Tasty Marketing Tidbits

5 common mistakes that cost you new business and repeat sales

Buyers are looking for you online. Can they find you? And once they do, are you giving them what they need to make an informed buying decision?

Now that 70% of all purchases start with an online search, it makes good business sense to build a web presence that makes you visible and viable. You can no longer rely on the yellow pages or even a newspaper ad to do the job.

A robust and optimized website helps you attract qualified prospects and turn them into customers. If that’s not happening enough, and you’re wondering why, chances are you’re committing one or more of these 5 costly mistakes:

1. Overlooking the power of keywords and optimization
2. Underestimating the value of good design
3. Failing to provide compelling content
4. Assuming your site is easy to use
5. Failing to craft a compelling marketing message

Common website blunders and how to fix them
Blunder #1 - Overlooking the power of keywords and optimization
Fix - Identify the words and phrases your prospects are using in their searches. Apply these terms judiciously to your website page titles, headlines, subheads and text. This enables search engines to make a relevant match between the searcher and your site.

Blunder #2 - Underestimating the value of good design
Fix - Clear, simple design is critical to your success. It engages visitors and supports your content. Remember, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. And readers decide in about two seconds whether they’ll move further into your site or leave.

Some design elements that help you reel in customers:
o prominent logo and a descriptive tagline in the masthead

o color palette that supports and complements your brand

o easy-to-read sans serif fonts - and please, no large blocks of eye-straining italics

o photos and images that are relevant to your message. Poor quality snapshots make you look unprofessional.

Blunder #3 - Failing to provide compelling content
Fix - Customers come to your site looking for information. Too often, what they need to make a buying decision either isn’t there or isn’t easily found.

You can help them and your business by providing clear, engaging, customer-focused copy. This requires objectivity on your part, to step back and think like your customer.

Here are some additional ways to boost your website’s effectiveness:
o update your content regularly to attract visitors and search engines

o format for readers and skimmers with short paragraphs, informational headlines and subheads for at-a-glance reading

o hire a professional website writer who can build a convincing case for your product or service

Blunder #4 - Assuming your site is easy to use
Fix - Of course you know where to find everything on your website. But will a first-time visitor? When she lands on your home page, Will she easily spot the topic she’s looking for? Even though there are no hard and fast rules for navigation design, best practices have emerged based on extensive usability studies.

Some of the most basic include:
o placing your navigation bar at the top of the page

o providing hyperlinks in your text to lead visitors deeper into the site

o organizing information so readers get the main the message without having to scroll

Blunder #5 - Failing to craft a customer-centric marketing message
Fix - Potential customers come to your site with an agenda, so make sure your copy addresses their interests and needs. Don’t just blow your own horn.

Make it easy for shoppers to say yes by providing a clear path that lets them know what to do next and how to do it.

Are you committing any of these costly errors? One way to find out  is with a Website CheckUp — a new service I’ve launched with a team of content, design and SEO professionals. We evaluate your site and give you a step-by-step plan for turning it into a robust marketing tool.

Hats off to companies serious about making good products, but not to the point of taking themselves too seriously.

A perfect example is Big Ass Fans, a Kentucky-based producer of … you guessed it … enormous industrial ceiling fans.

Led by a donkey mascot named Fanny, the company’s marketing is loaded with playful puns and silly imagery. But don’t worry, the light-hearted approach doesn’t diminish their credibility one bit. Just the opposite — in 2008, Inc. Magazine ranked the company as Kentucky’s fastest growing manufacturing company and one of the country’s 5,000 fastest growing firms.

Web 2.0 builds trust

The company is clearly committed to interacting with prospects and customers on its website. Visitors have posted more than 70 pages of unedited “kudos and complaints” there. They cover everything from product questions to stories about where people first spotted the fans. And a company representative responds, clearing up questions, directing people to customer service and thanking supporters.

Besides lots of product and installation information, the engaging site also features an “ask the expert” email form, FAQs, customer case studies, photos of employees’ pranks and a page that outlines the firm’s charitable efforts. This wealth of content has obvious SEO benefits, but it also adds up to a warm and fuzzy feeling. Check out a few pages, and you feel like you know who these Big Ass people are.  They care about their customers and their community. They’re people you can trust.

Marketing with personality gets remembered

Even though the company’s cheeky name and persona may offend those with the most delicate sensibilities, Big Ass Fans speaks out loud and clear to the facilities managers and construction professionals who are their best prospects. And plenty of folks who will never buy a fan are on board anyway, helping promote the company by wearing the branded t-shirts and baseball caps. No doubt about it, once you’ve heard of Big Ass Fans you’ll be one.

So take a page from the Big Ass marketing playbook. Stick your neck out now and then. Make the effort to truly connect with your customers. A memorable brand personality and authentic communication pays off.

You may think your blog is working its magic. Even while you’re on vacation, current and potential customers are reading your posts and benefiting from your expertise. And your search engine rankings are on the rise, too.

Alas, that might not be so.

Instead, you could be like someone I know, who was unaware of the privacy settings on her blog dashboard. Unfortunately, with no input, the default position was essentially “invisible to the public.” No wonder people weren’t finding my … ahem … her blog.

So if you’re the type who doesn’t have the patience to read the manual or do the tutorial, take a minute and check your blog settings.

I have a website, but not a single search engine has sent me a check. How about you?

Let’s not hold our breath, because no matter how much SEO we employ, spiders and algorithms will never whip out a check or credit card and buy from us.

Fortunately, it’s still those organic creatures – customers – who keep our businesses thriving. So, first and foremost, website content has to serve their interests, not the site-crawling bots’.

Yes, yes, a website must tip its hat to the search engines to rank high enough to be visible. For example, writing keyword-rich title tags and headers go a long way in showing Google your site’s purpose and intended audience.

Just resist the urge to overstuff your pages with repetitious and awkward keyword phrases at the expense of clear, readable copy. Studies show that visitors come to your site with a task in mind, a low tolerance for confusion and an itchy finger on the mouse button.