Recently Twitter has been adding more features to their core platform. It used to be that in order to share an image you had to use a third party service like twitpic, yfrog, or mobypicture. Now you can share photos inline with the Twitter interface. Similarly, Twitter also announced their own link shortener called t.co. Allegedly more secure and definitely shorter than bit.ly or tinyurl.com. Is it better? Who knows at this point I still like bit.ly for their clean interface and ability to track clicks. But I’m sure going to try it. You should too and tell me what you prefer and why in the comments below.
Posts Tagged ‘Marketing’
New Twitter ad ons
Friday, September 2nd, 2011
Part II – 10 Things You Can Do to Improve Your Web Site
Monday, September 6th, 2010Top Ten Ways to Make Your Web Site Shine
1. Craft a clear and concise message. As you write the copy that will entice and engage your potential buyers, use active language that will speak directly to their desires. Remember the WIIFM factor (What’s in it for me?). I guarantee that your audience will be asking themselves this question. Your text should immediately answer this and draw in your audience—making them want more, leading them toward your call-to-action where you convert traffic into revenue.
2. Write snappy headlines and pithy bullet points to grab your readers’ attention. These are the first copy a person will read—a well-written headline could be the difference between engaging your audience and getting the sale or losing your reader. For your bullet points concentrate an 3 to 5 benefits that will pique their interest and draw them deeper into your site.
3. Use imagery to create a visually enticing message. Carefully selected imagery will not only break up an otherwise overwhelming block of text, it will tell your readers what the text is about. Use images that support your message and they will be more likely to read further.
4. Color! Color is perhaps the most powerful tool an author can use to draw in an audience. Color effects us on a primal level and can often determine whether someone will buy or not buy. For example: red, yellow and orange are great action colors—you would use them for your BUY NOW button. Blues, greens and lavenders are calming colors and do not attract the eye immediately. Also – be sure you know your audience before you choose the color palette that will drive the feeling of your site—color evokes emotion.
5. Take advantage of your most valuable Real Estate. In Western Culture, we are a linear society and when we surf the web, we tend to read in a z-like fashion from the upper left hand corner of the screen to the right—these are two great places for your strongest message or your call-to-action. Perhaps a 3D image of your book with a buy now button beneath it.
6. Compile a list of relevant keywords phrases. These are words that your audience may input into a search engine when looking for a product like yours (even if they know nothing about you). Strategically sprinkle these words and phrases throughout your web site concentrating on well-written, relevant copy that will attract both your audience and the search engines.
7. Stay in touch! Offer a free report or a top ten list to entice people to sign up for your mailing list. The more often you connect with your audience, the more likely they will be to remember you and remember to tell others about you.
8. Develop a sales funnel. Your web site should lead your buyer toward a sale. An effective use of copy, images, color, and read more buttons will in fact create that funnel and convert traffic into revenue.
9. Track your traffic! Know where your audience is coming from and from which page they are exiting your web site. This is the only way you can gauge the effectiveness or your marketing efforts and know that your sales funnel IS—or, is NOT working.
10. Experiment! Sometimes a simple change can make a world of difference. By simply changing the placement, or color of a button, we have seen conversion rates triple. If you know your audience and you track your traffic consistently, you can strategically turn your web site into your most powerful marketing tool!
You can also watch Part I of the Ten Things You Can Do to Strategically Improve Your Website video on my home page.
Blogging Demystified – Why Blogging Drives Traffic
Tuesday, May 11th, 2010Articles about Blogging are for the most part boring. It’s the same story over and over: you should be blogging—blogging drives traffic—blogging is a great marketing tool…. And yet, most bloggers quit after a few weeks, or worse yet, never get started.
There are a slew of reasons people have for not blogging: I don’t have time. It doesn’t seem to be doing my site any good—no one reads my blogs? I don’t know what to blog about.
The truth is, blogging does help drive traffic, blogging will build your audience, and it will establish your name in the marketplace! The trick is this: you have to be patient and consistent. You won’t see results right away, in fact, it can take up to a year before your blog builds a steady and loyal following—but it will, and that’s the exciting part.
Admittedly, when you first start blogging, it may seem like you are stuck on a desert island pontificating to the palm trees. Persevere!! Those smoke signals will reach your market eventually, and here’s the best part: even if no one reads your blogs, search engine spiders do. Here’s how it works: the more you blog, the more relevant content (and keywords) you have for crawlers to index.
Let’s say for example you are trying to increase your ranking for the term “kids and guns.” Google will rank your site for this term if it appears in your site frequently and it is relevant to the other content of your site. The best way to ensure relevance for this term is to blog about it frequently—don’t overdo it though, always blog as if you are speaking directly to your audience, saying the same thing over and over is boring. Even if you don’t think you have an audience now, you will. With this example, after a few months of blogging, your site might start to appear in the search engines for “kids and guns,” and slowly people will start to find you, read your blog, and tell others about you. If your content is relevant to this topic, readers might subscribe to your RSS feed or book mark your blog.
You see, it’s not really about how many people are commenting on your blog—although it’s certainly nice to get feedback. In the beginning, it’s about creating content! You know that saying, if you build it they will come? Well, this is true, but you have to upkeep your blog by adding new content a minimum of once a week—otherwise the cobwebs will build up and no one will ever visit your blog—believe it or not, Internet spiders and crawlers don’t like cobwebs (bad Internet humor).
Chances are, if your inspired your readers will be too.
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