A potential customer finds your website and then quickly leaves – Why?

What is it about websites that annoys and drives away most visitors?

In a recent survey by Hostway, 70% of respondents said that they would be unlikely to buy from a website that annoyed them and refuse to ever visit the site again.

So what is it that causes you to lose visitors and customers from your web site?

The seven biggest irritants are:

1. Pop up ads (93%)
2. Being required to install extra software to view site content (89%)
3. Dead links (86%)
4. Confusing navigation (84%)
5. Required registration to access content (83%)
6. Slow-loading pages (83%)
7. Ineffective site search tools (80%)

More:

• No contact information available (Web form only) 75.1%
• Inability to use the browser’s “back” button 76.0%
• Overdone sites > unnecessary splash/flash screens /animation 69.4%
• Text that moves 59.9%
• Music or other audio that plays automatically 52.5%

The survey also revealed that...

• 71% said they would probably look negatively upon a company whose site annoyed them
• Over half (55%) were likely to complain about the site to their friends and associates
• Almost half ( 45%) said they wouldn’t purchase from the company’s bricks and mortar store either
• Only 25% said they would consider complaining directly to the company

Even more people (74%) said they would probably unsubscribe from the company's promotions or messages too.

So, not only will they leave the site, they will not come back, nor do they ever want to hear from you again!

Meta tags

This is the term used to describe an "invisible" collection of words or sentences used to describe the content of your website that help search engines index or catalog your website. Meta tags are programmed into and hidden in your websites source code... they are specifically for the search engines - not the viewer.

Not all submitted web sites are added to their databases, a lot depends on a variety of factors such as the volume of submissions and the evaluation of your website. Considering that a 'spider' must index around 4 billion web pages one by one, before they start over again, (about 3 months or more) it can take several weeks before your submission starts to show up on the search engines.

If your website, is not showing up well or is really difficult to find - hand it over to a professional developer to get it checked and optimized.

Search engine optimisation (SEO)

This is the necessary meta tag creation, programming and tweaking done by professional web builders to get your website listed near the top of those searches.

"92% of people using the Internet query search engines" Nielsen Net ratings

Note: It typically takes at least 3 months for Search Engine Optimization to work properly. The larger search engines offer paid "instant submission" programs for a monthly maintenance fee. If you are willing to wait, then all you need to pay for is your meta tag creation, and the one-time submission fees and your website should stay at the top or close to the top of most search engines on its own.

• To sell a product or service
• To build interactive branding
• To provide e-commerce
• To network
• To make business information available
• To serve your customers
• To heighten public interest
• To release time sensitive materials
• To reach a highly desirable demographic market
• Provide direct marketing opportunities
• To reach the media
• To reach new and specialised markets
• To serve your local market
• To stay in contact with sales people
• To answer frequently asked questions
• To open international markets
• To create a 24 hour service
• To make changing information available quickly
• To allow feedback from customers
• To test market new services and products
• Improve access to information
• Corporate communication
• To make pictures, sound and film files available

Do improvements really add to the value of your Web site?
Are they cost effective? What about issues like on-line shopping?

The customer attraction value of your Web site may slip-if you don't watch out.. makeover your Web site now-even though you don't intend to sell anything from it!

Does that sound silly? Many Web site owners are learning the hard way that, the attraction value of a Web site is a living thing, likely to shrivel without the care and attention it needs.

Nothing makes the hard facts about a Web site's value clearer than getting potential customers to buy from it. Then, suddenly, it stops.. you feel the lack of a powerful database. Or the navigation becomes too clumsy to accommodate your growing products and services

Here are some facts to chew on:

• Seven out of ten Web sites in this country need some repair right now just to stop customers from moving on.
• In a recent survey one out of every four Web sites in this country needs simpler navigation whilst one in every three needs more comprehensive content.

Why haven't these Web site owners done something?
Is it too difficult, or too expensive?
Many of them must think so.
If they do, they're wrong!

Below are some of the main advantages and disadvantages of using Flash in Websites...

ADVANTAGES

• Flash uses vector graphics, which means that the graphics can be scaled to any size without losing clarity or quality
• Flash offers the viewer a "high-tech" impression of your organization or product
• Flash can be used to create interactive animation for entertaining "Splash" pages, ad banners and even games
• With Flash you can deliver to your audience engaging applications & web interfaces such as training courses, tutorials & presentations

DISADVANTAGES

• Flash content may be inaccessible to search engines.
• First, Flash files require a plug-in called the Flash Player and many older browsers don't support this plug-in. Users with those older browsers will not be able to view Flash content.
• The "Back" button does not work. If you navigate within a Flash object, the standard backtracking method takes you out of the multimedia object and not, as expected, to the previous state.
• Link colors don't work. Given this, you cannot easily see where you've been and which links you've yet to visit. This lack of orientation creates navigational confusion.
• The "Make text bigger/smaller" function does not work.
• Flash reduces accessibility for users with disabilities (although the latest version "Flash MX" addresses many of these issues)
• The "Find in page" feature does not work - in general, Flash integrates poorly with search.
• Internationalization and localization is complicated. Text that moves is harder to read for users who lack fluency in the language.
• Many viewers get annoyed when they have to wait for the Flash presentations to load and will end up going elsewhere instead of waiting.

So you've decided you need a web site...

The first question is why do you need a website?
The next question is what do you expect from having a website?

Have you done your marketing research to determine that a website is a cost effective method of marketing your company?

Once your website is built, how will you market it AND who will you get to build it for you? Should you try to do it yourself, get a friend to do it or go to a professional?

Here are some tips to help you choose:

1. D.I.Y
This is the least expensive option, however, least expensive does not always equal most cost effective. If your website is just a 'fun family blog' type thing - go ahead have a go. If it is part of your business marketing strategy - think again!

Consider - if you think you can effectively build your business website, do you also - film and produce your own TV ads, fix your own cars and trucks, do all your own accounting, paint your own offices ... etc? If you do all those things, when do actually get time to work ON your business and just when is it right to bring in the professionals...?

Okay, so you do have some spare time..
Do you understand these terms: HTML, PHP, Googlebots, FTP, SEO, Applet, CGI, CDF, CSS, dpi, kerning, marquee, DHTML, XHTML, SOAP, W3C - all web programming terms.

Hey and this stuff ( below) is some of the real fun stuff you get to build your site with:

function hs(el) {if (window.RegExp && window.encodeURIComponent) {var ue=el.href;var qe=encodeURICom ponent(document.f.q.value);if(ue.index Of("q=")!=-1){el.href=ue.replace (new RegExp("q=[^&$]*"),"q="+q e);}else{el.href =ue+"&q="+qe;}}return 1;}//

...and you thought web designers just pushed around pretty pictures?

If you are not sure consult a pro as you may only have to go back later and hire one to do it over again.

2. Get a friend to do it for you

So everyone has a "friend" who can build web sites... That's great. But one word of caution - make sure your friend has the expertise and the experience to do the job right.

Do you consult other 'friends' to get your teeth fixed - they may not be a professional dentist but have done a bit of this and that, or how about a getting a friend to build your home extension - this one is a dentist and managed to throw down a concrete slab and pop a shed on it...!

If you are about to market your business 24/7/365 to 1,018,057,389.00 internet users in the world or just a mere 53% of the Aussie population - 17,690,762.00 - this is not a potential market to be sniffed at!

3. Hire a professional web development firm

Firstly - do some research.

Look at their portfolio of past work.. Find out who else they've worked with and what their experience has been like. Meet with them and make sure they have the credentials to know what they're doing and the communication skills to be able to work together with you to achieve your goals.. Also, ensure that they include an SEO service.

The Process

We work closely with you during every phase of the website creation process - from goal setting and concept design to the launching of the finished website.

Here is how...
Firstly, initial discussions and meetings will be held with you. We will determine such things as domain name registration, website hosting services, data refreshment, site reporting and also the needs and basic objectives of your website.

In close consultation with you, we then move on to complete the look and 'feel' of the website. You are involved in the development of the website as much as possible, to ensure it meets your objectives set earlier.

In full consultation with you we will discuss and determine:

Objectives
To identify the needs and goals of the website for the company in areas such as marketing, sales, and information source etc

Look
The interface and layout of the website, to ensure the website is attractive, appealing and reflects the appropriate image.

Loading Time
The time it takes for the page to appear on the computer screen. The website needs to be designed around the premise of 'loading' as quickly as possible.

Browser compatibility
Usually a website needs to be compatible for viewing across a wide range of user platforms and browser software.

Information Structure
A clear, crisp view of available information is paramount in relation to finding specific information on your website. To provide major benefit to the business, the website should have significant amounts of information available to the user. This information must be easily found and presented in such a way as to encourage use.

Interactivity
Without interactivity, a website is purely a book online. Interactive websites capture user details online and monitor what users do inside the system. The more visitors can interact and 'do things' on the website, the more likely they are to revisit.

Website basics
Forget flashy design, great words and an intuitive layout is the key to an 'easy to use' customer grabbing internet experience.

Communicating a lot of information in the limited space of a website is challenging.

Customers and net don't like to scroll on any page. All your information, words and images, need to fit in a single window – ideally OR have tidy 'anchors' which bring your users to their desired information.

Generally speaking, design and navigation elements (with a bit of open space too), take up about a third of the window, leaving a half to two thirds available for text, images and white space. Not much is it?

This is where good writing skills are needed – words have to be chosen very carefully. Well scripted, well structured and well thought out words can mean the difference between having a successful marketing tool or being just another site amongst millions of others.

A good web development team will often have their copywriter write the words first before the site is even structured.

Once the approach and function of the site is determined, the words need to convey this in the most powerful and effective way. The choice of design elements, imagery and structure will follow, to give weight, substance and conviction to those words.

Those 3 little words that can make all the difference – ‘Get a Copywriter’

Engage the customer – tell them what they want to know not what you want to say.

Be a customer for a moment...

You’re on the net searching for that new widget you’ve heard about - the one that’s supposedly going to make your job so much easier

So you’ve done your search for the ‘better job widget’ and here is a list of websites – so you know they have them. You click on ..’Better job widget seller’

What else do you want to know?

* How to find the details of the widget easily on their site?
* What does the widget really do?
* How will that benefit you?
* Why should you choose that brand of widget?
* How much does it cost?
* How can you contact the seller?
* Where are they located?
* Is it in stock?
* How do they get the widget to you?
* How long does it take?
* Who is this company, how long have they been in business, are they trustworthy, stand up to their guarantees, any references to check….?

All the questions a potential customer may pose need to be addressed clearly or in such a way as to get a response - an email or phone call asking for more information directly.

Hmmm – your words can make all the difference between success and failure.

Be sure to choose a web development company that can offer copywriting services and one that has marketing your business as their core value.

After all what is a business website for..?

What’s worse than your website suddenly disappearing from the Internet? How about: Not knowing who to call when it happens!

Website hosting and being a Webmaster is all about service, comfort,
dependability and capability – in a technology proficient wrapper.
Before you deliver your website into the hands of a web host or Webmaster, you’d better be doubly sure they can perform and deliver for you.

You want a web host and a webmaster who’s ready, willing and able to
maintain your website’s optimum health and fitness, and to fix a “hiccup” if it develops – any time of the day or evening. We’ll keep your website up, running – and always ready for business!

If only I had a dollar for every potential client who came to me and said... "Will you fix our Meta tags so our site will rank highly in Google?"

These people don't realize that if it were simply a matter of fixing Meta tags, they could probably do it themselves! Wouldn't it be great if we could simply edit Meta tags and get high rankings?

Sadly, with search engine optimization: There are no quick fixes. Google alone looks at in excess of 100 factors when analyzing your website before it arrives at a ranking.

Why Not Meta Tags? Well search engines don't have a lot to work with when trying to figure out which sites to show in their list of results for any given search. Yet it's pretty amazing how relevant most search results are, given the sheer number of pages on the Internet these days.

Search engine databases contain basically every page on the web that they know about. That’s a lot!

They can't really just trust the Meta tags they find on a webpage, since a site owner's goals may be different from the search engines' goal - i.e., you want your site to show up in search results as much as possible for as many phrases as possible…. but the search engine would like to show the most relevant pages, whether those are yours or someone else's. Makes sense.

So really, adding or changing Meta tags on your site is not a quick fix. It’s not a slow fix either. It won't fix anything and it won't have any effect on your search engine traffic.

What's that you ask?
Use the Internet like a giant phone book!

I find it easier to locate a local business with a few mouse clicks than to plough through a phone book.

Mention getting a website to some small business owners & their response often is...'The internet - that's just for people trying to sell stuff to people all over the world' or 'Tried it - didn't work for me.'

You can use the internet to grow your business locally or globally! As a marketing tool, even for local business - it's a positive, even if your market is just up the street!

Think about this...
Consider how most people use the web. Yes, some people log on and go shopping on the web yet most people use the net for gathering information. Sure they may use that information to make a buying decision but first they gather.

With increasing numbers of people doing research on the net, it stands to reason that the businesses who are ready & waiting to provide that info, stand to gain over those who fail to meet this need.

A powerful web marketing strategy is to think of your website as a way to provide information & customer service.

Secondary to that, is to use your website as a way to generate leads and sales.

Even the local store can offer up information on things such as opening times, special offers & customers benefits.

Your website can enhance your advertising efforts by placing free detailed information, reports & beneficial content in a place where anyone can get it. Your potential customers will see this as good service.

To ignore the possibilities of a website is to limit the ways in which a customer or potential customer can build a relationship with your business... and that would be
a costly mistake.

Certain things to absolutely avoid when naming your company

When people hear your company name, they quickly and often subconsciously make certain perceptions about your company. Those perceptions influence how they think, feel and react to your company. Those perceptions define your brand.

Your name, logo, marketing messages, and everything else that people see and hear about your business make powerful impressions on people.

Every time someone picks up your business card, walks into your business, visits your web site, meets an employee, sees one of your ads, they form a perception about your business.

1/ Use the family name
Nice idea - forget it!

Naming your new commercial venture after your family name or the names of the 2 grandkids joined together (yes, my mother did that with my kids names - oh dear!) means you could run into a few problems down the track. Bad marketing and my kids hated it too!

A family name is not easy to trademark or register. It can easily be copied. And, what if you wanted to sell the Jones Company to the Smith family in a few years, and.. what possible benefit has does naming a company 'Jones Company 'have anyway?

2/ Describe your product or service
Again - oh dear! Like "Cool Air-Conditioning"..

This is so bad - almost as bad as Smiths Air-Conditioning..think about it.

Don't just describe your product as it could apply to a whole host of similar ones too.

Get creative, employ a professional to do it for you but for goodness sake be unique and show some initiative like Nike, Coca Cola, Apple, Virgin ... need more?

Just think Virgin could just be Richard's Records.. aiiiaaa!

3/ Copying another company's brand
An absolute no-no! No advantage to you and it's illegal.

4/ Suits in session
Having the managers sit and 'brainstorm' ideas for naming the company. Really, how costly is that? Aren't management better off doing what they do best and managing? Employ a professional to name the company for you - after all, branding your company correctly can make the difference between success and failure. Start right.

5 / Leave it to the workers
I've heard of a company who held an in-house competition to name a new brand - which is about as useful as a chocolate teapot.
And another company had an employee competition to come up with a new company tagline - eeeekkkkkk !

6 / It's all about the customer
Branding your company needs to focus on your customer and inspire and motivate them to remember you.

It's not about your company, your professionalism, how good you are - that's all a given, surely. You, as a company owner are too close, too emotionally attached to be objective. Get out the way of your success, leave your ego behind, and leave your branding to a professional. Show off that ego with a nice new yacht once the business is successful. hehe

7/ Even if you have found the cure for cancer..
They did it - made up a punchy, memorable, easy to say new word, never been in the dictionary before - Kodak. How good is that!

New technology, new products are coming out every day but if you are a scientist or engineer, please don't name your company something most of us lesser mortals can't even pronounce like Ciberglasczmajel.Inc - your potential customers just wont' go for it

8/ Choosing availability over exclusivity
So you can't name your new men's aftershave company- Mars or Jupiter - because they are already registered - but Uranus is available...?

Think again.

9/ Don't rely on images
A great logo enhances your company name and it is not your company name or identity. Name first, then logo.

10/ Use protection
You must register your company name and follow all trademark laws too - or risk losing it all.

A corporate logo carries and builds your company image with the use of specific colors and layouts. It contains a message far beyond that of words, offering that first impression of how professional and reliable your company is.

Potential clients make decisions not only on the content of a message, but on how well it is presented.

A logo is often the first and key element in a complete corporate identity program which extends a unified design concept to advertising, posters, packaging, stationary, folders, business cards, and other printed matter.

LOGO
A distinctive and memorable identifying mark, or trademark based on letterforms that will depict the name, product, or purpose of a company or organization.

SYMBOL
An identifying mark based on pictorial form.

On the most basic level we communicate through symbols. Visual communication is also symbolic. Letters are symbols that represent sounds; the lines that we use to draw representational images are symbols for perception.

Symbols convey information or embody ideas. Some are so common that we find it difficult to believe they did not always exist. Who, for example, first used arrows to indicate directions? We now follow them instinctively but at one point they were new and had to be explained..

Among the most persuasive symbols in our visual environment today are logos and trademarks, which are symbols of an organization or product. Simple, clear, distinctive and memorable - corporate logos have become familiar to millions of people around the world instantly calling to mind the company, its products or services.

As with any symbol a logo means nothing in itself. It is up to an organization to make its logo familiar and to convince people through sound business practices to associate it with such virtues as service, quality, and dependability.

Because symbols serve as focal points for associations of ideas and emotions, one of the most effective ways for a company to change its image is to redo its logo.

It's a tough, wild world of business out there... time to iron those business cards!

Some of them work all the hours they can, bust their guts week in week out...slaving away to earn just enough to pay the bills. Having their own business is just not how they imagined it would be when they started. That initial 'fire in the belly' from knowing they were really good at what they did has almost gone out.

Then again, there are those who seem to have found a better way.

I'm talking about those who run their business, rather than letting the business run them.

They're the business owners who seem to have all they need, they're successful, calm, they work reasonable hours, are still on speaking terms with their spouse - you just know that they're not going home after 11 hours at work to do their bookkeeping!

You probably know some of these business owners. And I bet you'd like to be just like them.

Now you can.

Any business, whatever kind it is - is about 'getting and keeping customers'. And if you can't do either of those - you 'aint got a business.

Let's look at 'getting' some new customers first, and let's look at doing that in a fairly economical and enjoyable way - by networking.

How well you can 'network' can determine how quickly you can build or expand your small business.

So what is networking? Well, it's one of the least expensive ways of getting information about your business and what you do, out to the market.

It's a great way to get more contacts and referrals, increase your client base and find out information about what else may be happening in your industry, in your town.

Not only that, there is usually a pleasant social aspect to any kind of networking opportunity, a chance to put your 'glad rags on' and enjoy some yummy food and drinks too.

Before you throw on your best suit and dash out the door, there are some basic guidelines to follow, so hold on, get a notepad and jot down the answers to these questions..

What do I need to achieve my goals?

To benefit my business and achieve the goal of.....

What am I trying to accomplish and who can help me with that?

To benefit my business and accomplish .....

The folk who can help me with that are.....

What kind of new contacts do I need?

To benefit my business I need new contacts who can...

It could well be that you have enough customers to last you for years but your difficulty is with finding good suppliers..you may make the best candy fairy floss in the world but if you can't get a regular supply of sugar........... know what I'm saying?

With your answers in mind, set yourself a monthly networking plan.

Find out about all the various groups and organizations in your area. Check in the phone book, with your local library, local council offices. Look for trade associations, chambers of commerce, small business clubs and other places where you may be able to meet potential customers or industry experts.

Join any clubs that fit in with your business goals. In fact just join any club that sounds fun or interesting as it sounds like you need to get away from your business for a while if only to renew your energy and passion again!

Ok, your first meeting, event, function, seminar is coming up, how do you prepare?

1/ Look smart and presentable - how you look determines peoples perceptions of how your business runs - not what it does. As a boilermaker attending a meeting where potential customers may be - they don't want to see you in overalls with a welder in your hand ready to go..they need to see a business that runs cleanly, professionally and efficiently. So welders down, irons on..

2/ Arrive early to mingle and introduce yourself to people you don't know. Act like a host and not a guest.

3/ Be aware of how you sound and practice a good 'elevator statement' - a couple of sentences to introduce your self that indicates what your business does and how your product or service helps people.

4/ Listen carefully. Ask others what they do. If you make a possible business connection, avoid 'cornering' someone, arrange another time to meet up and chat.

5/ Make sure you have plenty of great looking professionally designed business cards with you - again it's a perception thing. if they are a bit crumpled -iron them before you go as well !

6/ Collect business cards of people you meet and jot notes on the back of them to help you personalize any follow ups you make.

7/ Follow-ups. Keep in touch, send thank-you cards for referrals or contacts, call to discuss the meeting.

Nurture your network of contacts and grow it wherever you can - this is one of your businesses best sources of custom.

Okay, so you have all your marketing materials and advertisements happening around town, in the newspaper, on TV, Yellow Pages etc..

It goes something like...

Great Gizmo's Company - widgets and gadgets just for you.
The only kind of widget and gadget you will ever need. Call us today. We offer the most technologically advanced widgets on the market.

Excuse me but ...SO WHAT...?

I'm a potential business-to-business customer, what's is in this for me or anyone else - because that's all customers care about. We're looking for value here..

In today's tight market, you need to have a strong value proposition to attract potential customers - something that has instant meaning and gets their attention.

A Value Proposition

This is a clear statement of the tangible results a customer gets from using your products or services. The more specific your value proposition is, the better.

Here are some sad value propositions

• It's the most technologically advanced on the market. We improve staff communication and morale.
• We offer training classes in a wide variety of areas.
• Our product won the annual award for..

And again.. "So what?"

That's just what most customers think when you offer a weak value proposition.

So in the business-to-business market especially, you need a financially oriented value proposition that addresses the critical issues they're facing now. And, by including numbers or percentages, you get the decision maker's attention even faster.

Strong value propositions deliver tangible results like

• Increased revenues
• Faster time to market
• Decreased costs
• mproved operational efficiency
• Increased market share
• Decreased employee turnover
• Improved customer retention levels

Documented success stories make you believable to prospective buyers. Add those in too wherever you can.

Does your marketing and advertising just describe "what" you make or "how" you do things? Then you need to do some work on your value proposition?

Here are some tips to get you started

1. Brainstorm with Your Colleagues.
Look at your marketing material, your ads etc and what you say to potential customers. If you're not talking tangible results, keep asking each other......... "So what?"

• So what if it is an efficient widget?
• So what if we have the best technology?
• So what if it's high quality?

Ask this question over and over again and you'll get much closer to the real value you bring to customers. Then you will get their attention !

2. Talk to Your Customers.
Most people are scared to ask their customers but they are your best resource to uncover your true value. Tell them you need help understanding the real value of your offering, and you'd like a chance to learn their perspective.

Don't let another day go by with a weak value proposition, it can cost you so much.. !

For more details give us a call!

LET THEM KNOW
Not today, not now, not here.

You cannot happily pretend that "ads here, ads there, ads everywhere, brand your name and reach the audience" is all that's needed. Bullpoo!

Maybe at one time there was no competition & a business could survive with bad advertising or worse still, bad customer service - any business without competition can do that.

Nowadays, just getting your name "out there" is not enough: you need to get results.

It's really all about strategy..after all you can't just outspend your competitors to get the business - yet you can outsmart them.

Businesses don't suffer because they're "reaching the wrong people." They suffer because they're saying the wrong thing.

Ever noticed this. it's very hard to tell a powerful story badly and yet it's easy to tell a weak story well. (go ahead, read that through again..)

At the heart of every good advertising campaign is a strong strategy, a powerful story that needs to be told ('cos its hard to tell a powerful story badly - right )

That's where we come in.

We don't see any point in having great visuals without the back up of a strong 'story' with solid marketing messages. Yes, we are designers, and yes, we are copywriters, marketing and advertising professionals too - they go hand in hand.

If you are looking to grow your business, we will develop a creative strategy that offers you the best advertising campaign for your products and services and maximises your return on your advertising investment.

We'll ensure your advertising can reach new markets, target existing customers, stand out from your competitors, be affordable yet effective.

We will give you the advantage over your competitors and the major players -so lets outsmart them!

'Let them Know' & 'Full Exposure Combo' Campaigns can Include

• Full Conceptual, Creative and Advertising Production Services
• Concept Development - Working closely with a professional Concept Marketing and Media Specialist to determine and implement creative ideas for getting your business noticed.
• TV Ad Production - Professionally produced graphics/animated TV commercial. Includes creative development and, filming, all post production, Voice over, music, sound mix, TV submission and a DVD copy.
• Graphic Design - Creating and co-ordinating the design and style elements of all your visual materials thereby offering a fully integrated theme across all media.
• Copywriting - Professional scripting to use the right words to grab attention, gain interest, create desire and elicit a response from the viewer / listener.

Measuring about 9cms by 5.5 cms, weighing very little, costs a few cents to produce and should pack a powerful punch!

Your business card is your most effective, least expensive form of advertising. Make It work.

10 Tips for a Great Business Card

1. Use both sides!

It’s usually only a few $ more per thousand to print on both sides AND you’ve just doubled your opportunity to communicate with a prospective client. What should you put on the back? Consider… a list of your services; testimonials from pleased customers; something useful - like a calendar; your bio...

2. Make sure your card says something about your business personality

EEEK! There are so many boring business cards out there. Why? Probably because someone started a business, and ‘Get cards’ was one of the items on their ‘to-do’ list. Update time… Make it unique, creative, and indicative of the special qualities you bring to your business.

3. Make the important information easy to find

Don't bury your phone number in a cluster of print. Make it stand out.

4. Make it clear what you do

Here are some sample business names, (from cards picked up recently) and see if you can guess what these businesses do: Your One Stop Shop; The Branches; Lucky Enterprises... Argghh! Don't make it hard for people to do business with you!

5. Emphasize the benefits of doing business with you

Could be in a tag line under your logo or in a list, make sure you tell prospective customers what they'll get from doing business with you.

Features=qualities of your product or service

Benefits=what those features mean to your client

6. Don't be road kill on the information superhighway

Always, always, always…include your web address and e-mail address on your card. You cannot seriously market your business these days without using the power of the Internet.

7. Announce your USP

That's your Unique Selling Proposition. A statement that differentiates your business from your competitors; what makes your business stand out - whether it's price, product, location, guarantee, your personality, or something else.

8. Include your logo

Your business should have a recognizable image, which should be included in all your material. Remember the Law of Seven--someone needs to see your name at least seven times before they will try to do business with you. Having a consistent company image makes it that much easier to make an impression.

9. Do something really different

Use a picture business card, or a card shaped like a pencil or a key or a computer. Get noticed – be remembered. Try something new!

10. Give out your card !

Try this: Hand a card to everyone you speak to tomorrow--tellers, cashiers, servers. You'll be amazed how many people that is! Stick them on notice boards around town. Leave them everywhere!

'Even tiddlers get noticed in the big ocean of business if they present themselves well'

Is your brochure doing its job, or just an exercise in futility?

Really, how effective can your brochure be when it's just an additional duty for someone in the office to put together?

A brochure that's boring, says nothing of any depth to capture the interest of your potential customers, that gets handed out willy-nilly is just one huge waste of cash.

Thinking of a brochure, consider this

What's the purpose of the brochure?

USE: follow up on phone inquiries, to encourage more store traffic, to advertise your web site, for distribution at networking events?

The objectives of any brochure need to be defined up front. Your brochure should then be written and designed with those goals in mind. Often several brochures covering different aspects of your business goals are needed.

Does your brochure get the reader's attention?

Here's the bad news, your business name or logo isn't going to do it - not unless its something ultra snappy and unusually titillating.

Really your business name should never go at the top of anything - not your ads, your website or your brochure.

So, you're asking, what should go on the front of your brochure?

Try .a provocative question or declaration, an appeal to the emotions, needs and wants of a prospective customer or a benefit-laden statement.(Beneficial for the prospect and not just a quick stroke of your own ego)

Have a look at these cover statements and decide which is most effective:

Are you risking the safety of your retirement savings?
Ross J. Lewis, Financial Advisor

----------- OR -----------------

If you don't buy your air conditioner from us, you'll pay too much.
Coolair A/C Sales and Service

----------- OR -----------------

Now, you can get your groceries delivered right to your door--FREE!
Surfers Grocery Store

Who is your brochure for?

Okay, this is not a trick question! Your instant answer should be - the client!

Did you have to think about it? Uh-oh.. Many companies focus their brochures on themselves instead of on their potential market. E.g. "We offer great service. Our service is .. We can."

Have a quick look at your current brochure and circle every "you" with a red pen and every "we" or "I" or mention of your company's name with a blue pen. There should be a lot more red than blue on your brochure. If not, revise it, its just taking up expensive office space!

Do you tell the reader what to do?

Your potential customer has read your brochure and now you have to spur them into action - sounds silly, but it's necessary. It's a 'call to action', and all of your promotional materials should have it. e.g. Call now and grab yourself a great deal. (Check my call to action at the end of this article).

Is your brochure written in an active and enthusiastic way?

Is the writing peppered with active verbs to assist the reader move seamlessly from sentence to sentence, instead of getting bogged down in boring text?

Here are some examples:

Hipfish Design Studio was formed to make it possible for clients to.
OR
Team Hipfish will ensure you get the most out of your marketing dollars.

OR

After the client calls us, an agent is assigned to oversee the transaction.
OR
When you call, we'll assign you to an experienced designer/marketer to ensure your presentations will increase your sales and expand your market share.

So, now you know how important it is to have a brochure that clients can't help but open, read, and act upon.

If you want power-packed ads, press releases, a website, logo, brochure, new corporate identity or other marketing materials, dash off an e-mail to hipfish..we're standing by!

P.S. For lots more info on making the most of your marketing budget, contact us and we'll send you our newsletter - start enjoying your free subscription today!

1/ Word of mouth is the least expensive, most effective way to get new business.

Try this - ask your new customers to write on the back of their business cards why they bought from you. Display these mini-testimonials.

2/ Call at least one customer a day just to keep in touch. This will build your relationship by showing you don't just care about them when you want something.

3/ Put your customer first, you earn long-term loyalty that is more profitable than a larger quick sale. One business I know wanted to move their accounting & auditing from the local guy to one of the big firms as they were going 'public'. The local accountant didn't resist but helped the client in their selection of a suitable 'big-gun' thereby maintaining & extending their relationship.

Improve Your Bottom Line

Brochures & billboards, TV & radio ads, newspaper & yellow page ads, website and ezines ….the most commonly used advertising and marketing methods to attract potential customers to your business – whatever that business may be.

These promotional materials, in whatever media they may be presented, need to get your sales message across effectively (after all that’s the point of them, right?) and should follow the age-old formula of ‘ AIDA ’ - Attention, Interest, Desire and Action

A I D A

They all need an Attention-grabber.

They must arouse Interest from your prospect by relating to what they want or need.

And create Desire by pointing out the benefits of using your goods or services.

Lastly, they should end with a call to Action, such as a special offer or similar, to motivate the customer to act ASAP!

Do all your marketing materials follow this basic plan?

If not, you could be making better use of your business dollars!