Building Blocks Of Business Online

MEDIASAUCE PRESENTS Your Digital Business Strategy HOW AN ONLINE BUSINESS PLAN WILL HELP YOU CONNECT WITH CUSTOMERS

About us A track record for leading online initiatives

The internet, how do we live without it? A South Park example

The Internet surrounds us Nearly ¾ of all U.S. adults use the Internet SOURCE: Pew Internet & American Life Project 2007

State of the Internet A quick glance at where the Internet is and what consumers are doing
Online spending broke multiple records 2007 Holiday Season
28% Growth in online spending
30% - 40% Growth in “first-time” shoppers
Size of “Shopping Cart” grew both in number of items in the cart and total value/transaction
Consumer spending is accelerating

By the numbers A quick glance at where the Internet is and what consumers are doing 91% Use a search engine to find information 86% Search for a map or driving directions 81% Look for information online about a service or product 80% Look for health/medical info 78% Check the weather 71% Get news 66% Buy a product SOURCE: Pew Internet 2007

Every 3 seconds…

1 person buys a device to access the internet 2 blogs are started 3 youtube videos are posted 4 people sign up for FaceBook 500 words are added to wikipedia

People are fast

Business is slow But often for good reason

Start small

Focus on opportunities, not technologies

90 days the average life-span of a web 2.0 application

6 essential things every web site must have to be successful.
How to turn a web site into a lead generator and search engine optimization
How to turn Internet generated leads into customers.
How to build loyal customers
How to market a business online locally, globally
Today’s Session

6 Essentials

1. Your own, primary domain name Six essentials for everyone doing business online
www.barksalot.tripod.com
B. www.barksalotllc.com C. www.myspace.com/barkalot D. www.iquest.com/barksalot E. www.barksalot.com

1. Your own, primary domain name Six essentials for everyone doing business online
Options specific to your product or service?
Do I need .com vs. .net, .biz, etc.?
Who is my customer?
Can I own more than one domain?

1. Your own, primary domain name Six essentials for everyone doing business online allnaturaldogtreats.com naturaldogtreats.com naturaldoggietreats.com

2. Easy to find “contact us” Six essentials for everyone doing business online
A whole page dedicated to how to communicate with you.
A link to “Contact us” on every page.
A phone number and a mailing address.
An email address or contact form.
A map/directions if appropriate.

Hours for your business.
Maps or “find a store near you” directory that is easy to navigate.
Hours/Address/Phone for every location.

3. A real email address Six essentials for everyone doing business online
[email_address]
[email_address]
[email_address]

4. Simple, functional navigation and design Six essentials for everyone doing business online

5. Relevant, useful content Six essentials for everyone doing business online
Consumers expect information.
They want compelling content that is to the point.
Well organized, logical, uncomplicated
Graphics and photos are very important
Video can provide a competitive advantage
Testimonials

“ Thank you BarksALot, for making the most wholesome dog food I could possibly feed my pet. His coat is shiny, his energy level is at a new high and I sleep better knowing my puppy isn’t eating toxins and chemicals.”
Julie Z., Topeka, KS

What do your customers want? What would they deem as having value?
“ Free Quote” or “Free consultation” or “Free Shipping” or “0% financing”
6. A transaction point Six essentials for everyone doing business online

Any questions? ?

The customer arrives Give consumers what they need to make a transaction decision quickly, effectively

Consumer expectations Give consumers what they need to make a transaction
Immediate satisfaction.
Quick results
Something different or unique.
Deals and offers
Immediate results
No thinking required
Interact
Consumer’s expect:

Clean design, simple interfaces Give consumers what they need to make a transaction

The monthly site review Give consumers what they need to make a transaction
Don’t “Set it and forget it.”
Spend 1 hour every month, evaluating your web site reflects your current and next initiatives and focus.
Are the right products or services being focused on?
Look at it from a customer’s eyes, not yours.

What information do customers want? Give consumers what they need to make a transaction How do you know what customer’s want from you on the web? Ask Track

Ask customers what they want Give consumers what they need to make a transaction
Get independent, “real” feedback.
Eliminate bias.
Rely on a honest, third-party reviewer.
Not your employee!
Preferably real customers, or potential customers (non-customers).

Can you compete on price? Should you? Leads come from consumers getting what they want

Can you compete on price? If you do… Leads come from consumers getting what they want
…use MSRP to your advantage online.
MSRP: $299
Our price: $279
Internet Sale price: $259

Any questions? ?

7 minute break Please return promptly, the fun stuff is next

The customer says yes Necessary tools to ensure a transaction takes place

Transaction point: Forms for more info Tools to ensure a transaction takes place

Transaction point: Newsletters, alerts Tools to ensure a transaction takes place

Transaction point: E-commerce Tools to ensure a transaction takes place

Transaction point: Contact us page Tools to ensure a transaction takes place

Your staff is critical to web success How to turn your web site into a lead generator
Willing and able to respond, 24/7
A good writer
Someone who is customer service oriented
You have one chance to make a first impression!

Check email every hour
Give the person the answer they want…email can easily foster misread emotion
People want anonymity at first…but they don’t want you to be anonymous
Understand your customers “point of entry”
Caught Cheating on taxes?
AC Broken?

Any questions? ?

Market your site The first step won’t cost you a dime

Use existing resources Start with the basics that won’t cost you extra
Every newspaper ad, direct mail piece and tv advertisement should include your domain (www.yourname.com).
Do your receipts, invoices, letterhead include your web site?
Do you business cards promote site features?

Use existing resources Start with the basics that won’t cost you extra
Your call-waiting message/music can tell consumers about online tools.
Are your staff trained to talk about your web site to grow your business?
In-store signage and hand-outs
Sponsorship logos and event promotion

Be where your customers are aiming Helpful tips for search engine optimization

Understanding the basics of search Web users most direct connection fireplaces

Understanding the basics of search Web users most direct connection

Understanding the basics of search Web users most direct connection PAID RESULT PAID RESULT

Understanding the basics of search Web users most direct connection ORGANIC

Organic search is free, priority #1 Driving results with search engines
Create custom pages for every major topic.
Use headlines and keywords that closely reflect how users search for the topic.
Use meta-tags with keywords.
Get these pages linked from all relevant pages on your site.
Get links to these specialty pages from outside sources whenever possible.

Let’s do a live search Web users most direct connection Bariatric Surgery

Any questions? ?

Newsletters work wonders Ideas and concepts in newsletter marketing strategy

Nearly every business can use newsletters Ideas and concepts in newsletter marketing strategy
Great for building repeat customers
Useful tool for follow-up on up-sales and cross-selling for accessories, upgrades
Avg American checks their email inbox 5x each day
Low cost, customizable and targetable
Requires a good writer who understands the call to action

Tips for building your newsletter strategy Ideas and concepts in newsletter marketing strategy
Fulfill a need.
Are timely, and full of relevant information.
Can be extremely targeted.
Do not have to be daily or weekly, rather just when appropriate.
Are delivered consistently with the same level of quality.
Don’t waste your money on buying lists
Build it yourself through all customer contact points; try an incentive

Nearly every business can use newsletters Ideas and concepts in newsletter marketing strategy

B to C: The jewelry store example Ideas and concepts in newsletter marketing strategy
Yes! Monthly specials of all types of jewelry (price point driven).
No! Internal news (staffing, etc.)
Yes! Specialty niches (Pearls, Rubies, Broaches, etc.).
(Send when appropriate, not
necessarily on a time schedule.)

B to B: The attorney example Ideas and concepts in newsletter marketing strategy
Yes! Update to ongoing clients on legal issues affecting their industry.
Yes! Changes in law updates free to prospective clients (Ask them to opt-in!).

Any questions? ?

Hey customers! Click here. Ideas and concepts in banner advertising strategy

Where are you on the world wide web? Ideas and concepts in banner advertising strategy

The piggy back strategy Ideas and concepts in newsletter marketing strategy

Give them a way to take action now.
Don’t irritate users. Ads should click thru to landing pages that match the message.
Creative messages:
Fashion
Entertainment
Price
Selection
Convenience
Service
Quality
Pick 1 primary and one secondary, and you have a value statement
Simple, clean design with action statements Ideas and concepts in banner advertising strategy

Simple, clean design with action statements Ideas and concepts in banner advertising strategy

CLICK HERE Simple, clean design with action statements Ideas and concepts in banner advertising strategy

Link to the right place on your site for immediate action Ideas and concepts in banner advertising strategy

High traffic targeted sites with consistent visitors drive more, better results. Want local customers? Buy the most popular local web sites. Buy the right web sites! Ideas and concepts in banner advertising strategy

Bigger is better, but small ads can yield results with a great call to action
Higher on the page, the better
Buy sections of a site that match consumer’s interests
Target the message to the audience (ads you might buy on ESPN.com should differ from MarthStewart.com)
Only buy the number of weeks you can afford to be BIG!
Send users to the RIGHT landing page
Change your offer frequently and test, test, test.
Buying tips Ideas and concepts in banner advertising strategy

Any questions? ?

Hey customers! Watch here. Ideas and concepts in video advertising strategy

Internet video has vast reach:
75% of Internet users stream video
Engagement attractive to advertisers:
Average of 7 minutes per day per viewer
Average of 2.4 videos per day per viewer
31% of video viewers went on the company’s website after viewing the ad
1 Video on the web is getting lots of eyeballs Ideas and concepts in video advertising strategy

Video “webisodes” are hot, go Viral on YouTube.com Ideas and concepts in video advertising strategy

Any questions?

What about social media and Web 2.0? ?

the more people you can connect to the more you can do

Humans are social

To form relationships We live for connections To communicate

Old ways of forming relationships : Water cooler Travel

New relationships: Profiles Access to shared knowledge Easy casual communication Collaboration tools Profiles Name: Location: Role: My Connections My Projects

Social networks are powerful

But there are lots of options, so choose wisely!

So how do we build a strategy?

How do we approach the strategic process? The MediaSauce Methodology

Success starts with Investigation The MediaSauce Methodology Investigation

What are your core products and services?
What is your unique selling proposition?
Who is your audience? What are their pain points?
What does your competition do?
What are your goals?
What is your budget?
Who are your partners or internal resources?
How does your target market use the web?
Where does your target market go online?
How can you be an expert in the eyes of your audience to address their pain points?
Success starts with Investigation The MediaSauce Methodology

Success starts with having a plan There’s no silver bullet, but smart decisions lead to great results Investigation Exploration

How can we position ourselves where our audience is?
Who on our team can be an expert or voice of our organization?
What ideas do we have to go viral?
What does our competition do poorly?
How can we better leverage our offline resources?
What are our highest aspirations?
Who already reaches our audience that we can partner with?
What are our finalized strategies (not tactics)
Success continues with Exploration The MediaSauce Methodology

Success starts with having a plan There’s no silver bullet, but smart decisions lead to great results Investigation Exploration Decision

What specific tactics will we complete for each strategy
What resources are required?
What metrics will we use to judge the success or failure of the tactics
What are the priorities and timelines for each tactic
What resources will be required internally or externally to complete these tactics
What budget allocation should we expect?
Success progresses with Decision The MediaSauce Methodology

Success starts with having a plan There’s no silver bullet, but smart decisions lead to great results Investigation Exploration Decision Confirmation

What timeline and budget will we commit to?
What is the finalized scope of work required to complete the work?
Who will manage and implement the tactics we are committing to?
How do we introduce these initiatives to our internal and external stakeholders?
Have we scheduled our upcoming strategy review sessions? Who will be our oversight committee?
Success requires a Confirmation The MediaSauce Methodology

Success starts with having a plan There’s no silver bullet, but smart decisions lead to great results Investigation Exploration Decision Confirmation Implementation

Any questions? [email_address] 317.512.3612 *cell

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Building Blocks Of Business Online

by James Burnes on Dec 30, 2008

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Building Blocks Of Business Online — Presentation Transcript