Rev It Up!

FLASH WILL Significantly Hurt Your Online Visibility

FLASH is fun, cool, and can be used to make some pretty impressive presentations.

The problem is that is can very significantly hurt your online visibility - what I call your "findability factor."

All Flash sites, websites made entirely of Flash, are the kiss-of-death (IMO).

When brides can't find you online they don't stop looking.

Oh no, they find one of your competitors.

Search engine spiders, the automated programs that continuously scan web pages, don't deal well with Flash. They can't read it and as a result they can't determine relevancy and so can't index it.

I'd say a website made entirely of Flash probably has a 20% findability factor compared to a spider-friendly, HTML crawlable website.

Let me put it another way.

800 brides who were looking for you using a search engine last month couldn't find your website!!

80%, maybe even as high as 90%, of the brides who could have booked your services probably found and booked with someone else. Ouch!

The sort-of-maybe-good news is: a Flash site, when designed properly, can convert well.

Unfortunately, that's rare, based on what I'm seeing out there.

Can you afford to live on 20% of the brides out there who are looking for you?

In today's competitive environment, I think the answer is "NO."

Bottom Line: All Flash websites will hurt your overall online findability factor. They are probably impossible to get top ranked for any competitive category (I haven't found one yet!).

In order to get brides to your website you'll spend more money to advertise and promote your website vs. a competitor who has a search engine friendly, top-ranked website.

Unique Value Proposition (Continued)

Here are some helpful ideas to help you develop your UVP (unique value proposition):

Unique

Unique refers to the characteristics of your product or service that distinguish you from as many of your competitors as possible. Again, stop and think about it. What is it about what you do that really sets you apart? Bring a notepad with you to lunch and spend some quiet time thinking about this and making notes. How many ways are you different than your competition. Write them all down one after the other, in no specfic order.

Then ask your key staff to do the same.

Value

Value is the intrinsic worth of your offering to your customers. In other words, what do your customers get for their money? This is sometimes where people get stuck. If youre having difficulty with defining your value simply ask a few of your customers to describe how your service or product has helped them. I'm not talking about "we had a wonderful time" stuff. More like: "we didn't have to worry about anything and enjoyed all of our time with our family, friends, and guests". Armed with this information you can easily create several "value statements".

Proposition

Your proposition in the factual proposal you make to your customer. The ability to qualify and quantify your claims, and then communicate them clearly and effectively is very important and makes your unique value proposition rock solid.

How To Develop or Refine Your UVP in Just 10 Minutes

This exercise has been very helpful to me when developing a unique value proposition:

Write your product or service features in the center of several pieces of paper.

Once you have done this draw a close circle around each one.

Then, write the benefits that your customers receive from that feature in smaller circles surrounding the center.

Connect the circles with lines, like spokes in a wheel.

When finished, evaluate them all to ensure that they accurately represent your offering.

Compile each feature map page into one sentence. Then, combine the sentences into an itemized list or paragraph.

Congratulations, you have just created your unique value proposition.

We all want more customers. We all want more inquiries and better results from our websites. If you want to attract and sell to more brides and grooms, then don't exclusively look at your products and services - talk with your customers and prospective customers.

Find out what they value and specifically why. Then use that information to develop your UVP and make sure it's loud and clear, front-and-center, at your website.

Your Unique Value Proposition

Unique Value Proposition | Turning Visitors Into Inquiries and Sales with a Solid Unique Value Proposition (UVP)

A lot of "ducks" need to be lined up to get great results from your website. Design, programming code, search engine optimization, and marketing message to name a few. Without a rock solid UVP, or Unique Value Proposition, there is a high liklihood that everything else doesn't matter.

How's Your UVP

Most of my clients and members at Book More Weddings these days are getting pretty good results from their websites. One of the common themes among these websites is a solid UVP - unique value proposition.

What is a UVP?

Let me answer that with a question. What it is about what your organization does that makes it unique or better than the other five websites a bride has just visited. Why should she care about that?

If you can answer these questions you'll be well on your way to defining your unique value proposition.

Your unique value proposition distinguishes what your company offers from what others offer.

Often a UVP is confused with your mission statement, but they are not the same. A mission statement should define why you exist and what you are in business to acheive (I also don't think it belongs on your website, in most cases). Your UVP defines why brides and grooms should care that you exist.

Pretty simple, if you stop and think about it. The problem is we get so caught up in day to day "stuff" that we don't stop to think about it.

Put another way, your unique selling proposition defines your competitive advantage!

Next... breaking it down into parts.

Internet Myths 7-8-9-10

Myth #7: Submitting Your Website To Search Engines Actually Works

Submitting your website to the search engines each month is probably useless. Services that provide this service will gladly take your money and it is unlikely you'll see any benefit. The best way to get your website indexed in the search engines is for them to find your website at another regularly crawled website. A Google Sitemap will also help you get your website indexed or an existing website crawled more effectively.

Myth #8: Search Engine Optimization Is Easy

Search engine optimization is not difficult, but understanding the fundamentals of the search engine optimization process is critical to your success. There are dozens of different variables, including "on-page" variables and "off-page" variables. Add to that hundreds of so-called "experts" and their advice (which is incorrect, incomplete, or misleading), and it's pretty hard to call the search engine optimization process easy. Making it even more challenging will be any competitor who has hired a reputable SEO expert to help them with their website and online marketing strategy.

Myth #9: Meta-Tags Are The Key To A Top Ranked Website

Meta-tags are specific lines of code that appear behind-the-scenes at your website. Search engines see them but your visitors do not. Search engines use meta-tags as one of the factors in determining relevancy. They are important but only one of more than two dozen factors related to the overall optimization of your website.

Myth #10: Your Webmaster Can Help You With Your Online Marketing

Programming code and page layout is very different from online marketing. In most cases, a webmaster/programmer will not be able to give you the appropriate advice and support to effectively promote and market your website online.

Internet Myths 4-5-6

Myth #4: Hits Are A Good Measure Of Success

Wrong! If you are measuring "hits" you're not even in the game. A "hit" is a technical term that describes activity on a hosting server. Unfortunately, most webmasters use this term casually and it is interpreted to mean you have lots of traffic Hits are not real people. Real people, who visit your website, are logged as "visitor sessions."

Myth #5: You Can Do This All Yourself

If you are in any competitive category of products or services, or in a geographically competitive marketplace, the chances that you can build a website, develop the traffic, and manage your ongoing online marketing yourself are less than 50-50. A competitor who has hired the expertise with design and online marketing behind them will make it very difficult for you to succeed.

Myth #6: It's Easy To Get Traffic From Search Engines

In today's competitive marketplace it is more difficult than ever to get top ranking with Google, Yahoo!, or MSN. It is very likely going to take you more six to twelve months to see your website achieve a top ranked position for any competitive keyword/keyword phrase that people are searching for. If your website is brand new, it can take 12 to 24 months or longer, in any competitive category.

Internet Myths 1-2-3

Myth #1: If You Build It They Will Come

Building a website is no guarantee of online success. If you build it, don't assume people will find it. This is a guaranteed losing strategy. For your online marketing to succeed your website will need quality traffic and convert your visitors into a desired form of action.

Myth #2: Search Engines Are All You'll Need

It is a very common misconception, and costly mistake, to think that the search engines and organic search engine positioning is all you need for online success. While a top ranked website is a very valuable asset, and it can drive a lot of qualified traffic to your website, it can take months, or years, to achieve that positioning -- if you can get it at all. You'll need a multi-pronged approach to building traffic, including search engines, buying advertising, pay-per-click advertising (SEM), integration of your offline marketing with your online marketing, and of course, search engine optimization (SEO).

Myth #3: All Traffic Is Good

Not true! To get real results from your website, inquiries, phone calls, or sales, you'll need find and attract qualified traffic - people who are actually potential customers and can purchase your products and services.

Google Page Rank

At last night's tele-clinic/webinar we talked about Google PageRank. If you have a Google Toolbar in your browser (http://toolbar.google.com) you can turn this option on.

Select Options (the little blue wrench, probably to the right of your toolbar), you'll see ToolBar Options, select Tools, and you'll see the option for PageRank viewer.

If you don't have a Google toolbar, don't want one, or use a MAC, you can check your Google Page Rank using this online tool: http://www.top25web.com/pagerank.php

Memorial Day Schmoozing

I'm guessing that most Wedding Officiants, even those who are just starting out, probably have a wedding or two or even three this weekend... I don't know the statistics, but from my own experience I'd say that Memorial Day must be the heaviest wedding weekend of the year

The online freedictionary.com defines "schmoozing" as "To converse casually, especially in order to gain an advantage or make a social connection".  Isn't that the perfect definition of what we Wedding Officiants do (or should be doing :-) at the weddings we perform once we've taken care of our first priority: our couple, their families and their ceremony?? 

As of this writing I have performed 2 of the 3 weddings that I have booked for this weekend.  So far I've spent a good deal of time this weekend with 2 photographers, 1 wedding planner, a caterer, a fabulous baker (my favorite!), 2 florists and a string quartet plus I discovered a new wedding-related service called "Photo Booth and Scrapbooks" . This company actually brings a Photo Booth to the wedding reception (just like the ones at amusement parks) and the guests take pictures of themselves to put in the scrapbook that's on the table right next to the booth.. .fun!

So yes, I've already gotten in my weekly quota of schmoozing (not the easiest thing for an introvert like me) and I still have 1 wedding to go later today!  Generally my conversations with these other vendors (depending on how well I already know them) is about the wedding we're doing together on that day plus asking a bit about how their season is going for them, making sure to exchange business cards if we haven't already and acknowledging and complimenting them (if it's true and sincere) on their work that day. 

In addition to posting about the wedding itself, I now potentially have material for about 8 additional posts to my blog from the wonderful conversations I've already had this weekend (I also took lots of photos).  When I write a post I always send a quick e-mail to that vendor inviting them to have a look if they'd like which usually results in a kind response and a "thank you" and often a reciprocal link.

These relationships that I've primarily built thru "schmoozing" over time are the foundation of my Wedding Officiant business.  We refer business back and forth to each other and truly love working together which, I believe, makes the wedding experience even better for the couple and their families.

So, if you've hesitated to step up and schmooze with the florists, caterers, photographers and others you meet at weddings Memorial Day weekend  is the perfect time to get started.

We'd love to hear your experiences with schmoozing or any other topic of interest to you.  Please use the comment link below or send Chris and I a message thru our Ask The Pros webpage.  Enjoy!

Adding Google Analytics To Your Google Blog (Blogger)

During tonight's tele-clinic the question came up:

"How do I add Google Analytics to my Google Blog at Blogger(.com)?"

Andy Wibbles shows you how and it takes less than 10 minutes...

Adding Google Analytics to Your Google Blog using Blogger

Your E-Mail Signature

Ok, I know this may seem too obvious, but are you using the e-mail signature option that is available in your e-mail program?  Whether you use an online system like Hotmail, Gmail and Yahoo or a local e-mail client like Outlook, Apple Mail or Entourage this option is available to you and easy to set up.  If you don't know how go to the "Help" option in your e-mail program and type in "email signature" and follow the instructions.

If you're like me you send dozens of e-mails every week, some business and some personal ... these are opportunities to offer information about the services you offer with no effort whatsoever other than the initial setup.  It's also a great convenience for clients as they never have to go to any effort at all to find your contact information when they need it.

There's really not a lot to say about this other than it's a quick and easy marketing option... no cost, no fuss.  My e-mail signature, as you can see, is rather elaborate but just a simple few lines with your phone and website link will suffice.  Do it today!

Got a question?  Chris and I want to hear from you.  Go to our "Ask the Pros" page and send it along, we'll answer it right here on the blog so that everyone can benefit!