One of the best ways to have a great web destination is to provide your audience with great content that’s updated regularly. But what if you don’t have the time to write or find joy in making videos? Even if you like creating content, you still might be at a loss on what to create. How can you provide value and build your audience? Don’t give up, create an online list.

Online Lists are Content Too

Why a list? Here are some reasons that make online lists a good choice:

• Lists can be easy to create
• People love lists
• They are easy for your audience to consume (read, save, use)
• Most online lists don’t require a lot of creativity to develop

Pick a topic where you have knowledge, expertise, or enthusiasm. If it meshes well with your business or target market, great, if it doesn’t that can be OK too. You are looking to create relationships, not close sales (at least not right away). Think about who would be interested in your list – where online can they be found online? Publish your list in a location that makes sense. For example, posting an online list of must-have blog plugins on Facebook might not make sense unless you’ve already created a place where bloggers gather on Facebook.

Build it and they will come

Probably not – unless you already have collected an audience who is already interested in your list. Build the list, make sure it’s a good one, and then advertise it- let others know it exists. Start first in the places you think your audience will be, but don’t avoid announcing it in other locations too. If your list is good, your audience will grow and share it with like minded people – driving more people to you and your list.

How it can work

I maintain a list of Twitter accounts in Philadelphia. I use the Twitter list function. Someone follows me and I can tell they are from Philly, I add them to the list – easy and quick. Others can use it to find people who are on twitter in the Philadelphia region.

But what’s my value? It could be argued that similar information can be found from a twitter search or a twitter local search tool.  My difference is that I weed out spammers, porn promoters, and other undesirables. I curate my list. I invest time in considering who I add– not everyone makes the list. Not only does it produce a valuable list, it also builds trust – I’m sharing good stuff.

I also have an online  list of marketing folks – smart people who share a lot and don’t waste your time. I’ve found them over the last few years, why shouldn’t you be able to leverage my experience? Again, it’s about providing value.

Investing time

Does it take time – some, but not a lot. But so does any marketing. Can you get someone else to do it? Sure, but make sure that it’s someone who you want to be a representative of your organization. The author builds a reputation that can grow to be as valuable as the list.

You don’t have to be limited to Twitter – collect friends of a feather (no twitter pun intended) on Facebook, or build a directory of useful sites on your blog or website. Build it, maintain it, but most of all advertise it – let people know that they are on your list, they’ll appreciate it and maybe that goodwill translates into a greater relationship.

Leave a comment – What are some of your favorite lists?

How long before you are forgotten?

One of the greatest challenges in marketing is having your audience retain not just a favorable impression of your business, but one that is strong enough so that they reach out to you when they are ready to buy.

Case in point:

Last summer, my seven year-old daughter attended summer camp, and had a great experience. Every day, without fail, she came home enthusiastic and energized – already primed for the next day of camp.

When camp ended, she was, as they say, one happy camper. Couldn’t wait until next summer and was ready to do it all over again. Five months later it was time to plan for the summer – guess what? She’d lost that lovin’ feeling. Not only had she lost her enthusiasm, but she had no interest in going to that particular camp.

A great experience isn’t enough

What happened? I’m sure it was a  case of out of sight, out of mind. Like most of us, the excitement doesn’t last for 5 months, and lacking any real way for the camp to reach out to the camper during the school year, there was no way to keep the memories at the top of her mind. It’s clear that a great experience is important, but it isn’t enough.

What it means for you

It’s not just summer camps that have this problem – anyone who has a product or service that is consumed infrequently runs the risk of fading from your customers’ hearts and minds. What to do?

This is where online marketing and social media shine. Whether it’s a Facebook Page or an email newsletter, a well thought out engagement strategy can make sure that your happy clients remember you, and make it easy for them to reach out to you when they are in that all-important shopping mode.

Once upon a time, web page load speed was something only webmasters and hopeless perfectionists cared about. If it was really horrible, you’d tell the web team to find the problem and fix it, but otherwise, slow was OK – the internet provider would take the blame anyway.

That was then

But things have changed. Anyone responsible for or who cares about online marketing results should quickly develop an intense interest in how fast your organization’s web site loads. Here’s why:

1. Your visitors care – stable, nearly ubiquitous high speed connections are now the norm. When there’s a page load problem, its no longer assumed to be the internet provider. Users are going to blame the site owner. Site visitors have become accustomed to web sites that load quickly. If yours doesn’t – they leave.
2. Google Cares – In April, Google announced that it was adding page load speed as one of its signals for search engine results rank. You can read the details here. Needless to say, if Google cares, you should too.
3. Most search engines care too – Yahoo thinks enough about it to provide a tool for Firefox to measure your page speed (YSlow). If Google and Yahoo care, you can bet Bing (Microsoft) cares too.
4. Mobile is gaining importance – If user experience and search engine results weren’t enough, mobile phones are gaining prominence as a source of site visits. While these devices and networks have improved remarkably over the last several years, they still rely on a fairly limited bandwidth and processor to deliver you content – it will affect your user experience – see point 1.

Check it out

Don’t run out and buy a stopwatch – there are some tools that can help you assess your page load speed and fix some common issues:

Google Webmaster Tools – If you haven’t registered your site with Google, do it now. Along with an abundance of useful information Google will provide you its page load speed experience. Browse down to the labs section (left hand column), expand it, and click on “site performance.” Google will show you the history of your page load speed. As you can see below , the effort we spent in March improving our page load speed produced results:

Why About Marketing's Page Load Speed

If you use the Firefox browser there are add-ons that will provide you with not only a “grade,” but also detailed information on issues impacting your page load speed – YSlow from Yahoo! and Page Speed from Google.   Both require the Firebug add-on work.

If you don’t have access to Firefox, drop me a line and I’ll be glad to let you know your grades and major issues.

Photo credit: RBerteig

Marketers, especially social media marketers, have what I like to call a “how problem.”  Too much time and effort spent focusing on the how:

• How to use the tools
• How to get as many followers, friends or connections as quickly as possible
• How to broadcast your message, etc.

before they really understand why.

I don’t know if it’s our society’s preoccupation with the shiny and new, or our incessant need to “cut to the chase.” For whatever reason, people are in such a rush to the finish they consistently forget why they started the race in the first place. When moving full speed ahead, how-to seams necessary, even critical. But those who focus only on the how too often end up in over their head, confused, and frustrated. They either walk away or worse, create a lasting mess.

The “how” is one of the last things you should worry about. Real insight and lasting success occur by getting answers to the “W” questions:

Why – Why are you using social media? What are you trying to accomplish? (yes, you need goals)

What – What are the options and alternatives? What are their strengths and weaknesses? What is the culture of the network? What kind of messaging works?

Who – Who is using the media – are they your target audience? Why and how do they use it?

Where – Where is there a match between your goals, your audience, and the networks? That’s where you should be.

After you’ve decided the “where” then it’s time to learn the tools.

Some will argue that you need to dive into the various sites to learn the ropes and only then can you answer the questions above. They are right, but only to a point. It’s OK to jump in as an individual, watch, learn and even participate. I recommend it. Personal gaffes are easy to work through. But if you are representing a business, the implications of missteps can be much more painful.

Take the time up front answer the why before the how and your businesses’ social media experience will be much more productive.

Photo credit: fontplaydotcom

The following article was originally published in our monthly newsletter, Building Marketing the Works.  Click here to subscribe.

Anyone who knows me knows I’m a tool guy – yard, garage, or on my laptop I like to have the best tool for the job.

Last month I embarked on a “spring renovation” of our deck – badly needed, and at least a year overdue. It ended up being one of those “entire weekend” projects, but it turned out well. While I was in the midst of prepping the deck, I realized that my current project and online marketing weren’t all that different.  Experience, planning, preparation are key elements for success. But having not just the right tools, but the best tools for the job can make all the difference.

Tool choice has an impact on your results

The stain went on well, but as I worked I realized it wasn’t the shiny new paint sprayer that made difference (though I did like using it), it was the time that I spent cleaning and preparing the deck that was key to my success. As I took break, I reviewed my preparation process and was surprised to find that the most effective tool that weekend wasn’t my belt sander or the specialized detail sander I used on the railings, but the simple pole sander I used on the decking itself. For those of you not initiated into the joys of house painting, the pole sander is just what you’d imagine it to be – a sanding pad attached to the end of a pole. Solid, but no great mechanical marvel.

I arrived at the choice of the pole sander though a bit of hard won experience . The last time I had refinished the deck, I had rented a floor sander – what I thought would be the best for the job. But I didn’t like the results – the sander was hard to control, took too long, and most importantly – didn’t produce a great result.

It’s not about the tool, it’s about the result

The pole sander is a decidedly low-tech solution. It took a little more time and a lot more elbow grease. But I had greater control over how the tool preformed and to my surprise, I started to focus on the result instead of managing the tool. All too often the tool, while well intentioned, distracts us from our goals.

In online marketing, especially social networking, the best tool might not be the most automated or “efficient.” Successful online marketing requires building a relationship with your audience. Solid relationships aren’t built overnight or with a rapid-fire tool set. Using tools that value automation over quality or worse yet, distract you from focusing your relationships, won’t end up producing the best result.

This article originally appeared in the April edition of our  monthly newsletter, Building Marketing that Works.  You can subscribe here.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/36894712@N04/ / CC BY 2.0

People will sometimes refer to LinkedIn as your “online resume.” Frankly, it’s a disservice to a very powerful tool. The reach, features, and reputation of LinkedIn can provide you with much, much more. If you are building or growing any sort of business, offline or online, you need to not only have a LinkedIn profile, but a profile that accurately reflects both you and your business.

Why Join LinkedIn?

It’s one of the web’s most credible sources. At last check, LinkedIn had 50 million registered users. That’s an impressive community. But more impressive is the credibility a presence on LinkedIn confers to its members. By encouraging bona fide business use and discouraging inappropriate tactics like spam, it has built a rock-solid reputation for legitimacy. That reputation is transferred to its members. By simply joining, you send out a signal of authenticity.

LinkedIn helps you make a good first impression. It is now common for people go online to learn more about you and your business. Because of LinkedIn’s legitimacy and large user base, individual and business profiles typically show near the top in search engine results pages. For new or small businesses, this might be the only way to show up on the first page of the results without spending significant sums of money.

It’s a rolodex on steroids. Because the site is business oriented, people tend to keep their information up to date. People you want to stay in touch with will move, change jobs, or get a new email address. Chances are they’ll update their profile sooner rather than later. I’m able to keep touch with hundreds of former colleagues from all over the country – relationships built over a decade of consulting projects. Any other means of keeping up would be overwhelming.

And there’s more

LinkedIn allows membership in  groups for associations, products and interests. It has a unique question and answer feature that helps you establish your expertise or get relevant answers to business questions. And for those who create content, it provides the ability to show blog feeds and share slide shows with your network. The benefits are more than can be covered in a single blog post.

But you can’t enjoy any of the benefits unless you are registered and you have a decent profile. You can learn more about LinkedIn here.

Customers, prospects, leads – they no longer exist. At least they shouldn’t when planning for your market. Generational changes, social networks, and the ubiquity of the Internet has turned marketing on its head. The marketers are no longer in control, the buyer is. What once was a one-to-many broadcast/advertising model is quickly morphing into a landscape populated by relationships. Buyers are demanding them and marketers are beginning to understand that they are a necessary for success.

Anyone who’s been in a successful relationship realizes that it can’t be one-way. There has to be give and take.

Who’s Giving?

Smart marketers, that’s who – giving value, giving information, no longer just pushing out an offer, but providing a performance. Apple gets it (as with so many things marketing).  Watch Steve Jobs present the iPad:

Sure it’s a announcement, but it’s more – its performance art.

Consumers are taking in the show – online relationships are morphing into that of an artist and their audience. Today’s buyers not only consume, they comment, they critique, the advocate. They get excited, they chat, spread rumors, and sometimes become part of the show.

What’s a marketer to do?

You already have fans – people are sharing information and opinions about you and  your company, both online and offline – with or without your involvement. To successfully engage your online audience:

• Rethink your approach to your market – who’s your audience?
• Provide value – what does your audience want? How can you provide it?
• Build relationships – plan to communicate not just to, but with your audience
• Think of marketing as more of a performance or a event – what’s your goal and how is your message delivered. Is it ready to be consumed by your audience?
• Allow your fans to be fans – set up ways that your fans can easily communicate with and about you – fan pages, forums, feedback forms, ratings and reviews.

Engage with your audience and deliver the performance they expect and you will be setting the stage for life-long fans.

Blogs can help you establish credibility and generate leads for your business. But be careful: who’s getting the credit for all your hard work?

Creating content can be expensive. Whether you’re posting a professionally shot video, a self-shot video post, or text post that you’ve labored over to get just right, you’ve invested your time and/or money. Is your website or domain getting the long-term search “credit” for your effort? If you are posting your content to a third party blogging platform (like WordPress.com or Blogger), you aren’t. Don’t get me wrong – they and other hosts are solid platforms and easy to use – but if you are trying to build a business through your blog they could be holding you back.

The location of your content does matter

Some will argue that if the content is good, people will find you and link to that content.  They’re right – but guess what – the all-important search engine “credit” all goes to the host (the all important part of the web address right before the “.” – www.yoursite.wordpress.com). So big deal, you have inbound links and people are paying attention – why should you care? Two very good reasons:

1. If you are blogging for your business and you have a website, it’s not getting any significant search benefit. When you link back to your business, you might get clicks. But as far as search engines are concerned, the 3^rd party blog content is only distantly related to your primary website through those links. Content on a blog within your domain gives the entire domain credit.
2. Even if you don’t have a website, someday you might want to take your blog to the next level – do something the 3^rd Party Host won’t easily allow, or allow at all. You will want to move to your own domain. The larger your blog, the bigger the pain. You can post links to your new blog, or even copy your old posts over to the new blog. But guess what? You’ll lose most of the benefit of all that good content. The old content on the new site will never be ranked as highly on the search engines as the content on the old site.

What to do

If you are just starting out – start right with your own blog. If you are already established on a host platform, not all is lost. You should explore moving  to a self-hosted set up as soon as you can. Not sure what’s involved, contact us, and we’ll help you figure it out.

Some people are concerned that owning a blog can be a difficult and expensive. If you are already blogging on a hosted platform, you’ve mastered the difficult stuff. Hosting isn’t nearly expensive or complex as it sounds. If you are just starting out there are plenty of sources for examples and coaching (we do that too).

And don’t forget to regularly backup what you own – for a self-hosted WordPress, I use WordPress Database Backup.

Happy blogging.

Photo credit: Web Success Diva

What do social networking and sales have in common? You have to believe it will work.

Last month I was lucky enough to attend a presentation from Dan Caramanico, co-author of  The Optimal Salesperson. His presentation was full of great sales insights, but one of his points really hit home.

Dan pointed out that if salespeople don’t reverse certain beliefs, for example that all customers decide based solely on price, no amount of training will help them break out of their mold. They might try to use what they learned, but they will consciously or unconsciously act to undermine the process, which leads to failure, further reinforcing their already held belief.

Social networking is no different. Unfounded beliefs, unless reversed, will lead to failure. Do you find people (or yourself) putting up barriers to social networking success?

• No one would care what I say
• My customers/clients don’t use that stuff
• I can’t trust our employees to use it responsibly
• It’s all just a big time waster
• It’s just a fad, it’s only for kids
• I have enough friends already (my favorite)

While they are busy avoiding change, others are using social networking to make money and build businesses.

Did I miss any of your favorite barriers to success? Leave me a comment and let me know.

A Blog Success Story

Simplifying a blog’s layout and reducing sidebar clutter drove dramatic improvement in visitor engagement.

Background

Clearing Title (www.clearingtitle.com) is a blog targeted at title insurance practitioners. In existence since 2007, it has a regular readership of real estate and title insurance professionals.

Clearing Title had become cluttered by too many sidebar “widgets” to the extent that it was most likely distracting readers from the content. In addition, the layout and typeface used by the blog’s template made articles difficult to read. We felt that Clearing Title might be losing visitors who were put off by the clutter and distraction.

Action

When migrating Clearing Title from Google’s Blogger to self-hosted WordPress we undertook a radical redesign of the blog site, focusing on the template and the sidebar content.

We selected a commercial template, The Thesis Theme for WordPress, which provided a clean layout and solid typography. As a bonus, the template provides easy configuration for search engine optimization.

After the template was installed, we carefully reviewed the function and the utility of each sidebar item. We selected only items that we felt were truly useful, and reordered them to provide the best utility.

Results

The results were dramatic. Two months after the transition, key engagement metrics had improved:

• Pages per visit up 36%
• Avg. time on site up 112%
• Bounce Rate down 25%

The results have continued to show incremental improvement, further validating the site redesign.

Recommendation

When considering a template for your blog, regardless of platform, remember it’s the content that is the most important part of equation. Pick a template that allows the content to shine through.