5 Tips If Your Web Site’s Traffic Slows in Summer Months
Traffic on the Internet slows in the summertime, according to Peter A. Prestipino at Website Magazine. So much so, his article refers to the slowdown as the “Web summer doldrums.” Frankly, I’ve never noticed. But I respect his insights.
From his 10 years experience, he offers five tips for helping your summer Web traffic; they include:
Create 30, 60 and 90-day plans – Mr. Prestipino suggests developing and implementing strategies in 30-day increments.
“The 30-60-90 strategy is ideal as an outline of what you will accomplish, what you want to accomplish, and, finally, what you wish you could accomplish,” he writes.
“In 30 days you will want to have created a media center on your site; in 60 days you will want to have had 10 bloggers written about your website or its products and services, and in 90 days you will want to get coverage from at least one major media news source,” he adds. “There are clearly a lot of steps involved to get there but writing down your plan will get you thinking about how to achieve them. When you plan, you plan to succeed.”
Complete Big Projects – Mr. Prestipino asserts that in the process, you will uncover a challenge that needs to be solved.
“…big projects might be a Website redesign, link building campaigns, conversion testing, etc,” he writes. “When it comes to selecting which big project you want to complete, you’ll need to weigh the potential return against the time commitment and legwork necessary to get the project done.”
He points out the most-complex projects usually don’t provide short-term benefits.
“Decide what would most benefit your business (creating social media campaigns, email marketing campaigns, etc.) and stick with it,” he explains. “When you know what you need and resolve to complete the task, it will make a difference to the bottom line in the near and long term.”
Network until Your Fingers Hurt – He says a good summer-investment of time is working on your connections and contacts.
“If you’ve established a Facebook Fan page, recruit new members,” he writes. “If you’re a LinkedIn user, find colleagues, customers and others in your industry to connect with.”
He believes social media endeavors are vital and it’s important to be uncompromising in your efforts.
“The best place to look might just be in your own customer list and even your own inbox,” he suggests. “Start there and shore up your friend and fan base this summer for long-term Web success.”
Stockpile Information and Ideas – He says even if you want to take easy in the summer, at least start accumulating ideas and information.
“It will undoubtedly be a challenge not to act on the information you encounter on the Web as much of it will probably motivate you to act on the suggestions provided, but doing so will ultimately give you a library of ideas you can leverage in the future,” Mr. Prestipino writes.
He says he always generates about 30 article ideas and another 10 to create revenue for his magazine.
“Stockpiling information and ideas will serve you well when you hit those creative blocks or when you finish one project and want to start another,” he explains. “When you are prepared, your chances of success are that much higher.”
Learn One New Thing – Mr. Prestipino suggests learning at least one new concept.
“Learning is a process,” he philosophizes. “The more you know, the more prepared you are to achieve success — Web success.”
He also invites readers to share their ideas at www.websitemagazine.com.
He deserves a big thumbs-up for his excellent counsel. Actually, his Web site is a must-read if you want timely information.
From the Coach’s Corner, if you haven’t focused on your social-media potential but want to start, why not now?
Search engines incorporate social media activity to assess Web-site relevance, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Business Exchange, Plaxo and Digg, etc.
Whenever possible, synch your social media accounts. Press releases with pictures are beneficial, too.
My salient social links:
Business Exchange: http://cdn.businessweek.com/profile/terry-orbell/tcorbell573/
Tweet: twitter.com/bizcoachinfo
Facebook: www.facebook.com/terry.corbell
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/terrycorbell
More Web strategies:
11 Tips to Make Money on Facebook
Google Insights – 23 Key Questions about Your Web Site
How CRM, SEO Strategies Can Lead to Higher Sales
“Your premium brand had better be delivering something special, or it’s not going to get the business.”
-Warren Buffett
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Terry Corbell is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services (many are available online). For a complementary chat about your business situation or to schedule Terry Corbell as a speaker, why don’t you contact him today?
Marketing to Women? Study Says More Love Social Media
April 11, 2010
In just three years, a major change has occurred in Internet usage – women under 40 love social media and most men in the same age group love it less, according to a study by the University of Southern California.
A published report, penned by Mike Sachoff at WebProNews, indicates the USC research reveals both genders value social media, but younger men are moving onto other interests.
Sixty-seven percent of females under 40 are as passionate about their social media as they are their offline friendships. This compares to 38 percent of males.
This represents a major swing in preferences since 2007. That’s when 69 percent of males and 35 percent of females were passionate about social media.
The research was conducted by Michael Gilbert. Mr. Gilbert’s a senior fellow at the school’s Annenberg Center for the Digital Future.
“Women have been a bit more cautious with new technologies but they generally catch up and often exceed men in their enthusiasm once they’ve had a chance to look around,” WebProNews quotes Mr. Gilbert. “Men tend to charge in to new technologies and the opportunities they enable.”
His research reveals 48 percent of women under 40 use online contacts to create offline friendships. That compares to 36 percent of the same age group of men. This about the same percentage of women in 2006 but reflects a switch in preferences in young men. In that year, 59 percent of males became in-person friendships after Internet introductions.
It is not surprising that both genders have acknowledged the importance of the Web for making connections.
However, it is surprising that men indicate their Web connections are not as important as in 2007, but now 84 percent of them say they contribute “to their Internet community” vis-à-vis only 69 percent for women.
“The survey also found women of all ages have a wider range of online community interests, putting more emphasis on social, spiritual and relationship aspects,” writes Mr. Sachoff. “Gilbert believes these deeper personal and social interests likely account for the increasing importance women place on their online communities.”
So, the obvious Biz Coach conclusion: Social media is an excellent option for marketing to younger women.
From the Coach’s Corner, WebProNews is a terrific source of information, such as “Social Media May Get Much More Convenient for Businesses.”
Breakthrough Strategies to Land Venture Capital in 2010
If you follow eight tactics suggested by premier financial strategist Joey Tamer, my sense is that you will greatly enhance your odds for landing venture capital.
She shares her expertise in a Wall Street Journal blog, Strategies for Finding Venture Capital in 2010.
Ms. Tamer is an expert consultant for early-stage technology and media companies whom I rely upon as an authoritative source on finance-related matters in my Biz Coach columns.
Whatever Ms. Tamer says, you can take it to the bank with confidence.
Need Sales? Use Old School/New School Marketing
A reader, who was a marcom professional, once asked me for help with her employer.
“I’m new to my company as a Marcom professional, but my boss already has high expectations and is pressuring me to generate revenue fast. That includes attacking our competitors. Help!”
It appeared to me her boss was desperate and expected miracles in marketing and communications. If you are in a similar situation, consider until you develop trust and respect from your new employer, you’ve got a tough job.
Otherwise, you’ve got two choices: Find another job or develop a successful strategy and market your ideas to your boss.
Also, the value of marketing is often underestimated and it’s the scapegoat when other factors should be blamed for poor sales. Marketing professionals often complain about a lack of senior management respect or lack of access to the CEO.
What’s more, marketing budgets are the first to be slashed during tough times. Ironically, that’s the time to increase marketing. A marcom professional needs to know how to sell ideas inside the office as well as outside.
Accelerate sales by asking yourself these four questions:
1. What in my past has prepared me to deal with this challenging situation?
2. What is needed short-term and long-term?
3. How can I maximize customer loyalty?
4. What new initiatives are needed?
In other words, use old school/new school thinking.
Del Sharbutt, the legendary broadcaster with a cavernous voice, was one of my radio mentors in the mid-1970s. (Del Sharbutt, 90, a Broadcast Announcer – The New York Times; Del Sharbutt – Entertainment News, Obituary, Media – Variety.)
He was retired when I met him. I was news director at an all-news radio station.
Del’s career included being a news anchor for the Mutual Broadcasting System, which had been the world’s largest radio network. He was an emcee for Frank Sinatra’s big band concerts, and was the creator of two hugely successful advertising slogans: “LSMFT, Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco” and Campbell Soups’ “M’m! M’m! Good.”
When he spoke I listened. Even though my radio station had jumped from last in the ratings race to second place in just one year, it had challenges attracting young women in a competitive California market. Del suggested I interview elementary school kids about what they wanted for Christmas. It was an old idea but the results were astounding.
One of his responses still pays me dividends: “Kid, every experience is a learning experience.”
Hence, the question: What in my past has prepared me to deal with this challenging situation?
For challenges in customer loyalty, I turned to my interest in sports. Defense in sports is a good metaphor for effective customer loyalty programs. Baseball teams win the World Series essentially because of great pitching and error-free play in the field. So protect your turf with a strong customer loyalty program while you also strategize for new opportunities.
A case study of a high-tech company
One of my firm’s clients, a life sciences imaging company, contracted me to analyze why its sales were flat. The marketing manager was frustrated so I suggested that I interview a cross section of their customers. One of the keys was to ask open-ended questions to get comprehensive answers instead of yes or no answers.
The marketing manager liked my research approach, but he only wanted me to talk with the disloyal customers. My goal was to get a snapshot of the big picture – an overview of what all the client’s customers liked and disliked. I persuaded the client to allow me to interview high-volume satisfied customers; second-tier customers; and customers who stopped buying altogether.
The client sent letters to 25 of its worldwide customers to expect a telephone call from me. The most helpful solutions evolved from an interview with one of my client’s biggest customers, who told me: “We like them a lot.” When I asked the customer what he liked the least, he said: “They’re great people and we like everything about them.”
But in a follow-up question, I asked: “If you had a magic wand, what would you change about the relationship?”
The customer answered: “When we have a problem, their customer service is a nightmare.”
Also, my recollection is that the client’s technicians and customer service reps rarely – if ever – said thank you to their customers.
The nightmarish quote was a shock to the marketing manager. He asked me to present my findings to the company’s board of directors. The board was astounded.
For a solid foundation, these areas need to be addressed for an effective customer loyalty program:
- Make certain that everyone in your company has an attitude of gratitude and says thank you to customers either for their purchases or for even just considering your company’s products.
- Enhance trust by soliciting feedback from your customers. Act on their comments quickly.
- Make certain customers are fully aware of your full line of products.
- Develop a customer rewards program and value-added programs to multiply sales.
- Develop a customer-privacy policy. Communicate it with customers.
Avoid Comparison Ads
Regarding your boss wanting to attack competitors, you never want to be known for such tactics. Always take the high road. When the media or customers ask you for a comment on your competitors, immediately respond with a compliment. Then, toot your company’s horn. Otherwise, you will turn off customers and you’ll find yourself in the unfortunate position of having to cut prices.
So when I was a young dedicated journalist, Mr. Sharbutt also stunned me with another tip: “Radio is not a music medium or a news medium. It is an advertising medium.”
That was also true for TV and newspapers. The same could be said today about the Internet – an estimated $22.8 billion sector in 2009.
Video ads are particularly effective in targeting young adults and teens. For a case study, here are campaign samples that were successful in synergizing TV with social networking:
So, remember: If you use old school/new school thinking, good things will happen.
From the Coach’s Corner, here is a source for good tips on leveraging the Internet: Entrepreneur.com, visit Online Advertising Strategies for Small Businesses.
Will Social Media Take Driver’s Seat in Search?
A study shows about one in five Internet users now use social media instead of portals and search for their online navigation. That’s the finding of The Nielsen Company, www.nielsen.com, in an online panel survey of 1800 respondents in Aug. 2009.
“While still a smaller percentage than those who use search engines or portals like Yahoo! or MSN, it is a significant figure,” wrote Jon Gibs, VP Media Analytics at Nielsen. “And as social media usage continues to increase (unique visitors to Twitter.com increased 959 percent YOY in August), I can only expect this figure to grow.”
What type of Web sites do the respondents use for search?
- 37 percent - search engines
- 34 percent - portals (e.g. Yahoo, MSN, AOL)
- 11 percent - specific sites
- 9 percent - Wikipedia
- 5 percent - blogs
- 4 percent - Facebook, Myspace, Twitter
(The latter three, totaling 18 percent, are considered social media.)
With vast number of Web sources of information, Gibs indicated Internet users feel the effects of consumer overload.
“Socializers – those who spend 10 percent or more of their online time on social media – feel this effect more than others do,” he wrote. “When asked, 26 percent feel that there is too much information available on the Internet, compared to 18 percent of people who predominantly use portals and just 5 percent of people who primarily use search engines.”
Why this scenario?
“Socializers trust what their friends have to say and social media acts as an information filtration tool,” explained Gibs. “This is key because Socializers gravitate towards and believe what is shared with friends and family. If your friend creates or links to the content, then you are more likely to believe it and like it. And this thought plays out in the data.”
He stated nearly 15 percent of the Socializers trust blogs and 20 percent rely on information posted on message boards.
From the Coach’s Corner, Nielsen reports higher-income urban dwellers tended to be Socializers.
“Nielsen’s online data shows that about half of the U.S. population visited a social networking website in the last year and that number grows every quarter,” said Wils Corrigan, AVP, Research & Development, Nielsen Claritas. “The rising popularity of these sites and the deep engagement consumers have with them has advertisers and marketers asking for more and more detail as to which lifestyles should be targeted for their online advertising and promotions.”
Other findings:
- Facebook users have a largely upscale profile. The top third of lifestyle segments relative to affluence were 25 percent more likely to use Facebook than those in the those in the lower third.
- The bottom third segments related to affluence are 37 percent more likely to use MySpace than those in the top third.
- Users of Facebook were also much more likely to use LinkedIn, a network geared towards business and professional networking, than those who use MySpace.
