10 Ways To Get Noticed By More People

Taken from : http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/05/12/10-ways-to-put-your-content-in-front-of-more-people/

Which is more important, driving traffic to your website or encouraging as many people as possible to see your content? Believe it or not, they are not one and the same.Too often, we as website owners live and die by web analytics applications. We fret about bounce rates, unique visitors and dwell time. However, when we focus so heavily on the performance of our website, we miss a fundamental point: we should aim to expose users to our content, not our website. The website is a tool to showcase our content, but it is not the only tool that does this.

Organizations with truly successful websites understand this principle. Take, for example, the following: Amazon’s primary objective is to sell stuff. YouTube aims to use video content to carry advertisements. Twitter facilitates “tweeting.” (Who knows what its business model is!).

In each case, the content matters, not the website. That is why each company provides numerous ways to access its content beyond the website. From Amazon’s affiliate scheme to YouTube’s embed feature, these companies can reach audiences that may never visit their websites.
Twitter is probably the best example of all. How often do you actually read or post tweets via the Twitter website? If you are like me, the answer is very rarely.


The majority of users do not read tweets via the Twitter website.

The lesson here is obvious: as website owners, we need a broader Web strategy to release our content from the shackles of our websites. How do we do this? Below are 10 opportunities that you can integrate into your online strategy.

While the points mentioned below will refine your strategy to deliver content to more people, they can not serve their purpose without an appropriate environment. In the age of social media and the rise of interactive web-applications such as Facebook, Twitter etc. building a community around your website is the most important way to drive traffic and keep the users coming back.

Using forums, polls, comments and engaging users in the global conversations via external services turns out to be a silver bullet for gaining more exposure and winning more loyal visitors. Once you are building a community around your site, it’s time to think about more refined strategy that will help you to put your content in front of more people – and this is where the tips below will come in handy.

1. Target The Desktop

eBay recognized that it needed a desktop application. Many people make a living selling on eBay, and these people need desktop software that streamlines their business processes. They need desktop notifications, faster and more desktop-like interaction and easier access to eBay features.



eBay Desktop: eBay saw an opportunity to bring the functionality and content of its website to the desktop.

Using a platform such as Adobe AIR, you can easily put Web-based content and functionality onto the desktop. This is exactly what eBay did, and it has proved very successful among the company’s power users.

As a website owner, you should consider whether a desktop application is right for you. Do your users need desktop features, offline access or better integration with the operating system?

2. Going Mobile

It won’t be long before the Web is accessed by more mobile users than PC users. In many countries, this has already happened. Traditional websites often render poorly or are hard to use on mobile devices. They do not take into account the context in which a mobile user browses the Web. Approaching the mobile Web as a separate channel to your traditional website, then, is critical.
Here are some methods of delivering content on the mobile Web:

• Create a mobile website.
  Mobile websites take into account small screens, different input devices and the numerous other unique characteristics of the mobile Web.
• Use text messaging.
  Text messaging is ideal for notifications and updates. It is a perfect complement to your website and a way of keeping users informed.
• Build mobile applications.
  Mobile platforms such as the iPhone and Android make it increasingly easy to build applications that run directly on mobile devices. They allow you to make your content available even when the user is not connected to the Internet or away from their PC.

Video-streaming service uStream makes its content available on the iPhone.
Pushing your content to mobile devices is ideal if your target audience is often away from the computer or requires access to your content “in the field.”

3. Start Tweeting

Twitter has so much hype at the moment. However, it does provide a unique opportunity to reach a larger audience with your message. The question is, how best to use it? Some organizations use Twitter as a broadcast tool, turning it fundamentally into an alternative to RSS. An example of this is BBC News or CNN, which provide latest updates via the service.



CNN uses Twitter as a broadcast tool, turning it fundamentally into an alternative to RSS.

However, using Twitter as a broadcast tool misses its true power. Organizations that really “get” Twitter include Zappos and Omnifocus. They use Twitter as a way to engage with their followers and even provide customer support.

Use Twitter as a way to engage with your audience. If a number of people work on your website, encourage them all to tweet, rather than having a single branded account.

4. Write For Others

Writing for other websites is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your expertise and spread your message to a larger audience than would otherwise be possible through your own website.
Do not limit your words of wisdom to your own website. Look for other editorial websites and blogs that speak to your own audience and offer to write for them. After all, your audience visits many websites other than your own. Why limit your writing skills to your own blog when you can reach new audiences by writing for others?



Whenever I write for other websites, they almost always include links back to Boagworld and Headscape. Here an example from one of my previous Smashing Magazine’s articles.

Of course, any article you write for others should be more than shameless self-promotion. The owners of those websites will want quality content that fits their website and is of interest to their audience.

For example, I recently wrote an article for a website whose audience consisted of franchise owners. If I had simply written about how great Headscape was, I doubt the article would have been published. Instead, I shared a case study of our experience in working with a franchise-based business. The content was both relevant to the publication and useful to its audience. However, it also raised our profile among a base of potentially new customers.

What websites exist that reach your target market? Would they consider publishing some of your content? How could you rewrite your content to make it more appealing to them?

5. Embrace Facebook

Another option for expanding your Web strategy beyond the website is Facebook. Explaining the importance and reach of Facebook is surely unnecessary. However, you may be tempted to dismiss it because your target market is not teenagers, who are normally associated with these kinds of social networks.

What may surprise you is that Facebook is no longer confined to a younger demographic. Over the last year, the number of users between 35 and 54 has jumped 276%, to over 6 million people.



Carsonified Fan Page on Facebook: Facebook has introduced fan pages, which are public-facing profiles for organizations.

So, how do you reach your audience on Facebook? Here are three good starting points:

• Create a group.
  Groups have been around for a long time and are ideal for building a dialogue with those already interested in your product or service. You can easily invite people to participate, and those people in turn can invite others. This makes groups ideally suited to viral marketing.
•  
• Create a fan page.
  Fan pages are basically public profiles for organizations rather than individuals. Unlike groups, pages are public-facing. This means they can be seen by non-Facebook users and are indexed by search engines. Fan pages are perfect for building long-term awareness and for reaching people both inside and outside of Facebook.
•  
• Create an application.
  Facebook allows third parties to build applications that can be added to user profiles. These range from games to RSS feeds. Unlike with pages and groups, building applications requires some technical skill. However, the possibility of users embedding your content in their profiles makes this an attractive proposition, if you have appropriate content.

Of course, Facebook is not the only social network. But it does have considerable reach and provides some the best tools for reaching its massive audience.

6. Develop A Widget Or API

The ultimate way to distribute content has to be by providing an API or widget.
An API gives other Web developers access to your content, allowing them to build applications and websites around it. Using an API, developers can do anything from embed your content on their websites to build desktop applications that offer advanced functionality.
Twitter really gets APIs. When was the last time you viewed or posted tweets from the Twitter website? Chances are, a long time ago. Because Twitter offers a powerful API, thousands of developers have built all kinds of applications that allow you to view and post tweets. The actual service that Twitter provides is in fact very basic; but its API makes it possible to do everything from viewing tweets on a Google map to posting photos, video and audio.



Tweetdeck is just one example of the powerful applications that can be built using the Twitter API.
Unfortunately, APIs have some drawbacks. They require a considerable level of technical expertise to implement. As a result, they are of use only to developers. What about the rest of us? How do we add third-party content to our websites? That’s where widgets come in.

A widget is typically a small piece of code that you can copy and paste into your website. Literally thousands of widgets are available. They allow website owners to use the content and functionality of other websites quickly and easily. Widgets are used to embed YouTube videos, show your Amazon wish list and display your location on a map.

Widgets are powerful because they are easy to implement. This means anybody can add them, thus allowing you to distribute your content much more widely. Widgets are also easier to build than full APIs. This makes them a good starting point for those wanting to put their content in front of more people.

7. Offer Better Feeds

Not all approaches to putting content in front of more users have to be as time-consuming and complex as developing an API. Doing one other thing could increase your views within minutes.
Users increasingly rely on RSS feeds to consume content from websites. This is especially true for news, articles and blog posts. However, some website owners are so obsessed with driving traffic to their websites that they provide only teasers of their posts via RSS. To read a whole article, the user is forced to click through to the website.

This approach to RSS is counter-productive. When a user is browsing a large number of feeds, they are less likely to read your content if they have to leave their news reader to do it.

To maximize users’ exposure to your content, ensure as much of it as possible is displayed in the RSS feed itself. Require users to click through only when absolutely necessary.



Google Reader displaying a partial RSS feed: many websites truncate their content in RSS because their advertising revenue is based on page impressions. They see driving as much traffic as possible to their website as being in their interest. This is a short-sighted.

It is also important to note that when users read content from an RSS feed, they do not have the context of your website. Ensuring, then, that your content stands on its own and that your copy incorporates calls to action is necessary.

8. Use Multimedia

Of course, limiting your content to the written word is becoming increasingly unnecessary. Creating audio and video content has become a trivial task. Services such as YouTube and applications such as AudioBoo make production and hosting easy.

Also, pioneers like Diggnation and Wine Library TV have shown that users care more about quality content than high production values. Both shows essentially have presenters speaking to a single locked-off camera. This kind of production value can be achieved with a consumer camera and basic editing software.

That said, creating popular content is harder than it appears at first. Many organizations believe that simply uploading their latest product demonstrations to YouTube will generate millions of views. That is simply not the case.

Good rich media content has to be engaging if people are expected to watch it and, more importantly, recommend it to their friends. This can be done through a passionate host, great content, humor or shock value. With thousands of videos uploaded everyday, standing out from the crowd is important.



Wine Library TV proves that great content and a passionate presenter are more important than production values.

However, don’t forget that your content has to be appropriate to your target audience. Shock tactics may work well with a teenage audience but may not go down so well with middle-aged business executives!

9. Start Streaming

The next wave of multimedia on the Web will be not pre-recorded material but rather live streaming. Services such as Ustream, Qik and Justin TV are all fighting to dominate this space. Each offers the opportunity to stream live content on the Web at zero cost. This makes the barrier to entry extremely low.

The main benefit of this approach over pre-recorded material is interactivity. The live format allows viewers to engage with the presenter in real time via chat. This brings a host of opportunities, including, but not limited to, the following:

• Live product demonstrations
  Live streaming allows you present your products and services while taking questions from the audience. This is considerably more powerful that showing pre-recorded promotional videos.
• Community sessions
  If you run an online community, live streaming gives you the chance to engage with that community on a much more personal level than with the written word. Social news website Digg has run a number of “Town Hall” meetings in which its user base engages directly with the CEO and founder.
• Online training
  Finally, live streaming is a perfect environment in which to provide remote training. Whether the training is on using your product or selling online workshops, live streaming allows users to both hear and see what you are doing.

Social news website Digg has run a number of Town Hall meetings in which its user base engages directly with the CEO and founder.

Live streaming is still relatively immature, and few are taking advantage of this new opportunity. Your company has a real opportunity to differentiate itself through its use.

10. Don’t Forget Email

Amidst all this talk of video, audio and APIs, it is easy to forget the tools we have always had for reaching beyond the confines of our website. Although not the sexiest tool on our list, email had to make it on before the end of this post. Email should be a key tool for keeping your content in front of users. Obviously, email can be used for a lot more than syndicating content. However, for the purposes of this article, it can be used to subscribe to your content. If users can subscribe to your content via RSS, they should be able to do it also via email.



ProBlogger allows its readers to subscribe to his RSS-feed via e-mail.

Fortunately, there are services such as AWeber and MailChimp that make this easy. FeedBurner is an option, too; however, it lacks subject line customization and has very limited design customizations available. You can find more information about why FeedBurner isn’t good enough in the article FeedBurner’s Free RSS-to-Email Syndication: Why You Can’t Afford It. With one of these services implemented, users can subscribe via email with a single click of a link on your website.

A word of warning, though. If a user subscribes to your content via email, they are not giving you permission to spam them indiscriminately. If you fail to respect their email subscription, you are in danger of losing that user and inciting them to post negative comments on your website, which could put off others.

Conclusion

There was a time when a website was enough. Now, your website needs to be just one small part of your overall Web strategy. Expecting users to come to you is naive. Instead, take your content to them, whether on a social network like Facebook’s or a mobile device like the iPhone.

Taken from : http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/05/12/10-ways-to-put-your-content-in-front-of-more-people/ 

You Are Wasting Time On Social Networking

I find it encouraging that website managers increasingly recognize that a Web strategy is more than running a website. They are beginning to use tools such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to increase their reach and engage with new audiences. However, although they are using these tools, too often they do so ineffectively. Tweeting on a corporate account or posting sales demonstrations on YouTube misses the essence of social networking.

Social networking is about people engaging with people. Individuals do not want to build relationships with brands and corporations. They want to talk to other people. Too many organizations throw millions into Facebook apps and viral videos when they could spend that money on engaging with people in a transparent and open away.

Instead of creating a corporate Twitter account or indeed even a corporate blog, encourage your employees to start Tweeting and blogging themselves. Provide guidelines on acceptable behavior and what tools they need to start engaging directly with the community connected to your products and services. This demonstrates not only your commitment to the community but also the human side of your business.

Taken from:

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/02/10/10-harsh-truths-about-corporate-websites/

How do web users think?

Basically, users’ habits on the Web aren’t that different from customers’ habits in a store. Visitors glance at each new page, scan some of the text, and click on the first link that catches their interest or vaguely resembles the thing they’re looking for. In fact, there are large parts of the page they don’t even look at.
Most users search for something interesting (or useful) and clickable; as soon as some promising candidates are found, users click. If the new page doesn’t meet users’ expectations, the Back button is clicked and the search process is continued.

• Users appreciate quality and credibility. If a page provides users with high-quality content, they are willing to compromise the content with advertisements and the design of the site. This is the reason why not-that-well-designed web-sites with high-quality content gain a lot of traffic over years. Content is more important than the design which supports it.
• Users don’t read, they scan. Analyzing a web-page, users search for some fixed points or anchors which would guide them through the content of the page.
  
  
  
  Users don’t read, they scan. Notice how “hot” areas abrupt in the middle of sentences. This is typical for the scanning process.
  
• Web users are impatient and insist on instant gratification. Very simple principle: If a web-site isn’t able to meet users’ expectations, then designer failed to get his job done properly and the company loses money. The higher is the cognitive load and the less intuitive is the navigation, the more willing are users to leave the web-site and search for alternatives. [JN / DWU]
• Users don’t make optimal choices. Users don’t search for the quickest way to find the information they’re looking for. Neither do they scan web-page in a linear fashion, going sequentially from one site section to another one. Instead users satisfice; they choose the first reasonable option. As soon as they find a link that seems like it might lead to the goal, there is a very good chance that it will be immediately clicked. Optimizing is hard, and it takes a long time. Satisficing is more efficient. VIDEO showing eye tracking
• 
   
  
   
  
  Both pictures show: sequential reading flow doesn’t work in the Web. Right screenshot on the image at the bottom describes the scan path of a given page.
  
  
• Users follow their intuition. In most cases users muddle through instead of reading the information a designer has provided. According to Steve Krug, the basic reason for that is that users don’t care. “If we find something that works, we stick to it. It doesn’t matter to us if we understand how things work, as long as we can use them. If your audience is going to act like you’re designing billboard, then design great billboards.”
• Users want to have control. Users want to be able to control their browser and rely on the consistent data presentation throughout the site. E.g. they don’t want new windows popping up unexpectedly and they want to be able to get back with a “Back”-button to the site they’ve been before: therefore it’s a good practice to never open links in new browser windows.

This was taken from an article on the Smashing Magazine site:

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/01/31/10-principles-of-effective-web-design/

Personalisation Is Changing Search Engine Optimisation

How personalisation is making online marketing an even tougher environment for marketeers.

"An invisible revolution has taken place is the way we use the net, but the increasing personalisation of information by search engines such as Google threatens to limit our access to information and enclose us in a self-reinforcing world view", writes Eli Pariser in an extract from The Filter Bubble

The filter bubble in action - here is a visualisation of what’s taking place. The comparisons only scratch the surface of what Google’s filters are doing, but this is enough to give you the idea (taken from http://www.thefilterbubble.com/what-is-the-internet-hiding-lets-find-out)

Another good source of information about this troubling form of 'censorship' is here - http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jun/12/google-personalisation-internet-data-filtering. The following is an extract of this article:

"Google uses 57 signals to create personalisation (possibly more by now) – everything from where you were logging in from to what browser you were using to what you had searched for before – to make guesses about who you were and what kinds of sites you'd like. Even if you were logged out, it would customise its results, showing you the pages it predicted you were most likely to click on.
Most of us assume that when we google a term, we all see the same results – the ones that the company's famous Page Rank algorithm suggests are the most authoritative based on other pages' links. But since December 2009, this is no longer true. Now you get the result that Google's algorithm suggests is best for you in particular – and someone else may see something entirely different. In other words, there is no standard Google any more.

It's not hard to see this difference in action. In the spring of 2010, while the remains of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig were spewing oil into the Gulf of Mexico, I asked two friends to search for the term "BP". They're pretty similar – educated white left-leaning women who live in the north-east. But the results they saw were quite different. One saw investment information about BP. The other saw news. For one, the first page of results contained links about the oil spill; for the other, there was nothing about it except for a promotional ad from BP. Even the number of results returned differed – 180 million for one friend and 139 million for the other. If the results were that different for these two progressive east-coast women, imagine how different they would be for my friends and, say, an elderly Republican in Texas (or, for that matter, a businessman in Japan).

With Google personalised for everyone, the query "stem cells" might produce diametrically opposed results for scientists who support stem-cell research and activists who oppose it. "Proof of climate change" might turn up different results for an environmental activist and an oil-company executive. A huge majority of us assume search engines are unbiased. But that may be just because they're increasingly biased to share our own views. More and more, your computer monitor is a kind of one-way mirror, reflecting your own interests while algorithmic observers watch what you click. Google's announcement marked the turning point of an important but nearly invisible revolution in how we consume information. You could say that on 4 December 2009 the era of personalisation began.

With little notice or fanfare, the digital world is fundamentally changing. What was once an anonymous medium where anyone could be anyone – where, in the words of the famous New Yorker cartoon, nobody knows you're a dog – is now a tool for soliciting and analysing our personal data. According to one Wall Street Journal study, the top 50 internet sites, from CNN to Yahoo to MSN, install an average of 64 data-laden cookies and personal tracking beacons each. Search for a word like "depression" on Dictionary.com, and the site installs up to 223 tracking cookies and beacons on your computer so that other websites can target you with antidepressants. Open a page listing signs that your spouse may be cheating, and prepare to be haunted with DNA paternity-test ads. The new internet doesn't just know you're a dog: it knows your breed and wants to sell you a bowl of premium dog food."

So how does this affect the average internet marketing effort on Google to be found for a particular search phrase. The answer is you can't really know. All you can do is to keep monitoring the search volumes and competition for those phrases. The best approach is to get ahead of Google rather than trying to chase after it. You do this by thinking about your niche, creating relevant quality content which you 'know' people will be looking for and spreading it about on the Internet in as many places as you can. You can only do this by knowing your subject inside-out - there is no real way of fast tracking this approach. It's a long term approach which in the end will make sure you are found for anything that you choose to publish.

The Best Job Advert for the Worst Job

I stumbled across this Job advert - I have removed the name of the company so the person who set it up doesn't get into any more trouble than they are already in! I used to work in recruitment advertising and I would have loved to put an advert like this in the press. Somebody was really pissed off with their boss when they created this advert:

---

Client Services position
Do you get a kick out of frustration?
Do you enjoy being criticized by your boss on a day to day basis?
Perhaps this gives you the motivation to do better?
Can you work overtime whenever needed? Take no holidays, but happily be criticized for being 5 or 10 minutes late in the morning?

If your answer is YES then WE WANT YOU!!

For more information contact #∞¢#∞¢#∞¢
NB: If you are not English do not apply! Your application will not be taken seriously.
It is also important that you like to drink like a fish, watch football and suck up to the MD at all times!!

---

I would like to point out that I am not endorsing this - I just think it's funny!

Free Emoticons Download - Retro Style Pixel Art

When you’re messaging your friends and an exclamation point just doesn’t seem to do the job? These Free retro style pixel art emoticons are just what you need! Free emoticons let you show you’re happy, sad, scared or excited. You can add emoticons to your e-mails, your blogs or any other social networking platform.

These retro style pixel art emoticons are suitable for most platforms
Download the Free Emoticons here.

Top 5 Reasons to Have Video on Your Website

Video on websites isn't a new thing, but it's one that's not taken off quite as much as it should.

We're great believers in engaging the audience of sites that we build, and with this in mind launched our latest service recently, where you can have web video for as little as £99.

Here are our top 5 reasons you should have video on your website:

1) People buy from people - they want to feel as if they know you and trust you before they part with their hard earned cash. It's not always easy to get personality across on a website, with awkwardly posed professional photographs and copywritten text that can often be devoid of personality. A video allows them to see the real you, the person they will be dealing with, or the company that they're spending their money with. It makes you seem more personable and approachable and could be the difference between a sale or an exit.

2) It allows you to play alongside the 'big boys'. For a long time the smaller business suffered because they didn't have the budget of the big brands - their websites looked inferior, and they couldn't afford the gizmos and gadgets that the big players could. That's all changed. With web video costing as little as £99, any business can invest and make the most of it for their website.

3) Some people just like video. I'm not going to quote stats to you, but it's well known that some people learn and understand by hearing something, some by reading, and some by watching. Video gives you two of those ways, and your website the third - that way you've reached the maximum potential audience in the way that they like.

4) Some industries reaaly NEED video. I'm talking about hotels, estate agents, holiday companies etc. They need to be able to show off their wares, to connect with people's emotions and make them able to see how great the hotel room / house / beach is.

5) Video is not just about talking heads. You can use video on your site in a number of ways: tours around your facilities, demos of how to work things, small commercials, montages of your products, educational tools, and yes, of course, a talking head interview or speech. You know your audience, what would they like to see?

It's easy to think that video isn't for you - but do you remember the days when even large companies were saying they didn't even need a website?

If my 5 reasons have helped you to realise that web video could be the way forward for your website, get in touch!

How to work with a design agency to get the best results

It takes two to tango!

Whether or not you are a fan of the TV series 'Strictly Come Dancing' you can't deny that watching two people dance in perfect and faultless synchronisation can be an impressive sight. It's the same in sport. For example, take two people rowing together in a race, if they get their oar strokes in complete tandem then the boat will glide forward smoothly and powerfully. It's the same with a rally driver and his partner or a golfer with a professional caddy. When two people work together in perfect harmony then the results can be outstanding.

The same principle applies in business. When a service provider works in harmony with a customer then by synchronising each element of the business relationship it becomes a win-win situation. The service provider is rewarded for a job well done and the customer gets the outcome he or she expected. So why, you might ask, does it sometimes go horribly wrong?

Well think about it. What if both dancers start off on the wrong foot? What if one oarsman pulls his oars back at the same timer his co-oarsman pulls his oars forward? The result, quite simply, can be disaster! It's exactly the same in our business. When we work together harmoniously with our clients everything falls into place like a synchronised set of dance moves. When we misunderstand each other or set off on the wrong foot then we are setting ourselves up for a fall.

A supplier wants to give you the best possible service (usually) - and in order to do that they need you to be the best possible client. So how can you achieve that? Simple! Just read the 13 top tips below and you will find out everything you need to do to be the best client anyone could ever hope to work with. If you can follow each and every tip then you will become the perfect client.

Tip 1: Understand the Process

My first tip is this - understand the process! If you have an understanding of how the Design and Print process works then we can start talking the same language. So here's what you need to know... Every job we do for our clients' goes through the following steps and the highlighted steps are the ones that need your direct input:

Briefing - Design concepts - Feedback - Design development - Design approval - Artwork - Proof - Amends - Re-proof - Approval - Print preparation - Printing/production - Delivery

Tip 2: Understand what 'Briefing' means

Wherever possible, try to give the designer the best possible written or strong verbal brief and then be sure you remain available to answer any questions he might have. To get the best results you need to be as clear as possible on what you want and what you are trying to achieve. Never say "I'd just like a few creative ideas" otherwise you might end up with a whole range of non-specific ideas that may look attractive but won't achieve what you need. So do make time to do the groundwork at the beginning and be clear about what it is you want. The more you work with us the better the end result will be.

Tip 3: Timing

The best results generally come from projects that have been carefully planned in advance where time has been set aside to work on them. Creativity isn't a nine to five job - in fact our thoughts, concepts and ideas hit us at some very odd moments (we won't go into details!) Generally it's when we are relaxed rather than when we are under pressure that we produce the best results for our clients. So if you want the best from us then allow us plenty of time to do a good job. And here's another useful tip - If you do need to meet a tight deadline then make sure you are available to check the proofs!

Tip 4: Amendments

If you want your project to be a success we understand that there is an element of fine-tuning. However, the way that any 'amends' are provided to us can ensure that the process goes smoothly and accurate proofs are returned to you. Try wherever possible to send amends via email or give them to us as marked-up copies. Amends given over the phone may seem a quicker option for you but it can lead to confusion - especially if you haven't given the designer time to get the copy in front of them! Also, don't expect a designer to amend artwork on screen over the phone - the artwork may appear simple when printed in front of you but may involve a number of layers of text and images and trying to rush things can often lead to errors in the artwork at a later stage.


Tip 5: If you get it right first time it will save you money!

By all means take all the time you need to decide what it is you need, but once you have committed to a piece of work, then any later change of mind will mean extra work for us which will incur further costs.

Tip 6: Select the right images

It is important to make sure that any images you want to be used are fit for purpose. In other words whether it's for a coaster or a poster make sure you pick the right sort of images to get your message across. Don't be afraid to ask us if you want some advice and don't forget we can also advise you if an image is of a high enough resolution for your purposes too.

Tip 7: Colour

Every monitor is set up differently. We calibrate our monitors to ensure that they are as closely matched to the printed item as possible. However as most of our proofing is done electronically via PDF files, or through colour laser print outs, what you see may not be an exact representation of what will be produced. If you have a specific colour you wish us to match then please provide a sample and likewise, if you are unsure of a colour, ask the designer to provide you with a swatch. If the right colour is something that is absolutely essential in your line of business then always request a wet proof to be confident of the reproduction.


Tip 8: Meetings

If you want to meet with us during lunchtime then we have no objection at all if you want to buy us lunch. Similarly, if you want to meet us at the pub then we will gladly accept a drink. Also, just to let you know, sometimes we can also be bribed by chocolate.

Tip 9: Pitching

We know we have to earn our stripes and prove our credentials as designers. However, we hope that once we have demonstrated our abilities and worked with you a few times that we develop a relationship that you can trust. We also understand that you can't allow your suppliers to get complacent and that you need to get the best quality for the best price. However, we do ask you to be fair. Sales pitches are all part of business life and a bit of competition is actually quite exciting - but if we have to go to battle on nearly every project it can be wearisome for both of us. So before you ask a designer to give you a lot of hours for free please think about the following:

a) Let us know if the job is an actual job or just an idea that you are considering. If it is just something in the pipeline please at least be honest at the start.

b) All designers should start on a level playing field. Budgets need to be agreed at the start, deadlines must be the same for all parties and the brief given to each company must be the same.

c) Be honest with us about the number of designers involved in the pitch. 3 is the norm, 5 rare. More than 5 and you'll find a lot of designers will stand down as this can show a lack of decisiveness from the client at the start.

d) Do give feedback. Remember that you have asked a designer to give up their time for free. In return give them honest feedback about their performance. (We once had a client who stated in the brief that due to budget restrictions they would be unable to notify the unsuccessful candidates! We chose not to partake in that pitch!)

Tip 10: Communication

We always strive to ensure a job goes as smoothly as possible. We climb mountains when required, fight fires and even pull rabbits out of hats. All we ask from you is that you keep communicating with us. When we know what you need and when you need it we are quite happy to jump through some pretty small hoops!

Tip 11: Contracts

We believe it is essential to have a contract to protect your interests as much as us. Make sure you read the whole contract before you sign anything because understanding what is expected of both parties makes the whole process run more smoothly - and it can help can avoid any misunderstandings further down the line.


Tip 12: Pay Invoices on Time

Just like in any other profession we need to be paid for the work we have done within an agreed time limit. Paying us late, or making us chase you for payment is time consuming and painful for us both. We pay our invoices on time so be sure to pay us on time. That way our relationship is sure to blossom!

Tip 13: Be open and honest with us

If we get something wrong or screw up tell us openly and honestly. We are only human and we sometimes make mistakes. If we get something wrong we will do everything possible to correct it and get back on track (We rarely make mistakes of course...it's usually our clients - just kidding!)

So there you go - my 13 top tips for being a perfect client. Follow these tips and you can be sure of being the best client anyone have ever had the pleasure of working with. You will definitely be top of our Christmas present list and we will proudly mention your name at every business or social event we go to.

But don't worry, I really do promise not to invite you to a dance...

Anatomy of a successful Apple email marketing campaign

Click on this image to see an example of how Apple create their email marketing - it had a breakdown of the anatomy of a successful email marketing campaign - useful information.

Taken from:
Flowtown - Social Media Marketing Application

How To Generate Massive Traffic - Copy All of These Strategies

One of my favorite bloggers online is Kim Roach over at BuzzBlogger.com.

Kim is one of those rare finds in the IM space that consistently provides tremendous value in everything she does. She's been out-doing many of the big-name gurus with her traffic techniques.

In fact, many refer to her as the 'Traffic Queen'. Which from what I've seen is certainly a worthy title.

She's managed to unlock the secrets to massive traffic...testing and tweaking new traffic strategies... plus adding her own little twists and tricks.

And unlike most other marketers, she spends most of her time in the trenches, locked up in the marketing laboratory - cookin' up more juicy traffic goodness.

But every once in a while she surfaces back up into the real world to share her latest findings.

If you'd like to see what she's been cookin' up in the lab lately go now to:

http://buzzblogger.com/td/?e=Storey

Kim's has unlocked her very best traffic strategies in her latest product called 'The Traffic Dashboard'. It's a complete training center that contains over 20 of Kim's top traffic getting methods.

These traffic techniques are really quite unique as you can see for yourself by taking a look inside the member's area...






Traffic Dashboard - a sneak peek inside...




Inside 'The Traffic Dashboar' Kim shows you how to go from nothing to over 3,000+ subscribers in just 30 days. (all in step-by-step detail).

You literally point and click your way to increased traffic with Kim's unique dashboard design. (as seen above)

You have to actually TRY to mess this one up! Because the point-and-click learning system forces you to take action.

Here's a sneek peak at what you'll find inside...

An underground tool for extracting exactly where your competitor's website traffic is coming from. This is like being given the keys to the kingdom. (I'm really surprised Kim is sharing this little gem)

(If you thought Alexa was cool imagine knowing EXACTLY how much traffic your competitors were getting each day and knowing exactly where that traffic was coming from.)

"James Bond" tactics for spying on your competitors and forcing them to hand over all of their hard-earned, battle-tested, profit-busting strategies.

A super simple method for cramming your opt-in list with 200-400 subscribers in a single day... (and NO this has nothing to do with ad swaps)

A really cool strategy that shows you how to get 10x MORE traffic from EVERY article you write.

As many of you probably already know, traditional article marketing is becoming less and less effective. What worked in 2004 simply doesn't cut it anymore.

So Kim show's you 10 different ways to repurpose your content for additional traffic and exposure. Use just a couple of the strategies in this video and you'll have no excuse for not getting AT LEAST a couple hundred visitors for every article you publish.

... and that's just the tip of the iceberg!

This thing is packed with over 8 hours of juicy traffic goodness... NO fluff... NO filler.

With over 8 hours of step-by-step video and enough how-to information to DESTROY literally
every question, worry and problem you've ever had in regards to traffic.

A Word of Warning: There's just ONE caveat to this product. In fact, these traffic methods will NOT work in all situations. In order for these traffic strategies to reap their full power - you MUST be creating HIGH QUALITY CONTENT! (not some auto-generated content that not even your momma would be proud of...)

If you think you're going to slap together some useless crap, throw up some auto-generated sites and have thousands of visitors pouring in...This course is NOT for you.

This training course was created specifically for people who are looking to build REAL businesses online... People who are dedicated to providing top-notch value for their visitors, subscribers, and customers.

This is something Kim stresses a lot, and I agree. If you're not willing to take the time and effort to put together some really good content and offer real value, then don't bother with 'The Traffic Dashboard'. It will just be a waste of time for you if you don't have good content in place.

But...

If you are dedicated to building a REAL business online and providing your visitors with REAL VALUE then 'The Traffic Dashboard' will help you to grow your business 10x faster.

Plus, at an affordable price to boot!

So, if you're ready to turn on the traffic tap, then click on the link below...

http://buzzblogger.com/td/?e=Storey

There are no “tricks”, or “magic traffic buttons” here, just proven traffic strategies that are designed to generate traffic as quickly as possible.

Plus, for those of you who are more advanced, Kim combines old school tactics with new traffic twists and tips that you won't want to miss...

http://buzzblogger.com/td/?e=Storey



Bookmark & Share

Stand out, be different, don't be a Mailchump!

Using Aweber, Constant Contact or Mailchimp? Well here's how to do so and not to look like a monkey!

Whichever email system your company uses to send out your email communications, make sure you make it your own.

Ensure that whoever receives the email knows who it has come from. How many times have you opened an email and thought ‘not another generic template I don't recognise’ *delete*? My guess is quite a few.

Avoid this happening to you by having a custom template designed, creating a brand for your communications that is unique to you as well as aesthetically pleasing and in keeping with the rest of your marketing communications.

Don’t hide the company logo away in the bottom corner, display it loud and proud as an integral part of the template. If your customers are familiar with your brand (which I imagine they are) then they will associate it with good service, quality and reliability. So make sure they can see it.

Use company colours for your template, automatically relating it to your brand. Once customers associate these email communications with your brand they will take the time to read the contents and click on the links, driving new and old customers to your site.

If you are already sending email communications; newsletters, e shots, e-zines, whatever you choose to call them, then you will have an established database. This database will have been collated from customers (data collected from purchases), potential customers (data sourced) or almost customers (those who have signed up to receive emails.) More often than not you will be sending different communications to different segments.

But if time and budget only permits one template and one design – KEEP IT SIMPLE.

Nobody wants an overly showy template, your customers want to be able to locate the information they need, they don’t want to be shifting through fancy typography and hidden java games to get to their discount code.

So in a nutshell, keep it branded, make it your own - but don’t show off!

Need some help with a custom branded email template? Want to make sure that ALL of your marketing communications follow your company brand? Drop us a line now for a free brand appraisal at info@whype.co.uk or visit our website at www.whype.co.uk

What does your brand say about you?

What does your brand say about you? Are you sure?

Now, more than ever before, it is oh so important to keep a finger on your online pulse. You need to know what people are saying about you and with the use of the internet it is easier than ever.

The internet gives customers a barrier to hide behind; it allows them to speak their feelings more freely than if they had to do so in a shop, for example. The down side of that is that their feelings could be positive or negative, and you have no control over what they are saying.

Luckily, there are tools that allow you to monitor what is being said about your brand online; Google Alerts and SocialMention being two of the better ones.

Once you have established what people are saying about your brand, the glory of the internet is that you can reply in real time, taking the time to address concerns, thank people for positive comments, and in general interact with your customers and increase the power of your brand.

The internet allows you to speak back to your customers, address the issues that they may be tweeting or blogging about. Reply to their tweets/blog/facebook, ask what the problem had been and how you can help. This interaction will bring the brand a personal touch and hopefully, restore (or increase!) customer faith in your company.

It may be that consumers are responding online to changes that have been made to your products or services; listen and take note. You may have made some brand changes they don't like – but at least you will know! Or they may be talking about how great your brand is – if you're not monitoring then you won't know!

It is a lot easier to collect customer feedback online than anywhere else – after all, who really fills out customer feedback forms?

Monitoring your brand online is free, cheap and easy – are you doing it?

You can set up Google Alerts to email you every time your company or associated key phrases are mentioned online – so you needn’t waste valuable hours searching the web for them.

Similarly SocialMenton does all the searching for you, even creating a positive to negative ratio for all the mentions; searching blogs, twitter, facebook as well as online newspapers and news sites.

http://www.socialmention.com/

http://www.google.com/alerts

Of course there are more complex, expensive online media monitoring tools but if you are a small company and intend to keep your monitoring in house then between Social Mention and Google Alerts, you will have most ground covered.

Do YOU know what's being said about YOUR brand online?

Promoting your website offline – what, no computers?

Believe it or not, it’s not all about the internet. Those business relationships and affiliate networks still matter, so don’t neglect them.

Forming partnerships with other brands has been a favourite marketing method of many who have gone before us. An ideal partner will share your target audience but will not be in competition with you. A good example would be a health club and sports clothes.

You can grow these relationships by, for example, creating joint literature – allow the health club a page advertorial in your monthly brochure and vice versa, exploit it as much as you can.

Get Social
No, not social media again. Actually get out there, meet your peers, meet your customers and go to talks and lectures by those in your field. Continue to learn. While attending events where you may meet potential customers, take your time to talk to them, find out what they know about your brand and what they think of it, they can be as useful to you as your product can be for them.

Although, don’t just attend any old event. They can be expensive, after hours and at times – tedious. Attend networking events for your local area, the Institute of Directors or Chamber of Commerce is a good place to start. If there aren’t any networking groups in your area, create one.

PR
If you are taking control of PR yourselves, then start by creating some case studies. Start with satisfied customers and their stories; include a good quality photograph (journalists and editors love photos!) Get on the telephone to trade magazines as well as business magazines to see if they would be interested in featuring your case studies. Get in touch with your local business magazines and business pages of your local paper, speak to them and see if they have any features coming up that you may be able to comment on or provide a quote for. The more people read your name and your companies name the more likely they are to visit your website and buy from you.

See if you can offer your expertise to a local Uni or college. Their PR teams would then deal with the PR! Not only will you be helping young talent but you will be putting your brand name out there, with both potential employees and customers.

Seminars
Promoting them, sponsoring them, attending them, speaking at them; anything to do with high profile seminars in your field – you should be there. Getting to know your peers and customers on a personal level will provide great word of mouth marketing for your organisation. Industry seminars can often be very insightful. With high profile speakers (this could be you!) attendees can learn from each other, share skills and often help each other out from a business perspective.

Further to speaking at seminars, why not host an online webinar? If you have an exciting product launch or an exciting announcement to make why not do so through a webinar, this is a low cost option and carbon friendly as nobody need travel anywhere. You could look into hosting regular webinars around a series of topics, making a name for yourself as an expert in your field. Webinars also involve those taking part to visit your website and provide contact details – pop those onto your email marketing database!!

As we've said before, having a website is great, but not unless it gets visitors, and at Whype we're dedicated to not only giving you a website that works, but also helping you (with articles like this) to make the most of free and low cost ways to promote it.

If you like our articles, please consider Tweeting, Facebooking and sharing them – we'd really
appreciate it!

So you've got a website – now what?

Having a website is all well and good but what are you going to do to help promote it? The days of SEO being the be all and end all of website promotion is well gone, and some would say “Thank goodness!”

Marketing your website is no longer just about creating and keeping your own audience. By creating a buzz online through other websites and social media sites, you are able to access other audiences, who you may not have done previously.

Social Media and the internet has taken off in a big way; 80% of the population work and play online, so it has never been more important to step up and start being social online.

Here are just some of the ways you could promote your website:

• By uploading material to YouTube, contributing to online discussions and creating podcasts – on a variety of topics, you have the ability to connect with audiences and customers who may not have been within your initial ‘target market’
  
• A blog gives your company a voice, pretty much like this one. It allows you (the customer!) to read and experience the ethos of the organisation. By regularly talking and engaging with your customers it allows them to feel part of the brand or organisation.
  
• Social media – become active on Facebook and Twitter. That is where your customers will be ‘hanging out’ so you should be too. Engage with them, don’t just create a profile and update it – use it. Talk to your customers and ensure that you add value, join in with conversations – give your opinion and provide links to your website.
  
• Your LinkedIn profile is essential for those B2B relationships – make sure your profile is up to date and relevant. Link it to your brand’s Twitter profile as well as your personal one. Let people know what you are about as a person – and link them back to the company website (see the theme here?!) LinkedIn is also a great platform to raise awareness around your work experience, by listing how many years’ experience you have in a field or any awards you may have won will allow both your peers and your customers an insight into your professional life.

These are just a few ways in which you can promote your website externally – having a great website is a great start, but if you're not promoting it then what's the point?

At Whype we not only design fantastic websites, we give out free information such as this to help our customers make the most of their new promotional tool.

Need a free website appraisal? Contact us now!

What Do Your Email Communications Say About You?

We send and receive emails every day, some we read and take note of, others we open and delete.

You want your email communications to be the former. There is so much noise and hype in the marketing world; you need to understand how to make your communications worth reading!

Here are our top tips on how to create eye catching, relevant email marketing communications.

Drive site traffic through customer reviews

Remember all those satisfied clients who have given you great feedback? Put it on your website!

These are not only a great way of engaging with your audience but they are great for SEO purposes. You can also drive site traffic through promotion. Create an email communication with a link to a product review – including customer reviews and feedback. After this, step up your game by dividing your audience into segments so that customers receive content that is relevant to their purchasing behaviour.

Engage with social media

There’s that phrase again, social media. There is no getting away from it. Use your email marketing to increase your twitter following, place a link on your emails to your profile encouraging people to follow you. The more people you have engaging with you online, the more you can involve them with your brand – allowing them to feel a part of it. Someone once described it as creating a corporate family, letting the man on the street have a say in your brands decisions, this will have an impact down the line, after all – the customer’s always right, right?!

Increase activity through a targeted and personalised approach

• When a new subscriber signs up to your email communications, send newcomer communications;  welcome emails, introductory offers – this gives them an incentive to return to your site. Highlight key areas of the website that may be of interest – i.e. special offers, customer reviews etc.
  
• Take a note of what email communications are particularly effective. After you send each communication keep a record of who has contacted you and about what. See if sales have increased. Also, the opposite, if you have sent out a communication and sales have dropped and calls have stopped coming in, maybe it’s worth looking into why.
  
• Separate your database into sections, who is going to be interested in what? Personalise the communications you are sending them, will a 65 year old retired gentleman be interested in half price bikinis?! Hopefully not. (Unless of course, that’s the type of market you’re in!)
  
• Have a look through your customer database, reward regular customers with retention deals, % off items, for example. Similarly, through incentives to those who have not purchased in a while. What did they last buy and when. Send them a special offer to entice them to come back. They may be thinking of going elsewhere so it’s important to engage with them and let them know they are still a valued customer even if they haven’t purchased for a period of time.

Refer a friend

Ensure all your communications have a ‘share this’ button, allowing your database of customers share your news with their friends. Similarly, a ‘tweet this’ button or a ‘share this on facebook’. The more platforms you can get FREE publicity on, the better, especially as these recommendations are coming from one of your existing customers, people will take more note.

Eye catching design

Don't just use plain text, or a standard template – make sure that your email communications stand out by having a custom design that matches the rest of your marketing materials. Think about it – would you send out your brochure as a black and white photocopy? Of course not! So don't treat your email communications as if they don't matter – in some cases it could be a person's first impression of your company – make it a good one!

For eye catching email designs and bespoke newsletter templates, see our main website or drop us a line at info@whype.co.uk.

Tell us how you make your email communications stand out in the comments below!

Using your website as a route to market.

It takes seven seconds for people to form first impressions – so you make sure those seconds count. The same should go for your website. More often than not, your website is the first thing people see. It needs to act as a marketing tool for you but also as a source of information for your customers.

Here are a few items that we believe your website should have:

• A compelling introduction – tell me that I'm in the right place in the first two sentences,because if you don't, I'll be pressing that back button and visiting your competitors instead.

• The ability to collect visitor information – people are much more likely to enquire if you provide some sort of contact form on each page of your site, with a strong call to action encouraging them to get in touch.

• A user friendly interface – if people cannot find what they’re looking for then they’ll leave and go elsewhere. It’s as simple as that. Make sure everything can be accessed within a few clicks.

• A blog – not only does it show visitors that your website is consistently up to date, it provides extra content and brings the search engine spiders in, thus being good for SEO – win win all round we say!

• Compelling, interesting copy. Your website is one of your strongest sales tools – it gives you the opportunity to communicate directly with your consumers. Copy should be based around your core USPs – what do you find yourself telling potential clients at new business meetings? Is that on your website? It should be. Your web copy needs to read well, it needs to set you aside from your competitors and it needs to make your customers want to pick up the phone.

• Easily accessible contact details. The top right-hand corner is a good place to put them, after all – you do want people to call or email don't you? If they can’t find the details then, well, they won’t!

• Links to your social media profiles. You do have social media profiles such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc., don't you? Then let people know – give them the chance to follow / friend / contact you in the way that they feel most comfortable.

• Free info. It seems paradoxical but by giving away free information (checklists, tips, hints, reviews, etc.) you actually inspire loyalty and confidence. And where will those loyal visitors think of going when they need your products or services? Guess!

• Link Building. By seeding the downloadable content on other (relevant) sites and linking this back to your site, you automatically gain more traffic to your website – and if you’ve followed all the tips above the phone should be ringing in no time!

Not sure whether your website is up to scratch? Let us give you a honest no technobabble review – for free! Post your website address in the comments box below and we'll be in touch!

Did you know you no longer own your brand?

Your brand no longer belongs to you - really it doesn't. You probably think it does, and consider yourself in full control of your brand, but put bluntly, you're kidding yourself.

In the past, yes, you would have 'owned' your brand and would have been able to influence the way you were seen. Corporate guidelines, careful advertising, strict policies and more would have made sure that the outside world saw exactly what you wanted them to see.

So what if you were losing customers hand over fist because of your inability to deliver on time or your prices were wrong? It didn't matter because your website told everyone that you 'deliver on time and under budget'.

So what if you were only 2 cheques away from bankruptcy? No-one would know because you told everyone how well you were doing when you went to networking events.

So what if you had a high staff turnover because they were dissatisfied with the company? Who would ever find out? You made sure the people who mattered knew your high turnover of staff was because you expected the best and nothing but.

Yes, in the past, people saw what you wanted them to see, and probably believed it.

But that's changed now. In this day and age of Social Media, YOU don't own your brand, everyone else does. Your customers. Your staff. Your suppliers. Even people you probably don't even know right now.

See, in the past there were limited channels to express satisfaction or dissatisfaction with a company. Even if you were seething with anger at some of their claims, you could only really tell your friends and contacts, and maybe write a letter to the local newspaper, hoping that they had the guts to publish it. Similarly if you were ecstatic with a company's services, your chances to express that satisfaction were limited.

Not now. Now there's Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and various online business forums, GetSatisfaction.com and other online review sites, and more. There's email, blogging and easy to set up websites.

You've wronged a customer? Within a few days it can be all around the Internet and almost every potential client of yours will hear about it.

You've provided excellent service? Again you could be reaching potential clients through the power of the Internet.

But the scary thing about all of this is that YOU HAVE NO CONTROL OVER IT. 'They' do.

You can't stop people Tweeting, blogging and writing about you, whether that be positive or negative.

So what to do now you don't own your brand? Well the best thing you can do is be the best that you can - think of every potential contact as someone who could be an advocate or an aggressor towards your company. The saying 'do unto others as you would have others do unto you' is trite, but true.

Don't let your brand suffer at the hands of the people who now control it - think carefully, think Social Media.

==

Michael Storey is the founder of Whype, a firm of branding experts, web designers and graphic designers based in Bristol.

7 Instant Signs Your Website Could Need a Revamp

It's easy to look at your company website and think it 'looks OK', it 'stacks up against the competition' or 'it'll do for now'.

But more than ever now, the first place people look for information on a company is their website, and if yours isn't up to scratch then they're probably not going to stick around!

Here are 7 signs your website may need a revamp:

1) YOU can't find information on the site. You know that there's a page on blue widgets SOMEWHERE but you've got no idea where it is! You even resort to Google to find it, until you have to go back to your webmaster and ask them for help. If you can't find info on your site, how do you expect your clients to?

2) You have a clip art / stock image / flaming logo. Once upon a time it was OK to have all of these things (although we're not to sure about the flaming logo, it has to be said!). Now, customers expect to see a professional looking site that's not stuck in the early 90s.

3) You don't have a CMS. A Content Management System means that you can update your website's text yourself at any time. No waiting for you web designer to stop playing World of Warcraft and no having to stack up updates until there are enough to justify them. Adding and changing content with a CMS is child's play – you NEED a CMS!

4) You have no images at all. Dull dull dull.... next!

5) The message of each page isn't visible in the first screen of text. It may be obscured by a huge flash header, or you may just have garbled your way through 500 words. I want to know that you can do what I want in the first 2 paragraphs, and I want to see them quickly!

6) You don't have any contact details on your site. Apart from this being against the law in some cases, what makes you think I want to give money to someone when I don't even know where they are based?

7) You don't give a phone number. In much the same way I want the comfort of knowing I can call you if I need to. Chances are, I won't need to, but I'd like to know that I can.

There are many more ways to tell that your website needs a revamp, but how many of these 7 sins are you committing?

Are you on a mission to give benefit with a competitive edge?

What a mouthful!

So let me explain a little further.

The web, and Web 2.0 in particular, has given the power to customers in a way that has never been seen before.

Before the web, brands were simply 'presented' to customers – no interaction, no real method of feedback, and sometimes without a care for what the customers think!

That's all changed – customers are now blogging, tweeting, Facebooking, posting messages in forums, making videos on You Tube, and even making their own websites to talk about brands – both in a positive and negative way.

Customers can shape your brand as much as, and indeed probably more in some cases, than any advertising campaign or marketing drive.

Which is great if your customers are behind your brand, believe in what you offer and wan to put out good messages about you.

However – if you don't handle your brand properly, you've got problems. Those bad statements made about you on the web are there for everyone to see, and for everyone to watch how you handle them. That's the power of the Customer vs the Brand these days.

So how do you get your customers to enthuse about you? Well in the days of the Social Web, it's about more than making money. It's about giving your customers something to believe in, something they can get behind and something that matters to them. And most of all it's about being authentic. As long as we are authentic in the messages we convey, we will have a very strong chance of being provided with Word of Mouth Positivity.

So how to do this?

• Mission
• Benefits
• Competitive Edge

First write a simple and honest Mission Statement that tells your customers what you stand for and want to achieve.

Then sum up the benefits you bring to your customers. Show them how you've improved the lives or fortunes of others, and how it can be done for them.

Then make sure you're competitive. This doesn't mean being the cheapest, it means having a compelling message that makes that customer choose you over someone else. Because they believe in you.

And then make sure that you and your employees push these messages at all times. Live them and breathe them, because if you don't believe in them, how can your customers?

We'll talk more about Sales Messaging in future blogs, but in the meantime, protect your brand and make it your mission to give benefit with a competitive edge – you never know who might be talking about you!

Are you safeguarding your reputation? Or are you scared of branding?

Branding. It's a scary word isn't it? It reminds you of HUGE corporations such as McDonalds and Microsoft. Brings to mind the thought of you writing cheques with a lot of zeros on the end. Branding is for big business isn't it? Not for small or medium sized businesses such as the one you own. You don't need branding, right?

WRONG!

Let's look at it another way: do you worry about your reputation? Out in your town, your village, at the local pub, picking up the kids at the school gates - do you worry about your personal reputation, want it to be good? Of course you do - let's face it, no-one wants to be thought of in a negative way or have other people look down their noses, now do they?

Well, branding IS about reputation - in fact we'd go so far as to say that Branding IS reputation.

So let's change that mindset a little:

* For Branding, read Reputation

* Don't think about building a Brand, think about building a Reputation

Doesn't that sound a little less scary? And a whole lot less expensive?

See, branding doesn't need to be expensive for you two partner Accontancy firms or one man band retail website owners, or any number of other businesses out there that don't have multi million pound marketing budgets.

It's not just about press and TV ads, huge marketing campaigns or massive direct mail attempts. It's about REPUTATION. It's about YOU.

Your reputation is the thing that dictates the kind of product and delivery your customers expect. Let's go back to McDonalds for a minute (figuratively, not for a Big Mac!). When you walk into any McDonalds restaurant, you know EXACTLY what to expect. You know that by their reputation. By their branding. Now think about your local greasy kebab and burger shop. There's one in every town, but their reputations vary wildly, and in some places you'll be taking your life into your hands stepping over the threshold. Thought twice about buying that burger and chips? The chances are it was their branding that stopped you - how the shop looked, the look of the menu, the reputation the shop carried.

Ask yourself, as a small business owner: Should I worry about my reputation? Without a doubt the answer is yes, of course you should. With the correct branding, your business can develop and grow.

Many small businesses are started by people wanting to be their own boss, and the first thing they do is put their own name on the business. John Smith's Accountancy Services. Mary Jones - Interior Designer. Lucy Abbott & Co. But in a few years, they've outgrown the name - maybe they now have staff, maybe they want to delegate responsibilities but customers continue to ask for the figurehead of the company, maybe there's another John Smith in the area. It's of great importance that you think through the name of your company from the beginning, and a branding expert will help you to do that. They'll help you to think about the shapes and colours that represent your business, what impression your logo exudes, how to produce flyers / websites / brochures that will encourage people to buy.

So that X years down the line you won't be looking at a name change, confusing customers and suppliers alike.

Remember, there is a psychology behind every buying decision made by every customer, and every details of your branding and reputation is taken in by them on a conscious and subconscious level. Your branding can be the difference between gaining a sale, or losing it to a competitor. When we put it like that, isn't it worth considering your reputation?

We'd love to help you make the most of your brand - why not contact us now for a free brand review?