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Reports? No, sorry. I haven't looked at them!

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 18:34:00 GMT

How many of you actually get reports sent to you on a monthly basis, telling you how many people have visited your website and whether or not your goals have been met?
I'd hazard a guess and say most companies get the reports sent to them by their Internet Service Provider. I'd also hazard a guess and say most of those reports don't tell you anything about your goals!

It's no wonder you don't look at them. What can they tell you anyway that you didn't already figure out by looking at your sales data. Now, don't get me wrong - I'm a BIG advocate of measuring the data coming from your website's activities - BUT, only when that data can actually tell you something INSIGHTFUL about how you might be able to improve the performance of your site to meet your goals! And of course, this is where everyone stalls out and says, 'huh?'

Let me first disclose this fact: I am a Certified Web Analyst.
Yes, I know - the title makes people's eyes glaze over. Let me assure you however that although the title may seem really boring (you'd think there'd be a better name for something so sexy and exciting!!) the outcomes from proper analysis, which includes insights into your customers behaviours, wants and desires (okay, maybe desires is pushing it) is nothing short of awe inspiring.

Let's pretend that you have a business selling your services.
You have a 'great' looking website and yes, you even get the reports monthly giving you lots of data in relation to your website. You see that your site is getting lots of traffic. GREAT! No, not great. Who cares? It's the completely wrong piece of data as you can't derive any insight from it. Now, if you looked at how many people were visiting your site, and then segmented them into categories, such as where they come from, how often do they visit, whether they request more information from you, what information they look at relative to the keywords they use to come to your site, well, THEN YOU HAVE SOMETHING!

You can now say that if Bob came more than once, and requested information on his third visit and that most people seem to visit multiple times before requesting info (which is a lead by the way), then a logical conclusion would be to make sure that you are giving them something new to digest when they come back in order to keep piquing their interest and get more people to request info from you (the lead, remember?). Conversely, if they sign up for something on the first visit and this is a trend with all of your visitors, well then you might as well scrap your daily content update plan as it will be a waste of time and won't be necessary. See where I am going with this?

Long story short, if you don't use the data collected by your website in a meaningful way - gaining valuable insights in order to make improvements would be one of them - then what IS the point? You might as well chalk your website up to a pretty package and mark it in the expenses category in your P&L statement because it won't be doing anything measurable and therefore, repeatable for you. And more importantly, if you are not even measuring your goals in your data, you will never be able to gain any insight as you are still collecting the wrong information.

This, my friend, is a complete tragedy.

Taking my cue from a 3 year old.

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:38:00 GMT

I'm sitting in my chair and my 3 year old son, Hazen, says, "okay, mummy, here's the deal..." as he's trying to teach me how to use his computer. I had to laugh. "Here's the deal"...where the heck did he learn that? Doesn't matter because I've decided I LIKE it.

So, here's the deal.

I'm driving down Rymal Road on the Hamilton mountain and see a billboard for a garden centre. And, I'm one of those people who notice advertising of all sorts because, as you probably know, it's my business to notice

. As I'm looking at this billboard, I can't help but wonder how the heck this company is going to measure whether the billboard led to any concrete business for them or not because no where on the billboard is there a web address, or a code specific to this campaign. Now, I'm all for billboards...if you can tie the activity to a system of measurement that tells you that the money you spent was effective or not. If you don't do this, how do you know if you should keep putting up billboards, and spending money, or not?

Call me crazy but I don't know too many business owners who can afford to spend money on marketing and not be conscious of whether that spend brought in new business or not, and more specifically, how much new business.

Another pet phrase of my son is, "sounds like a plan".

How about if you actually tied your billboard into your online marketing so you could figure out specifically how many people saw your billboard and took action, by either visiting your site or presenting you with a code for a special offer. Then you'd know, very specifically, whether this was a good investment or not.

Sounds like a plan to me.

You don't have to be Good Looking to get Results

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 18:58:00 GMT

It's TRUE. 'Good Looking' helps but it's not the only factor that determines your success.
By the way, before you keep reading, let's just clarify - I'm chatting about your website.
In fact, some of the best looking sites get no results at all. No leads. No sales. No Profit.

If you are the business owner, I assume these words hold great interest to you. After all, it's your investment, your risk, your goals and your dreams on the line every single day.

So, here's the rub. What happens when you've fallen in LOVE with your site? When just the sight of it makes you feel like you're accomplishing something?

Giving up what you think it 'should be' in exchange for what drives results is a heart wrenching experience. But only for a short period of time. As the leads start to roll in, as people mention that they found you online or checked you out after a friend recommended you to them...well, you'll be smiling through your dried tears. And...to the bank.

Don't fall in love with your site. Sit back and ask the tough questions.

Is it driving sales leads for your business? The right number and quality of sales leads specifically.
Is it creating trust and credibility or eroding it daily? Do the links work? Is the information concise and clear or garbled?
Does the layout makes sense based on what you do and what you want your clients to learn about you and your services?
Do you know what people are doing on your site? Are people even coming to your site? Do you know what you want them to do on your site?

Now, once you've asked yourself some of these questions, the real answers should come from your results. What are they and what do they really say about where you're at.

Now you can make some sound decisions. And keep moving forward, steadily creating reality out of your dreams.

I said, "Uncle".

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 13:51:00 GMT

Here's the deal.

I could give you the latest 'emarketing trends', things like "is flash here to stay?" or "what's the latest on web design", and "what's up with mobile anyway?" and YES, it's super important for us to know those things. Now, by us I mean me, my team, my company and my partners. It doesn't mean YOU. If you have an interest, great. I'll forward you some trend reports.

But, this is what we've come to know. You, Mr. Business Owner, only care about one thing (as it relates to marketing that is): is my marketing getting me new business and keeping my existing clients loyal? Simple.

This would include things like:

Am I getting the best qualified traffic to my website (aka am I attracting my ideal client)?
Is my website compelling enough to get these people (aka my ideal client) to actually DO something that will allow me to speak with them or continue to communicate with them so that they eventually become a client?
Do I know what my ideal client is doing once they visit my site ie. where they are going, how long they are staying etc, so that I can make improvements that increase my sales leads and lower my acquisition cost per lead?
Do I know what people are saying about me in the WU (web universe)? How can I use this info to create sales leads?
Does my marketing activity work as one seamless engine or do I have a bunch of independent parts all moving at their own pace and accomplishing nothing?
What's the next step?

Most of the business owners we speak with want to know we're up on our stuff, naturally. And of course, we'd have to be, now wouldn't we? Why? Because YOU are looking for RESULTS. Without them, well...we all know what happens.

When all is said and done, all you really want to do is GROW your business, right?
And maybe go live on an island in the South all winter...when you'll have more time to read the latest "trend reports".

Living on Hope Island

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 17:38:00 GMT

Ever wonder what the heck happened to the initial thrill, that spark you felt when you launched your business and then set out to tell absolutely everyone you knew about what you were doing? You were so excited because you knew, JUST knew, that people were going to love what you were doing. How could they not?

Here's what happened. You got busy. You got overworked (lots of hats to wear, remember?). And, the times...well, they changed! People don't listen to you, unless they want to.

Then...you fell into the "Traditional Business Owner's Marketing System" without even knowing that's what you did.

What does this feel like? Well, you have no (formal written) marketing plan. You are spending gobs of money on marketing activity and not seeing any new business (not so much that you can sit back on your laurels anyway). You do some things that aren't related to other things and as a result, aren't building any synergy. You are falling prey to sales and marketing consultants who promise you quick fixes with 'shiny new strategies'. And, sigh, eventually you GIVE up. You don't trust that marketing actually works and you don't really know what to do NEXT. And, sadly, the competition just keeps growing.

You're now on Hope Island...hoping and praying that something will give. That the competition will fail. That prospects will take a renewed interest in you. That your sales people can actually turn leads into clients. That the referrals keep coming.

Hope is a valuable emotion. But it doesn't guarantee results.

All Aboard?

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 02:43:00 GMT

Whose ready for the next wave of technology? I guess what I really mean is this - is your business ready? For things like mobile technology - smartphones, ipads, droid devices? According to ReadWriteWeb, more smartphones were shipped in Q4 2010 than PC's which basically means, it's time to start paying attention to what's going on. Why?

Well, with more mobile devices out there allowing people to stay connected pretty much 24/7, you can bet that they are going to be looking on the internet, socializing and playing using their mobile devices which will probably display YOUR information differently than your current website does. So... if you still want them to interact with you AND you want them to enjoy the experience, time to look at your own online marketing efforts, from your website to your full solution and make sure it's up to snuff. Because if it isn't, they aren't going to stick around. Simple as that.

~ Susan

Is it Facebook, Really?

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 17:12:00 GMT

You ever notice how sometimes people think something is one thing when in fact, they have missed the point entirely? Okay. So here's the thing - I was in a coffee shop the other day waiting for my morning fix and I overheard a couple of people talking about Facebook. One says to the other, "I HATE Facebook" and the other replies, "I know what you mean, my kid spends all of his time on it and if I need to tell him something, I send him a Facebook message 'cause I know he'll see it there first!".

Now, it seems to me that hating Facebook is a bit like saying 'I hate guns' as if the gun had anything to do with the person's behaviour who used it. And maybe you think that this is a bit of an extreme analogy but think about it.

Why hate Facebook? Why blame Facebook?

Is it the tool that makes people post things that are completely irrelevant to everyday living? Does using Facebook mean that you have to spill your entire guts to the entire world? Does using Facebook mean that you can't have a relationship with your children anymore? Does using Facebook make people less intelligent, more thoughtless, meaner, or just plain stupider (yes, it's a word, I checked).

The answer quite simply put is NO.

Facebook is a tool. It's the human behaviour behind the tool that people are having issue with. Just because you have a Facebook account doesn't mean that you all of a sudden have to post your most intimate thoughts, share the photo you wished had never seen the light of day, or become friends with everyone who asks you. You still get a choice. You still get to choose what kind of bahaviour you will be comfortable with when you are using the tool. You get to make all the decisions. No one is making you do anything. Total control is yours if only for the desire to interact on your own terms. It's your world to make and do with it as you wish. And for the record, Facebook has helped people be a lot more loving, kind and thoughtful in the world too. (see the story on the woman who used Facebook to turn $93 Dollars into $100,000 for charity)

So let's really look at the cause instead of the effect when we say things like, 'I hate social media'.
What you really mean is 'I don't understand social media and it scares me' which is why I have a judgment on it.

See, now that wasn't so difficult, was it?

Crotchety People & Social Media too

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 17:24:00 GMT

Today we sent out a promo for a company who decided that they really wanted to use Facebook to enhance their client interactions and ultimately, develop better relationships with current clients. What we got back as a response were comments such as "Great, thanks for the offer", "Good Deal - let me know when you send the next one" etc.

BUT, we also got a couple of emails that said, "Perhaps you could use a more sophisticated source" and "I hate Facebook, take me off the list". No problem, it's done. We thought it might be interesting to see why these comments came through however so we did a bit of research and discovered this:

'crotchety people with no sense of humour and a complete disdain for technology, largely in relation to their own inability to comprehend the value or even understand how to use the technology'

- were at the root of these types of comments.

Seriously?
Of course not! There is however a growing concern as to how Social Media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace etc. can really drive value to a companies' bottom line. And although it is a legitimate concern, we won't really know in the short term since we are experiencing history in the making and as the saying goes, 'hindsight is 20/20'

The statistics are rather compelling however that indicate many people want to use the tools - check some of them out here:

•    50 percent of consumers aged 18-34 use Facebook for shopping-related activities such as product research, searching for coupons and interacting with merchants.
•    By comparison, 28 percent of those 35 and older use Facebook for these activities.
•    41 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds use mobile devices to browse or research products or services, up from 23 percent reported in another study released earlier this year.
•    47 percent of those 55 and older discover products via emails from merchants, compared to 41 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds and 39 percent of 35- to 54-year-olds.
•    37 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds consider it “important” or “very important” that merchants provide an opportunity to interact through social networks
•    Nearly 40 percent of those aged 55 and older cited more live help options as an important upgrade for online merchants.
•    15 percent of 35- to 54-year-olds, as well as 15 percent of those over 55, said they use price comparison services when shopping online. (Full article here)

Although we all may have a few aversions to the way Social Media seems to be changing the way we communicate, I guess it's time to have a look at the reason for the aversion, address it and then get on with it.

With stats like these, it looks like there is no time like the present either!

The Networked Revolution and Innovation, Part II

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 13:36:00 GMT

I came across this video thanks to a Facebook Friend Post and had to include it for those looking to explore the idea of ideas and innovation in the Networked Revolution further. It is really worth watching, if for no other reason than his graphics are amazing!!

The Networked Revolution

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 13:34:00 GMT

We are living history right now but instead of celebrating it and embracing the opportunities that it presents, we are fearful and loathsome of it not to mention, for many of us, in complete denial that it is even happening. What I am talking about is the Networked Revolution - see Seth Godin's blog.

So what are YOU doing? Looking for the opportunity or are you in complete denial? How do you think the networks of computers will change the way you live, eat and breathe? One thing I can say for sure is that we are not going back to the old way. People, consumers and YOUR clients are more knowledgeable than ever today. They can get most, if not all, the relevant information they need today to make an informed decision on whether they purchase something or not.

They don't really need you to 'Sell' them something anymore. What they need is for you to be honest, transparent and truly helpful. Are you doing that? Because you better start. If your company is about great customer service, then you better be sure that that is what you are delivering. If you are about having the best 'widget' out there, then you better make sure it really is the best. Because your potential client will know. And, they WILL make their decisions, regardless of what you say.

Yep, the networked revolution is here to stay. Let's find a way to make it better for everyone.

Social Media: Friend or Foe?

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 20:40:00 GMT

Recently, I've been asked to comment on whether Social Media is contributing to the lack of compassion and empathy seen as endemic (by some) in the world or rather, that it heightens people's awareness of others circumstances and thus creates more compassion and empathy.

Now, I've no doubt that books have been and will be written on the social & economic impact of Social media on the world as we know it. However, for many of us, we're smack dab in the middle of history in the making and sometimes it's tough to see the forest for the trees.  

Social Media is "people having conversations online". Literally. More importantly, it's people having conversations with people: one on one, one with many, many with many, many with one. And by people, we mean ALL types of people chatting about anything and everything.  

Really, this question then seems a lot like the chicken and the egg situation - which came first, people impacting Social media to the detriment/betterment of our world or Social media impacting people to the detriment/betterment of our world.  

You tell us - what do you think?

Fear You Say? We Laugh at Fear!

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 02:16:00 GMT

When you are in the midst of starting a new company, or revamping an old one, there are a lot of questions that need to be answered. It seems like a pretty obvious statement but I am still amazed at how many people jump in without that 'plan'.

I'm not just talking about the business plan either. I'm talking about the 'Big Plan'.

This is the plan that will keep you motivated when you are wondering why you ever started the venture in the first place. This plan will keep you moving forward when it looks like the odds are against you.

This is the plan that may be a bit painful to follow in the beginning - because let's face it - it requires you to face the one thing that will stop you if you don't have a 'Big Plan' - FEAR

So here's what the Big Plan needs to answer:

• What am I passionate about?
• What do I want for my life?
• Why do I want this?
• How much money do I really desire and BELIEVE I can make?
• What are my core values? - honestly
• Where do I want to be 10 years from now?
• Who am I really doing this for?

This list is only partial because some of the questions you need to ask yourself are only relevant to you.

But you get the idea.

Without this plan, FEAR will stop you every time.

Assumptions just may Ruin your Business

Sun, 26 Sep 2010 18:50:00 GMT

Even activity (or lack thereof) with a proven track record must be questioned, examined and changed if necessary.

This past summer Susan and I had the opportunity to further our persuasive skills while sharing our unwavering belief in the need for an Internet Marketing plan with a local contracting firm.

Despite presenting a massive amount of statistical information supporting use of the internet, we were faced with some very common objections:

I get all of my business through referrals so I don’t need a website.
I don’t need to stay in touch with my customers; they know who we are and will include us in any business opportunities.
We’ve been in business for 25 years and have never needed to do any marketing. We don’t need to do any marketing now; the industry knows us.
If our clients want something from us, they just call us and ask.
Nobody in our industry uses the Internet. There just isn’t a need to market there.

I had a baby girl 5 weeks ago and let me tell you,
although I love my mother dearly, if I took all of her advice based on the way “it was done in her day”, then my baby would be sleeping on her stomach, riding on my lap in the front seat of the car (okay, this is extreme) and staying indoors for the first 6 months of her life. My point? Just because it’s always been done a certain way doesn’t mean it’s safe to continue to do it that way. Especially when new evidence emerges that shows us clearly that things have changed.

In the case of our contracting friend, times have changed and their clients’ children are now taking over the businesses that have been their clients for years. These children do things DIFFERENTLY. And they want businesses to do things differently. And if we don’t, well, that’s no skin off their nose. They’ll just find someone who will.

The Not Me Syndrome

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:37:00 GMT

It’s amazing how much has changed in the last 17 years.

In 1992 I remember going to a friend’s graduation ceremony and watching a guy in the audience pull a Motorola cell phone out of the bag slung over his shoulder (the thing was so big it needed it’s own bag). I clearly remember thinking, “that is so cool. He can talk to anybody, anywhere, anytime he likes”. The next year, I was living in Japan (another story for another time) and an Aussie friend of mine was “emailing” home to his family and friends. I was equally fascinated and grilled him on how this was possible. Funnily enough, a week after my introduction to “email” I was sent an article from the G&M on the development of the Internet and how Email was going to change the very fabric of how we communicate. Today, we have devices like the iphone that do everything except brew your coffee (I’m still waiting for the app that does this remotely) and without exception, I take my email and the Internet for granted.
So, when the client sitting beside me says, “we’ve been in business for 25 years and have always gotten our clients through referrals so while the Internet is important for a lot of businesses I just don’t think it’s relevant to ours”, I smile…and then I go chat with their competition.

Stop and Look Around

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 14:53:00 GMT

Stopping and looking around…gives us everything we need.

“Yep, Life moves pretty fast. You have to stop and look around once in a while or you could miss it”.

It’s Sunday night and, while watching the Oscars, this gem caught my attention. It’s so true, isn’t it? My name is Sandra de Leeuw, a partner in TWINLION Media Group and I’ve always been a proponent of stopping and looking around. People fascinate me, which is a good thing for a partner in an Internet Marketing firm. Why? Because marketing – Internet or otherwise – is all about people; how they think, what they think about, what they like, when they like it, how they react, what they do, what they say. When you become a dedicated student of people and their behaviour, you have a wonderful recipe to create a truly mutually beneficial relationship. And so I’m pleased to introduce myself to you, to spend some time getting to know you and share with you our observations, insights and ideas.

And, when you feel inspired, please share your insights and observations.
After all, stopping and looking around…and then sharing, is what life is all about.