WSI Retail Buzz

Google+ Attracts 25 Million Visitors

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 17:49:00 GMT

Google recently opened a brand new social network called Google+. Google+ allows you to manage your contacts in circles, provides a wall which allows only you to post and something called Hangouts, a group video calling service.

In a report by Alistair Barr from Reuters posted Wed Aug 3, 2011, Google's new social network has attracted 25 million users, making it the fastest website to achieve that audience size (according to data released on Tuesday by comScore).

Google+ launched in late June and had 25 million unique visitors as of July 24 and is growing at a rate of roughly one million visitors a day, comScore noted in a presentation.

This is quite impressive given it took Facebook about three years to attract 25 million visitors and Twitter took just over 2.5 years, according to comScore. A separate survey found that two-third's of Web developers believe Google+ could eventually rival Facebook in importance, with Google's portfolio of mature online services helping to offset Facebook's social-graph advantage.

While the data show Google's latest attempt at breaking into social networking has started strongly, it may or may not mean the project is successful over the long haul. MySpace grew to 25 million unique visitors in less than two years -- faster than Facebook or Twitter. However, it's lost a lot of visitors in the past year, comScore data show.

Canada specifically accounts for approximately 1 million visitors to Google+.

All Media Quickly Becoming Digitized

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 14:14:00 GMT

Digitization, as defined by the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, refers to the act of converting data or images to digital form. From a marketing perspective, it’s simply converting or moving your offline marketing (physical) to online marketing (digital).

As new technologies emerge, people embrace the change which translates into behavioural change. Today, people consume well over 50% of their media online. Interestingly enough:

•   Consumers spend more time online than TV
•   Consumers rely heavily on the internet to research their purchases
•   Less than half of researchers are committed to a brand before starting their search
•   The internet is equally important as family or friends in making a purchasing decision

Businesses have begun to react and become more digitized. Yet amazingly, on average, retail advertisers still only spend 20% of their marketing budget online. Yikes .....

Email remains the most popular online activity for Canadians with Search and Social Networking second and third respectively. Search advertising continues to grow and dominates total online advertising with a 42% spending share. The internet continues to take a larger share of marketing budgets and is predicted to maintain double digit increases over the next several years. Are you shifting your ad spend to where the majority of your customers are hanging out? If not, you may not be communicating with the largest group of your target audience.

Digitization of media and local search optimization video.

Canada Maintains Title as World's Most Engaged Web Nation

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 18:37:00 GMT

Canada, once again, is the capital of the online world.

Canadians spent more time online than Internet users in any other nation in the fourth quarter of 2010, according to a new report from market research firm comScore Inc.

Canadians spent an average 43.5 hours online per month in the final quarter of 2010, up from 42.2 hours in the final quarter of 2009, according to comScore’s Canada Digital Year in Review report. That’s more than Internet users in China (13.5 hours), the United States (35.3 hours) and the United Kingdom (32.3 hours) and nearly double the global average of 23.1 hours per month.

In the final quarter of 2010, the average Canadian Internet user visited 3,349 Web pages, down from 3,793 Web pages in the same quarter last year.

Canadians logged on to the Internet an average of 95.2 times per month in Q4, up from 88.8 times in the same time frame last year. ComScore measures an “Internet visit” as a unique log on to the Web in a given 30 minute time frame. So if a users logs onto the Web twice in a 15 minute span, that’s counted as only one visit.

Canada’s total online population grew 2% year-over-year to 24.989 million users at the end of 2010, compared to 24.6 million in 2009. The increase was driven primarily by the growth in Web users in the 55+ age demographic, with Canada’s senior Internet users base increasing 12% to 4.7 million. The country’s largest Web population remains the 35-54 age bracket, with 8.77 million users.

Ontario remains the top province in terms of total number of Internet users, with 38% of the country’s online population residing in the province. Quebec is next on the list with 24% of the nation’s Internet users followed by British Columbia (13%), the prairie provinces (18% combined) and the Atlantic provinces (7%).

Microsoft Corp.’s Internet Explorer remains the most common browser in Canada, used by about 23.34 million Canadians in Q4, or about 93% of all Internet users. Still, Mozilla’s Firefox is now used by 7.7 million Canadians and Google Inc.’s Chrome browser now reaches about 24% of the online population, or about 6 million Canadians.

“While the Mozilla Firefox browser reaches a larger percentage of the online population, Google’s Chrome browser has a larger proportion of time spent, account for more than 11.4 billion minutes,” comScore said in its report.

Canadian traffic to social media sites grew 13% year-over-year. While Facebook saw a 7% increase in the number of Canadians visiting the world’s largest social network, the total number of minutes the average Canadian spent on on Facebook per month in Q4 fell 4% year-over-year. Meanwhile, the number of Canadians visiting Twitter and LinkedIn grew 11% and 35%, respectively.

In the online advertising arena, total display ad impressions grew 3% in 2010 while ad impressions on social networking sites topped 58 billion impressions in Q4, a growth of 15.6 billion impressions year-over-year.

Financial Post - Article

Canadian Retail Ecommerce Forecast - Measured Growth Ahead

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 18:52:00 GMT

In 2010 consumers in Canada spent $16 billion online for products and services (including travel). By 2015, Canadian online spending will nearly double. For ecommerce to hit full stride, more Canadian retailers must sell online and help consumers overcome concerns about the safety of online shopping.

Retail ecommerce in Canada is late blooming compared with the US. But over the next few years, it will start to realize its potential. In 2010, consumers in Canada spent CAD16.5 billion ($16.0 billion) on domestic and foreign sites for products and services (including travel). By 2015, online spending will nearly double, reaching CAD30.9 billion ($30.0 billion). Shoppers are increasingly comfortable buying high-consideration goods online, such as home electronics and apparel. The allure of group buying is also introducing more consumers to ecommerce.

Still, there are major obstacles curbing interest in online buying, including limited product selection, reservations about buying products sight unseen and high shipping costs. The lack of market participation has caused several prominent store-based retailers to shy away from ecommerce. But some internet pure plays and specialty retailers are succeeding by offering superior customer service, multichannel convenience and unique products.

The aggressive entry of US web retailers into Canadian ecommerce may also accelerate market growth. Major store-based retailers are under pressure to launch viable ecommerce businesses or risk losing market share. US retailers, who give shoppers greater product selection, are also introducing those in Canada to ecommerce. Some of the pure plays and specialty retailers believe the opportunity to acquire new customers can benefit all retailers.

Conversion Architecture

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 21:56:00 GMT

Leading the horse to water AND making it want to drink!

When designing an online interface, whether it is a website, a landing page, an ad or an email newsletter, the primary objective is to get users to take positive action, i.e. to convert.
Conversion Architecture is the wireframe or blueprint that determines the form and function, look and feel, visual content and copy of any online interface. From an Internet marketing perspective, it is based on the fact that a user (viewer / visitor / reader) has a need that must be fulfilled. If your website, landing page, email piece or pay-per-click ad fulfills that need quickly, efficiently and offers the user a good experience, you are closer to conversion, closer to closing, closer to improved business performance.
The Internet marketing landscape is changing at the speed of thought! Traffic building strategies like link exchange and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising are no longer enough because more traffic does not mean more profits or more business. Search engine optimization (SEO) which involves tools, techniques and technologies to improve your online search rankings has evolved into conversion rate optimization (CRO). The bottom line is, if you are aren't converting, your target audience is going to the competition. They still have a need that must be fulfilled, remember?

Online Search Alert: New Google Places Search Mixes Up Local SEO

Sun, 31 Oct 2010 12:36:00 GMT

This week, Google has begun rolling out a game-changing update to how it delivers local search results. According to the official Google blog, Place Search will alter the way search engine results pages display information when the search engine detects you are searching for local information.

This updates reinforces that both organic SEO and a solid local listing on Google places are important in helping your business get found online.

Also, according to ReachCast GM Alex Hawkinson, place search will add some complexity to the process of getting found in this new format. “For example, the new Place Search mini-pages make extensive use of rich snippets, a structured data format that enables web pages to be marked up with semantic information (e.g. reviews).”

For more insights into the new Google place search, check out the resources below:

To see a video of some highlights of this new update and how it may impact SEO, check out the video below:

Why links shouldn't open in a new window....

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 21:41:00 GMT

This is often overlooked, but surprisingly important to your user’s experience of your site. In this post we will discuss why opening links in a new window is not recommended, and also when it is acceptable to do so.

Why it’s bad to open links in a new window

It removes ability to use the “back” button on your browser
The window might appear in front of the original window, meaning the user might not know where the other screen has gone to.
Users have the ability to control how to open new links, unless you force it to open in a new window, removing the user’s control.

Removes the back button

When a user is browsing the internet they will follow links to take them from one webpage to another. Buttons in your browser allow you to go back to a previous screen, allowing you a quick and easy “undo” option if you’ve clicked the wrong link or have navigated to a page you don’t want to look at. If they have clicked a link that forces them to view the resulting page in a new window then they will be presented with a new browser window (or tab) where the back button will be greyed out. If the user didn’t realize that a new window had loaded they might be clicking the back button unsuccessfully.

Confuses the user

We’re all busy people and we just want things to work. Opening many different browser windows can be frustrating, as you might have to flick back through all your open windows to find the page you were just looking at. To add more confusion, browsers with tabs (Firefox, Chrome and the latest versions of Internet Explorer) can have multiple tabs open, but a link opening in a new window will show a brand new window, with its own tabs – so not only do you have to switch between tabs, you also have to switch between windows. Make things as easy as possible for your users!

Removes control from the user

Forcing the link to open in a new window removes the choice a user has to open the link how they like. Users normally have the choice to either click the link normally, or choose to open in a new window or tab.

Forcing an option removes the user’s choice. This is unfair to the user because this might not be what they want to do.

Usability professional Jakob Nielsen says this about links:
“Links are the Web’s basic building blocks, and users’ ability to understand them and to use various browser features correctly is key to enhancing their on-line skills.
“Links that don’t behave as expected undermine users’ understanding of their own system. A link should be a simple hypertext reference that replaces the current page with new content. Users hate unwarranted pop-up windows. When they want the destination to appear in a new page, they can use their browser’s “open in new window” command – assuming, of course, that the link is not a piece of code that interferes with the browser’s standard behavior.
“Users deserve to control their own destiny. Computers that behave consistently empower people by letting them use their own tools and wield them accurately.”

When it’s okay to open in a new window

There is always an exception however, when links should automatically open in a new window.

Imagine a big long form page where you have to fill in your details. You start typing your name and contact details, and filling out many more options that the form asks you, and then you reach an option that you don’t understand and there’s a link saying “Click here for help”. If you click this link it will take you to the next page and when you press the “back” button, you’ll have to fill in all the options on the form again – starting from scratch. But if the “Click here for help” link forced the new page into a new window (or popup), it means that the data you entered into the forum won’t be lost.

Social Media - Brand Protection and Consistency

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 12:11:00 GMT

Registering Your Brand and Trademarks

When your company launched your website, you had to register a branded domain name (ie: ABCCompany.com). It is equally important to register your brand and any trademarks you have on the social portals - even if you are not yet active in the social space.

People are registering for usernames and social media accounts every day. It is vital that you protect your brand and trademarks by creating company branded accounts on all social media portals even if you are not utilizing these portals yet. This way, when you are ready to embark on your social media strategy, you can be confident that no one else is using your brand name. Also, if you have any trademarks, it would be a good idea to register and protect those as well.

Some companies have failed to reserve their brands, and as a result, other users have gone ahead and registered accounts using their brand names. For example, Microsoft does not own http://www.youtube.com/Microsoft, a channel that has almost 20,000 views. Also, http://www.youtube.com/McDonalds doesn't belong to McDonald's, but to a company that is using the channel to promote their own line of burgers.

Defining Your Social Presence Look and Feel

Your company likely has a branding policy, which outlines corporate branding standards, and a style guide, which defines your corporate colors and fonts. In all of your marketing materials, you likely follow these guides to keep your company’s look and feel consistent. So why should your social presence be any different?

Your social media presence should be treated like any other marketing endeavor. It should consist of the same look and feel as your company website and marketing materials. This way, when visitors migrate from your website to your corporate blog, Twitter page or YouTube channel, they won’t feel like they’ve landed on a totally different page. A consistent look and feel for your social pages will give visitors a consistent experience with your brand.

Email Marketing

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 12:20:00 GMT

With pinched budgets, it's all about ROI

Email marketing’s popularity is attributable to its low cost, high ROI (Return-On-Investment) and focus
on customer retention. While the economic crisis will force retailers to cut back on many important
marketing and technology initiatives, email programs will survive relatively unscathed.
Odds are your marketing budget has felt the negative impact of growing concerns over the worldwide
economy. Small businesses and large corporations alike have been forced to erase entire sections of
their 2010 marketing “wish list” in response to a bleak economic forecast that has many marketers
evaluating the cost-effectiveness and ROI of previously ironclad marketing vehicles.
Amid the turmoil, Email marketing has remained a staple due to its cost-effectiveness and flexibility. At a
fraction of a penny per message, the value of an email campaign compared to an expensive direct mail
communication is substantial. However, getting the most from your email marketing campaigns during
tough economic times may require a different approach than what you’ve done before.

It is not surprising to see how advertisers continue adding to the budget for marketing activities that are
generating the greatest ROI, like searches and email marketing.
According to eMarketer, at the beginning of 2010 year, 14% of the online marketing budget is destined
for email marketing. What is more surprising, is that advertisers are giving more importance to their
email marketing campaigns than on investing in social networks, even though it is a rising trend. In the
current economy, on which marketing budgets plummet, email marketing can be as important as a
wood plank to someone stranded at sea.

Typically in any recession, there is tremendous pressure on marketers to do more with less. According to
MarketingSherpa, 24 percent of B2B and 34 percent of B2C marketers reported budget cuts this year.
Not surprising given its remarkably high return on investment, email marketing increases during tough
economic times.
Also, in email’s favor is its measurability. Marketers can quickly and effectively measure who is
responding to messages, which promotions work best and so much more.

Search or Turf through Search and Social

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 12:25:00 GMT

Search Engines and Social Media Channels Compete
...but finding common ground can help customer engagement and conversion

With increased awareness about search engine optimization (SEO) and easier access to information, business owners are more willing to invest in making their websites rank higher on search engines. Simultaneously, the explosive growth of social media is spurring businesses to consider making social media an integral part of their overall marketing efforts. This does pose somewhat of a dilemma because the objective of search engines and social media channels is quite the opposite of each other.

While search engines aim to help consumers find the information they are looking for and direct them specifically to the most relevant (top ranking) websites, social channels facilitate online conversations on third-party forums like Facebook, Twitter, Mashable and so on. Savvy Internet marketers have realized that instead of making the difficult choice of one over the other, it is wise to find common ground between search and social and rake in the benefits of both.

The biggest advantage of social media is that it generates consumer-speak - honest feedback about a product, service or brand. Social media users are already on a heightened level of "engagement" when they are discussing a product, service or issue. If your company launches a social media campaign, you can look for the prominent and frequently appearing keywords that users include in their social conversations. Using these keywords on your website can yield good results because they are likely to be relevant search terms that prospective customers will use when searching for your product or service on Google, Yahoo!, etc. You could be losing potential opportunities if you ran a social media campaign without a solid SEO strategy in place to support it. Your business needs the collaborative impact of search and social marketing.

Users Search, and then Socialize to Validate their Findings
...relevant content can boost your visibility across both platforms

Internet users are growing more demanding - they want relevant information, easily and quickly. They are no longer content with surfing and searching for information on search engines. They also now look to confirm their online findings by interacting with other folks using social media. For instance, the latest interactive multimedia game may show up on the first page of search engines but the person searching will most likely proceed to blogs, forums and Twitter type of channels to hear what people are saying about the game.

As a company, you can take the critical step to ensure that the information you provide about your business or brand is put across in a user-friendly and relevant manner - not just on your website but also via blog articles, blog posts, Tweets, a Facebook page, perhaps even a video presentation on YouTube. If "content is king" was true in the past, it just got further reinforced!

The important thing to remember is that while you may know best about your business, you may not always figure out the best way to communicate it to your target audience. Your best bet is to employ the services of a professional web copywriter or Internet marketing consultant who offers expert help with search marketing content. Compelling, persuasive copy with clear calls to action can effect higher conversions from your search marketing and social media campaigns. Content that drives results can mean the difference between whether your audience surfs your online space or turfs it.

Your WSI Retail Group Consultant is trained in both, search and social media marketing and can help you discover that critical common ground between these two advanced Internet marketing fields. Contact us at www.wsiretailgroup.com to set up a free, no obligation consultation.

Converting More Website Traffic

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 12:32:00 GMT

It’s all about customer engagement

As a retail business owner, how often do you make a choice not to settle for rudimentary changes that generate average results and please only the average customer? Many of us are guilty of this kind of complacency not realizing that by catering to the “average” site visitor, we are probably ignoring the greater majority of our prospects who demand personalized attention. Retail businesses that seek to integrate their overall marketing strategies and align them with the goals of a majority of their website users can achieve great results.

When utilizing best of kind Internet marketing tools, your site can be your primary marketing vehicle. But what value will a website bring to your retail business if people are visiting your site and not completing the desired action (i.e.: making an online purchase, subscribing to your promotional campaigns, visiting your store, etc.)?

Your website is a sales funnel, just like your store

Your target audience can always be profiled primarily on their needs / wants / pains / and problems. This can be further broken down into demographics and psychographics and where they are in the buying cycle (which decides their behaviour on your site). Your goal then is to ensure that every element of your website persuades visitors on your site to take the actions that lead to the delivery of your objectives (conversion). Conversion on your website means the visitor completing your desired action or objective. Pour site visitors through your website funnel while monitoring and measuring their actions to ensure that your efforts are driving results to the bottom of the funnel and your bottom line. Remember that every click on your site is a step towards conversion. Visitor satisfaction with every click on your site should build confidence until they reach the final click where they convert into a customer.

Conversion Architecture™ starts by defining your business goals and target audience, and then ensuring that every element of your site persuades visitors to take the desired actions. These elements include: persuasive copy, calls‑to‑action and conversion tools like live chat or click‑to‑call technology. The guiding philosophy of Conversion Architecture™ is that all websites must have a persuasive purpose. Building your site with Conversion Architecture™ in mind will result in more visitors doing what you want them to online – whether buying a new product, signing up for your VIP Club or printing off a coupon.

The 40/40/20 Rule

Conversion Architecture™ follows the 40/40/20 Rule – 40% Audience Targeting, 40% Offer and 20% Creativity. These figures come from the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) in its outlining of parameters that determine the success of any retail marketing campaign. Whether or not you use diverse Internet marketing methods like pay-per-click advertising, landing pages, viral social media marketing campaigns, etc., you can always think of your website as your primary marketing vehicle. Build it using the 40/40/20 Rule where (a) every element of the website keeps in mind the majority of users and their varied profiles; (b) there exist multiple acquisition channels making a variety of offers and (c) aesthetic design and creativity offers unique and personalized experiences for site visitors.

Online Video Marketing for Retailers in Canada

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 12:39:00 GMT

19 billion views on average for online video

…your retail business too can engage audiences with video

Judging by the astounding growth of online video viewership (close to 125% in 2009), there is no doubt about the tremendous opportunity that has emerged for marketers. Sure, online video still has a long way to go before it gets close to television viewership but eMarketer predicts that online video viewership will nearly double to 11.8 billion total hours in 2010.

As a retail business owner, you strive to educate your customers and prospects about your products and services. Now think about one of the most effective ways that people learn – it’s the interactive audio-visual medium (a.k.a. Video)! There can be no better way to show the use of your products, make a presentation about a new concept, share information and ideas to encourage better utilization of your products and services, promote an event, discuss success stories or a case study, and so much more. Using the combined power of voice, text, image, music and perhaps, a little bit of drama (for effect!), a simple video can engage your target audience like nothing else can.

If you’re thinking, “Video is expensive”, “I don’t have time to create videos”, “Video marketing is too slow”, “Video takes too much technical knowledge, skills and effort”…STOP! From retailers to chefs, MLM pros to fitness instructors, chocolate makers to computer manufacturers, everyone has used online video and very successfully at that. You don’t need to hire an expert videographer or have fancy cameras, lights and software. There are ways to create and market online videos quickly, affordably and efficiently. You just need to know what market trends prevail and which best practices yield the best results.

Online video is not all about what you can show…

…it’s about what your audience can imagine!

Google’s 2010 Super Bowl Ad was a 52 second video. If you haven’t seen it before, take a quick look now.

Lost in Paris aren’t you? The video didn’t do that. You did! As your eyes followed the text and online search on your screen, your mind wandered off picturing everything from chocolate to coffee, Le Louvre to the Eiffel Tower, Parisian models to French couture, and more! See how plain text scrolling on a screen and simple, really subtle, unobtrusive music can have that effect on you? No images, no photographs, no fancy graphics or use of color, and yet, the video makes you see so much, within the realm of your own imagination! That’s the power of online video.

Sure, Google is one of the biggest, most well-known companies in the world today and they paid an astronomical figure to play this video during Super Bowl. (CBS charged 3 million dollars for a 30 second commercial!). But think about it, you could create a video like that sitting in your own office or home. The most important thing is to get your retail brand into the mind of your customer. And to do that, you have to think like the customer and find the niche that you’d like to occupy.

Understanding market trends and following best practices in online video marketing can help you gain terrific results without having to spend too much time, money or effort on it.

Creating Website Content That Sizzles

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:33:00 GMT

Write content for your website that surfers will actually stop to read!

Writing for the Web isn't as simple as it might seem. Without proper knowledge of how the medium works and what visitors to your page want and need, you could inadvertently be driving them away!

Before sitting down to write your content, you must understand that you must tackle writing Web content differently than you would when writing for traditional print media. You have to write in a way that will get your point across without losing your readers' interest.

The following three tips will help to make your Web content more accessible and engaging to your readers, helping to make your website a more effective tool for your business.

Get to the Good Stuff

Let's face it: reading text on a computer monitor is more difficult than reading off a paper copy. In fact, a study by Sun Microsystems states that it takes up to 50 percent longer to read on-screen copy than it does traditional paper copy. Because of this, most Web users tend to scan the screen first to determine its relevance, before actually reading the content. Knowing this, you can adjust your content accordingly to enable easier reading and scan ability.

First, be sure to start with what's most important – keep your most relevant information at the top of the page (“above the fold”), so readers can see it without scrolling down. The first few paragraphs of your home page should give a summary of what readers will find on all pages, not just a general overview of your company.

Since they can't scan the entire 'document' like they could with paper copy, you need to make sure they know what other relevant info they will find on inner pages to encourage them to venture further into your site. Herein lies the importance of creating an intuitive site navigation structure allowing your visitors to locate the information they are looking for in a timely and efficient manner. If a visitor to your site doesn't find what they need off your home page, they are unlikely to browse through the rest of your site, where the 'real' information lies. As journalists would say, 'never bury your lead' – don't make your readers search for your main message.

Use Language Effectively

Reading Web content shouldn't feel like reading an essay; paragraphs should be short and concise, and sentences should be kept simple. You want your readers to actually read the content, not skip past it because it looks daunting and 'solid'. White space, or, text-free space, on the page is easy on the reader's eye, so try to break up large blocks of text. If the content you wish to portray is particularly complex or lengthy, utilize the 'read more' format, where the first couple of paragraphs are shown, and the reader can click to read more, or download a white paper on the topic.

Make the most of your content by using simple, 'tight' copy. Leave out unnecessary adjectives, flowery language, clichés and exaggeration, as they take away from the factual content, which is what your readers are actually interested in. One way to make your copy tight is to use the active voice instead of the passive, and write in the present tense. For example, instead of writing "Our products have been used by customers to improve their visibility on the Internet," you could write "Customers use our products to improve their visibility on the Internet."

Avoid technical jargon and acronyms whenever possible, unless your website caters solely to technically-minded people. Use easy to understand language to ensure that your message is clear.

Know When to Use it, and When to Leave it out

Graphics and hyperlinks can add value to your website, but when used unnecessarily, they can actually decrease the impact of your copy.

Images should help support your text, adding a graphically pleasing element to the page, thus augmenting the impact of your text. However, images must be topical and not interfere with the text. Also, file size of graphics should be kept to a minimum to ensure that they do not increase the time it takes to open the page.

The same concept holds true for inserting hyperlinks. While some links that lead your reader to more information on external websites can be useful, you must determine the relevance and necessity of the links. Do you really want your reader to stop reading your content to leave your site and read something else? Over-linking can work against you, since it forces the reader to decide between continuing through your content and reading the information in the additional link. Don't force your readers away from your content unnecessarily!

What is Web Copy?

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 14:42:00 GMT

Purpose

The purpose of Web copy is to engage customers by telling them about the problem, predicament or ‘pain’ that your product can solve in a way that compels them to take the next step in the buying cycle. This means that not everything written on a Web page is classified as Web copy; items such as articles or valuable information for the end client are considered content.

Copy writing for offline sales is very different in comparison with website copy. People are more relaxed on the Internet, so it is important to use a friendly and engaging style of copy as opposed to a hard sell approach that is often used in offline sales copy.

On the Web, you only have a small amount of “real estate” to capture the visitor’s attention. Your message must be presented in a clear and concise way that compels the visitor to take the next step. All of this must be accomplished in the small space of the Web page “above the fold” (the area of the page visible on-screen without scrolling down). Another important consideration is that people do not read the same way on the Web that they do on paper. All of these factors play an important part in creating effective Web copy.

Why is it important?

Effective Web copy is what persuades someone to take action. On the Web, action can be anything from getting people to read the next page, follow a link, sign up for a newsletter, call the business, or purchase a product.

Most companies, Web designers and developers do not understand the importance of Web copy. Actually, the majority of copy on the web today is quite shocking. Much of what is found on the Web is recycled copy from brochures, mission statements and other marketing material on the home page using language and industry- specific jargon that only industry experts would understand or be interested in. This material focuses on the company and not the most important person – the intended online audience. Readers can be alienated by confusing and untargeted copy, and will not continue reading. The bottom line is that good Web copy focuses on the customer and sales, which means profitability for you and your client.

Integrated Online Solutions

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 12:43:00 GMT

The “Big Picture” of internet marketing is the key to staying focused, committed and motivated while cutting out all of the background noise of the internet marketing world. Invest your time and money training and obtaining only the things that will compliment your online business and help you grow it.

Spend the time filling in the pieces of the big picture as it pertains to your online business. The big picture entails four key components:

Product
Conversion
Traffic
Follow-up Marketing

When these four components come together, they make up the core foundation of any successful internet business. This is the secret to making money online.

First, we have product. In order to have a successful internet business, you need to have a product to offer people. You can’t make money if you don’t have anything to offer. Despite what many people believe, creating a product isn’t that difficult and there are many types of product you can create to put into the market.

These products could be eBooks, software, video or audio and these are just scratching the surface. These are only a few of many digital products you could sell online. Now, there are many ways to put together a product quickly and simply, whether it be from resale rights, master resale rights or ghost written works.

Your product can be something as straightforward as a website with a subscription form for a newsletter or ezine. If you are focused on affiliate marketing, you could build a landing page to capture prospects before sending the traffic on to the affiliate site. This way you leverage promotions to build your own mailing list and keep the subscribers for yourself. By doing this, you can tap a cash source virtually any time you wish.

By creating a newsletter with new affiliate offers and sending it out to your mailing lists, you have the possibility to make thousands of dollars. You build trust with subscribers and create the ability to generate revenue consistently for years from your target market.

The next part of the big picture is conversion. This measures the rate in which you influence visitors to take the desired action on your website. If you can manage to get half of your visitors to take the desired action, you have a 50% Conversion Rate. Improving your conversion rate is important because it helps you minimize your efforts while maximizing your results.

Conversion is a massive study with many schools of thought. For the beginner internet marketer, there are a few basics that should be followed. The most important one being copywriting. You could have the world’s greatest product for sale, but if you cannot manage to convince your prospect of that and get them to buy, than you’ve failed. Your words are a bridge between you and your prospects, so you need to make
them powerful.

By adding things like graphics, audio and video to your website, you can increase your conversion rate by allowing your prospects to interact with your website. When you add testimonials to the site along with case studies, your conversion rate will also rise. This happens because you are not just making a statement about your product anymore, you are now backing that statement up with hard facts and proof.

Three tips for boosting you conversion rates are:

Create safe communication in your copy so your prospects feel comfortable on your website.
Create credibility and trust so your prospects believe in your products and want to make a purchase with you.
Create a feel of urgency so your prospects are highly motivated to purchase.

The third part of the big picture is Traffic. Here are five keys to successful traffic generation:

Not all traffic is created equal. Your focus is only on getting highly targeted and market specific traffic that will convert well to sales.
Leverage all the traffic you get. Capture your visitors’ information for follow-up.
Master at least one traffic strategy and use it as your main method.
Do something everyday to get traffic to your site. Create a traffic generation plan and stick to it.
Money ties your traffic by adding different profit streams within your website. You could have a one-time offer, affiliate offers or even Google AdSense

There are many ways to get traffic, but you need to align them to the five keys above. Traffic generation requires some work, be it from press releases, articles, pay-per-click or joint-ventures and affiliate programs.

The final part of the big picture is Follow-up Marketing. This is the most important part in making the bulk of your money. Follow-up Marketing profits are the key to excess revenue. Follow-up Marketing is finding complimentary, higher-end or recurring income products across multiple scenarios.

Immediately after the sale or site launch.
During the checkout process as an add-on option.
A special offer or recommendation through follow-up email.

A huge portion of your profits will be generated by follow-up emails. This is why it is very important to capture the names and email of your site visitors and build your email lists. Affiliate products make great backend recommendations as you don’t need to create your own. You can simply offer affiliate products that give you high commissions, residual income or multi-tier profitability.

Make sure your backend products are complimentary to your market or site topic. This will help you create massive backend profit easily and consistently.