Credibility through Testimonials and Reviews

Before I purchase a product, I like to do a bit of research on the product and company I may be potentially buying from. I’m looking for quality, credibility, and reliability in the product and company. I want to hear the opinions of people who have purchased that product and purchased from a specific company. As with most shoppers, I would have the following questions:

• What did people like/dislike about the product?
• Did the product meet expectations in terms of performance, look and feel, etc.?
• Is the company credible and reliable?
• Do they provide all the information necessary for me to make a purchase?
• Do they ship their products at a reasonable speed?
• How is their customer service?
• Does the company believe in their product? Have people had success using their products?
• What do people like about this company?
• Would they do business again with this company?

The answers to these questions are important to prospective buyers. As a business, it is important that you can address these questions. Consider setting up customer reviews for products on your website. Prospects also want to know that the company they are potentially going to hand over their credit card to is credible. Testimonials are a great way to do this. Having your very own customers vouch for you is an excellent way to promote your business. This shows that you have happy customers that are willing to shop there again, that believe in your products, and enjoy your service.

The next time a customer emails you about how great your product or company is, don’t just keep it for yourself. Broadcast it. Put it on your website for everyone to see. This will show prospects that you have great products and great service and that they should buy from you.

The Importance of Web Analytics

Often times, when I am browsing the internet or shopping for something online, I realize that a lot of these online businesses, especially the small, possibly mom & pop web stores, don’t have web analytics set up for their website. It doesn’t matter how big or small your website or web store is, web analytics are important! If you are developing and executing marketing campaigns, it is even more important!! Web analytics provides you with very valuable information. It gives you a plethora of information on your customers, your prospects, and more importantly, the results of a particular marketing effort. If you do not have analytics, it’s difficult to know what is working and what isn’t.

Consider this sample list of metrics that analytics can provide for you:
• Site Referrer – What websites out there on the web send you the most traffic?
• Single Access Pages – Is there a particular site visitors are hitting on your website and than leaving immediately? Why? Is there something wrong with the page? Is there something you can do to improve the page?
• # of Visits, Orders, Revenue – This is important to gauge the performance of your website as a whole
• Keywords & Search Engines – How are people finding you in the engines and what engines are they coming from?
• Trends – Is there a particular time of year where you are slow in sales?
• Location of Visitor, Browser & Resolution Settings – Is your website designed for how people are most likely to view your website?

Web analytics can provide great insight into how your site is currently performing. It also gives you valuable information for trending and forecasting for the future as well as identifying areas of opportunity. If anything, the information is still very interesting to look at. I think you would learn a lot about your own business and customers just from digging in a little bit.

I think some businesses may not have analytics installed on their website because they think it is difficult to install and don’t want to spend a lot of money. If that’s the case, I’ve got a solution for you: Google Analytics. Google Analytics is free and provides ample information for your analysis. The instructions are pretty clear and they have a help section if you have any questions.

Start analyzing your data and you might be amazed at the results when you start using the information you find to tweak and improve your customer’s user experience.

Reinventing Your Brand for Search

One of my colleagues passed over a very interesting article on Search this morning. It basically said that businesses are beginning to become more and more aware of the importance and power of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) these days. Because of that, they have been thinking of creative ways to step up their marketing and brand presence in search engine results pages (SERPs).

It gave two examples of how marketers were willing to reinvent their brand to take an advantage in having high visibility in the engines. The first example was the Sci-Fi channel. They had started to announce that they were eventually going to be evolving into the name Syfy. They realized the opportunity available to them in dominating search results with such a name. The second example is about a small Normandy town called Eu. The town feels like many tourists are missing out on visiting this great town which has reportedly had visits from historical figures like William the Conqueror, Richard the Lionheart, and Joan of Arc. They feel that they are getting a lack of toursists because prospective visitors cannot locate them in the SERPs due to the overpowering presence of EU (the European Union). The town plans to make changes to it’s town name to be more unique so that they can once again be found and bring back the visitors they so desire.

It is so great to see how much SEO has grown in terms of being integrated into marketing plans. Not long ago, many businesses still considered SEO something to be put on the backburner. But as people begin to see the value and the return of optimization efforts, they are making strong, bold marketing decisions in efforts to succeed in the search engines.

My thoughts on reinventing the Brand name are slightly mixed. On the one hand, I think it is brilliant – to be creative enough to create a unique name that no other person/company has for the SERPs. I definitely see how difficult it can be for the Sci-Fi channel or Eu to rank because of so many other businesses/people fighting for the space.. On the other hand, I think it really depends on who your Brand audience is. I think it is important to pose the questions of what are the risks involved? Will we lose people? Will people no longer be able to find us because they are not aware of the name change?

I think the bottom-line here is that if it is executed correctly, and the audience is slowly, over a period of time, introduced to the new name, they will more likely accept it. I also feel that it is better to make this type of change sooner rather than later. And lastly, I think it needs to be executed carefully, with plenty of thought, on what the name will be (not just something random) as well as how to introduce it to your current audience.

Would you consider changing your Brand name to gain market share in the SERPs?

Click Here for the Full Article >> Transform Your Brand with Search

Content is Still King

I am certain that many online businesses right now are thirsty for MORE…more visitors and more purchases, which translates into more money. Obviously, having more purchases will result in additional revenue, but how can anyone purchase your products if they have no idea what you sell, or worse, have never even heard of you before? The key is to draw in visitors, create Brand awareness, and show prospects what your business is all about.

How do you get more visitors?
The answer is simple, content. Not just any content, but relevant, useful content. No matter what industry you are in, content is still king. Having targeted, focused content is important for two reasons. The first reason is SEO, search engine spiders need to find your site. If your website is search engine friendly, then what your website needs is content. If your website is not search engine friendly, stay tuned for a future post on simple tips to help improve your site architecture. Content helps the spiders understand what your site is about and how it may be relevant to specific terms or phrases for its end users. The second reason is to offer a good experience for the prospect, to show your expertise in your industry, and to offer useful information for your prospects. If a prospect lands on your website and sees a whole library full of useful information, they will certainly believe that you know what you are talking about. After all, it is YOUR business and YOUR products, so share your expertise. By offering useful information, your prospects are more likely to remember who you are and if what you offer is relevant, they will probably take a deeper look into who you are and what you sell.

What type of content should you offer?
The content you offer should pertain to your industry. Be creative, yet useful. Research what people are interested in and write about it. Here are a few content ideas:

Retail – It doesn’t matter if you are selling hats, clothing, jewelry, or shovels. Tell the customer about the product. What are the specifications? What makes Product A unique from Product B? How can the customer use it?

Services – If you provide a service, you should definitely let your prospects know what the benefits are and why they should choose your service instead of Joe Schmo who offers the same thing.

It doesn’t matter what industry you are in, you can offer case studies, testimonials, and tips. Give an example of real life customers who have used your products/services and have had positive results. Did a customer say something good about your business? Show it off! This gives credibility. You can always write articles or create a list of tips for using your products or services. If you own a restaurant, offer fun cooking recipes. If you are a realtor, create a checklist for home buyers. If you sell dresses, offer creative solutions for dress accessories. If you sell digital cameras, write about how to choose a beginner’s camera. This list is endless. By offering such information, you will find a targeted audience visiting your site. Getting them to visit your site is the first step in getting them to make a purchase. Are they a first time buyer, how about offering a special deal to them on the same page of that content they just reached?

I can go on and on about the importance of content and what it can do for you. It may take a little bit of effort to sit down and write up something, but it is well worth it. Be creative, be up to date, and be relevant.