getting the most out of your business website insert your logo

getting The Most Out of Your Business Website

getting The Most Out of Your Business Website

Insert Your Logo

Text

• How to use your current website to engage with your current and future customers and clients.

• The critical information every business website should have and where is needs to be placed.

• Learn how to use email, social media, and mobile technology to communicate with your customers.

• Find out how to (politely) ask your customers and clients to leave a online review of your business.

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR BUSINESS WEBSITE

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR BUSINESS WEBSITE

TextLet the world know about your business

Publish important information:Contact infoHours of operationSpecific product/service information

• Attract customers• Display reviews and testimonies• Publish video and images

Let the world know about your business

Build a Relationship with Clients/Customers

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF YOUR WEBSITE?

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF YOUR WEBSITE?

What is the purpose of your website?

What is the purpose of your website?

TextWebsites are no longer a static brochure for your business

Your website should serve to promote, engage and describe your business

Website Promotion Website Promotion

TextCommon types of website promotion:

•Search Engine Optimization

•Social Media

•Pay Per Click Advertising

•Ad Placements

Describing Your Business On Your

Website

Describing Your Business On Your

Website

TextThe ‘Bare Essentials’ Your Site Must Have:

•Business name and logo

•Business function

•Location

•Contact information

•Hours of operation

Make it really easy for visitors to find this information. Ideally, all of this should be on the Home page.

Engaging With Clients/Customers

Engaging With Clients/Customers

The ‘Bare Essentials’ Your Site Must Have:

•Social Media (Use what is appropriate for you)

•Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, G+ etc...

•Place the corresponding logos on every page of your site. (Can also embed your social media)

Engaging With Clients/Customers

Engaging With Clients/Customers

•Email Submission

•Encourage site visitors to submit their email address in return of a ‘Ethical Bribe’.

•Video

•Show and describe your products

•Offer free training

•Endless ideas for video

Website ExamplesWebsite Examples

Text

Insert local examples of great websites.

Website DesignWebsite Design

Two Rules For Site Design:

1. Keep it SIMPLE!!

2. Keep it SIMPLE!!!

Website DesignWebsite Design•Site colours should reflect your business location

•The home page should be: •Inviting•Easy to Navigate•Offer various ways for visitors to interact with you.•Don’t try and squeeze everything on your

home page.

WEBSITE DESIGNWEBSITE DESIGN

Example Home Page Layouts:

Insert Examples

USING EMAIL TO COMMUNICATE

USING EMAIL TO COMMUNICATE

Email

Collecting customer email addresses gives you the ability to put your message in front of your customers any time you want...

However, it has to be done correctly, or it looses it’s effectiveness very quickly.

USING EMAIL TO COMMUNICATE

USING EMAIL TO COMMUNICATE

Collecting Email Addresses

When you ask for your customers email address, whether it’s in your store or on your website, be very clear on what you plan to use it for.

1. On your website

•Offer a ‘ethical bribe’ in exchange for their email address. This could be a newsletter, notifications of upcoming events, promotions, sales, etc..

USING EMAIL TO COMMUNICATE

USING EMAIL TO COMMUNICATE

Collecting Email Addresses

2. In your store

•Let customers know you send out emails for your chosen purpose. Ask if they would like to be added.

Bottom Line: There has to be something in it for the customer.

USING EMAIL TO COMMUNICATE

USING EMAIL TO COMMUNICATE

Services to use to manage your email list:

• www.getresponse.com

• www.constantcontact.com

• www.aweber.com

• www.mailchimp.com

USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO COMMUNICATE

USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO COMMUNICATE

Social Media can be used in addition and/or as an alternative to email.

•Encourage customers to join your chosen Social Media sites.

•Give them incentives to join and keep coming back.

•Frequently update your Social Media sites.

USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO COMMUNICATE

USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO COMMUNICATE

•Social Media Examples:

•Twitter: A local ski resort could send out a ‘Tweet’ each morning with the snow report

•Twitter: Restaurant could send daily specials

•Facebook: Announce new inventory and/or upcoming promotions. eg. A ski store could show a image of the brand new skis that just arrived in store. And by show, actually take your own picture holding the skis...

USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO COMMUNICATE

USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO COMMUNICATE

•Service Business: Massage, Hair Dresser: Could ‘Tweet’ an opening as a result of a cancelation and offer a discount for the person who calls and books.

•Bar: Announce the band that is playing this weekend.

•Post videos testimonies from customers

GOOGLE+ LOCALGOOGLE+ LOCAL

Google just moved all Goolgle Place listings to Google+ Local

•Google+ is Google’s Social Media

• It is intertwined with SEO

•Highly recommend having a G+ button on your business site

USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO COMMUNICATE

USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO COMMUNICATE

Bottom Line:

Be creative, don’t be afraid to try ideas out. Find out what works for your business.

You want to create a ongoing conversation with your customers, being sure that they are part of the conversation.

This conversation should not always be promotional in nature. Offer advice, resources, ideas, etc...

THE MOBILE REALITYTHE MOBILE REALITYMobile is not a passing trend.

Mobile is not the ‘new thing’ anymore.

Mobile devices are here and now:

•Smart Phones: iPhone, Android, Blackberry, etc

•Tablets: iPad, Android, etc...

The question is, what do you as a local business owner need to know and do with mobile???

THE MOBILE REALITYTHE MOBILE REALITYHave a mobile version of your website

• Traditional websites are too large to show nicely on the smaller screen size of mobile devices.

•Mobile users typically are looking for specific information about a local business:

•Hours of operation

•Location

•Contact information

•Product/Services

THE MOBILE REALITYTHE MOBILE REALITY

Mobile Example:

Insert good looking example of mobile sites.

iPhone Previewer: http://iphonetester.com

THE MOBILE REALITYTHE MOBILE REALITY

Text Messaging:

Similar to a email auto-responder, you can use a SMS text messaging service to send out texts.

•Use with caution

•Only Where appropriate

•Be sure to let the customer know what you will be sending

THE MOBILE REALITYTHE MOBILE REALITY

Example For Text Messaging:

•Appointment reminder

•Reservation reminder

•Last minute promotion (eg Cat skiing seat available)

ASKING FOR REVIEWSASKING FOR REVIEWS

•Customer Reviews are the new “Back Links” for local business

•People love to see ‘Social Proof’

•Over time you will get reviews (Good ones hopefully)

•There are a few ways to speed up the review process...

ASKING FOR REVIEWSASKING FOR REVIEWS

Ways to get customers to leave a review of your business

•First, you need to identify where online you want the reviews. This is different for each business, however, a great starting point is Goolge.

ASKING FOR REVIEWSASKING FOR REVIEWSCreate a poster to use in store asking for a review.

•Using a ‘QR’ image, a customer can scan the image and be taken directly to your Google+ Local Page

•Create a simple URL that is redirected to the Google+ Local Page

ASKING FOR REVIEWSASKING FOR REVIEWS

Using Your Google+ Local (Previously Google Places), Make sure you have a claimed listing. Copy your Google+ Local page URL to a txt file on your computer

Once you have your link, start spreading it around the web:

•Place a link on your website “Leave us a Review”

•Place a link on your Facebook Page and other Social Media.

CASE STUDYCASE STUDY

•Name a business type and city....