Making Web Sites Work

Making Sense of Facebook's "Like" Button

Before we go any further, I've just got to ask, "Do you like me?". Do you really like me? Even more important than the answer to this question is, how do you feel about me asking that question right up front?

I was recently invited to visit a Facebook page so I could "Like" the organization. When I arrived I learned I really didn't have a choice. I was instructed to click the Like button before I would be allowed to access the content.

If my opening question caught you off guard, I'm not surprized. In most social settings, people like to get to know you before commiting to a "Like" relationship. The same is true with online Social Networking. Many novice Facebook business marketers use the Like button inappropriately. Not only are they unsuccessful, but it's such a turnoff they lose ground from the very start. Sounds downright needy to me.

Academy Award winning actress Sally Field was ridiculed for her acceptance speech for Best Actress for “Places in the Heart”. She is often quoted as saying “You like me, You really, really like me."Not only was she misquoted, but like Facebook's Like button, terribly misunderstood. I think she was acknowledging Academy members liked her performance, not her as a person.

What's missing? Your visitors really don't care how many folks follow you, or which color scheme you used to build your site. What they really Like are your blog posts or funny YouTube videos. They respect your community involvement, not your mission statement.

Tips for Using the Facebook Like Button

• Change your frame – switch your thinking from Like Me to Like This.

• Place the Like button after blog posts or announcements of your organization's accomplishments. Turn it into a Call to Action.

• Remove it from your home page. Do you really want visitors to leave your site?

• Before you place the button, ask yourself, “What is there to like right here?”

 Reference: Facebook Like Plugin

Keurig Coffee Brewing Workshop

I KNOW how to make technology work... Until this morning. I'm in Atlanta Georgia attending the National Speakers Association UNConference.

If you're attending, and struggled with the Keurig Coffeemake this morning, here are some helpful tips.

 

Virtual Communications - Are you Building Walls or Bridges?

In a recent post at Baseline Magazine, Hiding Behind Technology, author Samuel Greengard laments the sorry state of connecting with people in the age of instant communications. Of course it's always "those people" who are so rude. You and I would never let a call go to voice mail just to screen a caller. Of course not.

It's more than an issue of virtual etiquette. It's a question of business survival. On a recent assignment with EZCarCreditFL.com, we conducted a thorough evaluation of their Earned, Paid and Owned media. We invested in expensive media campaigns, pored over web analytics, and evaluated linking strategies.

The result? The bottleneck to lead acquisition was not anywhere near the web. It was the phones. After brainstorming with the staff, we performed an extreme makeover of the phone system, assigned a specific team member to answer the sales lines, and tracked each and every call.
Sales increased immediately.

 If you're tempted to ask your customers, "Can you hear me now?" It might have nothing to do with their hearing, perhaps your organization is hard of listening.

Virtual Hearing Test

Is your organization getting the right message to the the right prospects at the right time? Here are some tips to help you clarify your message and connect with your most valuable prospects.

• Check All Channels - How do your customers and prospects prefer to hear from you? Put on your customer hat. Do they call or text, send an email or submit a web form? Check all available communication channels to see if your message not only gets through, but if your organization is speaking with one voice.
• Check Your Culture- Does your communication process build bridges or walls? Are your people using Caller ID to screen callers or anticipate their questions?
• Check Your Results- I can tell you who called last Tuesday, not to mention, when, for how long, what they needed and how I responded. It's not magic, just a solid Customer Experience Management program called SugarCRM. It's web-based, so I access it on my computer, iPad and Smartphone. To create success you need to improve the quality of your communication, and quality started when you measure results.

Suggestions?

Some of the best ideas I've ever heard came from listeningto prospects and customers. If you have a communication tip, please share it with me, either as a comment below or a voice message at
727-278-9382.

Yes, I think I can hear you now.

 

Virtual Visibility and the Art of Becoming a Media Darling

Can you imagine the impact to your organization of being mentioned on the front page of the Wall Street Journal? For Lydia Ramsey, author of Manners That Sell, adding the Polish that Builds Profits, it's more than wishful thinking. Lydia is quoted in today's edition in an article on one of Lydia's favorite topics, business email etiquette. In Hey, Folks: Here's a Digital Requiem For a Dearly Departed Salutation By DIONNE SEARCEY Lydia is quoted on her take on the use of "Dear" as an email salutation, "People who don't start communications with dear, says business-etiquette expert Lydia Ramsey, "lack polish."

Lydia's appearance on WJS.com is neither an accident nor a fluke. It's simply a product of her Internet marketing strategy. It's great to have client testimonials you can publish on your site. It's even better to have them mention you in their blogs or provide you with a Amazon review, LinkedIn testimonial or Facebook "Like". The sweet spot in virtual visibility is when a respected publication elevates your brand from expert to recognized expert.

It's more than just recognition. Whether Lydia is featured in the Journal, Inc, Cosmo, or on NPR, the emails from well wishers are soon followed by subscriber confirmations, orders from new customers and booking inquiries for speaking engagements.

Wish You Were a Media Darling?

Following in Lydia's footsteps is really very simple, even if it's not easy. It requires a commitment to knowing what's going on in the world of business and not being afraid to "tell it like it is".

To improve your "Virtual Visibility, you need to:

• Write about what's going on in your area of expertise.
• Increase the frequency of your publishing and balance it against the quantity of content.
• Be consistent in the words and phrases in your message. Lydia uses my Key Phrase Thesaurus to ensure important words like Polish from her book title: "adding the Polish that Builds Profits" are repeated in the published interview or blog post "lacks polish".
• Seek interview opportunities where your expertise can shine. Reinforce the linkage between your published blog posts, articles, white papers, products and services.
• Create an easy to follow linkpath from:
  • The content distributor, the magazine or network site, which leads to
  • Your published content including "Owned Media" like Twitter feed, Blog posts or Articles which leads to
  • Your product or services landing pages which leads to
  • Your bank account.

Although it's not easy, the interview strategy produces results in a relatively short time. Lydia has accomplished front page status in less than a year.

So when are you going to get started? Give me a call at 727-278-9382 and let me know how you are doing.

 

Tis' The Season For Reason



Happy New Year I know it's still the 31st in the US, but it's already New Years on Fiji!

Congratulations! You've almost made it through the holiday season. All the presents were delivered, opened and returned. You realize you only need to buy one more container to store those newly acquired decorations.

It's that brief moment of time between the sigh of relief for festivities accomplished and the deep breath of anticipation for a bright New Year. Go ahead, take a moment to reflect on the blessings of the season.

But what ever you do, don't let your guard down.

Come Monday morning I predict a Perfect Internet Marketing Storm is going to bury you in a blizzard of:

• Urgent!
• You Must Act Now!
• Secrets Never Revealed Until Now!

How can so much snow pile up so fast?

As the holiday season comes to a close, let's resolve to celebrate the Season of Reason. This year, let's think twice before accepting all those marketing claims. Let's consider paying attention to our customers instead of paying the hucksters. 

In the spirit of my New Year Season of Reason, here are answers to the 4 most outrageous questions found in the digital marketing offers you are about to receive.

Don't you want to have the latest technology everybody is talking about?

Not necessarily. It's really not about technology, in 2011 it's about connecting. The best way to evaluate the latest technology is get the answers to two questions. Will this new technology help me connect with the right prospects? Will it help me build a better relationship with my existing clients or customers?

I've found it's best to focus first on the task, then look for the right tools.

Is it true that people are making millions on the internet?

Yes, but only those who can convince you to invest in their “How I Made Millions on the Net” home study course. The increase in broadband and 4G wireless have made a tremendous impact on the speed of the Internet. But the speed limit will always be set at the speed of trust*. In 2011, the race to business success will be won at a slow and steady pace. It will require:

• The use of multiple communication channels
• An increase in message frequency
• A decrease in message length
• Congruency and transparency in message content

Why should I invest time and money in a (blog, YouTube Channel, Facebook Company Page, etc.).

Definite Maybe. Who are you trying to connect with? Would they connect with you via your blog, watch your videos on YouTube or “Like” you on Facebook? I recommend using as many digital communication channels as possible, but not all technology is created equal. Make sure you choose from each of the M.A.P.** Categories:
Marketing (M) - Blog Posts, Newsletters, Articles, White Papers.
Advertising (A) – Content Distributors, Autos – AutoTrader, Books – Amazon, Collectibles – eBay.
Promotion – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.

Should I invest heavily in the latest technology to jump ahead of my competition?

No, Fear of getting left behind is a common technology marketing ploy. They will do almost anything to get you to join their revolution. Wait until you see the direction of the inevitable evolution before jumping on board. Blogs started as platform for ranting, then evolved into Newsletter management platforms. Avoid the cutting edge, wait for the bleeding edge.

My New Year Wish... and gift.
My wish is that you have a safe and prosperous New Year.

And my gift?
When you start receiving those wild and crazy technology marketing offers next week, send them to me. I promise to respond with a measured response, a balanced perspective and links to additional resources you can use to make your technology work.

Happy New Year!

Jerry Gitchel
757-278-9382

*The Speed of Trust, by Stephen M.R. Covey, Stephen R. Covey, and Rebecca R. Merrill
**Growing Your Business, by Mark LeBlanc

 

 

Owning Your Message - The Power of Focused Blogging

In a recent post from eMarketer.com titled Companies Struggle to Keep Social Media Content On-message, 69% of company messaging was distorted when conveyed by blogs. When conveyed by mainstream media, distortion dropped to 45%. As reported by PR and communication firm Burston-Marsteller, bloggers tended to include "Opinions, personal experience... and speculation".

The post suggests the one of the best ways to combat message distortion is through the use of owned media. Forrester blogger Sean Corcoran defines Owned Media as "channels a brand controls". It's no longer enough to simply publish your story on your website. Each day, blogs increase in influence as they move toward mainstream media. You (and your message) need to be there.

Eliminating Message Distortion

 Here are some steps you can take immediately to to increase the power of your blog posts:

• Connect "Here" with "Now". Blog content changes frequently, compeling Search Engines to index frequently. Composing a post  about what's happening right now improves the search ranking of your post. Including your expertise and insight connects readers to the "here", your products and services.
• Switch to Draft Mode. Insight may appear to be inspired, but rarely is it instantaneous. I've configured my blog software to compose my post in draft mode instead of publishing each time I press Save. Leave room in your blogging process for research, reflection and fact checking.
• Use Just the Right Word. I recommend creating your own personal thesaurus of key search terms. Keep it close and refer to it while composing a brand message for digital distribution.
• Capture "This Just In!" With tools like Google Alerts and or an RSS reader, you no doubt will have plenty to write about. Consider creating an early warning system to alert you when topics aligned with your expertise appear in the news.

 How do you manage to stay on message when publishing blog posts? Please add a comment to share your tips.

Resources

• eMarketer.com - Companies Struggle to Keep Social Media Content On-message
• Forrester blog by Sean Corcoran - Defining Earned, Owned And Paid Media
• Key Phrase Thesaurus -Worksheet with instructions by Jerry Gitchel

 

Are you Smarter than a Smartphone? Improving your App Aptitude

Chances are, more than half of you are reading this post on a SmartPhone. Not in a web browser, but in a RSS reader like Manifesto, Feeds or Viigo. Which I thought was pretty cool, until I realized you can't read it in the Make Technology Work iPhone App. At least not yet.

Medical Alert -  If you're a business owner who get queasy whenever someone mentions a radical technology trend you might want to sit down before you read any further.

The Great App Migration of 2010

Sorry to bring you bad news, but your beautiful website and killer blog just went out the window (and  down the street). Get ready for the shift from Web browser to Mobile Apps. I'm not one to tout tech trends, I'm less of a Futuriest and more of a Here-n-Nowist. But if you want to connect with qualified prospects and your loyal customers, it's time to raise your App aptitude.

This trend is driven by both the poor quality of mobile web surfing and the tailored efficiency of custom apps. The key take-away for digital marketers is while web browsing resembles an open, Mall-like shopping experience, Mobile Apps present a gated Theme Park business model. Once you step through the gates the food, merchandise and experience is managed for the visitor. With a branded Mobile App, you get to control the environment. Valuable prospects don't wander off because of bright shiny objects. 

Whether you're a marketer or a customer, the Internet is not going away. The virtual highway is simply shifting from Web Browsing to Mobile Apps.If the idea of creating your own theme park sounds grand, but a bit too ambitious, here are some tips for cashing in on mobile apps without breaking the bank.

eCommerce - My professional speaker clients are excited about using a mobile shopping cart to move from BOR (Back of Room) to MOR (Middle of Room) sales. Magento Mobile allows session attendees to buy your materials without leaving their seats.

Eliminate delayed payment gratification. Use Intuit GoPayment to accept payment via your Smartphone.

Podcasting - Turn your brand into an iPhone App.Librated Syndication can transform your audio or video content into a mobile App theme park.

Mobile Apps are just one more marketing tool you can add to your digital toolbox. Contact me to learn how you can make Apps part of your Internet Marketing Strategy.

 New Series - Stay tuned as I turn Making Technology Work into a iPhone App.

"I've read the manual, so you don't have to!" is more than a cute slogan here at Make Technology Work. On Tuesday, Oct, 5, 2010 I'll launch a 4 part series on creating an IPhone App. Part 1 - Where's My Stuff? covers content selection and creation. See you then!

 

 

Blog Commenting - Putting in Your Two Cents Worth

An article mentioned in this weeks Bloomberg BusinessWeek Tech Insider caught my eye. Working on the Waterfront outlined how technology (and self-employment) enables a growing number of people to actually work from the beach. Not much new here for veteran road warriors, other that how to get bargain access to Malibu beach from the Las Costa Beach Club.

The real gem in this article came from the posted comments. The best was posted by Sherry Paprocki. It simply said, 'Hey, part of the book The Complete Idiot's Guide to Branding Yourselfwas written at the beach!' So who is Sherry Beck Paprocki? She's the author, of course. And not just any author. She's published over a dozen biographys on celebrities including Katie Couric, Martha Stewart, Vincente Fox, and Bob Marley. Quite a group to be associated with.

Which was Sherry's goal in the first place. By adding a comment to the post she created an association linking:

• Business News- Bloomberg BusinessWeek
• Working on the Beach - alternative office environments
• Entrepreneurs - interested in alternative environments and personal branding
• Sherry's book -  The Complete Idiot's Guide to Branding Yourself

I agree that not everyone would have searched for the book from the comment. Only Sherry's target prospects would have invested the effort, but it only took a 17 word comment on her part. Hey, it was just like a day at the beach!

Let's Go Fishing

Ready to try you hand at it? It's easy, it's kind of like fishing:

• What are you trying to catch?
• Where are they hiding?
• Which bait should you use?

The bait is your book, product or service. The fish is your prospect. Where are they hiding? Online of course. Identify online news outlets catering to your prospects. Use Google Alerts or set up a feed to keep track of the topics associated with your area of expertise. When you get a nibble identifying a likely article or blog, post a comment and see if you get a bite.

Posting comments to business blogs is a easy, low cost tactic to put your marketing two cents worth in front of likely prospects. Go ahead, post one here.

 

 

Jerry Recommends, 10 Apps to Optimize Your Smartphone

 

I have to wade through a bunch of technology announcements each week.
Since they are often nothing more than virtual hype, I rarely pass any along.
 
Today I received a newsletter article which I think is really valuable.
If you spend a significant part of your business day "Out-of-Office", I invite you to read:

 

10 Apps to Optimize Your Smartphone
from Internet.com.

 

Of the 10, I use Dragon Dictation and Evernote. Do you have a mobile app you just can't live without? Post a comment so I can go check it out. J

Thank God It's Monday! Book on Kindle available at no cost from August 2-7, 2010

This extraordinary message appeared in my inbox last week. I simply had to share it with you...

"Here's your chance to get the Kindle version of the Best-selling book, Thank God It's Monday! How to Create a Workplace You and Your Customers Love, without paying a cent.

If you have a Kindle, iPad, or even your PC (there now is a Kindle reader for the PC and it's free too), you can download your very own edition of Roxanne Emmerich's best-selling TGIM book for the Kindle... but you have to mark your calendar to remember to get it during this special promotion."

Why on earth would a best-selling author, speaker and CEO give away something so valuable, for free? Her message explained "This is a limited time offer, sponsored by the publisher to create a massive impact and help companies looking to bust bad attitudes, kick-start sagging sales figures, and create companies that employees love to work FOR and customers love to work WITH." 

I believe it's just another example of visionary business leaders who know how to make technology work. Making her best-selling book available in Kindle format costs virtually nothing. Amazon wins by promoting the Kindle, the Publisher wins by building a buzz for the book, Emmerich wins for taking the lead with this marketing tactic.

Don't waste time trying to figure out why she decided to launch this campaign. Whatever the reason, this is a limited time offer, so you need to act now!

"How to get it? Visit www.Amazon.com or search using your Kindle Reader device between August 2nd through the 7th and shop the Kindle Store for the title: Thank God It's Monday! by Roxanne Emmerich and then download it."  

Thanks Roxanne!

Is your book available in Kindle format? If so, post a comment on how it's working for you.