Gameplan Step 5: Develop Your Tools SEM | SEO | Website | Social Media Working with Virtual Assistants
How Web Hosting is Like a Free Puppy
Without getting too deep, I want to share with you a few “secrets” I’ve learned along the way to avoid 95% of the issues that typically come with having a site live on the internet.
Blog Gameplan Step 5: Develop Your Tools SEM | SEO | Website | Social Media
Don’t hate me for saying it: Your website shouldn’t focus on YOU, it should focus on your CUSTOMER
This is going to sound counter-intuitive, but this distinction is absolutely crucial to building an effective site: The primary purpose of your website is not to tell people about you and what you do; the primary purpose of your website is to connect with people who are searching to solve specific problems:
resolve frustrations; find tactical solutions (step-by-step); find and book the right speaker; learn and grow (by reading high-quality content); or hire a coach or consultant. Make sure your website is designed to focus on the needs of your clients, not on just promoting yourself and what you do.
Blog Gameplan Step 5: Develop Your Tools SEM | SEO | Website | Social Media
Looking for new clients? Your website must build TRUST
In my last , Read This Before You Design Your Website, I discussed what your website should do for your business and what your money should go toward in your website design. In this , we’ll look at the value of trust and how your clients will be more likely to opt-in to your site when they trust you. There is one variable that really sets “selling” the services of an independent professional apart from selling widgets: TRUST. Before people are going to drop hundreds or thousands of dollars on your services, they are going to have to trust you significantly. Here are three ways to earn trust from your prospects and clients.
Blog Gameplan Step 5: Develop Your Tools SEM | SEO | Website | Social Media
Read this before you design your website
Building a website seems like a really important thing to do to grow your business. . .and boy, do I hear the stories of buyers remorse and other frustration from colleagues, clients and prospects who spend gobs of money on their websites (oftentimes, their entire marketing budget), only to realize later that their websites just sit there, don’t really get them business, aren’t flexible to keep up with the ever-changing web and social media landscape, are expensive to maintain, don’t attract new leads or sales, etc.
The real bummer comes when people realize the most expensive part of building a website, if it’s done right, isn’t the cool design (though good design is important), it’s creating great content that’s optimized well and structured to compel visitors to take some sort of action. Before you hire your next web developer or commission the design of your next website, consider what you want your website to “do” for your business.
Blog Gameplan Step 2: Know Your Customer Gameplan Step 3: Package Yourself to Solve Problems Gameplan Step 5: Develop Your Tools Gameplan Step 6: Execute Your Plan Marketing Triad: Grassroots Marketing Marketing Triad: Showcasing
What’s in it for ME? Answering Your Customer’s #1 Question
The purpose of business is to create a customer. –Peter Drucker I was talking to a colleague the other day who is struggling to take his business to the next level. He’s an IT guy who helps companies “maximize their technology dollars.” “I know when I stand up and say that I work with technology,
Blog Gameplan Step 2: Know Your Customer Gameplan Step 5: Develop Your Tools Gameplan Step 6: Execute Your Plan
What’s in it for me? Why people buy…
I just read a great article by John Alexander on uncovering the sales triggers that compel people to buy, and leveraging them in your search engine optimization efforts. Great promotional copy isn’t about “you”, though I’m sure you’re great! 🙂 It’s about your customer and what *they* want, what *they* are struggling to figure out,
Blog Gameplan Step 5: Develop Your Tools
Taking great headshots
When it was time for me to have my first headshots done, I was a nervous wreck. I don’t really consider myself photogenic, I had no idea how to “take good pictures,” I instantly spot all of my “flaws” and tend to be relentless with the self-criticism, thinking, Gawd, I hope all these pics don’t end up with fat face. My hair looks so flat and blah, I hate it. That angle makes me look gi-normous!
I know, I know: my headshot looks fine (three good shots out of 100, or so I told myself). And I can’t believe how much I used it … it goes on everything! My articles, books, press releases, websites … for the independent professional, it is a crucial part of our branding. A good picture should showcase your energy, help you seem interesting to your customers, and give off a warm, inviting air.
I didn’t bring a stylist to my first shoot, but I did talk to some of my friends in the entertainment industry (whom I know from my former life doing artist management) and got some fabulous tips that can help all of us get better results from our shoots.