Website strategy – Mind Map image

By Nigel TempleNo Comments
Here is Mind Map showing the key strategic elements of a customer focused website. If you click on the image, a larger version will appear: 1. Customer: because you should be customer focused, not product centric IMHO*. Successful websites provide customer engagement. This is easy for me to say, challenging for you to do - which is why The Marketing Compass is here. (As we provide advice, encouragement and feedback to busy small business owners). 2. Design: because you don't get a second chance to make a first impression. Your website should look professional, particularly to the first time visitor, otherwise they are likely to 'disappear within a click'. Read website design ideas for small businesses. 3. Interactive: because interactivity = the USP of the internet. The more that the visitor can 'click on stuff' within your site, the better. 4. Content: because content is king. The more you write, the more you will attract Google. Read point two of the marketing commitments. As always,...
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Website design ideas for small businesses

By Nigel Temple1 Comment
As the saying goes: "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." Two types of people visit your website: strangers and friends. I have asked thousands of small business owners which of these two groups are more important to them. Overwhelmingly, they answer 'strangers' - because the objective is to turn them into friends (i.e. customers). There is no point in driving traffic to your website, if the site design lets you down. I am not suggesting that you spend thousands of pounds on fancy graphics. I am suggesting that your website should look professional. Here are some ways to achieve this: * Begin by thinking about the objectives for your website, i.e. online brochure, credibility, sales lead generation, online sales? * Decide on the key elements you want to include within your website and where the focus is going to be. For example, for a B2B (Business to Business) company, is it all about building relationships with prospective clients? For...
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Choosing a website domain name

By Nigel Temple1 Comment
If you are launching a new business, or considering launching an additional website, selecting a domain name is an important marketing decision. There are a number of factors to take into account. In general, go for a short domain name, as this is easier to say and easier to remember. Your website address = a domain name. For example, bbc.co.uk and wikipedia.org are famous domain names. The domain name for www.nigeltemple.com is split into two parts. The TLD (Top Level Domain) is the part to the right (“.com”). The latter is easy to say (two syllables) and is generally accepted to mean a commercial website. For UK companies / small businesses / independent professionals, “.co.uk” is a popular TLD choice. Sadly, it comprises no less than five syllables, so it is a little long winded to say aloud. Within “nigeltemple.com” the part to the left = the second level domain (SLD). You will probably want to include your business name, or a brand...
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The internet as part of the business model

The internet as part of the business model

By Nigel TempleNo Comments
To what extent is the internet embedded within your business model? Within The Marketing Compass, our members include a number of e-commerce businesses; so their answer would be: "100%". For the rest of us, the answer will range from "hardly at all", to "significantly." Do you see your website as an online brochure or as a way to build brand awareness, create customer engagement and build deeper relationships? Clearly, making more sales is important - however - you are more likely to sell more if you begin with the preceding items. How about the social networks? Do you have strategic SMO* objectives? Do you integrate your SMO activities with the rest of your promotional mix? With regards to SEO**, do you have an alphabetical list of keywords for easy reference? Do you update this list frequently? Do you use these words and phrases both within your website and outside of it (i.e. within social media status updates)? Take the use of Twitter as an...
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