| |
| |
|
Marketing Resource Center |
|
|
|
Top Web Site Blunders by Coaches, Consultants and Experts
Of all the web sites belonging to coaches, consultants and experts that I have reviewed, more than three-quarters shared a very serious marketing blunder: Their potential clients wouldn't understand from their home page precisely what they do. Jargon gets in the way. Many specialists believe that they need jargon to communicate their expertise. Without it, they'd sound incompetent, they think, and those in their target market who are as specialized as they are wouldn't respect them. My recommendation is not to eliminate jargon, but toinclude it in the site, with your main emphasis on thebusiness benefits your company provides or the problemsyour company solves. For instance, I've done an informal survey to see if business owners understand the jargonistic tag line, "CRM software for small business." Nope! Most aren't even surewhat "customer relationship management" really means. But if you write, "Close sales faster and improve customer loyalty through customer relationship management (CRM) software for small business," you'll earn greater comprehension, without alienating those who already knowthe shorthand. Don't think this applies to you? Sorry, it does. Nearly everyone in business overestimates - usually greatly overestimates - the extent to which customers understand their jargon. The other nearly epidemic blunder at sites belonging to coaches, consultants and experts is not explaining clearly and persuasively why someone should use you rather than thecompetition. What's unique about you? How do you differ from your colleagues? If everyone is qualified and experienced, why should I choose you? With sufficient thought and care, you can add text to your web site that gets potential clients thinking, "This is exactly theperson who can help!" Related to this is the absence at many sites of twopowerful tools for credibly distinguishing yourself fromthe competition: testimonials and expert articles. Testimonials are quotes from clients you've helped, andthey should refer to results achieved with your help - notjust you being a competent, nice service provider - and besigned with a complete name and business identifier orgeographical location. Expert articles engage visitors toyour site and show that you know your stuff. Finally, all coaches, consultants and experts need to havea newsletter to capitalize properly on visits to their web site. This is because people shopping for professional services sometimes decide to buy that very day. Moreoften, they come to your site looking for informationrather than to hire someone. If they read a couple of yourarticles, like them and sign up for your newsletter, you'llhave the chance to impress these potential clientsrepeatedly. Down the line, they're likely to hire you,sometimes without ever returning to your site. But yoursite set that process in motion. Marcia Yudkin is the author of Web SiteMarketing Makeover and 10 other books. A four-time Webby Awards judge and internationally famous marketing consultant, she critiques web sites and performs web site makeovers for clients. Learn more about her detailed critique sessions on five different kinds of web sites (including sites for consultants and other professionals)at http://www.yudkin.com/websitequiz.htm .
MORE RESOURCES:
Marketing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Peddling Your Own Wagon Through Local Exposure In my e-book "Articles That Sell", I've shared the secret of marketing your business on the Internet. If you've been active in your efforts, you've been writing and publishing free reprint articles. Ten Breakthrough Marketing Ideas Ten Breakthrough Marketing Ideas1. Create a directory of web sites on a specific topic. Customizing Booklets By Industry or By Company Customizing booklets can be done by industry or by company."110 Ideas for Organizing Your Travel Business Office" or "110 Ideas for Organizing Your Beauty Salon" or "110 Ways for Organizing Your Fitness Center" are examples of customizing a generic booklet about organizing your business life according to specific industries. Your Headlines Are Key To Your Success Or Failure. Do You Know What To Write? Most professional copywriters would say that headlinesaccount for 80% percent of more of the effectiveness of anad or sales letter.After all, it's the headline that gets your reader to stopand read further into your sales copy. Good Vibes/ Bad Vibes Have you ever walked into a store or business and felt uncomfortable there for no apparent reason? Have you ever walked into a store all happy and left quite frustrated? Have you ever wished your house could feel happier? The process called energetic clearing can make a significant improvement to any location.There are many kinds of energy all around us. Everything Youve Ever Learned About Marketing Is Wrong Everything you've ever learned about marketing and advertising is WRONG. Everything you've ever heard everything you've ever tried, everything you've ever done, it's all WRONG. The 7 Areas of Marketing Waste - Are You Committing These Marketing Sins? If you want to reduce waste and grow your business it can be useful to know where to look. Marketing waste is usually most apparent in these 7 key areas:1. Are You Losing Business? As a small business owner, you are grateful for all of your clients or customers. But did you know that small business lose over 62% of sales because they don't follow up? You are caught up in the business of running your business you don't take the time to follow up with your clients. Why Your Business Need a Website Web Presence gives your business a distince edge over your competitors, especially when you want to expand your current customer base. For exmaple, if Jane wants to find a real estate agent but she does not know who is the best in her area. Take the Logo Litmus Test Here is your C.I. Two Steps to Improving Your Marketing Success Since the human brain seems to be able to focus on only one thought at a time, it's difficult to evaluate an advertising idea from the perspective of both a marketer and a customer. That's why it's necessary to use a two-step process when developing highly effective ads, sales letters, web pages, and e-mails. Receiving a Brochure Printing Quote Brochures are a great way to get your message across. While having a brochure can be extremely useful, it is sometimes hard to know whether it is affordable. 10 Tips For Packaging That Sells Products To Boomers Boomers are a prime and growing target audience. Does your product speak to them? Does your product's packaging compel them to buy it? If not, you are missing a very important market segment. Consistent Marketing Provides Big Rewards Being inconsistent when it comes to marketing your business can be a recipe for disaster. Nothing is more irritating to a potential customer than inconsistency. Whats In It For Me? Sometimes, one of the most difficult things to teach beginning sales professionals is the difference between features and benefits. All too frequently, sales people list their product or service features, without articulating how those features will ultimately benefit that prospect or customer. The Sweet Aroma of Highly Effective Marketing Highly effective marketing is accomplished when your marketing materials and marketing strategy work together to reliably move your prospects through your sales process.Have you ever caught a whiff of a tantalizing aroma wafting through the air as you walked down the street? With your senses suddenly alerted to something tasty nearby you notice the bakery on the corner. Find the Goldmine Within Your Business Doing a current customer breakdown can help you find the goldmine within your business by determining who you should be targeting in your marketing efforts in the future. There is a goldmine right there and you may or may not see it?it's your customer base! But is it all of them? No - definitely not. Finding a Brochure Printing Company A brochure can be a great promotional tool, whether it is for is a real estate listing, a trade show handout, a data sheet, or some other application, but sometimes it's hard to know where to start. Brochure printing companies can provide their expertise as well as a wide range of printing and marketing services. Your REALTORŪ Marketing Plan The steps to creating an effective marketing plan begin with identifying who you are going to be targeting, what you are going to spend, and how many sales you are going to receive as a result of your efforts. By identifying this information in the initial stages of your market plan development, you will significantly increase your return on investment and substantially increase your sales. Market Research - How Good is the Data? "Make money for taking surveys"," Cash for your opinion", "Make easy money at home".Everywhere you look there is a company willing to pay people to participate in their surveys.
|
| home | site map | Advertising Articles |
| © 2006 |
