Do you really know your clients?

It may sound like kind of an odd question, but think about it. Do you really know your customer? Do you know what they need, how they need it and how often? Do you know who they deal with, who their competition is, how much their profit margin is, etc? Without the answers to most, if not all of these questions and others how can you really provide a "service" to your client?

Get to know your customer - no really get to know them:
Most people think that getting to know their customer means knowing their name when they call, and what their favorite baseball team is (or insert any sport). Sure, this is a start, but you need to take the person out of the equation and think about the company as a whole. Just knowing Joe/Mary the sales person and what they like won't give you long term investment in that company.

You need to do your research, ask the tough questions and understand what it is you can do for your client in order to really provide them with a solution and not just another product or service. Lets face it, you aren't the only one they can go to and if Acme Corp down the street starts selling for less then you what stops them from going? If you've proven your worth and given them a solution, the thought won't even cross their mind to move away.

But I don't have the time to do the research!
Do you have the time to find a new client when they go away? Do you have the time to invest on competing with other quotes when they start shopping around? You need to make the time and invest into your clients, just as they are investing in you. If you personally don't have the time, then get one of your best employees, or hire a person you know can take on the task and inform you. Sure it may cost you a little, but in the long run you'll be able to sit down with the president of that company and tell them "they can't offer what I can, and I'm not just talking about my products and services".

It's not just about price - despite what you might think!
Even with online shopping so easy and competition becoming tighter and tighter, service, quality and attention to detail are important. Think about the last time you had a nice experience with a company and really felt like they paid attention to you. You probably told a few people about it and were somewhat surprised and pleased with the experience. So why not give that to your clients, and make sure you understand their needs and wants. That could mean the difference between competing with the competition and out performing the competition.

Remember: Quantity is only as good as the quality that's being produced

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Ignite MediaLLC, Ignite Your Site™
http://www.ignite-media.com/
Website Design & Development eCommerce Development Search Engine Optimization
Website Packages Now Available!

Website Usability - Is Your Site Making the Grade?

A website is about more than just displaying your product or service information. A website is an experience that directly relates to your business and reputation. Last post we spoke about your home page and how important it is to make a great first impression. This post we expand on that and explain how that impression needs to extend beyond home page.

Navigation is key
Navigation is the most important part of a website. It is how your visitors get from one place to another. Think of your navigation as your street map or directions from old aunt sally! How annoyed are you when those directions or that map aren't easy to read or to follow? I know I get steaming mad when I'm told to make a right, only to realize they meant to say left.

So why put your visitors through that same type of turmoil? Your navigation needs to be visible and easy to follow. You shouldn't mix in company links with product and service links, and you shouldn't have more than 2 sets of navigation if possible (ie: Top Bar Nav, and Side Bar Nav). Many times people think if they give people 20 different navigation options they will be able to more easily find the page, but what you wind up doing is confusing the visitor into wondering if all of the links go to the same or different places.

Page Content and Page Structure
After you have successfully navigated your visitors to the correct page, the structure and content on those pages is just as important as how they got there. How you order the content in a page can directly relate to the number of conversions you make. For example if you have site where you sell roller blades and you get to a product page for a particular pair of blades, a visitor should be shown an image, short description, price, colors, etc and a buy now button. If instead they are shown paragraphs and paragraphs of information, and the very last thing on the page is the buy-now, you can bet that your conversion ratio is going to be pretty low.

Content as mentioned above is also very important. With that roller blade website example from above, the overview should be brief but highlight the key reasons that pair of blades is the right choice. For those visitors that might be more interested in the in-depth information you provide that but either further down on the page, or on a "more-details" page/tab. With this approach you are giving all your visitors what they want.

Clear conversion method
You've now effectively navigated your visitors to the correct spot and have the content and the structure of each page just right. What's next? Well what are you hoping your visitor will do? Do you want them to email you, send you a request for quote form, purchase an item, or pick up the phone and call you? Before you can decide on which conversion method to use, you have to answer that question; visitors aren't mind readers and without a clear way to finalize their process they may just hit the back button and be gone forever.

Once you've made the decision of how you want to have your visitors contact you, its time to implement it. You want to remember while you are configuring your site for the final conversion, you need to make it clear and easy for your visitors. Put the 800# large on the page if you want them to call you; make a nice "email us now" button that stands out if email is what you prefer; ensure your "buy-now" button is prominent on the page if purchasing is your method. Just keep in mind, if it is confusing for you, how do you expect your visitors to figure it out?

Remember: Usability is about your visitors, if you make it easy they will come!

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Ignite MediaLLC, Ignite Your Site™
http://www.ignite-media.com/
Website Design & Development eCommerce Development Search Engine Optimization

Don't underestimate your visitors

All websites are built for a reason, and that's to have visitors be able to see it and hopefully contact you. Why then do we underestimate how smart these visitors are? Time and time again I've heard web designers, SEOs and other marketers say "but our visitors won't get that". I think that what we are forgetting who those visitors are.

Website visitors aren't just computer-illiterate users!
I know it may be hard to believe, but people who visit your website may have actually used another website before! They may have even been on other computers too! OK, enough with the sarcasm, but I honestly think that we sometimes think our website visitors are coming to our website on their first day of using a computer. But lets stop for a minute and think about who those visitors might be.

Lets say that you own an electronics store, and you sell everything from laptops to flat panel TVs on your website. Now lets consider who typically is buying these things. They are usually pretty tech savvy people, and if they aren't their friend or relative is who is helping them purchase the item. Those tech savvy users like to know the details of what makes that particular digital camera work, they want to know about the mega-pixals, zoom ratio, etc. So it would be smart of you as the store owner to provide that information.

Now what about a more simple product like clothing. Well that visitor could be anyone, but lets narrow this down a bit to baby clothing. Your typical shopper is going to be the mother/father or relative. You can bet that the expecting mother wants to know what the article of clothing was made out of, how it washes, and if it has been fire tested. So again, why not give them this information?

Too quickly, we dumb things down:
It seems that we are often times overly concerned with saving time, and dumbing things down. These things certainly have their place, for instance in an emergency you don't want an exit sign that gives every turn; rather a sign with an arrow that leads to the next sign with an arrow is much quicker and more efficient. But the last time I checked, we aren't looking for our visitors to find the quickest way out.

Providing a valuable product along with relevant information, even if it seems like "the visitor won't read it", is important. Sure, not everyone who comes to your website is going to read it, but some people will. For those people that want the information your site has just stood out from the crowd. You've provided that visitor not only with the information they were looking for but the trust that they can count on you to educate and inform them on what they are purchasing.

Quality is more important than brevity:
I would much rather have quality information that happens to be a little on the lengthy side in terms of information then have a site that is so brief on information it doesn't answer all of the visitors questions. You have to remember, these people are purchasing something from you that they could purchase somewhere else if they don't feel like you've satisfied their need, so make sure you are providing as much information as possible, not just the shortest amount of information.

Remember: You are a visitor at other sites, do you like being treated like a toddler? Probably not, so why treat your visitors that way?

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Ignite MediaLLC, Ignite Your Site™
http://www.ignite-media.com/
Website Design & Development eCommerce Development Search Engine Optimization

Clients, Visitors, Customers - Whatever you call them, they come first!

I just finished reading a really interesting blog post entitled "The Power of Accidental SEO: A Case Study", which tells about a women who was so into her business that SEO was something that happened because of her, not by her. I encourage you to click the link and take a read, it will be well worth it I promise.

So what does "the accidental SEO" mean to you?
At the very least it should show you that although SEO is important, what is more important is that you engage your customers/clients/visitors. Having a site just because it's what you needed, or running a blog because it's what everyone else is doing will greatly decrease your chances for success.

We at Ignite realize that not everything can be done through passion and pure love, but there needs to be at least a little of each in order for other people to 'buy-in" and take hold of what you are presenting. Whether it be through writing, talking, or actions people can tell if you are really into what you are presenting.

Should I stop my SEO than?
No, and I'm not just saying that because it's a service we offer. If I thought SEO had lost its luster I would stop offering it as a service and make sure I preached to all my clients that they didn't need it anymore, but as of right now that is not the case. SEO is important and will help, but you the client also need to get involved and give your site/blog/article something extra, something that makes people realize you really do understand their needs and care about what they want/need.

Remember: SEO is not the cure-all, it's merely one of the ingredients in a well thought out marketing plan.

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Ignite MediaLLC, Ignite Your Site™
http://www.ignite-media.com/
Website Design & Development eCommerce Development

Summer Slowdown Leads to Fall Pickup...

Many companies see a slowdown in orders, production, etc during the summer months. It is typically the time of year when people take extended vacations, plants close and companies are working shorter days. Who wants to think about the fall during this time?

You should! That's right, you need to think about the fall during this time. Marketing now is the perfect time to grab those customers that will start turning up the pace come fall. Make sure you are the one they remember when they need what you do. Don't be left in someone elses dust because you decided to slow down everything during the summer.

How do I market to them now?
Anyway you can really! Send them an email blast, mail out postcards, put a special on your website. Anything and everything you can think of would be a good idea. How about a special promotion where if they order by August 31st they get a special discount? This helps get orders in for the summer as well as increasing production for the fall. People love to save money and if you give them savings they will most likely respond well to them.

Don't let the summer slip away.
Now is the time to act, not tomorrow, not next month. The summer goes by very quickly so you don't want to be standing there on September 1st wondering where all your orders are. Also, don't panic if you don't hear a response right away, it is the summer after all and they may call in September asking if they can get that deal - go ahead, give it to them, what do you have to lose but the customer if you don't!

Remember: The early bird gets the worm - it's not just a clever cliche.

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Ignite MediaLLC, Ignite Your Site™
http://www.ignite-media.com/
Website Design & Development eCommerce Development Search Engine Optimization

Show your visitors some fireworks!

I don't mean literally put some corny fireworks animation on your home page. What I mean is give them a deal, start a promotion, have a weekend long sale, etc. The holidays often times are looked at as dead business days because everyone is out celebrating. With a sale or discount of some kind the holidays can be a cash cow for some!

Recurring customers get even more!
What better way to drum up business than to offer an even better deal to people who have ordered in the past week/month/year? If you can figure out a way to give these people an added incentive to shop, you may find that business picks up even more then anticipated.

Leave no stone unturned
A sale or discount can be to anyone for anything. New sign ups can get a different discount then someone who just wants to purchase without signing up. If they buy more than one of a certain item they can get a special deal. There are tons of ways to give your shoppers a little something extra, and the holidays aren't the only times either.

Shoppers love deals and the more they feel that you are open and willing to give them a deal the more likely they are to come and shop with you.

Happy 4th of July and we at Ignite hope you have a profitable holiday weekend!

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Ignite MediaLLC, Ignite Your Site™
http://www.ignite-media.com/
Website Design & Development eCommerce Development Search Engine Optimization

Standing Out from the Crowd

I've recently been reading a book entitled "The Big Moo", odd name but very good read. The book is all about being remarkable, not just ordinary or good, but truly remarkable. It is actually a collection of thoughts/ideas/stories from some very powerful and successful business people.

So how do I make my website stand out from the crowd?
There are many ways, you just have to put the same energy you had when starting the company into differentiating your company. It's not good enough anymore do just do sales, or specials, you have to really connect with your clients. You have to make them feel like they are getting more then just a product or service they are getting an experience.

The internet has made everything easy to get and at the cheapest price, but yet there are still people selling things for top dollar. How is this possible? Well more then likely they are not selling on price but rather something even less tangible. Perhaps they are selling on the craftsmanship, the quality, the durability, the personal service, etc. Whatever it is, they know they have it and they cherish it, and therefore draw in the customers.

Where do I start?
Where ever you feel you can be most inspired to be creative. Take a day off, go on a company trip, have a brainstorming session. Whatever it is that you do doesn't matter as long as you are thinking differently then you normally do and you are seeing things in a new light. It's easy to become stagnant and run the same rat-race every day, but it takes a true innovator to really break the mold once in a while.

Do I have to do it on my own?
Are you kidding? Absolutely not, bring as many people as you need. Other people will help you to realize things you never saw or thought of before. The best people to have around are people that you know do things differently then you. These people will let you see another angle that was always there but just never calling out to you.

Start today, take some time to brainstorm, or have a company lunch where everyone shares a thought about what they would like to do with the company. You'll be surprised with what you might discover from your very own employees.

Remember: It's not about gimmicks, it's about connections. Connect with your clients like no-one else is.

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Ignite Media LLC, Ignite Your Site™
http://www.ignite-media.com/
Website Design & Development eCommerce Development Search Engine Optimization

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Too much copy or too little; What's right?

As we all know content (copy) is king, but do we all know how much is too much or too little? Does a paragraph work, or should it be 4 paragraphs? Do bullets have the same impact as sentences? There are hundreds of questions like these that come to mind when writing copy for your website.

So how much copy is enough?
That really all depends on what you are writing and for who. If your topic is structural engineering then you will probably have more than just a paragraph and some bullets. On the other hand if your topic is selling a new product, a great intro sentence or two and bulleted feature list might just be the key to more sales.

There is no definitive answer to what is right for your site. You want to be sure that you provide enough content for your website visitors to make an informed decision without inundating them with information that might be better served as a downloadable PDF.

Is there such thing as too little copy?
Yes, generally speaking if you can take someone who has no idea what you sell and have them read the copy for one of your pages and they know what it is you are selling after reading it, you have enough copy. If they are more confused or are left asking more questions then the copy is either not enough or not written clearly enough.

It is important to know that when you are writing people will read it. There is a popular saying that "no one reads on the internet" and frankly I just don't buy it. Sure, maybe they don't read as much on the interent, but they are reading something. This should be your call to create copy that is concise, powerful and informative all at the same time. Not an easy task, but one that will ultimately give your site that leg up you are looking for.

Remember: It's not about the quantity but rather the quality.

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Ignite Media LLC, Ignite Your Site™
http://www.ignite-media.com/
Website Design & Development eCommerce Development Search Engine Optimization

Survey Your Customers

I recently was speaking with a friend who works for a large marketing agency. She was telling me about how the company is very proactive about getting customers/clients feedback on the projects the company just completed for them. What a great concept, asking your customers before they have the chance to tell someone else!

What makes this approach so great? Well for starters you are getting first hand information from your clients on what they thought of how the project went. This allows the company to make an immediate change if necessary. All too often I find that companies wait until they hear a client had a bad experience from someone who overheard them, or who the client complained to. Why not give them a sounding board, especially one that you will hear?

How can we survey our customers?
It really isn't that hard. A simple postcard sized questionnaire/survey will do that trick. A few well thought out questions will get you some really good feedback. Keep the questions short and to the point, and make sure they will get you information that will be useful to evaluate.

Another approach is to try doing an auto emailing when a job is complete. The email can have a link/links to an area of your website that has a short survey. This can be even more useful then a hand written survey because the data is already electronic as soon as the person is done with the questionnaire.

There are a variety of different approaches you can take. The point is, do something! Getting feedback from your clients is vital to ensuring that your company will continue to grow. You cannot fix what you do not know is broken, and you will never know its broken unless someone tells you.

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Ignite Media LLC, Ignite Your Site™
http://www.ignite-media.com/
Website Design & Development eCommerce Development Search Engine Optimization

Differentiate Your Business

Make your business stand out from the crowd. Something every business owner knows they have to do, but most are not clear on how they can do it. It is easy to get stuck in the "bubble" of your industry and not see where your company can stand out from your competitors.

The answer can be as simple as a return policy or a shipping method that no one else in your field offers. Sometimes the smallest of things can mean a lot to the customer who is buying your goods or services. Free shipping is probably one of the most common ways to attract customers, but it certainly is not the only way.

A small baby equipment rental business in Canada (www.tinytravellers.ca) was recently discussing ways in which they can really give their clients that added value and get them to rent again. It didn't take long before the ideas started to take on a life of their own. Something as simple as giving a free gift with every rental such as a baby bib with their logo on it, or a child's toy again with their logo on it. For the small expense of printing these speciality items they will get some great reaction and most likely a large referral program by word of mouth (the best type of referral!).

You are probably thinking that it is easy to think of something for a baby website, but it can be that easy for any business. It just requires thinking about every part of your business, from the minute you say hello to that potential customer to the minute you get the final check for the product/service they purchased. Are there areas you should be giving out discount cards if something doesn't go right? Would a personal letter for each product shipped out give your customer a reason to speak highly about your business? There are thousands of things that can be done with any business.

A business that is looking to grow will do whatever it takes to get ahead. Sometimes that requires taking a step back and looking at the big picture. You can make your mark you just need to find a way to separate yourself from the crowd.

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Ignite Media LLC, Ignite Your Site™
http://www.ignite-media.com/
Website Design & Development eCommerce Development Search Engine Optimization