There have been a couple of articles in the Daily Mail recently about the effects of the internet, specifically social networking sites, on us and children in particular.
The first was suggesting that social networking sites could produce cancer. At first glance you would probably say rubbish. However we need to dig a little deeper beyond the media headline hype.
Our bodies have evolved to be a socially interactive animal. Devoid of that element in our life can cause mental, and physical, problems. This is well documented by prisoners and hostages over the years. On the surface, social interaction via sites such as Facebook fulfills that requirement in our life. But does our body understand that?
Is our body hard-wired to determine the required social interaction as being face to face where it can receive not only words but also facial expressions and body gestures? The internet removes all of that. How many times have you misinterpreted an email, got the wrong end of the stick and reacted inappropriately?
So if you take the case of someone who's life revolves around the internet and they just don't meet anyone, how is the body going to react?
Dr David Mickel, the GP who discovered the possible cause of ME, believes that the body generates symptoms, and sometimes real illnesses, in an attempt to force a change in circumstances to rectify the life balance.
So if that's the case, maybe the theory of Facebook causing cancer may not be so far fetched.
Thankfully, for the vast majority of us, social networking sites are just a relatively small part of our life and we live, most of the time, in the real world.
The second article was a front page headline suggesting that the same social networking sites are causing our children to have remarkably short attention spans. Well if you've got this far down my blog you certainly don't suffer from that!
In this case I think we need to look at the wider world that our children are brought up in. It's a world of short, sharp messages and multi-tasking.
Most informative programes on television are broken into micro-segments with several themes running in tandem throughout the show. Flipping backwards and forwards between them with quick updates to remind you what's happening. I find that type of programming quite frustrating as I'm used to the traditional format but it must be popular as they all use it now.
Written media has taken the same direction too. The popular press and magazines consist of snippets supported by photographic images, almost a comic style, with no real substantial essay type material.
And then, of course, there is texting. Rapid, word truncated, conversations that are conducted whilst doing something else.
So is Facebook causing the problem? I doubt it. I think it's more about the new world we live in - good or bad is up to you to decide.
If you want help to make use of the internet to produce profit for your business contact me at Alloy CRM
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
What's your page rank and what is it's influence?
The search engine Google works hard to identify the websites that it believes would be the best option to show at the top of the listing when we type something into their search box.
Google takes loads of different factors into consideration to determine that all important list. Bottom line is that Google wants to keep us using their search engine above all others and rightly believes that, if it offers the best and most useful sites for us to visit, we'll keep coming back.
As a guide to how important Google thinks a site is, they have a Page Rank system. Ranging from 1 to 10, with 10 being the top, each indexed web page - note I said page, not site, is allocated a ranking number.
You can see the Page Rank for any site quite easily. First you need to install the Google toolbar for your web browser here: http://pack.google.com/intl/en-gb/pack_installer.html?hl=en-gb
By default the Page Rank (PR) tool probably won't be on there, but you can add it in easily by right clicking on your newly installed Google Toolbar.
With that done every web page you visit will show the Page Rank. You will find that lots of pages have a PR of less than 2, maybe even 0, which means that they are unlikely to show up in Googles search listing other than for very unique phrases such as your own business name if it's unusual enough.
At the other end of the scale are sites like bbc.co.uk which has a PR of 9 - even they can't make 10! The difference between each rank increases enormously as you go up the scale. So you might be able to move from 2 to 3 reasonably easily, but the move from 6 to 7 is enormous.
So how can you influence your own PR and stand a better chance of ranking better?
Three key factors really:
1: Make sure that Google understands what your site is about by the careful selection and use of keywords throughout your content.
2. Relevant content, more relevant content and even more relevant content! The more there is on your site the more Google will absorb and value your site accordingly.
3. Links into your site from other sites. The higher the PR of those linking sites the better. So if you could get a link to you from bbc.co.uk that would benefit you tremendously.
I've been fairly simplistic about how the PR system works and can be influenced. There are a whole host of factors to be taken into consideration and I may well delve into those a little deeper in another post.
If you want to improve your standing in the PR stakes give me a call or click here to improve your website profit
Alloy CRM helps businesses to increase sale, revenue and profit
Google takes loads of different factors into consideration to determine that all important list. Bottom line is that Google wants to keep us using their search engine above all others and rightly believes that, if it offers the best and most useful sites for us to visit, we'll keep coming back.
As a guide to how important Google thinks a site is, they have a Page Rank system. Ranging from 1 to 10, with 10 being the top, each indexed web page - note I said page, not site, is allocated a ranking number.
You can see the Page Rank for any site quite easily. First you need to install the Google toolbar for your web browser here: http://pack.google.com/intl/en-gb/pack_installer.html?hl=en-gb
By default the Page Rank (PR) tool probably won't be on there, but you can add it in easily by right clicking on your newly installed Google Toolbar.
With that done every web page you visit will show the Page Rank. You will find that lots of pages have a PR of less than 2, maybe even 0, which means that they are unlikely to show up in Googles search listing other than for very unique phrases such as your own business name if it's unusual enough.
At the other end of the scale are sites like bbc.co.uk which has a PR of 9 - even they can't make 10! The difference between each rank increases enormously as you go up the scale. So you might be able to move from 2 to 3 reasonably easily, but the move from 6 to 7 is enormous.
So how can you influence your own PR and stand a better chance of ranking better?
Three key factors really:
1: Make sure that Google understands what your site is about by the careful selection and use of keywords throughout your content.
2. Relevant content, more relevant content and even more relevant content! The more there is on your site the more Google will absorb and value your site accordingly.
3. Links into your site from other sites. The higher the PR of those linking sites the better. So if you could get a link to you from bbc.co.uk that would benefit you tremendously.
I've been fairly simplistic about how the PR system works and can be influenced. There are a whole host of factors to be taken into consideration and I may well delve into those a little deeper in another post.
If you want to improve your standing in the PR stakes give me a call or click here to improve your website profit
Alloy CRM helps businesses to increase sale, revenue and profit
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Get your business to the top of the Google rankings - For Free?
No this isn't some scam - It's simply using Google's own Google Maps based free business listing.
This facility allows you to set up your own business listing with a web address, real address and contact phone. You also have the ability to write a description of your business with opening times and a number of other bits and pieces.
If you set up your listing the same way as you would the SEO of your web site, that is with keywords and phrases in the description, you have a good chance of your listing being shown when a web searcher includes a geographical reference. For example, 'plumber in norwich' (go and do that search now) brings up a Google maps list of plumbers who have taken the trouble to create their own listing.
Just like any SEO work you may have to be a bit smart with the keywords and phrases you use, especially if it's a competitive sector, but it's worth a try for free surely?
If you need help maximising your Google listing drop me a mail or visit my website.
Need help to make your website produce profit?
http://www.alloycrm.com/websiteprofit
This facility allows you to set up your own business listing with a web address, real address and contact phone. You also have the ability to write a description of your business with opening times and a number of other bits and pieces.
If you set up your listing the same way as you would the SEO of your web site, that is with keywords and phrases in the description, you have a good chance of your listing being shown when a web searcher includes a geographical reference. For example, 'plumber in norwich' (go and do that search now) brings up a Google maps list of plumbers who have taken the trouble to create their own listing.
Just like any SEO work you may have to be a bit smart with the keywords and phrases you use, especially if it's a competitive sector, but it's worth a try for free surely?
If you need help maximising your Google listing drop me a mail or visit my website.
Need help to make your website produce profit?
http://www.alloycrm.com/websiteprofit
Sunday, February 1, 2009
How are you selling?
Sorry to keep harping back to this again but I just think it's so important - especially in the current climate.
I guess that in your business you will have, or do, one of these things:
1. Have a retail shop
2. Have a trade counter and display
3. Have a demonstration area or showroom
4. Have an exhibition stand for trade shows
5. Have a presentation you use either one to one or at events
6. Used a designer to create your ads and leaflets
If you are serious about growing and increasing profit through sales you will have spent a great deal of time and care making sure that these are right.
By that I mean you would take care to make sure that your products and services are presented in a way that fits the environment and client you are targeting.
If you were looking to buy a Bentley you would expect the showroom to have a certain ambiance and appear upmarket. Buying produce from a farmers market you expect it to look fresh and presented well but may feel cheated if it was all laid in cardboard boxes that seemed to come from a wholesaler rather than directly from the fields. Would you man your exhibition stand in jeans and tee shirt if you were hoping to sell to business leaders?
We are all influenced significantly not just by the product but also it's presentation. That presentation needs to reflect, and tap into, the likely reason for buying.
It is said that there are 3 reasons people buy:
Greed
Fear
Desire
I have yet to see ad ad for a Bentley parked outside a roadside layby cafe surrounded by white vans and lorries. It's more likely to be on a beautiful country road, outside a stately home or the Savoy hotel, building a desire to be part of that lifestyle.
Where am I going with this?
Fire up your web browser and look at your own website.
Does it have the right ambiance? Does it look how a buyer would expect it to look?
Help your customers understand what they will gain, save or avoid by using your product and you will have a better chance of getting the result you want from your website.
Maybe you need to look at your other advertising, not just your website, in the same way too?
If you need help with sales have a look at our Sales Accelerator
If you need help with your wesite take a look at our Website Profit Program
I guess that in your business you will have, or do, one of these things:
1. Have a retail shop
2. Have a trade counter and display
3. Have a demonstration area or showroom
4. Have an exhibition stand for trade shows
5. Have a presentation you use either one to one or at events
6. Used a designer to create your ads and leaflets
If you are serious about growing and increasing profit through sales you will have spent a great deal of time and care making sure that these are right.
By that I mean you would take care to make sure that your products and services are presented in a way that fits the environment and client you are targeting.
If you were looking to buy a Bentley you would expect the showroom to have a certain ambiance and appear upmarket. Buying produce from a farmers market you expect it to look fresh and presented well but may feel cheated if it was all laid in cardboard boxes that seemed to come from a wholesaler rather than directly from the fields. Would you man your exhibition stand in jeans and tee shirt if you were hoping to sell to business leaders?
We are all influenced significantly not just by the product but also it's presentation. That presentation needs to reflect, and tap into, the likely reason for buying.
It is said that there are 3 reasons people buy:
Greed
Fear
Desire
I have yet to see ad ad for a Bentley parked outside a roadside layby cafe surrounded by white vans and lorries. It's more likely to be on a beautiful country road, outside a stately home or the Savoy hotel, building a desire to be part of that lifestyle.
Where am I going with this?
Fire up your web browser and look at your own website.
Does it have the right ambiance? Does it look how a buyer would expect it to look?
Help your customers understand what they will gain, save or avoid by using your product and you will have a better chance of getting the result you want from your website.
Maybe you need to look at your other advertising, not just your website, in the same way too?
If you need help with sales have a look at our Sales Accelerator
If you need help with your wesite take a look at our Website Profit Program
Monday, January 26, 2009
Selling into Larger Companies
One of my fellow BNI members asked me to help him with his sales plan a couple of weeks ago.
Up until recently he had been working mainly re-actively and with smaller companies achieving reasonable success. Now he has been targeted with opening up some of the larger businesses in the area and was finding it difficult.
With smaller companies the organisational chart is pretty flat and you tend to be talking, straight away, to the owner (director) of the business. His buying decision can be almost as if he is taking the money you are asking him to invest straight out of his pocket. His choice is do this or put the money towards the next holiday/new car.
If he is convinced that your proposal is the way forward, then he will 'instruct' everyone else in the business to fall in line and help you get the job done. It's a relatively easy yes-no process.
If you want to break into larger companies you may not be talking to those at director level initially. Getting this, lower level, person sold on your ideas won't automatically secure the sale.
This person may have to sell your idea up the chain of command. Two problems with that:
1: This person probably isn't as capable of selling your concept as you
2: They may not understand fully the agenda of those above and may not pitch correctly
The New Strategic Selling process from Miller Heiman lays out these problems and ways to overcome them.
Typically you need to find 4 key people within the organisation and understand their drivers and requirements
1: Financial Buyer - Probably just looks at the bottom line of a proposal and values against cost saving
2: Technical Buyer - Will this be fit for their purpose and is it significantly better than what they have in place
3: User Buyer - Is this going to be a pain to implement and run with or will it save time and effort
4: Coach - This person is critical to find. They will be sold on your offer and help you understand, and get to see, the other 3.
With those people identified you need to understand if they are open to change or insistent that the current situation is fine. Then you can start tailoring your offer to tap into their problems and requirements.
Working with larger companies can be rewarding as the deal size tends to be larger - but be prepared for some hard work!
The New Strategic Selling: The Unique Sales System Proven Successful by the World's Best Companies
Roy Gough and Alloy CRM help businesses to generate revenue and profit through the Website Profit Program and real world sales processes.
Up until recently he had been working mainly re-actively and with smaller companies achieving reasonable success. Now he has been targeted with opening up some of the larger businesses in the area and was finding it difficult.
With smaller companies the organisational chart is pretty flat and you tend to be talking, straight away, to the owner (director) of the business. His buying decision can be almost as if he is taking the money you are asking him to invest straight out of his pocket. His choice is do this or put the money towards the next holiday/new car.
If he is convinced that your proposal is the way forward, then he will 'instruct' everyone else in the business to fall in line and help you get the job done. It's a relatively easy yes-no process.
If you want to break into larger companies you may not be talking to those at director level initially. Getting this, lower level, person sold on your ideas won't automatically secure the sale.
This person may have to sell your idea up the chain of command. Two problems with that:
1: This person probably isn't as capable of selling your concept as you
2: They may not understand fully the agenda of those above and may not pitch correctly
The New Strategic Selling process from Miller Heiman lays out these problems and ways to overcome them.
Typically you need to find 4 key people within the organisation and understand their drivers and requirements
1: Financial Buyer - Probably just looks at the bottom line of a proposal and values against cost saving
2: Technical Buyer - Will this be fit for their purpose and is it significantly better than what they have in place
3: User Buyer - Is this going to be a pain to implement and run with or will it save time and effort
4: Coach - This person is critical to find. They will be sold on your offer and help you understand, and get to see, the other 3.
With those people identified you need to understand if they are open to change or insistent that the current situation is fine. Then you can start tailoring your offer to tap into their problems and requirements.
Working with larger companies can be rewarding as the deal size tends to be larger - but be prepared for some hard work!
The New Strategic Selling: The Unique Sales System Proven Successful by the World's Best Companies
Roy Gough and Alloy CRM help businesses to generate revenue and profit through the Website Profit Program and real world sales processes.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
How can we beat the recession?
We know that the internet is taking an increasing role in purchasing decisions and that we need to maximise our exposure there.
But how do we do it with limited budget? You've probably spent your marketing and advertising budget every year so can't find more to fund internet marketing too.
Well lets have a look at what you are spending your budget on now and the results you get from it. You may well have invested in some or all of these - Yellow Pages, Trade journals, Newspapers, TV/Radio and Direct mail.
Now tell me, honestly, if you can quantify, EXACTLY, the return on your investment for each activity - down to individual adverts.
I suspect that your answer may well be a bit vague. Henry Ford, famously didn't say "Half my
advertising works, I just don't know which half" (someone whose name I can't recall said it).
If that sums up your advertising budget, now is the time to be more prudent and use a medium that allows you to value every penny you spend, test and measure the results on an hourly basis and tap into the internet sales that are increasing as we speak.
Pay Per Click advertising in the search engines, such as Google and MSN, along with Facebook is the smart way to use your marketing budget effectively and get return on your hard earned investment.
More information on cost effective PPC advertising here from Alloy CRM
But how do we do it with limited budget? You've probably spent your marketing and advertising budget every year so can't find more to fund internet marketing too.
Well lets have a look at what you are spending your budget on now and the results you get from it. You may well have invested in some or all of these - Yellow Pages, Trade journals, Newspapers, TV/Radio and Direct mail.
Now tell me, honestly, if you can quantify, EXACTLY, the return on your investment for each activity - down to individual adverts.
I suspect that your answer may well be a bit vague. Henry Ford, famously didn't say "Half my
advertising works, I just don't know which half" (someone whose name I can't recall said it).
If that sums up your advertising budget, now is the time to be more prudent and use a medium that allows you to value every penny you spend, test and measure the results on an hourly basis and tap into the internet sales that are increasing as we speak.
Pay Per Click advertising in the search engines, such as Google and MSN, along with Facebook is the smart way to use your marketing budget effectively and get return on your hard earned investment.
More information on cost effective PPC advertising here from Alloy CRM
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
What make a website a popular website?
With billions of websites out there all trying to attract your attention, it might be interesting to look at a few really successful sites to understand what might make them so popular.
Now these are just my views on these sites and there are probably a whole load of other factors too, but here goes.
bbc.co.uk
Enormous breadth and depth of information/content
youtube.com
Is this one of the greatest entertaining/time wasting sites ever?
gocompare.com
Saving money is on many peoples agenda normally. It's probably on everyones agenda in the current economic crisis
facebook.com
Another great time waster but the interaction factor just makes it so absorbing
'Adult' Sites
Exciting and teasing (so I'm told)
Now lets summarise that -
Informative
Entertaining
Money Saving
Interactive
Exciting
Do you think it would be worth making your website good enough to be described in one, or a few, of those terms? I bet if you did, it would be far more successful and earn you a lot more money than it is now.
Try it.
Alloy CRM has a Website Profit Program designed for small businesses that will increase profit.
Now these are just my views on these sites and there are probably a whole load of other factors too, but here goes.
bbc.co.uk
Enormous breadth and depth of information/content
youtube.com
Is this one of the greatest entertaining/time wasting sites ever?
gocompare.com
Saving money is on many peoples agenda normally. It's probably on everyones agenda in the current economic crisis
facebook.com
Another great time waster but the interaction factor just makes it so absorbing
'Adult' Sites
Exciting and teasing (so I'm told)
Now lets summarise that -
Informative
Entertaining
Money Saving
Interactive
Exciting
Do you think it would be worth making your website good enough to be described in one, or a few, of those terms? I bet if you did, it would be far more successful and earn you a lot more money than it is now.
Try it.
Alloy CRM has a Website Profit Program designed for small businesses that will increase profit.
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