your clients.  For service providers you can cut a great deal of cost by working form home and having a website displays your services or products. Wedding photographers for example don’t have to have a office as they mostly shoot at venues or botanical gardens. A website can be set up at a quarter of the cost of an office yet still be as effective in producing clients for your business

A website is your word of mouth

A lady whom was struggling as a kitchen cupboard installer told me she was struggling tremendously. I recommended that she starts with a website but she argued that she did not have money for a website and that she relied on word of mouth. There are a few points I want to make here – Word of mouth works for massive networking companies but a small business like a kitchen cupboard installer will never get enough business from word of mouth with the little work they do.

Secondly without marketing people will never know your business exists and therefore don’t expect any knocks on your door. A website is the modern day word of mouth. You should rather say “I can’t afford not to market my brand” the truth is great companies like McDonalds still market their brands and have websites why? Because they know it works!

 

see http://www.bizzsolutions.biz for more info on website designs

5 ways to attract customers free or very cheaply

Have a good business card

Often I come across business cards that are not descriptive enough. Although the they have  nice business card with a logo, visible contact info and a stunning photo they often forget to describe what business or product is they  are promoting   After a couple of months people forget what the business card was representing an throw it away.

If your business card does not have a description in the business name then always make sure your business card has a descriptive heading in the front.  You can also maximise advertising space by describing some of your products or services at the back of the business card. Always leave a couple of business cards at companies or places your visit, in their community boards or at company representatives.  Your business card is more valuable in someone else's hands than on your own desk.

Use free marketing space.

There are many free online directories that allow companies to advertise a basic business listing for free. Utilize these free directories and they will also increase your online rankings and expose your brand to more potential customers. If you feel a certain directory works well (and the will be those that work well) for you then you can always bump up your add to a better listing with the directory
Some free directories are
www.olx.co.za
www.gumtree.co.za
www.junkmail.co.za
 

Use Google maps

Google maps for business is free but it also offers valuable search results showing you where clients are visiting your website from. This can help you to establish where marketing is working more effectively thus allowing you to spend quality time and money on directories that actually work.

Google maps also make it easier for clients to find you and will expose your brand well in your area. Google is currently working hard on improving these area related searches. So in a nutshell if you on Google maps in your area - you likely to pop up when others may not.

 Use social networks

The modern day word of mouth is social networking like Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest etc. Not all of them will work well for you but will be others that generate a great deal of interest. When we started our business we only had 45 Facebook “Like” but a massive 500 plus weekly views. This interprets to the fact that over 500 people in some way or the other met with our brand. That is 500 plus people that viewed your product and it cost you nothing except some time – but time well spent. Some Twitter profiles have thousands of followers – no given not all of them are interested in your brand but again its free marketing of your brand.

Get a website and domain related e-mails

Top procurement manager and snr buyer for mining equipment Pamela Kruger stated that she never took a company seriously that did not have their own website with their own domain related e-mails. She further said she distrusted free e-mail accounts as they can be more easily used by fraudsters. She said that she liked to see a website as a point of contact and read a couple of reviews before they actually considered sending a request for a quote. As a business owner you should get a proper website with a domain related e-mail account.

Remember a website may often be potential customer’s first point of contact with your brand.
So keep it professional
Conrad Kruger
www.bizzsolutions.biz

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who to give your business card to

Marketing your brand?

Who to give your business card to

In the last two years I have given away 2000 business cards

Given that sales are a numbers game we also have to be smart make sure our marketing efforts are not done in vain or ineffectively. Try making your efforts count by being smart about who you give your business cards to. I have realized that many front desk people are not always the correct person with the proper authority to deal with your request, product or service.

Are business cards still a good marketing tool?

Yes, I believe that it is as many companies still have business card holders and it’s easier to go to a business card holder in your desk drawer and deal with companies in your field than to look around on directories. Problem is, as I mentioned in my previous blog, that many business cards lack a proper description of what a product or service is about thus making their marketing efforts ineffective.  After a couple of months your business card may end up in a bin because people are not sure what product or service they are dealing with.

Target your brand

While I was in the wedding industry I learned that many weddings or wedding venues had a wedding coordinator. I realized that by giving my business card directly to them (Wedding planner, wedding coordinator, wedding director) it had a more positive impact on my business. Not only did I give my business cards to them but I also made an effort to give it to other service providers that where at the wedding and in the wedding industry e.g. photographers, planners, coordinators, singers, musicians and so forth. The simple reason for this was networking with the right people in my industry targeting my brand more directly with others that may recommend my business. I also believe that once that first personal contact has been made people are more likely to recommend you because they had an opportunity to see your product or service personally. It’s easier to call someone you have met that to make a cold call.

Giving your business card to the wrong people

I wouldn’t have helped me much to give my business card to the wrong person e.g. to a construction companies foreman unless of course he was looking to get married.

Another common mistake is just to leave it at reception and hope that he or she would pass it on to the right person rather try and make an appointment with the right person and give them your business card personally.

Give your card to the right people

Give business cards out as sales still remains a numbers game. Make contact with the right people and give your business card to them personally.

Network with the right people in your industry for more positive referrals.

 Have a magic day

http://www.bizzsolutions.biz

copyright 2012 - CB.Kruger

What is website funneling?

What is website funneling?

A funnel is an instrument that helps us spill less. A funnel is a pipe with a wide, often conical mouth and a narrow stem. It is used to channel liquid or fine-grained substances into containers with a small opening. Without a funnel, spillage would occur.

Website funneling works pretty much the same many clients may be visiting your website but few are turning into clients. This is called a drop of rate. People may visit your websites home page and not find much interesting and then leave the page (Drop off). Others may visit and click on another page that interests but then drop of without taking any further action.

Via many different programs it easier these days to see visitor patterns, when and where they dropping off. If you have a high first (Home) page drop of rate it means that your front page is ineffective and must be revised. When selling a product or service your sales will depend on people talking a certain action. Companies send out sales executives to try and persuade clients to like or buy your products or service. Great companies will spend a great deal of effort in winning over clients. There are obviously different methods implemented to win over clients by sales executives e.g. the dress well, they are well spoken, they know their product well, they use marketing materials and they will even entertain or reward clients and buy them drinks or tickets to a game etc.

They same strategies should be used on your website. A website is your 24/7 sales executive. It must look good (great first impression), It must have good content (know product or brand well). It must reward clients.

Funneling then is directing clients to follow a certain pattern or take certain actions. There are many strategies that can be implemented to find the right business system for your website. Often pages have to literally be revisited 100 times before you find that right pattern. If you have a high drop of rate from your Home Page then you will need relook at the page and see what can be done better to have people visits the next page,  and so on and so on until they happy to take action (Funneling).

Funneling can also be used to remove the bad from the good, Think of a chimney were  a funneling method is used to direct the bad smoke away from people but keep the warmth of the coals. The idea then is to remove bad pages from the overall website or replace the page with a better one.

I often say when I go fishing that “I give the fish worms, I don’t like worms but the fish do... I like pizza but the fish does not like pizza, they like worms...” My point is that you may like your website to have a certain look and feel but your clients (fish) may not like your bait at all. If your want to win over customers you will need to give them what they looking for and not just what you looking for. Then you need to lure (funnel) them toward a goal and bring them into the boat.

Copyright 2012 - CB.Kruger