SEO Tip #437: Blog Comments

Tuesday, 21 February 2012 04:45 Written by Matt

When conducting search engine marketing, the quality and quantity of backlinks leading into your website provide the search engines something upon which to base your authority metric, bumping you up in the search results.

When making blog comments on sites that compliment your own, remember to mention your keywords 2-3 times, as well as your location (if pertinent.) Don’t be spammy. Make sure you are bringing value–or at the very least, validation–to the author’s blog.

Have patience: sometimes it takes a while for comments to be approved by the blog owners (if ever at all.)

In support of your efforts,

Matt

P.S. – More SEO tips and online marketing ideas to be found at Marketing Ideas 101.

Radio Interview: Branding and the Link Between Like and Trust

Monday, 12 December 2011 03:26 Written by Matt

The Balancing Act of Branding

The following is a short excerpt from a 30-minute radio interview with Michael Rogers, Vice President of Communications for the Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM). The interview explores branding and the link between like and trust as initially discussed in Matt’s article published by SBAM in their October issue of their Focus magazine. The SBAM article was a distilled version of Matt’s article, The Quest for Ye Old Logo.

[Michael] Matt you wrote a really good article for our SBAM Focus magazine called “The Link Between Trust and Brands,” so I’m going to use some of the elements of that as our template for the rest of our interview. Tell us in this segment, what is branding?

[Matt] Branding is the phenomenon that happens in the minds and hearts of a consumer. So oftentimes when you ask people about branding they think well, you know, here’s my logo; this is what it is. Here’s my business card, or here’s our flier, here’s our web site.

Branding is something that everybody goes through it. All brands go through it regardless of whether you are aware of it or not, it’s happening to your brand.

Oftentimes, people who don’t have a million dollar budget, they don’t focus on their brand as much. They’re focusing on the operations of their company. They’re focusing on building the company and focusing on really setting down and defining your brand is something that’s a little out there. It’s a little airy.

Well, branding—if you do it right—it resonates with the consumer. And the reason for branding, the reason for paying any attention to your brand, is to build the bond of loyalty and trust that you can establish with a passerby—anybody in your audience—anybody out there in the marketplace who may be a future customer of yours. Even your current customers; your brand helps reinforce the connection with them. So to neglect the brand is probably one of the chief sins you can have while you’re in business for yourself.

[Michael] It seems like we’re really talking about—image—the identity of your company is what the brand establishes.

[Matt] The brand is a promise. The brand is—think of an iceberg where you’ve got the top of the iceberg, the part you can see is your logo, your business card, your fliers your web sites—all the stuff that people normally associate with your brand.

Well, below the water—the largest mass of the iceberg—is your promise. It’s how you’re conducting business. It’s how you’re reaching out and touching your customers. It’s those little touch points throughout the day, throughout the week, throughout the month, throughout the year, where people experience you as an organization and they get a sense for, “This is who this organization is. This is their brand.” So it starts with the culture, it starts with the promise—internally—and it reaches outward into the marketplace.

If you do not go into branding with that awareness, you’re starting with just logos and business cards—you’re starting with the lipstick instead of taking care of the inside. You’re starting with the cosmetics.

[Michael] What happens if your sense of the brand as the business owner conflicts with what your customers perceive as the brand?

[Matt] Well then, you’re not doing a good job of branding! But certainly within an organization it should be a reflection of the ownership; it should be a reflection of the management.

So one of the first things we do when we start to talk to companies about their branding, is we get to know the owners, because they’re the folks who are building the company. Yes, it’s being built at the grassroots level, by anybody in the whole organization as a whole, but there’s the management and they’re the ones driving direction of the organization. It’s going to be a top-down culture typically, unless you’re trendy and getting into some different models, but in the past it’s been top down, and that’s where the culture starts from.

So oftentimes you’re looking up at your leadership for direction on how you conduct business on a day-to-day basis. If the leadership doesn’t care about a business, well that’s going to be reflected in your culture, and that’s going to be reflected in your brand and that’s going to be reflected in your relationships with your customers.

[Michael] Matt, what do you see maybe as a couple keys to successful branding?

[Matt] Whew. Start with square one. You have to know who you are as an organization before you can even draft a cool logo that reflects what the rest of your organization looks like to the outside world. You have to start with who you are.

Did Your Web Traffic Go Down This Week?

Friday, 18 November 2011 06:48 Written by Matt

Traffic to a website ebbs and flows. It’s like watching a stock you just bought. Look at it every day and it will slowly drive you crazy. Weekly and monthly views help to maintain a good pulse, but we want to see gradual increases in page position; that’s the key.

Converting Prospects to Customers

Tuesday, 04 October 2011 17:48 Written by Matt

Folks, a Lansing-based photographer specializing in wedding and event photography has given me permission to post this conundrum to you. First is his challenge. Next is the advice I gave him. Any other ideas or corrections? Enquiring minds want to know.

The Photographer’s Challenge

I had several contacts [leads generated by his website] last week, but I notice a troubling pattern reoccuring from last year. The pattern is this:

I receive requests for information,
I provide the information,
I follow up with a call to verify that they received the information and
I never hear back.

I usually do not do a second follow up contact as I believe this borders on harassment. I have yet to get a conversion from a web contact and I’m really questioning why I can’t get the conversions and even more troubling why I never receive confirmation of receipt of information. I always have concerns over e-mails going into spam or junk mail folders, which is why I follow up with a phone call and ask them to return the call or send me an e-mail. It’s very troubling when I lose them at this point. It doesn’t do me much good to have a lot of traffic to the website if I can’t make any conversions or lose them after I am contacted.

[At which point, I asked him for an example of what he sends his prospects. He sent the following example:]
_____________________________

Hi Stacey:
Thank you for the wedding photography inquiry, and congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

My pricing for weddings and receptions is service based, and based upon the type and amount of coverage you want. Here are the packages I offer:

Package 1, $3600
Two photographers
Unlimited Coverage of your wedding and reception (no limitation of hours). Coverage includes rehearsal dinner, pre-ceremony, ceremony, post ceremony posed photos, post ceremony outdoor photography, and reception.
Free Photo Booth at your reception.
Slideshow of Photo Booth photos during your reception
Fully edited and full resolution digital photographs with full rights.
Uploading of all photos to client proofing site for review of photos and purchase of special products.

Package 2, $2600
One photographer
Unlimited Coverage of your wedding and reception (no limitation of hours). Coverage includes rehearsal dinner, pre-ceremony, ceremony, post ceremony posed photos, post ceremony outdoor photography, and reception.
Fully edited and full resolution digital photographs with full rights.
Uploading of all photos to client proofing site for review of photos and purchase of special products.

Package 3, $1500
Two photographers
Limited Coverage of your wedding and reception (up to 6 hours). Coverage includes pre-ceremony, ceremony, post ceremony posed photos, post ceremony outdoor photography, and reception (as time allows).
Fully edited and full resolution digital photographs with full rights.
Uploading of all photos to client proofing site for review of photos and purchase of special products.

Package 4, $1000
One photographer
Limited Coverage of your wedding and reception (up to 6 hours). Coverage includes pre-ceremony, ceremony, post ceremony posed photos, post ceremony outdoor photography, and reception (as time allows).
Fully edited and full resolution digital photographs with full rights.
Uploading of all photos to client proofing site for review of photos and purchase of special products.

In addition to expanded coverage of your events, two photographers allows us to provide you with some special services. These special services include a photo booth set up at your wedding (a great way to entertain your guests before and during the reception) and a “first photo” (a framed photo of your first picture as husband and wife). The first photo is printed on site and we can frame it with a wide mat for your guests to sign.

Products
There are a lot of different products to choose from with a large number of variations on each specific product. Since you will have your files provided to you digitally, you can create these special products yourself, or we can assist you. One product I highly recommend is a photo book. A photo book can be designed with 20 or more pages and can be bound in either soft covers or hard covers. The number of photos per page can range from 1 to six. There are a numerous layout and themes available. The size I prefer is 10 X 13. Photo books are very easy to create and have excellent print quality. Prices for photo books would range from $85.00 and up, depending on the number of pages, and options you choose. If you opted for a photo book, you would also be able to create a digital slideshow (with music) to share with your friends and guests. Turnaround times on photo books are very quick (approximately one week).

If you wanted to opt for a more traditional album, the prices would range from $100 to $400 per album, again depending on the size, layout, cover (suede, leather, etc), type of binding, and other options.

Other popular products include prints, print gift boxes, prints on metal, standout prints, prints on canvas etc. We also do custom framing and matting and can also create framed photo collages.

Your products can be created at any time. I have examples of the products I mentioned, if you are interested in seeing them and discussing them in greater detail. Once I know the special products you are interested in, I can provide you with more accurate pricing.

I participated in the Lansing Bridal show in September and offered a free engagement photo session or “save the date” photo session for all confirmed bookings. This offer expires on December 31, 2011.

Please let me know if I can be of further assistance or if you would like to confirm my availability.

John

_____________________________

My Off-Cuff Marketing Advice

John,
What’s good about this:

1. You begin your pricing introduction from highest to lowest.

2. You offer other products at the end.

What I feel could be improved:

1. By removing a few dollars from the prices, you make the appearance of being more affordable. For instance, $995 looks a lot better than $1,000 even though it’s only a $5 difference.

2. Too much unnecessary talking about the additional products. People bent on price need to identify the value quickly, so use numbers, colons and bullets where you can. An example:

_______________________________

The Forever Package: $3595 (use romantic names instead of cold numbers.. The Honeymoon Package, Wedding Bells, Endless Love, etc.)

Photographers: 2 fulltime. Two fulltime professional photographers recording one of the most important times of your life. As one of the most important investments you can make, your wedding photos will be passed from you to your children, to your grand-children and for generations to follow.

Coverage: UNLIMITED.
Includes:
- engagement photos (if desired)
- bachelor/bachelorette parties (if desired)
- rehearsal dinner,
- pre-ceremony,
- ceremony,
- post-ceremony posed photos,
- all outdoor photography, and
- reception.

Photo Booth: Included. Capture your guests well-wishings on digital video at your reception! Huge fun for all! Portraits included.

Photo Booth Slideshow: Included. See the photobooth videos and photos of your guests during your reception. Quite entertaining!

Terms: Unlike many other studios, with John Douglas Photography you receive the fully-edited high-resolution digital photographs with full rights. We upload all photos to our client proofing site for your review. From here you may select only the images you want and may purchase additional products such as custom photobooks, apparel and more.

_______________________________

3. OPTIONAL: Show pictures of the products on your website. You can also list all products on your website, so long as the value is easy to see. If the client’s have to do a lot of reading or calculating, you’ll hurt yourself more than help yourself. Don’t worry about your competition pricing you. You provide the shoppers with the info they want and if they call you after seeing your pricing, now they’re really qualified. If you do this, however, you have to really show value.

4. Budget has to be one of the questions on the questionnaire if you choose to approach prospects with a questionnaire like we do. If you don’t know their budget, you don’t know their comfort level and you can’t tailor a plan to suit them. I’ve heard competitors talk about squeaking more out of people and maybe they’re right, but we try to fit our clients’ budget. Period. Otherwise, you run the risk of producing sticker-shock and they stop listening. Or, the price is too low and they become underwhelmed and the don’t see your value. Always get people to state their budget if you can.

5. With high-ticket items, the term “FREE” tends to cheapen the offer instead of building value. Try using “Included” instead.

Ultimately, I would still recommend using the questionnaire approach to help sift real prospects from casual shoppers. It also gives you a way for you to let them build their own package if they can “a la carte” their own plan after being introduced to all that you provide (without prices). Then you contact them to answer further questions or to meet, if possible, and bring a contract with price sheet with you or (easiest) email the quote/contract to them for them to sign off on and collect the opening deposit.

We probably have a 40-50% close rate using the live discussion-questionnaire-proposal/contract method. Talk on the phone when appropriate to build rapport and trust, which is especially important with the work you do for your clients.

Hope this helps, John.

In support of your efforts,
M
_______________________________

Your Thoughts?

p.s.- You get double-word-score points for posting your thoughts at both here and the ‘Ideas – Market Yourself‘ LinkedIn group. I’ll forward the final list of marketing ideas to the photographer. Thank you all!
M

71

Wednesday, 31 August 2011 02:33 Written by Matt

Knowing you don’t know is wholeness,
Thinking you know is a disease.
Only by recognizing that you have an illness
can you move to seek a cure.

The Master is whole because
she sees her illnesses and treats them,
and thus is able to remain whole.

~Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

66

Wednesday, 31 August 2011 02:19 Written by Matt

Rivers and seas are rulers
of the streams of hundreds of valleys
because of the power of their low position.

If you want to be the ruler of a people,
you must speak to them like you are their servant.
If you want to lead other people,
you must put their interests ahead of your own.

The people will not feel burdened,
if a wise person is in a position of power.
The people will not feel like they are being manipulated,
if a wise person is in front as their leader.
The whole world will ask for her guidance,
and will never get tired of her.
Because she does not like to compete,
no one can compete with the things she accomplishes.

~Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

SiteProNews Video Features 5 Steps to Powerful Article Marketing

Wednesday, 27 July 2011 02:17 Written by Matt

Hmm.. This looks familiar. With my permission, SiteProNews produced this instructional video based on my article, Marketing Mastery Series: 5 Steps to Powerful Article Marketing. Enjoy!

Marketing Mastery Series: Slaying the Myth of Free Shipping

Monday, 25 July 2011 17:24 Written by Matt

Free shipping: Is it really free?

When shopping online, what draws you in most? 1) Free shipping or 2) a lower price for the same product, even if shipping costs later add up to more?

That question, recently asked at the “Ideas – Market Yourself” LinkedIn group and other forums, found close to 80% of respondents said

they are more compelled to purchase when free shipping is offered, or
offering free shipping shows them an increase in retail sales.

While encouraging, there were a couple concerns with this pricing model.

First, let’s be candid: free shipping isn’t usually free. Often, all or part of the shipping cost has been rolled into the product cost. That being said, free shipping is a very effective driver of sales. According to a survey on e-commerce shipping practices taken by Stamps.com:

“64% of respondents report that free shipping, with or without minimum spend, is the most effective promotion they can offer to drive sales during the holiday season, and 53% will be offering free shipping on more products this year compared to last holiday season. More than half (52%) of the survey respondents who use free shipping with minimum spend report their average order size increases by at least $4.” (Stamps.com, 2010).

free shipping chart
During the Ideas survey, one survey participant—a purveyor of fine gourmet cookies—said she always sees an increase in sales when she offers free shipping, however she feels she can’t do it all the time because the rate to ship across country versus across town varies so much (i.e. as much as $5 to $7 per pound.)

Companies may also only offer free shipping on larger purchases. A merchant who sold hot tubs was concerned about increasing his rates. Would a $2,500 hot tub be less attractive if it were marked up to $2,900, even if it came with free shipping? The advice here was to communicate “free shipping” as one of the selling points. An opportunity may even exist to roll in the installation of the tubs, so one price could cover everything a customer needs to purchase a hot tub. Things like hot tub supplies, chemicals, cleaners, parts, service and insurance may continue to be offered as add-on’s, outside the initial free shipping offer.

Would customer trust be higher if a customer knows they have one price to deal with, assured there are no other hidden costs associated with the purchase?

For companies who want to test drive this pricing model, offering free shipping may simply require raising prices. Yes, this is like saying you get the tires for free when you buy the whole car. Is there another way to sustain a long-term “free shipping” pricing model? We all know businesses can’t afford to eat the cost of shipping all the time, so “free shipping” is either offered as

a loss leader promotion with the intent of generating larger sales, or
the shipping cost is rolled into the price of the product, effectively reducing the company’s profit margin, increasing the cost of the product, or both.

We know this, right? Still, we like free stuff—so the gimmick continues to work.

Essentially, your margins have to be there to support the pricing model. If the production cost is too near the competitive market rate for the product (and if that’s the rate you’ve chosen to be competitive with; it may not be,) there may not be enough wiggle-room to reasonably roll in shipping costs. If that is the case, you find peace in knowing free shipping won’t be something you will offer and you turn your attention to other more fitting strategies.

In support of your efforts,

Matt

Random Thought #7 – The Internet is the New Melting Pot

Monday, 25 July 2011 04:42 Written by Matt

Whereas the United States of America was once considered the great melting pot of cultures and peoples, I believe the Internet to be that next frontier. It is within the world online where we are seeing cultures and people accessing and serving one another in growing volumes, no longer restricted by physical distance and joined in relative anonymity, often insulated against any preconceived notions from religious preference, race or physical appearance.

But You ARE Corporate America.

Monday, 11 July 2011 04:30 Written by Matt

The following was part of a recent discussion around compensation and motives shared by corporations in today’s global economy.

“…even when companies provide compensation in the form of diners and luncheons, I believe we all must keep in mind the number one goal of any business it to make money. To be brutally honest, the entire point of compensation is to keep the employee satisfied so that they provide a good service for the company to what? …….to make the company more money. In essence, you can say the business is feeding the horses for the sole purpose to work them; not because they are hungry.”

Right, the company’s ultimate goal is to remain profitable and to grow. This is a goal that needs to walk hand-in-hand with the company’s other goal (hopefully there is another goal): to serve others. A company should exist to make life better for others. Period. If a company doesn’t make life better for others, it’s hurting others.

Yes, a company hopes to inspire its employees to heights of wonderful production. True. But I think good companies aim to inspire other things in their employees, such as loyalty, devotion, creativity, motivation, well-being and happiness. Yes, there is an element of self-interest in any organization; there has to be. Without an attachment to its own survival, it would be that much easier for that company to falter and die; at which point, its employees would be out of their jobs!

If you consider your own body to be an organization of cells, split into teams (organs, muscles, bones, etc.), don’t you have a self-interest in how things operate within your own “company”? Don’t we tend to pay minimal attention to our different parts until something creates pain? Then we seek to correct the pain as quickly as possible, right? Don’t we try all sorts of things to try to eek more performance out of our bodies? (Well, some of us do.)

I offer that companies are merely extensions of the human experience, so it’s only natural that they should take on human characteristics such as self-interest, greed, dysfunction, altruism, inspiration, pride and generosity.

Thoughts?
M