One of my FaceBook friends re-posted this article today (you can click past the popup advert).
It's important that everyone with a website should read it and follow the results as they unfold.
Creating content for your website MUST be from you and your business, not pinched from someone else's site. That's an infringement of copyright. The Internet is NOT in a copyright free bubble and writers have as much ownership over their words (and images) as if they were in a printed publication.
That doesn't mean to say you can never use others text and articles.
There are plenty of resources where writers are happy for you to use their work provided that you credit them accordingly and include any web links that they ask for.
Try this one for example http://www.ezinearticles.com/
And for images http://www.istockphoto.com/
So there is no excuse.
The other side of this is that you must protect your own work online by ensuring that it clearly says the content of your web site or blog is your copyright. That way you have at least a fighting chance of protecting it.
Showing posts with label business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label business. Show all posts
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Is your product or service 'One Size Fits All' ?
A meeting with a sizable Norfolk based business during the week reminded me of an analogy I have used in the past when running sales and marketing workshops.
Making your product or service appeal to a much wider audience can be a challenge for many, and even seem unnecessary to others.
Niche is king and specialising can be the route to fame and fortune.
But does making that product 'one size fits all' mean you are missing out on extra buyers and profit?
Think for a moment about a flight from London Heathrow to New York JFK.
It's simply an aeroplane that takes it's passengers quickly and efficiently between the two points in order to achieve something beyond the flight itself.
For some it's an essential to their job and the important part is the work at the destination. For others it could be the first part of a very special holiday. It could even be an trip to visit a relative in ill health at an inconvenient time financially.
But they will all travel on the same 'plane, on the same route and to the same destination.
Some of those people will want to make the flight part of the experience and really enjoy it, others will need to relax as much as possible to be fresh for the challenges on arrival, some will need to manage the trip as cheaply as possible.
The mainstream airlines deal with this extremely well by dividing up that metal tube into First, Business and Cattle Class. Each section has it's own level of service, comfort and added value with a price tag to match - but it's still just a flight between the two points.
Understanding your customers is the key.
You probably feel that the vast majority of your customers fit into the 'cattle class' bracket and you may well be right. The airlines allocate more seats to that category than to the others. But they still realise that there is value, and profit, in providing the higher levels too.
Think about your own product and customers. How could you offer a First and Business class variation? Or conversely, if that's where your products are now, how could you offer a budget version - maybe under a different brand so that you don't devalue your current status?
What would that include? What would you need to charge? What would you have to do in your marketing and sales to ensure that those likely, and in a financial position, to take up the offer could see the benefits and value.
And remember that, if you are going up a level, those benefits will not be the ground level result of getting from A to B. They are more likely to be about status, dreams, lifestyle and goals. You need to tap into them.
If you need inspiration visit the website for Bentley cars. That site doesn't sell cars. It's sells the feeling of pride and pleasure you will have from owning one. Then go to Kia cars and see the difference!
If you need help working out how best to sell your products, just ask.
Making your product or service appeal to a much wider audience can be a challenge for many, and even seem unnecessary to others.
Niche is king and specialising can be the route to fame and fortune.
But does making that product 'one size fits all' mean you are missing out on extra buyers and profit?
Think for a moment about a flight from London Heathrow to New York JFK.
It's simply an aeroplane that takes it's passengers quickly and efficiently between the two points in order to achieve something beyond the flight itself.
For some it's an essential to their job and the important part is the work at the destination. For others it could be the first part of a very special holiday. It could even be an trip to visit a relative in ill health at an inconvenient time financially.
But they will all travel on the same 'plane, on the same route and to the same destination.
Some of those people will want to make the flight part of the experience and really enjoy it, others will need to relax as much as possible to be fresh for the challenges on arrival, some will need to manage the trip as cheaply as possible.
The mainstream airlines deal with this extremely well by dividing up that metal tube into First, Business and Cattle Class. Each section has it's own level of service, comfort and added value with a price tag to match - but it's still just a flight between the two points.
Understanding your customers is the key.
You probably feel that the vast majority of your customers fit into the 'cattle class' bracket and you may well be right. The airlines allocate more seats to that category than to the others. But they still realise that there is value, and profit, in providing the higher levels too.
Think about your own product and customers. How could you offer a First and Business class variation? Or conversely, if that's where your products are now, how could you offer a budget version - maybe under a different brand so that you don't devalue your current status?
What would that include? What would you need to charge? What would you have to do in your marketing and sales to ensure that those likely, and in a financial position, to take up the offer could see the benefits and value.
And remember that, if you are going up a level, those benefits will not be the ground level result of getting from A to B. They are more likely to be about status, dreams, lifestyle and goals. You need to tap into them.
If you need inspiration visit the website for Bentley cars. That site doesn't sell cars. It's sells the feeling of pride and pleasure you will have from owning one. Then go to Kia cars and see the difference!
If you need help working out how best to sell your products, just ask.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Don't switch off
A client of mine called me today and we were chatting about how his business was doing. He'd been struggling to get enough work in for his family team over the past year. Times have been tough in the building sector.
He told me that he and his wife had been out for a meal a few weeks ago and the locally owned gastro pub they chose was looking a little tired but the food was fantastic.
Remembering what I'd taught him - never miss a business opportunity - he took a note of the owners details and contacted him later to show him their portfolio.
It hasn't got him the pub job - yet - but it did get him a three month contract to do a major project in one of the family homes.
Turns out that the pub is one of three they own in the area and, if all goes well with the current job, he'll be well positioned to take on the renovation work that's planned for them.
Sometimes being in the right place at the right time can get you work.
But, if you 'switch off' when you are out socially, you might not realise that you're in the right place, at the right time, right now!
Terry Rees and his family owned property maintenance and repair business is based just outside Norwich.
http://www.propertymaintenanceandrepair.co.uk/
He told me that he and his wife had been out for a meal a few weeks ago and the locally owned gastro pub they chose was looking a little tired but the food was fantastic.
Remembering what I'd taught him - never miss a business opportunity - he took a note of the owners details and contacted him later to show him their portfolio.
It hasn't got him the pub job - yet - but it did get him a three month contract to do a major project in one of the family homes.
Turns out that the pub is one of three they own in the area and, if all goes well with the current job, he'll be well positioned to take on the renovation work that's planned for them.
Sometimes being in the right place at the right time can get you work.
But, if you 'switch off' when you are out socially, you might not realise that you're in the right place, at the right time, right now!
Terry Rees and his family owned property maintenance and repair business is based just outside Norwich.
http://www.propertymaintenanceandrepair.co.uk/
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Thanks is always appreciated isn't it?
Those of you who know me well also know that I really get a kick out of helping others and, like most people, I feel good if someone thanks me for it too.
Working in business networking circles it's just part of life that you would sincerely thank someone for giving them a referral, great advice or some old fashioned help. I wouldn't even dream of doing anything else and most of the business people I know work in the same way.
It's a shame everyone doesn't think like that.
Here's three situations that have arisen over the last six months. I'm sure you won't have been guilty of these but it's easy to let them pass by without realising the effect on the other party.
> I changed my car towards the end of last year and it had previously been fitted with a bluetooth mobile phone device that tapped into the radio. When I changed my mobile phone in February I just couldn't get it link despite internet searches and re-reading the manual.
The next day I saw a van in the traffic queue next to me advertising the system fitted to my car, so I jotted down the phone number. I called them and spoke to a guy out on a job. He was obviously busy but within just a minute or two was able to tell me how to fix it. I thanked him, apologised for disturbing him and told him how appreciative I was.
I was delighted when the fix worked and I'm connected up now. So I found them on the web and sent them a message telling them how helpful their man had been and how grateful I was. In return I offered to find a way of promoting his business within my networking contacts with no charge simply to repay their kindness.
And the result? Nothing, zilch, zero. Not even a 'Sorry we're out' message. My positive feelings towards that business have all but drained away now.
> I have an offline spam filtering system that sends me a message each morning with a list of, and a link to, all of the trapped emails from the previous day. Most of it is of course rubbish but one came through early in the week that looked like it was genuine but was markered as having a virus.
Now this is important to know if you are the sender as you don't want to be either sending out a mail with a virus in it or having most of your mails binned before it reaches the recipient. So I took the trouble to investigate the mail without jeopardising my own security and sent all the details to the sender (a genuine company with a good product to sell). There were some other issues with the email that would potentially stop it working for them and offered some sound advice to overcome them.
And the result? Nothing, zilch, zero. Not even a 'Sorry we're out' message.
The third example I'm not going to go into detail as it involves me helping a member of my extended family who I helped with a business opportunity. Don't really see or speak that often, but I was happy to help and use my contacts to make things happen.
And the result? Nothing, zilch, zero. Not even a 'Thanks for helping' message.
It doesn't take much to maintain contact and you never know what it might lead to.
Working in business networking circles it's just part of life that you would sincerely thank someone for giving them a referral, great advice or some old fashioned help. I wouldn't even dream of doing anything else and most of the business people I know work in the same way.
It's a shame everyone doesn't think like that.
Here's three situations that have arisen over the last six months. I'm sure you won't have been guilty of these but it's easy to let them pass by without realising the effect on the other party.
> I changed my car towards the end of last year and it had previously been fitted with a bluetooth mobile phone device that tapped into the radio. When I changed my mobile phone in February I just couldn't get it link despite internet searches and re-reading the manual.
The next day I saw a van in the traffic queue next to me advertising the system fitted to my car, so I jotted down the phone number. I called them and spoke to a guy out on a job. He was obviously busy but within just a minute or two was able to tell me how to fix it. I thanked him, apologised for disturbing him and told him how appreciative I was.
I was delighted when the fix worked and I'm connected up now. So I found them on the web and sent them a message telling them how helpful their man had been and how grateful I was. In return I offered to find a way of promoting his business within my networking contacts with no charge simply to repay their kindness.
And the result? Nothing, zilch, zero. Not even a 'Sorry we're out' message. My positive feelings towards that business have all but drained away now.
> I have an offline spam filtering system that sends me a message each morning with a list of, and a link to, all of the trapped emails from the previous day. Most of it is of course rubbish but one came through early in the week that looked like it was genuine but was markered as having a virus.
Now this is important to know if you are the sender as you don't want to be either sending out a mail with a virus in it or having most of your mails binned before it reaches the recipient. So I took the trouble to investigate the mail without jeopardising my own security and sent all the details to the sender (a genuine company with a good product to sell). There were some other issues with the email that would potentially stop it working for them and offered some sound advice to overcome them.
And the result? Nothing, zilch, zero. Not even a 'Sorry we're out' message.
The third example I'm not going to go into detail as it involves me helping a member of my extended family who I helped with a business opportunity. Don't really see or speak that often, but I was happy to help and use my contacts to make things happen.
And the result? Nothing, zilch, zero. Not even a 'Thanks for helping' message.
It doesn't take much to maintain contact and you never know what it might lead to.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Self Assement Tax a nightmare?
That's certainly how it seems to me!
I've had my forms drop through the door recently and already they're at the bottom of the pile in the hope that they will go away.
Simon Clarke of HWCA , a really business focused accountant, has passed me a useful Tax Guide which takes the mystery out of those Self Assessment Tax Return forms. You can download it here: http://www.alloycrm.com/tax%20guide%202009.pdf
If the very thought of even opening the envelope fills you with dread, or you always have good intentions but inevitably leave it longer than you should, perhaps you could benefit from a free initial consultation with him as he is a proactive, forward thinking business advisor / qualified accountant.
I've had my forms drop through the door recently and already they're at the bottom of the pile in the hope that they will go away.
Simon Clarke of HWCA , a really business focused accountant, has passed me a useful Tax Guide which takes the mystery out of those Self Assessment Tax Return forms. You can download it here: http://www.alloycrm.com/tax%20guide%202009.pdf
If the very thought of even opening the envelope fills you with dread, or you always have good intentions but inevitably leave it longer than you should, perhaps you could benefit from a free initial consultation with him as he is a proactive, forward thinking business advisor / qualified accountant.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Cheap as Chips or Reassuringly Expensive?
Deciding your price can be difficult, especially when you are just starting out or creating new products or services.
It's very tempting to finding out your competitors pricing and just undercut it.
But is that the best policy? Consider these points before you do that.
Tesco
10-15 years ago their slogan was a very clear 'Stack 'm High and Sell 'm Cheap'. It's taken all those years to modify our perception of them to be targeting the better quality supermarket retailers. It couldn't have been done over night.
They changed their out-of-town outlets to look upmarket and introduced quality brands. They made them better places to be and added 'service' to their offer to change our perceptions.
If we position ourselves as 'cheap' have we got the time, or resources, to take ourselves up in value so that we are working on better margins and become more profitable?
Price Perception
Something that has no charge is often perceived as having no value. The Business Link Workshops I have been delivering have a poor attendance from those who have booked. Is that because they are free, they have no perceived value?
Similarly, if we charge bottom prices does that brand our offer in the same way?
USP
Creating your offer as different from the competition - finding a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) - means you can charge a more realistic price as you are offering something different to your competition, taking price comparison, as a means of customer choice, to a lower priority.
Being different can make a massive difference.
Avoid Selling on Price
Find ways of selling on the benefits of your product or service. Tap into the desires, wants an needs of your potential customers and sell them Solutions rather than features. Everything in you marketing and advertising should represent how they will Feel after they have purchased rather than what it is they are buying.
Conclusion
Some businesses will find this more difficult than others as there are sectors that are really price sensitive such as home electronics. However, if it were all about price only, who would ever buy a B&O sound system instead of a Sanyo or a BMW 5 series rather than a Ford Mondeo?
Need help with your sales and marketing strategy? Call me and just ask.
It's very tempting to finding out your competitors pricing and just undercut it.
But is that the best policy? Consider these points before you do that.
Tesco
10-15 years ago their slogan was a very clear 'Stack 'm High and Sell 'm Cheap'. It's taken all those years to modify our perception of them to be targeting the better quality supermarket retailers. It couldn't have been done over night.
They changed their out-of-town outlets to look upmarket and introduced quality brands. They made them better places to be and added 'service' to their offer to change our perceptions.
If we position ourselves as 'cheap' have we got the time, or resources, to take ourselves up in value so that we are working on better margins and become more profitable?
Price Perception
Something that has no charge is often perceived as having no value. The Business Link Workshops I have been delivering have a poor attendance from those who have booked. Is that because they are free, they have no perceived value?
Similarly, if we charge bottom prices does that brand our offer in the same way?
USP
Creating your offer as different from the competition - finding a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) - means you can charge a more realistic price as you are offering something different to your competition, taking price comparison, as a means of customer choice, to a lower priority.
Being different can make a massive difference.
Avoid Selling on Price
Find ways of selling on the benefits of your product or service. Tap into the desires, wants an needs of your potential customers and sell them Solutions rather than features. Everything in you marketing and advertising should represent how they will Feel after they have purchased rather than what it is they are buying.
Conclusion
Some businesses will find this more difficult than others as there are sectors that are really price sensitive such as home electronics. However, if it were all about price only, who would ever buy a B&O sound system instead of a Sanyo or a BMW 5 series rather than a Ford Mondeo?
Need help with your sales and marketing strategy? Call me and just ask.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Don't Compete on Price
If you are going to sell the same product or service as everyone else, sold in the same way and in the the same street too, then there is only one thing that differentiates you from your competitors - Price!
I don't know about you but I don't just want to be competing on price. That's reduced margins and a constant price war between you and your competitors to be the cheapest.
So how do you get away from price?
1. Don't sell the same product or service in the same way as everyone else.
Don't sell the 'same'! Find a way to re-package or add value to make your offer different. Seek out you customers and work out what they are really looking for when they buy from you. Tap into their desires and needs. Sell not just a product or service but an outcome.
Look for things that go with your product and bundle them in with a different price tag. Make yourself an advice and expert centre.
Do anything that steps you above your competitors and makes the price just one part of the buying decision rather than the only buying decision.
2. Don't sell in the same place.
Look for somewhere 'different' to sell. Size up your competitors and where their main selling and advertising focus sits.
Working out your customers real requirements will help you understand the problems they have and solutions they need which drive them to look for your products and services. Look for times and places that these may appear.
Work out what they may be asking or looking for - it may be different to how you would traditionally have thought. Then find ways of 'being there' at the right time.
This is all about finding your own Unique Selling Proposition or USP.
Without it you'll be selling on price and ever-reducing margins.
Need help getting your business moving? I'll see if I can help with your Sales and Marketing Strategy or your Website Profit
I don't know about you but I don't just want to be competing on price. That's reduced margins and a constant price war between you and your competitors to be the cheapest.
So how do you get away from price?
1. Don't sell the same product or service in the same way as everyone else.
Don't sell the 'same'! Find a way to re-package or add value to make your offer different. Seek out you customers and work out what they are really looking for when they buy from you. Tap into their desires and needs. Sell not just a product or service but an outcome.
Look for things that go with your product and bundle them in with a different price tag. Make yourself an advice and expert centre.
Do anything that steps you above your competitors and makes the price just one part of the buying decision rather than the only buying decision.
2. Don't sell in the same place.
Look for somewhere 'different' to sell. Size up your competitors and where their main selling and advertising focus sits.
Working out your customers real requirements will help you understand the problems they have and solutions they need which drive them to look for your products and services. Look for times and places that these may appear.
Work out what they may be asking or looking for - it may be different to how you would traditionally have thought. Then find ways of 'being there' at the right time.
This is all about finding your own Unique Selling Proposition or USP.
Without it you'll be selling on price and ever-reducing margins.
Need help getting your business moving? I'll see if I can help with your Sales and Marketing Strategy or your Website Profit
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Get Ready for a Great 2010
Christmas is just about over and the New Year is just around the corner.
Going by the activity in the last quarter, 2010 looks set to be much better for buisness. Most seem to be waking up to the fact that sitting on your hands and doing nothing, hoping to sit it out and that the storm will just pass by isn't an option.
Doing the Second World War, Cadbury's chocolate continued to advertise heavily despite a severe shortage of their products and no chance of increasing revenue. But, once hostilities ceased and production restarted fully, the Cadbury's name was the one on peoples mind. It built their business to be the strong brand it is today.
Don't sit on the fence and wait for the world to pass you by. Get out there and let everyone know who you are and what you do - the business world hasn't stopped.
If you need help working out the best way to get your products and services in front of the right people - on the internet or in the real world - call me at Alloy CRM for a chat and see if I can help.
Going by the activity in the last quarter, 2010 looks set to be much better for buisness. Most seem to be waking up to the fact that sitting on your hands and doing nothing, hoping to sit it out and that the storm will just pass by isn't an option.
Doing the Second World War, Cadbury's chocolate continued to advertise heavily despite a severe shortage of their products and no chance of increasing revenue. But, once hostilities ceased and production restarted fully, the Cadbury's name was the one on peoples mind. It built their business to be the strong brand it is today.
Don't sit on the fence and wait for the world to pass you by. Get out there and let everyone know who you are and what you do - the business world hasn't stopped.
If you need help working out the best way to get your products and services in front of the right people - on the internet or in the real world - call me at Alloy CRM for a chat and see if I can help.
What do your customers really buy?
Do you really understand why your customers might buy your product or service?
Is it because of the 'features' you offer?
Let's say you wanted to buy a new laptop computer.
You might go out and look for one with 3gb of ram, a 2.5 hour battery life and a 250gb hard drive.
But in reality you're not looking for those features because they excite you. You look for them because:
> 3gb Ram means your laptop will run quickly, smoothly and allow you to have several programs running at once without too much adverse effect.
> A 2.5 hour battery life means you can sit on the train on the way to a meeting and work for pretty much all of the journey being more productive and not wasting time.
> A 250gb hard drive means you can store all of your holiday picture and videos without running out of space.
These are the 'Benefits'
Before you went into the PC shop you did the analysis of what you wanted out of your laptop (the benefits) and the features required to achieve them.
Understanding the difference between features and benefits is critical to successful marketing and sales.
Sometimes (often, maybe) the benefits are not so clear cut as the laptop example. Take the motor industry for example.
A car, whatever type or size it is, will get you from A to B in the dry and warm. Even the performance of the car is pretty irrelevant as the speed limit is 70 mph, and it's often impossible to use the acceleration or cornering capabilities of high performance cars in this country.
So why does one person buy a small car and another buy a large luxury sports model?
It comes down to life style, status or aspirations. If that's the case then your advertising needs to reflect that.
Have you ever seen an advert for a Bentley or an Aston Martin with it parked in an Asda car park? No, but you might see an ad' for a small family car with happy parents putting their smiling children into the back seat and ample shopping in the boot outside a smart supermarket.
The Bentley is more likely to be sitting outside the Savoy Hotel or some other very swanky part of London's West End.
Right. If we understand the difference between the Features that people buy as against the Benefits that people are really looking for then we need to work that out for our business and products or services.
I came across a very useful device to help with this process in a book called The Jelly Effect by Andy Bounds.
He suggests going through a routine he describes as 'So What?'
Start by writing down a feature and then asking yourself 'So What'. Answer that and continue asking 'So What' until you really can't answer any more.
Now you are potentially at the root benefit that your customers are looking for and in a position to find ways of communicating that in your advertising and marketing.
If you want more help to find your core benefits read The Jelly Effect or call me for some personal advice.
Alloy CRM - Sales and Marketing Strategy
Is it because of the 'features' you offer?
Let's say you wanted to buy a new laptop computer.
You might go out and look for one with 3gb of ram, a 2.5 hour battery life and a 250gb hard drive.
But in reality you're not looking for those features because they excite you. You look for them because:
> 3gb Ram means your laptop will run quickly, smoothly and allow you to have several programs running at once without too much adverse effect.
> A 2.5 hour battery life means you can sit on the train on the way to a meeting and work for pretty much all of the journey being more productive and not wasting time.
> A 250gb hard drive means you can store all of your holiday picture and videos without running out of space.
These are the 'Benefits'
Before you went into the PC shop you did the analysis of what you wanted out of your laptop (the benefits) and the features required to achieve them.
Understanding the difference between features and benefits is critical to successful marketing and sales.
Sometimes (often, maybe) the benefits are not so clear cut as the laptop example. Take the motor industry for example.
A car, whatever type or size it is, will get you from A to B in the dry and warm. Even the performance of the car is pretty irrelevant as the speed limit is 70 mph, and it's often impossible to use the acceleration or cornering capabilities of high performance cars in this country.
So why does one person buy a small car and another buy a large luxury sports model?
It comes down to life style, status or aspirations. If that's the case then your advertising needs to reflect that.
Have you ever seen an advert for a Bentley or an Aston Martin with it parked in an Asda car park? No, but you might see an ad' for a small family car with happy parents putting their smiling children into the back seat and ample shopping in the boot outside a smart supermarket.
The Bentley is more likely to be sitting outside the Savoy Hotel or some other very swanky part of London's West End.
Right. If we understand the difference between the Features that people buy as against the Benefits that people are really looking for then we need to work that out for our business and products or services.
I came across a very useful device to help with this process in a book called The Jelly Effect by Andy Bounds.
He suggests going through a routine he describes as 'So What?'
Start by writing down a feature and then asking yourself 'So What'. Answer that and continue asking 'So What' until you really can't answer any more.
Now you are potentially at the root benefit that your customers are looking for and in a position to find ways of communicating that in your advertising and marketing.
If you want more help to find your core benefits read The Jelly Effect or call me for some personal advice.
Alloy CRM - Sales and Marketing Strategy
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Is the 'Home' page of your website of any value?
Is the 'Home' page of your website of any value?
The way in which all the main search engines, such as Google, work is that they find your home page, follow it's navigation links and discover all the other pages that make up the site.
If you've been doing your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) correctly, each of those pages will be targeting a tightly focused small number of keywords or phrases. The purpose is to help Google understand EXACTLY what that page is about so that it can effectively determine when to show that page in the organic , or natural, listing as a good potential page for the searcher to view.
This shows that Google indexes pages rather than sites as a whole. Your Home page probably isn't sufficiently keyword focused to be shown in most listings as a response to a search query. This leads to some SEO experts to say that the Home page is of little value.
I beg to differ.
1. Unless you are a totally internet based business relying upon the search engine rankings to gain site visitors you will be using your domain name - www.mycompanyname.co.uk, which is effectively your Home page - on your business card, flyers, brochures, newspaper adverts, on your van and anywhere else you can legally find to display it.
2. If someone hears about your business they might just type in your company name. That could well produce your home page at the top of the search engine listings because it probably isn't product or service targeted.
So your Home page is absolutely vital. It's your office reception. Most bricks and mortar businesses spend a great deal on making their reception area feel warm, inviting and confidence building so that you might feel happier doing business with them.
Make sure your Home page creates a great impression and easily directs visitors to the part of the site they are looking for.
But in reality, every page on your site is a 'reception'. If that's the first page they go to on your site then it's really got to do the same job as the Home page, but do it's sales job as well. That's going to be tough to get right.
Is it any wonder that making profit from your website can be so tough?
If you need help with your site to make it profitable my Wesite Profit Program might be your answer.
The way in which all the main search engines, such as Google, work is that they find your home page, follow it's navigation links and discover all the other pages that make up the site.
If you've been doing your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) correctly, each of those pages will be targeting a tightly focused small number of keywords or phrases. The purpose is to help Google understand EXACTLY what that page is about so that it can effectively determine when to show that page in the organic , or natural, listing as a good potential page for the searcher to view.
This shows that Google indexes pages rather than sites as a whole. Your Home page probably isn't sufficiently keyword focused to be shown in most listings as a response to a search query. This leads to some SEO experts to say that the Home page is of little value.
I beg to differ.
1. Unless you are a totally internet based business relying upon the search engine rankings to gain site visitors you will be using your domain name - www.mycompanyname.co.uk, which is effectively your Home page - on your business card, flyers, brochures, newspaper adverts, on your van and anywhere else you can legally find to display it.
2. If someone hears about your business they might just type in your company name. That could well produce your home page at the top of the search engine listings because it probably isn't product or service targeted.
So your Home page is absolutely vital. It's your office reception. Most bricks and mortar businesses spend a great deal on making their reception area feel warm, inviting and confidence building so that you might feel happier doing business with them.
Make sure your Home page creates a great impression and easily directs visitors to the part of the site they are looking for.
But in reality, every page on your site is a 'reception'. If that's the first page they go to on your site then it's really got to do the same job as the Home page, but do it's sales job as well. That's going to be tough to get right.
Is it any wonder that making profit from your website can be so tough?
If you need help with your site to make it profitable my Wesite Profit Program might be your answer.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Help Others - Help Yourself
I'm always brightened by the enthusiasm within new and pre-start businesses at sales & marketing training sessions. Yesterday was no exception. A diverse collection of traditional and innovative business ideas. I wish them all success as they are putting in plenty of thought, action and hard work.
I'm certain that doing those training days does my businesses brain the world of good too.
How could you help others that might help you too?
I'm certain that doing those training days does my businesses brain the world of good too.
How could you help others that might help you too?
Friday, May 29, 2009
Websites with a commercial focus
There is more to a website than making it look pretty.
The whole purpose of a commercial website is to increase sales, revenue and therefore profit.
Without having that as your foundation what is the point of spending a great deal of money to achieve nothing?
I sat with a small local organisation recently. They are not, and don't need to be, commercially focused. Or at least they didn't think they were.
Just because they're not my traditional target market didn't mean that I would skip my interrogation of their financial position and reasoning behind the decision to have a good web presence.
Digging around I discovered that they are a charity and require money to maintain their building. They have spare capacity for hire and filling their venue would go a long way to alleviating their financial needs.
So yes, the right web presence could have the desired effect and, if done properly, could attract hirers who are prepared to pay more than they are currently charging.
But there's more...
Using my commercially creative side I have suggested a way in which the website could generate its own recurring revenue without a great deal of effort. I won't go into details here as it's still in its embryonic stage at the moment. But suffice to say that the business model is sound and could transform their facility for everyone in their community.
You don't have to be in a commercial environment to use commercial logic. But doing so can resolve a surprising number of non commercial issues and problems.
Need help with your website profits ? Alloy CRM
The whole purpose of a commercial website is to increase sales, revenue and therefore profit.
Without having that as your foundation what is the point of spending a great deal of money to achieve nothing?
I sat with a small local organisation recently. They are not, and don't need to be, commercially focused. Or at least they didn't think they were.
Just because they're not my traditional target market didn't mean that I would skip my interrogation of their financial position and reasoning behind the decision to have a good web presence.
Digging around I discovered that they are a charity and require money to maintain their building. They have spare capacity for hire and filling their venue would go a long way to alleviating their financial needs.
So yes, the right web presence could have the desired effect and, if done properly, could attract hirers who are prepared to pay more than they are currently charging.
But there's more...
Using my commercially creative side I have suggested a way in which the website could generate its own recurring revenue without a great deal of effort. I won't go into details here as it's still in its embryonic stage at the moment. But suffice to say that the business model is sound and could transform their facility for everyone in their community.
You don't have to be in a commercial environment to use commercial logic. But doing so can resolve a surprising number of non commercial issues and problems.
Need help with your website profits ? Alloy CRM
Monday, March 16, 2009
Get to the point on your website
Get to the point!
Your potential customers, generally, don't want to mess about.
When they arrive on your website they are probably looking for either of two things:
1. If they know of your business by recommendation they are just looking for how to contact you - email or phone.
2. If they arrived by searching or a tenuous link verbally or otherwise, it's information they're looking for.
They haven't the time or the patience to rummage around to find stuff. You need to get straight to the point.
Make sure your contact phone number and email address are prominent 'above the fold' that is the section of your web page that can be seen without scrolling down.
Make it bold and, if your purpose is to solicit phone calls from enquirers put it at the top right of the screen. This tends to be the spot that takes the eye.
If they are after information - then give it to them!
They're probably not particularly interested at this moment that you have been in business for 30 years, or that you have the best staff team around. All they want to know is, do you sell the type of things they are looking for, what variations/options are available and how will these solve my problem or fulfil my desire.
If you've made them click a couple of times to get that information, they've probably already gone back to the search engines to find an alternative. Harsh, but true.
If you get past that, then they want to know why they should choose you and how they can be confident that you are the right supplier. Why would they want to know that first before knowing even if you are a potential supplier?
Analyse your website home page, or at least the first page they are likely to see, through your customers eyes and ask yourself if it fits the bill.
If you need help to make your website work then look at our Website Profit Program from Alloy CRM
Your potential customers, generally, don't want to mess about.
When they arrive on your website they are probably looking for either of two things:
1. If they know of your business by recommendation they are just looking for how to contact you - email or phone.
2. If they arrived by searching or a tenuous link verbally or otherwise, it's information they're looking for.
They haven't the time or the patience to rummage around to find stuff. You need to get straight to the point.
Make sure your contact phone number and email address are prominent 'above the fold' that is the section of your web page that can be seen without scrolling down.
Make it bold and, if your purpose is to solicit phone calls from enquirers put it at the top right of the screen. This tends to be the spot that takes the eye.
If they are after information - then give it to them!
They're probably not particularly interested at this moment that you have been in business for 30 years, or that you have the best staff team around. All they want to know is, do you sell the type of things they are looking for, what variations/options are available and how will these solve my problem or fulfil my desire.
If you've made them click a couple of times to get that information, they've probably already gone back to the search engines to find an alternative. Harsh, but true.
If you get past that, then they want to know why they should choose you and how they can be confident that you are the right supplier. Why would they want to know that first before knowing even if you are a potential supplier?
Analyse your website home page, or at least the first page they are likely to see, through your customers eyes and ask yourself if it fits the bill.
If you need help to make your website work then look at our Website Profit Program from Alloy CRM
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Master Email Lists to Increase Profits
I spend most of my time now working with on-line sales and marketing, but for the last 10 years I've been specialising in CRM - Customer Relationship Management.
They may seem worlds apart but there is a great deal that brings them together.
The whole purpose of having a website for your business is to generate enquiries, leads or direct sales. Either
way you will be collecting some data about your prospective customers. Probably all their details when they have purchased but maybe just their email address when they first enquire.
What you do with that data can make a great deal of difference to the result - a sale and maybe a second sale later on.
The smart businesses do that by using CRM. It isn't a piece of software, it's a process.
Keeping in touch with the people on your list can really make the difference. If they have made an initial enquiry, then sending them an answer quickly followed by a number of sequenced emails with more information and appropriate offers is likely to result in a sale down the line because you bothered to keep in touch.
Doing that can be a pain and time consuming, even though the end result is worthwhile.
There are a number of autoresponders around that make that process easy for you. Once your enquirer has handed over their email address via your web page, a whole series of email followups can kick-in, all designed to entice your prospect to take the next step.
Once you have written the emails and decided the gap between each before they are sent out, the whole thing is automated for you. Those email addresses are now held securely and have agreed that you can send them appropriate information. So, if you have a new product or service to shout about, it's easy to send out a mail to everyone who has ever enquired.
You don't even have to worry about people who un-subscribe or whose email address bounces. That's all done for you at a really sensible and cost effective price.
There are two providers I use regularily, aWeber - probably accepted as the industry standard, and SendFree - not quite free if you want the emails to look right, but still inexpensive.
If you would like to go down this route and need some help and guidance, please contact me through my site Alloy CRM site where I help businesses increase sales, revenue and profit.
http://alloycrm.aweber.com
http://www.sendfree.com/affref/105448/
They may seem worlds apart but there is a great deal that brings them together.
The whole purpose of having a website for your business is to generate enquiries, leads or direct sales. Either
way you will be collecting some data about your prospective customers. Probably all their details when they have purchased but maybe just their email address when they first enquire.
What you do with that data can make a great deal of difference to the result - a sale and maybe a second sale later on.
The smart businesses do that by using CRM. It isn't a piece of software, it's a process.
Keeping in touch with the people on your list can really make the difference. If they have made an initial enquiry, then sending them an answer quickly followed by a number of sequenced emails with more information and appropriate offers is likely to result in a sale down the line because you bothered to keep in touch.
Doing that can be a pain and time consuming, even though the end result is worthwhile.
There are a number of autoresponders around that make that process easy for you. Once your enquirer has handed over their email address via your web page, a whole series of email followups can kick-in, all designed to entice your prospect to take the next step.
Once you have written the emails and decided the gap between each before they are sent out, the whole thing is automated for you. Those email addresses are now held securely and have agreed that you can send them appropriate information. So, if you have a new product or service to shout about, it's easy to send out a mail to everyone who has ever enquired.
You don't even have to worry about people who un-subscribe or whose email address bounces. That's all done for you at a really sensible and cost effective price.
There are two providers I use regularily, aWeber - probably accepted as the industry standard, and SendFree - not quite free if you want the emails to look right, but still inexpensive.
If you would like to go down this route and need some help and guidance, please contact me through my site Alloy CRM site where I help businesses increase sales, revenue and profit.
http://alloycrm.aweber.com
http://www.sendfree.com/affref/105448/
Monday, March 9, 2009
Maximising your Networking Investment
I went to BNI leadership training today. I'm doing an extended term as Chapter Director. I don't mind, I really like the job.
The thoughts of a 7:30am start and 5 hours of training doesn't always seem like a good idea as the alarm goes off when it's still dark and evil thoughts of pulling a 'sicky' go through your half-awake brain.
But the end result was worth it.
Looking beyond the practical stuff of how to run effective networking meetings and chapter growth, what really comes shining through is the real purpose, and benefit, of putting aside a couple of hours every week to attend.
Making the financial commitment to be a BNI member for a year is not insignificant and shouldn't be taken lightly. Every member needs to maximise the potential they have of generating new business and profits to ensure a good return on their investment.
Every moment you are in a BNI meeting should be focused on that one goal. But managed incorrectly, it can turn sour and unprofitable very quickly.
Being a 'Hunter' and simply looking for every opportunity to capture business from other members and their contacts is unlikely to go down well and you could face the prospect of less business rather than more as members lose confidence.
BNI, and any networking for that matter, needs to be looked at as a medium to long term investment.
I would be reluctant to hand over an introduction to my best, most lucrative and sensitive customer until I am completely satisfied that you will do a fantastic job that will give me credibility for introducing you! So you need to prove to me that you are great at your job, you are committed to staying with the group (I don't want to be having to 'recommend' your replacement to my clients in 2 or 3 months) and that you are doing what ever you can to help the other members.
Offering to take on a role in the running of the Chapter is not only a great way to show your commitment, but also increases your own visibility within the group. If you do the role well you gain credibility as well as getting visibility.
BNI is not the only form of networking and the structure approach is not for everyone, our own Antidote Network for example provides a great alternative business forum. But I really do think that BNI is a great form of generating business and my profits would suffer without it.
If you're in BNI, or thinking of joining, make sure you maximise it's potential - hold up your hand and offer to help. You'll probably benefit more than you think.
Information about my BNI Chapter, Innovation.
Information about the Antidiote Network
Alloy CRM helps businesses increase sales, revenue and profit both on and off-line
The thoughts of a 7:30am start and 5 hours of training doesn't always seem like a good idea as the alarm goes off when it's still dark and evil thoughts of pulling a 'sicky' go through your half-awake brain.
But the end result was worth it.
Looking beyond the practical stuff of how to run effective networking meetings and chapter growth, what really comes shining through is the real purpose, and benefit, of putting aside a couple of hours every week to attend.
Making the financial commitment to be a BNI member for a year is not insignificant and shouldn't be taken lightly. Every member needs to maximise the potential they have of generating new business and profits to ensure a good return on their investment.
Every moment you are in a BNI meeting should be focused on that one goal. But managed incorrectly, it can turn sour and unprofitable very quickly.
Being a 'Hunter' and simply looking for every opportunity to capture business from other members and their contacts is unlikely to go down well and you could face the prospect of less business rather than more as members lose confidence.
BNI, and any networking for that matter, needs to be looked at as a medium to long term investment.
I would be reluctant to hand over an introduction to my best, most lucrative and sensitive customer until I am completely satisfied that you will do a fantastic job that will give me credibility for introducing you! So you need to prove to me that you are great at your job, you are committed to staying with the group (I don't want to be having to 'recommend' your replacement to my clients in 2 or 3 months) and that you are doing what ever you can to help the other members.
Offering to take on a role in the running of the Chapter is not only a great way to show your commitment, but also increases your own visibility within the group. If you do the role well you gain credibility as well as getting visibility.
BNI is not the only form of networking and the structure approach is not for everyone, our own Antidote Network for example provides a great alternative business forum. But I really do think that BNI is a great form of generating business and my profits would suffer without it.
If you're in BNI, or thinking of joining, make sure you maximise it's potential - hold up your hand and offer to help. You'll probably benefit more than you think.
Information about my BNI Chapter, Innovation.
Information about the Antidiote Network
Alloy CRM helps businesses increase sales, revenue and profit both on and off-line
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Green Shoots of Recovery?
I heard today that a major estate agent in Norwich believes they are seeing movement in the housing market.
They have been selling housing stock at the lower end of the price range, which must be good news. The downside is the price reduction those owners have had to make in order to sell. Apparently they had to drop from around £140k at the top of the boom to £100k now.
Realistically though the boom peak prices were just off this planet and needed a major correction anyway so the losses aren't as large as they appear.
In another whisper I heard today, the banks seem to have found their business loan application forms again and are actively handing out money. I guess (hope) they are being a bit more careful in their credit checking rather than the lax "does he breathe and can he sign his name' check they seem to be using on some lending up to last year.
If your with me and see the twinkle of light at the end of the tunnel, then make sure you hit the ground running when it all takes off by having your on and off line sales strategy already fired up. Need help with it? Contact me at Alloy CRM for help with increasing your revenue and profits.
They have been selling housing stock at the lower end of the price range, which must be good news. The downside is the price reduction those owners have had to make in order to sell. Apparently they had to drop from around £140k at the top of the boom to £100k now.
Realistically though the boom peak prices were just off this planet and needed a major correction anyway so the losses aren't as large as they appear.
In another whisper I heard today, the banks seem to have found their business loan application forms again and are actively handing out money. I guess (hope) they are being a bit more careful in their credit checking rather than the lax "does he breathe and can he sign his name' check they seem to be using on some lending up to last year.
If your with me and see the twinkle of light at the end of the tunnel, then make sure you hit the ground running when it all takes off by having your on and off line sales strategy already fired up. Need help with it? Contact me at Alloy CRM for help with increasing your revenue and profits.
Someone made me think about networking
As the Chapter Director of a BNI (Business Network International) group in Norwich, I was passed the contact details of someone who had shown interest in visiting and maybe joining our group. I sent out the appropriate invitation and received a reply that said they had spoken to most of our members at other networking events and they were not able to sell to them then, so there would be no point in joining. I sent them a polite (hopefully) reply explaining what networking is really about.
Yes there will always be an element of the hunter in us all at networking events, some events are more suited to it than others. Andy Bounds excellent book The Jelly Effect explains how to maximise this process well. He goes through the process of identifying your 'Big Fish' in the room and succeeding in securing a meeting later to discuss business opportunities.
However groups like BNI work on a different dimension. They are based on relationships. Understanding what your fellow members do, how they add value and their ideal target customer gives us the background knowledge we need to find them suitable prospective customers in our daily travels and maybe within our own client base.
To do this effectively we spend a great deal of time understanding each others business and gaining confidence and trust in their ability to fulfil. That's not a quick win. It takes time to build that sort of relationship, but once it's there is very sound and can be very lucrative.
So if you're just about to look at networking as a new form of marketing then make sure you understand how networking works before you blunder out there and think it's a waste of time.
Roy Gough of Alloy CRM helps businesses increase sales both on and off line.
Yes there will always be an element of the hunter in us all at networking events, some events are more suited to it than others. Andy Bounds excellent book The Jelly Effect explains how to maximise this process well. He goes through the process of identifying your 'Big Fish' in the room and succeeding in securing a meeting later to discuss business opportunities.
However groups like BNI work on a different dimension. They are based on relationships. Understanding what your fellow members do, how they add value and their ideal target customer gives us the background knowledge we need to find them suitable prospective customers in our daily travels and maybe within our own client base.
To do this effectively we spend a great deal of time understanding each others business and gaining confidence and trust in their ability to fulfil. That's not a quick win. It takes time to build that sort of relationship, but once it's there is very sound and can be very lucrative.
So if you're just about to look at networking as a new form of marketing then make sure you understand how networking works before you blunder out there and think it's a waste of time.
Roy Gough of Alloy CRM helps businesses increase sales both on and off line.
Ideas to Survive
I saw an interesting piece today that looked at what happened in the Great Depression between the first and second world wars.
It appears that, although many industries floundered, there were a couple of exceptions that bucked the trend and actually grew during that period.
They were Radio and Printing.
It has been suggested that they flourished, even boomed, as they were new and emerging mediums for business at the time.
If we look at that relative to the present, it's the Internet that shows up in the same way.
The Internet possibly has the same ingredients?
Additionally there the advantages of:
Lower cost base
You can automate much of the sales and customer acquisition process
You can automate fulfillment too
If that's true, then we should all be looking at how we can move our business to a more Internet based model to survive.
Alloy CRM, Sales and Marketing both on and off line.
It appears that, although many industries floundered, there were a couple of exceptions that bucked the trend and actually grew during that period.
They were Radio and Printing.
It has been suggested that they flourished, even boomed, as they were new and emerging mediums for business at the time.
If we look at that relative to the present, it's the Internet that shows up in the same way.
The Internet possibly has the same ingredients?
Additionally there the advantages of:
Lower cost base
You can automate much of the sales and customer acquisition process
You can automate fulfillment too
If that's true, then we should all be looking at how we can move our business to a more Internet based model to survive.
Alloy CRM, Sales and Marketing both on and off line.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Can I have a rescue package from the Government too please?
I don't think I've made any huge blunders in investment or expansion decisions.
I haven't traded in a way that I knew would produce unacceptable risk.
I haven't paid myself huge bonuses for making a loss.
I haven't stashed away any cash that was laying around into untouchable pension funds either.
All I've ever done is worked honestly and to the best of my ability with my customers interest foremost.
So what determines that some industries can have buckets full of cash thrown at them to keep them afloat in the interest of job retention?
What about the 'industry' of hard working small businesses that are going to the wall every day with the loss of 1000's of jobs?
Seems somewhat unbalanced to me - especialy when it's not us that caused the problem in the first place.
I haven't traded in a way that I knew would produce unacceptable risk.
I haven't paid myself huge bonuses for making a loss.
I haven't stashed away any cash that was laying around into untouchable pension funds either.
All I've ever done is worked honestly and to the best of my ability with my customers interest foremost.
So what determines that some industries can have buckets full of cash thrown at them to keep them afloat in the interest of job retention?
What about the 'industry' of hard working small businesses that are going to the wall every day with the loss of 1000's of jobs?
Seems somewhat unbalanced to me - especialy when it's not us that caused the problem in the first place.
A simple guide to website ranking with links
One of the key factors influencing how your site is indexed, and ranked, in the search engines is that of inbound links.
These are hyperlinks to pages on your site from other sites on the web. The basic theory is that the more links you have, the higher the value of your own site. Why? Because the search engines will assume that, if all those other people think your site is interesting enough to link to, then it must be important.
That was the premise a few years back, but sadly that assumption was abused by the darker side of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). They set up thousands of sites that were just 'Link Farms'. Pages and pages of listings with links to other sites. The more links you had on these sites, the better value you appeared to have, thus skewing the listing results.
Google got smart to this idea and, in an attempt to reduce the effect, they introduced a system of ranking each page it indexed. It's ranking process included a host of factors but was mainly designed to weed out the Link Farms. In fact sites that were/are still found to be listed on these sites are often penalised heavily and their own indexing can be severely impaired making it difficult to appear in any of the results listings.
So let's go back to the beginning. Inbound links are important, but they have to be carefully chosen and prepared links.
Here are the three key factors you should consider:
1: What is the Page Rank (PR) of the page and site that will show the link? The higher the PR the better as it seen as an important site and it's outbound links are valued higher too. Not only that but it will 'feed' some of it's high ranking across to your page as a bonus.
2: Is the site relevant to yours? As an example let's say your site was about pet products. If you had a link on a site with heaps of information all about dogs - that would make sense to Google and be valued. A link on a dating site would be seen as totally irrelevant and virtually ignored.
3. Use good 'Anchor Text'. Having a hyperlink to your pet product site showing as www.petproducts.co.uk on that dog information site is not so effective, and meaningful, as having the hyperlinked text saying 'Buy dog baskets, leads and dog food'. Google sees and understands the relationship between the wording on the information site, the anchor text and that of your site - so it will value the link higher.
So to summarise, links to your site are good, but not all links. Be careful about accepting offers of links, especially if they are asking you to pay. Take time to consider those key factors before you commit.
Finally there is the issue of reciprocal links - the 'You show me yours and I'll show you mine' of the internet world.
You may be offered a link to your site in return for a link to theirs. If you accept this and the link to them is shown on, for example, page 2 of your site and the link to you on their site also points to your page 2, it will easily seen as reciprocal and not a 'vote' of confidence in your or your website, therefore valued less.
Turn that around based on the 3 key factors earlier in this blog. If the link from them is on a page of information about dogs, the anchor text reflects that and the page on your site which it points to is about dogs that's good.
So in return, work something on the same principal but using different pages, perhaps about cats. That way the links are less likely to be seen as reciprocal.
I hope that all makes sense, but you can always talk to me about how to maximise your website profits at Alloy CRM, Sales & Marketing Strategists
These are hyperlinks to pages on your site from other sites on the web. The basic theory is that the more links you have, the higher the value of your own site. Why? Because the search engines will assume that, if all those other people think your site is interesting enough to link to, then it must be important.
That was the premise a few years back, but sadly that assumption was abused by the darker side of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). They set up thousands of sites that were just 'Link Farms'. Pages and pages of listings with links to other sites. The more links you had on these sites, the better value you appeared to have, thus skewing the listing results.
Google got smart to this idea and, in an attempt to reduce the effect, they introduced a system of ranking each page it indexed. It's ranking process included a host of factors but was mainly designed to weed out the Link Farms. In fact sites that were/are still found to be listed on these sites are often penalised heavily and their own indexing can be severely impaired making it difficult to appear in any of the results listings.
So let's go back to the beginning. Inbound links are important, but they have to be carefully chosen and prepared links.
Here are the three key factors you should consider:
1: What is the Page Rank (PR) of the page and site that will show the link? The higher the PR the better as it seen as an important site and it's outbound links are valued higher too. Not only that but it will 'feed' some of it's high ranking across to your page as a bonus.
2: Is the site relevant to yours? As an example let's say your site was about pet products. If you had a link on a site with heaps of information all about dogs - that would make sense to Google and be valued. A link on a dating site would be seen as totally irrelevant and virtually ignored.
3. Use good 'Anchor Text'. Having a hyperlink to your pet product site showing as www.petproducts.co.uk on that dog information site is not so effective, and meaningful, as having the hyperlinked text saying 'Buy dog baskets, leads and dog food'. Google sees and understands the relationship between the wording on the information site, the anchor text and that of your site - so it will value the link higher.
So to summarise, links to your site are good, but not all links. Be careful about accepting offers of links, especially if they are asking you to pay. Take time to consider those key factors before you commit.
Finally there is the issue of reciprocal links - the 'You show me yours and I'll show you mine' of the internet world.
You may be offered a link to your site in return for a link to theirs. If you accept this and the link to them is shown on, for example, page 2 of your site and the link to you on their site also points to your page 2, it will easily seen as reciprocal and not a 'vote' of confidence in your or your website, therefore valued less.
Turn that around based on the 3 key factors earlier in this blog. If the link from them is on a page of information about dogs, the anchor text reflects that and the page on your site which it points to is about dogs that's good.
So in return, work something on the same principal but using different pages, perhaps about cats. That way the links are less likely to be seen as reciprocal.
I hope that all makes sense, but you can always talk to me about how to maximise your website profits at Alloy CRM, Sales & Marketing Strategists
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