Archive for February, 2012

Will A Mobile Site Be Important for Your Company in 2012?

 

Mobile sites are more important than ever.  They experienced growth like never before in 2011 with the advent of some of the hottest technology since the iPod.  Mobile is now the thing to have and the thing to be.  People check their emails, surf the web, chat, talk, read books, and watch movies all on their mobile devices.  Failing to have a mobile site for your company can do some serious damage – especially if you offer the types of products or services that people are likely to peruse while on the go.

 

Getting a mobile site for your company isn’t very hard to do.  Think of it as a simplified version of your current website.  Many websites today have a lot of complexity, from backgrounds to videos and so forth.  A mobile site will be seen on a mobile device instead of a larger computer screen, which means it needs to be very easy to navigate without a lot of things in between.  People need to be able to see text clearly and find what they want without a lot of trouble.  Most big companies have already made sure they have mobile versions of their sites.

 

Compare some of these sites side by side.  You’ll notice that the traditional website has moving images, plenty of extra things for people to browse, dropdown menus, and a page design that will fill the entire browser.  Shrinking that down to the size of an iPhone or Droid simply doesn’t work.  People would constantly be resizing the page and be forced to scroll around until they find what they want.  Mobile sites are the basics; easy to find and click links, basic colors, and proper sizing to fit the screens.

 

Still aren’t sure if you’ll need a mobile site?  Consider your business.  Do you offer products that people might like to look at while they are on the go?  Is it likely that they might look you up as a last minute thought or price check?  For example, it’s less likely that people will look up pool filters while on their daily commute than if you sold a variety of cell phone car chargers.

 

Even so, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.  Find out how much it costs to get your website into a mobile format that people can access.  If it’s within the budget, it might not hurt.  You can see how well it does by tracking the stats on it over time.  If you discover that you aren’t getting enough hits to merit keeping the site, then don’t.  However, you may be surprised at the results within a few months.

Posted by Leslie on February 24th, 2012 | Email | Print |

3 Tips You Need Now for Facebook Success

 

Staying on top of how the waves of Facebook shift mean staying up to date with your customers as well.  There are ways you can make sure that your Facebook presence succeeds.  Some companies think that all they have to do is get on Facebook and make some posts, but there is a lot more to Facebook than that.  Facebook is about socializing and being interesting enough for people to enjoy what you have to offer.  This is especially important for a company because a business is not an individual.  There is a lot more that a company must to in order to draw in customers and keep them.

 

1.) Don’t post when no one is listening.

Similar to Twitter, people don’t typically get to use social networking during business hours.  Initially many businesses were posting all the time.  Now, however, they have realized the error in this logic.  If you work 9-5, you aren’t going to notice a dozen posts that a company puts up during that time.  You will only read and respond when you are no longer working.  Statistics show that when a business posts content before or after typical business hours get as much as a 20% increase in responses.  You need your posts to be at the top of newsfeeds and other notable places when people are actually there to read them.  In this save vein, like Twitter, remember that people are more open to socializing – online and offline – on the weekends.  If you have posts you really want people to check out, then post them when they are most likely to be seen – on the weekend.

 

2.) “Like us.”

Don’t be afraid to come right out and request that people Like your Facebook page.  If they want to, they will.  If not, they won’t.  But when you ask them to you at least put the thought in their mind.  It’s not too bold to ask.  In fact, if you don’t, some people might wonder if you are aware of the Like option or if your business even cares if it is Liked.  People also appreciate the directness.  It shows that you know what you’re talking about what it means to be Liked multiple times.

 

3.) Skip the business lingo.

Facebook is a social site.  Stress on the social part.  They don’t come to be preached to or told what to buy.  They don’t go to Facebook to be hit with a bunch of advertisements all at once.  Instead, skip out on the company rhetoric and go with a softer sell.  A gentler approach to handling people will make them appreciate your company more.  Likewise, when you use words like “sweepstakes” or “promotion” when you have something going on, people tend to skip right over it.  It sounds too much like you’re trying to sell something.  Instead, use “event,” “win,” or even “free” if you can.

Posted by Leslie on February 17th, 2012 | Email | Print |

Are Recommendation Systems Worth It?

These days everyone seems to want to recommend something to someone else.  This can actually work in some instances.  Buy a mystery book?  How about some of these other mystery books?  Interested in Mozart?  Try some Bach.  This is done by companies as well as friends and family members through the sites themselves or through social networking places like Facebook.  So should it be something that your company bothers with?

 

In terms of product recommendation, it depends upon what you sell.  Do you offer services?  What kind?  Is there anything you can really offer to someone after they buy or express interest in another service?  Do you sell various products?  How many?  Do you have enough services or products to make at least more than one recommendation?

 

Places like Amazon and Google do product recommendations, but one of the issues faced with these systems is item churn speed.  For example, if someone bought a book several years ago from Amazon and they are still offering similar books today, then that would be poor item churn.  Today, Google throws out millions of ideas all the time to millions of users and has excellent item churn.  Each time a person visits they can see fresh ideas and new items that they may express interest in.  If you can offer new ideas at a decent rate, then it may be worth it.

 

As for other systems, such as Facebook’s Like system or Google’s +1 format, these are the sort of designs that you should definitely implement.  Rather than recommending products, people are recommending things your business posts or offers.  These systems tend to be tied into the social networks, so there’s nothing you have to worry about when it comes to implementing them.  Don’t be afraid to ask people to +1 something or Like a post.  The more this happens, the more people will see your business overall, which is exactly what you want.

 

If it costs money to craft a new recommendation system into your site, you may want to take some time to think about it.  By using some of the social versions instead, you can earn more customers overall.  It may be more beneficial to take this route and then encourage them to sign up for email alerts, which you can then use to offer them various new products and ideas – complete with a discount or other enticement to bring them back to your business door.

Posted by Leslie on February 10th, 2012 | Email | Print |

Want to sell more? Think like a consumer

Fact: The average person does not like being told what to buy.

 

People like recommendations.  They like options.  They love possibilities.  Whether their friend tells them about a new book they read, or a co-worker mentions a product switch they made, people take these notes into account the next time they head out to shop.

 

The problem with many advertisements and marketers is that they don’t truly take the consumer into consideration.  Instead they go by what they think they know, which is often data and various statistics.  However, people are much more than numbers.  Many companies have realized this and either begun with a different design in mind or changed their selling techniques to better reflect what consumers are looking for.

 

A few good examples include Method, Moosejaw, and Zappos.com.  Method is a successful eco-friendly cleaning product company.  But instead of trying what everyone else has done, they took a completely different direction with their company.  They aimed to put their products in chic-looking bottles and containers to appeal to people who did cleaning.  They went green to avoid harsh chemicals and noxious fumes.  People flocked to Method and other big name companies like Clorox were forced to take notice – and to change their own designs.  Method doesn’t have any television advertising at all and instead only makes a few fun ads here and there that they use social networking to promote.

 

Moosejaw focuses on outdoor apparel and supplies.  People are always clamoring for great customer service and Moosejaw delivers it on multiple levels.  You can call, email, or chat online with representatives to get your issues resolved quickly and efficiently.  Moosejaw employees know how to make people happy by not only getting issues fixed, but making sure customers have a positive experience, whether that means joking with them or throwing in a little something extra like free shipping.

 

Zappos.com knew about the benefit of free shipping for all before many other companies would ever consider it.  Customers get free shipping, no strings attached, and within 4-5 business days.  They don’t even make you pay for shipping if you have to return something.

 

Instead of just advertising and telling customers what they should be buying, it’s time to think just like them.  After all, you already are a consumer yourself!  What would you want to see in a company that yours currently does not offer?  What changes can you make that will make people talk about you long after their personal experience with you is over?

Posted by Leslie on February 3rd, 2012 | Email | Print |