I remember saying, a good few years ago, that the internet would end up like electricity. It would just be piped into every home and business and we wouldn't be using the 'Internet' as such.
It would be just part of every appliance we use in our every day life. Your fridge and microwave would be seamlessly web enabled. Most people who I said that to gave me that strange look that suggested that I lived on another planet.
Well perhaps I wasn't as mad as they thought. I read today an article about Web v3.0.
You may already be conversant with the term Web v2.0. If you haven't heard it then you are certain to have used it. It's the label given to the development of the internet that gave us interactivity - Facebook, Myspace, Wikipedia, YouTube and ecademy. Web v2.0 is that ability to interact with others online and influence through commenting and reviewing.
That was a major step forward in our use of the internet which had previously been simply an information and research tool to view only.
Now Web v3.0 is on it's way. It is the seamless integration of web services and information with every other means of communication and device.
One of the examples went as follows:
A business contact has just rolled into town and called you his mobile phone to tell you he's stopping overnight in a local hotel and is suggesting that you might want to meet up over dinner.
The call from the mobile is already logged through GPS so you know which hotel he's in. A couple of presses on the touch screen of your phone gives a list of nearby restaurants. A further click on your restaurant choice offers menu selections and available booking times. Once booked your car satnav receives the location and route in readiness. Meanwhile your friend gets the same but as walking directions for his mobile phone.
At the same time your fridge has just texted you to let you know that you are low on semi skimmed milk and then offers a new recipe that you might like with a list of ingredients - all of which can be added to your regular on-line supermarket order, due for delivery tomorrow, with one click.
A step too far into the future? It may not be.
Technology such as this relies upon integration of information systems. Currently that information resides on PC's and servers. We have already seen the first wave of internet based systems such as Google docs - the online Microsoft Office look-a-like and more on-line applications that are no longer reliant upon a specific PC or server are just around the corner.
I watched James May's 20th Century program the other night and he told the story of the guy who took us from a multitude of electricity power stations, each with its own voltage and wall plug configuration, to the unified national grid system.
That allowed us to have 'electricity enabled' devices such as vacuum cleaners, plug in electric fires and eventually the TV.
That was electricity's Web v3.0.
Enjoy your 20th century PC - I'm not sure it will be around for much longer!
If you need any help and advice on your bussiness use of the web Alloy CRM offers website profit programs to ensure you achieve Return on Investment
Showing posts with label return on inestment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label return on inestment. Show all posts
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Website profits
Many of us in business are in the service industry. That means our website strategy isn't straight forward.
If I was selling TV's, DVD's or clothes the process is fairly simple.
Attract the punters in with compelling marketing.
Present them with a great website that takes them by the hand to the checkout page.
Make it easy for them to buy on-line.
Do the Math - Product margin less the advertising cost should equal profit.
Test and measure until you get the optimum sales volumes and profit.
Selling services can be a bit more difficult.
Our buyers probably don't buy a 'product' - they may buy a pick 'n' mix that suits their requirements and might need to talk to us first to discuss the options.
Folk lore tells us that we need to 'touch' someone 7 times before they buy. Face to face that's reasonably easy to manage. Gain their confidence, take their business card, keep in touch and sometime down the line you have a damn good chance of doing business.
When it comes to the internet, we have all these faceless people visiting our site. At this point we don't know if they are real prospects, people who landed there by mistake or even competitors. They may disappear without trace never to be heard of again. They might even buy from your competitor and you never even had the chance to do your sales pitch.
So the key function of your website should be to capture their contact details so that you can keep in touch.
'Gis us yur email' probably won't work too well, neither will trying to get their full name, company, phone number plus email address at this point.
So in that first visit to our site we need to be gentle and ask for just an email address. But, even then, they're not going to just roll over and give it to you because you asked. You have to give something in return.
Many sites offer a newsletter/regular tips subscription which is certainly an option. But maybe you are like me and have just too many regular emails in your inbox like that and reluctant to accept more. So, unless it looks absolutely compelling, I'll probably say 'no thanks'.
It's well proven now that most internet users are searching for information. When they visit your site why not try giving it to them? Plenty of knowledgeable and useful content will give them confidence that you know what you're talking about and keep then interested.
Then offer them, as a downloadable document/audio file/video, access to something covering really interesting,useful and appropriate information that is just an extension of what they've been reading - in return for their email address.
Successful ideas are '5 tips when choosing....', '10 things to consider...' or 'A guide to...'
What do you do with their email address? By far the best way is to use one of the well respected email autoresponder houses.
These on-line systems will handle the opt-in confirmation process to ensure that the recipient knows what they are getting, plus deal with bounced email addresses and subscription removal requests. But the biggest bonus is their ability to 'automate' your follow up.
The autoresponder facility will send out an number of follow up emails, at periods that you determine, each having a sales message to encourage the prospect to either part with a bit more information, contact you direct, or both.
Autoresponders are not expensive and have, if you use the right one, plenty of training to help you set them up to produce good results for you.
If you need help with your website sales and marketing or SEO contact me at AlloyCRM
If I was selling TV's, DVD's or clothes the process is fairly simple.
Attract the punters in with compelling marketing.
Present them with a great website that takes them by the hand to the checkout page.
Make it easy for them to buy on-line.
Do the Math - Product margin less the advertising cost should equal profit.
Test and measure until you get the optimum sales volumes and profit.
Selling services can be a bit more difficult.
Our buyers probably don't buy a 'product' - they may buy a pick 'n' mix that suits their requirements and might need to talk to us first to discuss the options.
Folk lore tells us that we need to 'touch' someone 7 times before they buy. Face to face that's reasonably easy to manage. Gain their confidence, take their business card, keep in touch and sometime down the line you have a damn good chance of doing business.
When it comes to the internet, we have all these faceless people visiting our site. At this point we don't know if they are real prospects, people who landed there by mistake or even competitors. They may disappear without trace never to be heard of again. They might even buy from your competitor and you never even had the chance to do your sales pitch.
So the key function of your website should be to capture their contact details so that you can keep in touch.
'Gis us yur email' probably won't work too well, neither will trying to get their full name, company, phone number plus email address at this point.
So in that first visit to our site we need to be gentle and ask for just an email address. But, even then, they're not going to just roll over and give it to you because you asked. You have to give something in return.
Many sites offer a newsletter/regular tips subscription which is certainly an option. But maybe you are like me and have just too many regular emails in your inbox like that and reluctant to accept more. So, unless it looks absolutely compelling, I'll probably say 'no thanks'.
It's well proven now that most internet users are searching for information. When they visit your site why not try giving it to them? Plenty of knowledgeable and useful content will give them confidence that you know what you're talking about and keep then interested.
Then offer them, as a downloadable document/audio file/video, access to something covering really interesting,useful and appropriate information that is just an extension of what they've been reading - in return for their email address.
Successful ideas are '5 tips when choosing....', '10 things to consider...' or 'A guide to...'
What do you do with their email address? By far the best way is to use one of the well respected email autoresponder houses.
These on-line systems will handle the opt-in confirmation process to ensure that the recipient knows what they are getting, plus deal with bounced email addresses and subscription removal requests. But the biggest bonus is their ability to 'automate' your follow up.
The autoresponder facility will send out an number of follow up emails, at periods that you determine, each having a sales message to encourage the prospect to either part with a bit more information, contact you direct, or both.
Autoresponders are not expensive and have, if you use the right one, plenty of training to help you set them up to produce good results for you.
If you need help with your website sales and marketing or SEO contact me at AlloyCRM
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
With tough times ahead, measure your advertising results.
For most advertising you may include in your marketing, it is notoriously difficult to prove a Return on Investment (ROI). Printed media or television, without clever tactics, it is difficult to prove results conclusively. This makes it difficult to determine where your next advertising pound should be spent – especially in our current turbulent times when you can’t afford to waste money.
For many businesses the answer lies on your computer screen with paid advertising programs.
Many of you will sigh at this point as you remember burning a hole in your pocket trying to make Pay Per Click (PPC) on Google work and produce some profitable business.
Well folks, I’ve done just the same myself in the past too!
The thing is, we didn’t know what we were doing then and were running blind.
PPC is a skill, just like any other, that needs to be learnt and understood. I waded through hours and hours of video and text tutorials before I took my Google AdWords exam. Even then, knowing the mechanics of the PPC system wasn’t enough. I needed the commercial skill and knowledge I have gained over the years to make it work successfully.
Put those together and you have a powerful tool in PPC. One that can bring absolutely the right people to your website. People who are looking for your products and services right now. All you have to do, once they have arrived, is keep them there and offer precisely what they need (but that’s for another blog post!).
The massive bonus gained from using PPC over other forms of advertising is the measurement, tracking and instant flexibility.
Setup correctly, a PPC campaign will tell you exactly what key words your customer typed into the search engine to look for your product, the advert that attracted them and the advertising cost to gain him as a customer.
Not only that, but you can monitor what’s happening, and more importantly, what’s not working on an hourly basis. That way you can change things before your marketing budget gets burnt to a cinder.
It’s probably that last point that caught us all out before. We didn’t check and analyse what was going on often enough. The result? A sizable hole in our pocket and a dislike of the PPC system.
But times have changed. More and more of us turn to the search engines as our first point of contact for knowledge and new suppliers. That means your business needs to be there for them to find you and PPC provides a manageable, measurable and cost effective way of getting new customers.
If you need to understand or investigate how a well managed Pay Per Click Sales and Marketing Campaign could work for your business then contact me to discuss your Sales, Profit and Return on Investment requirements.
For many businesses the answer lies on your computer screen with paid advertising programs.
Many of you will sigh at this point as you remember burning a hole in your pocket trying to make Pay Per Click (PPC) on Google work and produce some profitable business.
Well folks, I’ve done just the same myself in the past too!
The thing is, we didn’t know what we were doing then and were running blind.
PPC is a skill, just like any other, that needs to be learnt and understood. I waded through hours and hours of video and text tutorials before I took my Google AdWords exam. Even then, knowing the mechanics of the PPC system wasn’t enough. I needed the commercial skill and knowledge I have gained over the years to make it work successfully.
Put those together and you have a powerful tool in PPC. One that can bring absolutely the right people to your website. People who are looking for your products and services right now. All you have to do, once they have arrived, is keep them there and offer precisely what they need (but that’s for another blog post!).
The massive bonus gained from using PPC over other forms of advertising is the measurement, tracking and instant flexibility.
Setup correctly, a PPC campaign will tell you exactly what key words your customer typed into the search engine to look for your product, the advert that attracted them and the advertising cost to gain him as a customer.
Not only that, but you can monitor what’s happening, and more importantly, what’s not working on an hourly basis. That way you can change things before your marketing budget gets burnt to a cinder.
It’s probably that last point that caught us all out before. We didn’t check and analyse what was going on often enough. The result? A sizable hole in our pocket and a dislike of the PPC system.
But times have changed. More and more of us turn to the search engines as our first point of contact for knowledge and new suppliers. That means your business needs to be there for them to find you and PPC provides a manageable, measurable and cost effective way of getting new customers.
If you need to understand or investigate how a well managed Pay Per Click Sales and Marketing Campaign could work for your business then contact me to discuss your Sales, Profit and Return on Investment requirements.
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