Revenue Engineering
Online Sales Tactics
How to Vet Consultants
Dec 7th
NOTE: this video blog post was made in my website development days. The principles apply to any consultant you’re considering hiring.
The barrier to entry in the web development and internet marketing space is low <in any space it’s low>, which makes vetting website and Internet consultants very difficult <with any consultant it’s difficult>. Watch this quick video to learn how to vet website development and Internet marketing consultants <the principles apply to any consultant>.
How to Vet Website Development & Internet Marketing Consultants from Scott Smeester on Vimeo.
What do you think? What have you learned?
Why Your Website May Not Be Viewable In China
Nov 29th
Our website is a brochure website that is meant to be viewable in China. This vid-log is what I learned and how I overcame the challenges I had of deploying and viewing a site meant to be seen in China. Hope it helps somebody 
Increase Trust on Website to Increase Sales
Sep 8th
Today commences a project to overhaul long time client Planet Urine’s website with updated look and feel and new technology. The website is about 8 years old and built with old Cold Fusion (moving to ASP.net). It’s complicated because with such a long history, hundreds of pages have been indexed with search engines and/or have been bookmarked and we do not want to lose that “internet real estate” so I will have to methodically inventory all pages and properly redirect. Initial tests on new look and feel of recent landing pages we’ve been testing (http://www.planeturine.com/2010/Ask-a-Pet-Behaviorist.aspx) has shown increase of conversion rates of 400% or more.
Case Study: Combining a Landing Page and Lead Capture Form
Sep 1st
How much can the conversion rate and word of mouth marketing be increased with a more streamlined road to value?
The previous landing page didn't do much to tell the visitor what they could get.
I did not like the previous lead capture process for my website for Hire Sales Stars, and I didn’t think they were very effective either, mainly because it didn’t have much of a purpose, nor did it provide a way for visitors to reach something of value. It did a fine job of telling the visitor what the site was about, and even gave some great benefits of why this site/company is great, but not much else. I did these pages to get something up in the way of a conversion form, so I did not expect much.
The landing page had a short video of me encouraging the visitor to click the “Get Started for Free” button to move to the next page – the lead capture page. The whole video bothered me; I suspected it turned people off because I’m somewhat higher than the camera and I’ve been told my body language is too bold – an overall intimidating stance.
The previous landing page funneled to a lead capture page
The lead capture page had a nice quote on it, as well as a form that asks only for your first name and email, but that’s it. Nowhere in the process did it say what somebody would get – i.e. why they would want to fill it out, what value they would get, etc.
Granted, the site does not get a whole lot of traffic right now (10 to 15 clicks per day), which is why I also wanted to improve the funnel – to provide much more value - so that perhaps it could get more viral traffic (word of mouth). So I decided to make a free tutorial video available that really would help the a visitor who has problems that this site could help.
Revised lead capture/landing page.
Now, the new landing page and lead capture page has been combined into one page and is now the current home page.
No video and only one simple step. Will it work? I have no idea! What do you think? Do you think that the revised page makes more sense? Do you see what you get?
Social Media Marketing 101: 4 Web Tools That You May Not Have Heard Of, But Should Be Using Now!
Apr 30th
Some days I feel like I might be on social media overload!
Use social media marketing for new sales opportunities
I Twitter, I blog, I Facebook, I check LinkedIn, I write a few responses, and then I take a big chunk of my day and dedicate it to learning new systems or mastering the things that I am using on a daily basis. Once in a while I find some seriously useful and awesome tools that make my life easier; I also have found some very cool things that can help any/every business. Though these may not be “new” to some people, they can be powerful resources if used correctly and even veterans may want to consider reconnecting with the services. Also, next week I will put together a how-to guide for utilizing and leveraging each of these.
StumbleUpon
Most people are familiar with Pandora.com (internet radio) – a service that plays music based on user feedback (thumbs up vs. thumbs down). StumbleUpon works the same way for internet browsing; users choose from a list of topics that they find interesting and StumbleUpon will direct “stumblers” based on what other users have “liked”. Once “likes” have been established, users can “stumble” by using the installed toolbar at the top of their browser. StumbleUpon will also interact with Facebook accounts (not automated – users must activate this feature) to allow “subscribing” to other stumblers that you know; subscribing to other users increases the frequency in which you “stumble” onto sites that they specifically have liked.
I firmly believe that social bookmarking will grow substantially in the next year as one of the most valuable pieces of the social media puzzle. I have seen this service (used correctly and deliberately) create a 2,700% spike in digital traffic in just one day – which resulted in a steady and consistent growth in daily website visitors.
HARO (Help A Reporter Out)
HARO began as a Facebook group that grew quickly. It is now an independent website connecting REAL authors and journalists to credible “experts” in specific topics. Basically, it was designed to help promote FREE public relations and provide new resources for professional writers. HARO is also still developing and evolving; in the future it will offer even more specified topic lists, a database of published articles linking sources to writers, and more.
Registering for this service as a source of information will generate three custom emails per day with lists of topics to be responded to. Professionals in any field would be absurd not to register for this and start responding to topics relative to their niche. The service currently (4/30/10) has nearly 30,000 authors submitting queries and looking for new sources. HARO can be powerful way to organically drive traffic to your site of interested potential clients and customers – get on this NOW!
Meetup
Many people may argue that business is losing the face-to-face human interaction element as we plow through the web 2.0 era; Meetup.com effectively combats this issue. This service is designed to promote human interaction through live groups in your community. Meetup has over 6 million users in 45,000 cities, and it promotes over 180,000 meetings every month spanning 28,000 topics.
Meetup allows visitors and users to search for groups of people based on topics of interests and/or city (zip code). For example: Searching for Business in Denver yields 390 active groups meeting within 25 miles of Denver, CO. Search results also clearly articulate how many members are in the group, where/when the group meets, and what topics are actively being discussed.
Becoming a member is FREE, so users can search, find, and engage peers in their interests at no cost. However, creating and hosting a group comes with a very reasonable price tag, but it is well-worth the investment.
Pluggio
Most “experts” on the topic of Twitter agree that keeping a steady stream of valuable information is a good practice for businesses that use Twitter. Pluggio is a (paid) service that allows direct linking between RSS feeds and your Twitter stream – it also allows you to manage (and “kind of” automate this interaction). Users can direct several RSS feeds into this service, schedule when to forward articles and blogs into their twitter account, and customize these tweets. Basically, it takes a (usually) three-step process and shortens it to one. It does not violate twitter TOS because users must find articles, select them, and manually click them into the “queue” of tweets. Users can even manage how often and between what hours tweets go out.
Pluggio is very simple and very useful. I recommend personalizing the blogs and articles you are promoting, as it is very easy to seem like a “bot.” Simple notes at the beginning of a tweet that indicate the value of the article to you and/or why it was put into the stream will make a world of difference. Also note that this is not to replace working on twitter to maintain interactions with followers.
Shifting Demographics Can Help Business
Apr 26th
Sometimes you may find your demographics evolving naturally – embrace the change and capitalize on it.
Business experts advocate clearly knowing your business’ target demographic – knowing who you want to buy your products simply makes sense. Companies that understand what kind of people are primarily buying the products and service will excel even more if/when they begin focusing marketing to that demographic.
Even global companies can find that their target demographic might not be “who” is buying their product. A great example of this phenomenon (on a massive level) is Old Spice – a leading company known for male hygiene and toiletries products. Old Spice found that, though their products are for men, women do most of the buying when it comes to their product – this statistic inspired the February 2010 advertisement, “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.” The campaign depicts a handsome man speaking directly to women about how their male counterpart could (at least) smell like man in the advertisement. Old Spice learned from their market research and adjusted accordingly.
Unfortunately, not all business can afford official market research, but you can pay close attention to trends with your business. Through our social media interactions (predominantly Twitter), Smeester & Associates is finding that 78% of our “buzz” is coming from women over the last 30 days. This is great news for us for several reasons, most importantly because we enjoy and value working with women in business. This information will result in an increase in our marketing and interactions focusing on an even more targeted demographic than it has been before.
Business owners that are not effectively tracking their clients, sales, and interactions should start immediately. Keeping a close eye on who is talking about you can provide clear and invaluable information that can help business. Above all, it is wise to know who you want to do business with and who you actually are doing business with.
Image CreditNote to Self: The Path to the Promise Land
Apr 26th
I see with my own eyes how the average Joe – me – ended up at a video conferencing guru’s website (becoming a potential). What was the path? What was the decision making process? It is further evidence that participating does work.
Note to Self: The Path to the Promise Land from Scott Smeester on Vimeo.
Social Media Marketing 101: Blogging In Theory And Practice [5 reasons why you need to start blogging]
Apr 22nd
For social media users, blogging is the most important tool for creating relationships with your clients and customers.
Spread the good news of your business with blogging
1) Share who you are
With information readily available about you and your company, people naturally want to do their business with companies that have a face – the human element is returning to business. Blogging allows you a forum to share who you are with your audience. The most recognizable bloggers and social media experts all agree that blogging is about authenticity and promoting remarkable content.
For so long being professional has superseded being yourself in the business world, and now (with social media) individuals and businesses are being encouraged to let their authentic personality shine through. There is still the need to monitor the message being sent, but presenting your thoughts, beliefs, and values is an absolute must.
2) Give people a reason to come back
Keep up with your blog! Maintaining regularly generated new content gives readers an opportunity to come back. When readers come back, the relationship begins to develop; that relationship can turn into business. Posting (at least) three times per week encourages readers to “stay tuned” if they find your content to be accurate, credible, and helpful.
With tools like google reader, people can “subscribe” to your RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed and get updates when new content is posted. This also means that you should definitely make a link on your web page to your RSS feed so that users can follow your great content.
3) Expand your digital real estate
Each blog post that you create adds another page to your digital network, and thus expands the potential sales net. The more opportunities people have actually find you, the more likely you are to naturally be found. As you create diverse content that illustrates your business, more traffic can find its way to your website.
Most blogging websites also offer SEO (Search Engine Optimization) packages. When maximizing your blogs SEO, make sure to put in appropriate keywords to your website, business, and blog topic. Organic traffic through search engines is some of the BEST traffic that sites can get.
4) Maximize your credibility
Maintaining credibility can be as difficult or as easy as you want it to be. Credibility will come through showing your audience your expertise. If you know that you are one of the best resources of information available for people – let that knowledge shine on your blog. Create a schedule of topics that you want to write about based on your existing expertise and skill set.
5) Share your passion
The primary value of blogging is in the opportunity for you, the writer, to get excited. If you are discussing relevant topics to your business, shouldn’t you naturally get excited about your passions? Letting your passion shine through will push your credibility through the roof, because people get behind and support passion and excitement.
Blogging is a critical piece of the social media marketing puzzle. Now is the time to start if you haven’t already, and to recharge your blog if you have been working on it for a while.
Social media marketing leads to sales, and sales research and development is part of what Smeester & Associates does. Contact us for more information about how to recharge your business and increase revenue.
Image Credit
6 Quick Tips For Overcoming Blogcentric Writer’s Block
Apr 15th
“Curtis, can you… maybe… I don’t know… write me a blog today?” – Scott Smeester. Why yes, of course I can!
Blogging is a crucial part of developing your digital identity; it provides an opportunity for you to share your thoughts, beliefs, practices, ideas, and more with the public. For businesses, creating a steady stream of blogs expands digital real estate, creates more opportunities to be found, and is an all-in-all better business practice to increase the human-element of business. However, maintaining good and remarkable content can be a bit strenuous.
Six easy things for overcoming blogcentric writer’s block:
1) Make a schedule
At least once a month create a schedule of when blog posts are to be published. Creating a list of keywords can generate a list of topics in advance, which will also provide more structure; maintaining a cohesive thought process naturally increases your potential subscribers. When the title of a blog includes “part 4 of 5,” people tend to wonder what happened in the previous three posts and what comes out next.
2) Talk about what is happening NOW
Important and remarkable things happen to you and your business every single day. Write about and reflect upon the powerful things that come up. For example: If you have a great sales call that leaves you with some interesting points to review, then get them written down! One of the greatest values of blogging is the ability to share these experiences and what you have learned with people.
3) Conduct an interview
There are people that you know, right now, with a great story to be told. Finding and interviewing a person relating to your niche can be a wonderful opportunity to create some serious content and revitalize you with new ideas to write about. Interviewing professionals can also help boost some natural traffic to your blog and website.
4) Make a list
Practicing what I preach… right now. Clearly, you have methodologies, systems, and information that makes your life easier – group some of these things together and construct a list of helpful tips, tools, and/or resources to help others. If that doesn’t work for you, then maybe make a list of the top 10 professionals in your field and why you think they are absolutely crushing it right now.
5) Write a follow-up
Remember that great blog you wrote a few days/weeks/months ago? Try critically analyzing some of the feedback that you received from a buzzworthy piece you did in the past; create a secondary piece on the same subject that revisits the topic and includes new information.
6) Ask yourself and/or your audience a question
The content for one of our most read blogs came from posting the question, “What is selling right now?” Honestly, we barely had to write the response due to the incredible volume of responses.
- What is something that I learned today?
- Where do I want to be in 6 months, and how am I going to get there?
- What makes me the very best at what I do?
- What is the most important thing to me and my business?
Even the most passionate and articulate people can have moments, even days, when great content doesn’t pour out of them, so don’t get too distressed. The most important thing that you can do when facing a mental block is to START; just relax, get something written or recorded, and the rest will likely fall into place.
Smeester & Associates offers strategic growth planning and social media marketing solutions. Contact us for more information regarding solutions that can change the way that you do business.
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Social Media Marketing 101: How Facebook Can Help You Make Money
Apr 12th
Facebook currently has over 400 million users worldwide and more than half of those users log in every single day. With this many people participating, why wouldn’t you try to market yourself and your company on it?
Using Facebook for business might be easier than most people think. As part of the social media revolution, it has been designed to be easy to use and to help expand your personal/professional network. Utilizing this resource can make a world of difference for your business with a little patience, a fresh approach, and the ability to shamelessly promote yourself and your business.
Why use Facebook?
Facebook allows you to communicate and interact with people that are interested in what your business has to say and offer. The social media power-house also provides the opportunity to communicate without the micro-blog (160 characters) limitations.
Three easy ways to utilize and leverage Facebook
1. Targeted marketing campaigns
- Using specified information about your company, products, and services, you can create a customized customized ad campaign that can reach thousands of people world wide.
- Facebook allows customers to target who sees their advertisements based on user profile information. This allows companies to focus an particular demographics relating to age, gender, marital status, interests, and more.
- Campaigns can be Pay Per Click (PPC) which only charges your company when a potential customer clicks on your advertisement.
- Campaigns can also be Pay Per Impression; this option charges up front based on how many times companies want their advertisement to be seen.
2. Facebook fan pages
- Fan pages expand the digital real estate and expand the opportunity for potential customers to find a particular business.
- Creating a fan page allows people in your network, current customers/clients, and more to connect with your company. Utilizing fan pages also allows communication and direct interaction with those that are “fans” of your company.
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- A fan page functions like an individual user profile, and provides the creator/administrator(s) access to monitor and control the information and communication on the page itself.
- Communicating through “status updates” allows quick basic information to be quickly disseminated to all of the company’s “fans.”
- Fan pages offer another opportunity to list the company’s contact information, hours of operation, products, services, upcoming events, and more.
- Facebook fan pages also offer a clear opportunity to “review” a company, which allows customers, clients, and related people to provide a rating about their experience.
3. Facebook groups
- The average Facebook user is a member of 13 groups. Groups offer more possible opportunities to communicate, network, increase credibility, and expand participation in social media
- Facebook offers thousands of “groups” regarding a seemingly limitless amount of topics.
- Finding the “right” kind of group will require some creative searching, but once users have found legitimate groups that create remarkable and useful information, the professional opportunities can grow exponentially.
- If there isn’t the ‘right” group for what you are trying to promote, you can create one! Creating a group allows you to moderate and control the subject matter being discussed.
- Groups are a great ways to develop networking possibilities as well as events and opportunities in the real world.
Getting involved in social media is becoming increasingly more necessary for businesses, and Facebook is definitely one of the best opportunities for most businesses today. Facebook demographics are constantly changing and growing, and it is no longer only used by college-aged young adults, in fact the highest percent of users (29%) is aged 35-54. Now is the best time to grow and develop your digital identity, and Facebook is a great opportunity to do just that.
Smeester & Associates offers services to maximize professional Facebook identities. Contact Us for more information.
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