Digital Real Estate
ALLOW ME TO BE CANDID, HERE:
IF YOU AREN'T EFFECTIVELY MANAGING, MAINTAINING, AND LEVERAGING USE OF A WEBSITE FOR YOUR BUSINESS, YOU ARE LOSING BUSINESS!!! And probably lots of business.
IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY GOTTEN REAL ABOUT YOUR WEBSITE, IT'S TIME TO GET REAL ABOUT YOUR WEBSITE.
ALLOW ME TO ELEBORATE...
Believe it or not, many folks in this new era of commerce still view managing their website as some kind of an after thought. They're not using their "place of business" on the web in an effective way and, perhaps, for a variety of reasons; laziness, fear of technology, lack of technical skills, not knowing where to start, not knowing which web designer to hire, lack of budget for a website, etc. etc. etc.
Now, I want be clear that I'm not talking about Facebook business pages, I'm not talking about Google, I'm not talking about Yelp reviews, Youtube channels, Twitter, Instagram, none of the above... I'm talking about OWNING YOUR OWN DOMAIN and MANAGING A WEBSITE.
“oh yeah, well, I guess I should put up a website for my business... just cause, well, I have to have a website... right!?”
YEAH, PRETTY MUCH! (Commence Forehead Smacking)
I know, Coach K, I know...
I'M GOING TO BE CANDID, HERE:
IF YOU AREN'T EFFECTIVELY MANAGING, MAINTAINING, AND LEVERAGING USE OF A WEBSITE FOR YOUR BUSINESS, YOU ARE LOSING BUSINESS!!!
And probably lots of business.
WHAT IS A WEBSITE?
I'm breaking it down to the lowest common denominator here simply because I think we could ALL be doing MUCH more to make our websites work for our business. I mean, "what is a website?" seems like kind of a silly question in this day and age until you really stop and think about it. I really want you to think VERY CRITICALLY about these questions for a moment;
Why do I have a website?
Why do I need a website?
How is my website helping my business?
I've come up with a definition of what I think a website is in our modern digital era and that is:
A website is the most important piece of “real estate” you can own, manage, and operate outside of your brick & mortar facility.
THINK OF YOUR WEBSITE AS "DIGITAL REAL ESTATE"
Symbology, of course...
If I were to visit your place of business, store, studio would I find it in shambles? In various stages of disrepair? Messy? Unwelcoming? GOSH, I sure hope not, and I'm going to assume the answer is a resounding "NO" because you take pride in your work and are devoted to giving the best possible experience to your customers and clients.
Think of your website as the DIGITAL version of your PHYSICAL place of business. Is your website in shambles? Is it in disrepair? Is it messy? Unwelcoming? ***GET REALLY REALLY HONEST WITH YOURSELF ABOUT IT.***
Think about your favorite websites. Websites you visit regularly, perhaps... A few archetypal examples to help you out:
http://www.amazon.com
http://www.apple.com
http://www.nike.com
Now ask yourself some questions about your favorite websites:
Why do I like this website?
Is the design beautiful and user friendly?
How does my business website compare to my favorite website?
Is my website consistent with my branding?
Have I done all I can to make my website the digital version of my physical business?
THINK ABOUT PURPOSE
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF YOUR WEBSITE?
Oh, off the top of my head:
To drive Sales
Educate customers, patrons, clients
Enhance and advance business opportunities
Create and build a community
Practical Applications, Web tools, and digital services
Entertainment
Digital Webstore
It's important for you to consider the purpose of your website so you can design a GREAT website that works best for your business. So let's talk ingredients of a great website, shall we?
What are the winning ingredients of a great website?
In an effort to make it simple, I've come up with 3 winning ingredients to a great website. YOU MUST make your website:
1. Simple:
What is the user experience (UX) on your website? Is it pleasant? Frustrating? Confusing?
In today’s competitive market, a website that is difficult or frustrating to navigate equals the loss of sale and loss of interest. Making the user experience a fantastic, positive and memorable experience allows you to retain attention and significantly increases your chances of closing a sale.
2. Functional:
Does your website serve your business (customers, clientele, residents and investors) in a way that promotes the purpose or mission of your business?
A website must be functional and serve it’s purpose to the business. To do this your website must focus on serving the end user (customer, resident, client) first and foremost. Functionality also includes promoting the purpose and mission of your business and gives your business a digital identity. It’s essential that your website enables you to create interest (or BUZZ) for your business, develop a relationship with potential buyers, and most importantly increases your chances of closing a sale.
3. Beautiful:
Is your website aesthetically pleasing or is it an eye-sore? Is it consistent with the branding of your business?
Branding your digital real estate with beauty is an important aspect to creating a pleasurable user experience with your website. The brand is everything, here; your visual identity, the content you create and push, the copy you display, the overall feeling one gets from your business, product or service. Your message and your mission. A beautiful website enhances the user experience and leaves a memorable impression on the user. When you’ve created a beautiful, memorable experience on the web you increase your chances of closing a sale.
A happy user of your website.
MAKE YOUR DIGITAL REAL ESTATE A SIMPLE, FUNCTIONAL, AND BEAUTIFUL EXPERIENCE FOR USERS AND YOU WILL INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF SUCCESS IN YOUR BUSINESS.
If you have any questions or would like to get deeper about it, I'd love to help. Please get in touch!
Shiny Things
WE HUMANS LIKE SHINY THINGS!!
Of course we do, so what does that have to do with branding and marketing your business? While the answer should be fairly obvious it's something often overlooked by business owners, believe it or not, and no other time in the history of mankind has it been more imperative to make your brand SHINY.
We ALL like shiny things, don't we!? It's arbitrary. It's age old. It's cliché, really... It's true, though, so I'll say it again for dramatic effect; WE ALL LIKE SHINY THINGS, DON'T WE.
We are, after all, HUMAN (***yes, it's something I said in my last piece "A Gut Feeling," but that too bears repeating.) Why? Because, naturally, it's important to keep in mind who your audience is when it comes to marketing your business.
WE HUMANS LIKE SHINY THINGS!!
Of course we do, so what does that have to do with branding and marketing your business? While the answer should be fairly obvious, it's something often overlooked by business owners, believe it or not, and no other time in the history of mankind has it been more imperative to make your brand SHINY.
Ok, not literally "SHINY" (though, maybe so in your case?!) but you MUST make your brand stand out from the crowd, and it's a HUGE crowd out there in the world of commerce. You know it, I know it, and the world isn't getting any less crowded.
Quick Litmus Test: Which penny do you prefer?
YES, there is a correct answer, here. Unless you're pulling my leg, you've correctly chosen the penny with the shiny polish. After all, it is indeed the more desirable of the two, right?! Right!!
BUT HOW CAN YOU POLISH UP YOUR BRAND TO MAKE IT SHINIER, MORE DESIRABLE, AND CREATE MORE SUCCESS FOR YOUR BUSINESS AS A RESULT?
YOU NEED A STRATEGY...
What Is Your Strategy?
Thinking... Thinking... Thinking...
A STRATEGY in action is both MEASURABLE and TIME-SENSITIVE. You can think of a STRATEGY as involving 4 parts:
Overall Business Objective. My Business "XYZ" will have a 50% increase in sales by December 31st, 2016.
Marketing Objective. Increasing in store customer sales with client leads by 50% by December 31st, 2016.
Digital Marketing Objective. To increase in-bound leads by 50% by December 31st, 2016 by increasing website traffic, growing brand awareness and building an online brand.
Digital Strategy. Leveraging my website, email marketing list, and social media base with quality content, marketing assets, pay-per-click ads, and analytics to promote 50% growth by December 31st 2016.
When you've worked out your objectives and goals, you can start thinking about the tactics you'll employ to achieve them. This is where that ALL IMPORTANT "BRAND" comes back into play. The shinier your brand is, the more it stands out from the crowd, the more you'll increase your chances of success!
Remember That A BRAND Is:
"... a person's gut feeling about a product, service, or organization." - Marty Nuemeier
Ponder Einstein for a moment:
"The Intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift." - Albert Einstein
So, what does that mean for our purposes, Einstein?
It's intuitive to us as HUMANS that we love SHINY things.
We're hard-wired to notice what's different.
We're attracted to things that stand out in a crowd.
YOU can apply this intuitive part of human nature to your BRAND and STRATEGY, thus making your brand more SHINY!
LITMUS TEST #2:
Does anything in this photo jump out to you?
One of these things is not like the other(s)...
Here are some questions to get you thinking about how you can market your brand to make it more SHINY:
How are my current marketing tactics helping me achieve my business objectives and goals?
Am I using digital marketing effectively to enhance my traditional marketing efforts?
How am I leveraging ALL my digital marketing assets, website, social networks, Youtube channel, and email contacts to create "fans" of my brand?
Am I creating and posting QUALITY digital content (beautiful photos, amazing videos, effective music, informative or entertaining blog posts, etc.) that inspires interaction on social channels and real-world action among the "fans" of my brand?
Am I testing, reviewing analytics, tracking sales, creating engagement through my marketing campaigns, and using digital tools to determine my marketing success and where to focus my marketing budget?
HOW AM I DIFFERENTIATING MY BRAND FROM THE COMPETITORS IN MY INDUSTRY?
Your BRAND doesn't have to be SHINY in the literal sense but you must always strive to differentiate and separate yourself in an increasingly crowded market. It starts with developing a clear STRATEGY, carefully crafting your BUSINESS OBJECTIVE, creating a MARKETING OBJECTIVE, a DIGITAL MARKETING OBJECTIVE, and implementing a DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGY that leverages all of your digital marketing assets.
I'd love to speak more with you about how to help you make your brand SHINY, attractive, desirable, and create fans that will help you grow your business. Get in touch if you want to dive deeper!
A Gut Feeling
Whether it's a brand we like or one we dislike we elicit an emotional response to EVERY brand we come across in our daily lives. And all because we're HUMAN. Several factors play into our emotional response to a brand, but for most of us it comes down to one very important emotion: TRUST.
To be blunt, your Brand is confusing and/or boring (yikes, if it's both)... Yes, you. Sorry, but I'm not sorry. In my effort to help you, I'm offering my honesty on the matter.
"What's he talking about?" you may be asking.
Simple:
1. Confusing = inconsistent + not reliable
2. Boring = emotionless + not delightful
***Again, yikes if it's both***
Allow me to elaborate:
The GREAT Marty Neumeier (google him) once defined Brand as:
"... a person's gut feeling about a product, service, or organization."
Ok, cool! Love it... So what does Marty mean by that?
Put simply, we're PEOPLE and we have FEELINGS. - Think about your favorite brands - we all have them. A few of mine; Apple, Gibson Guitars, NFL, Squarespace - Now think about your least favorite brands... (ugh, right...?)
Whether it's a brand we like or one we dislike we elicit an emotional response to EVERY brand we come across in our daily lives. And all because we're HUMAN. Several factors play into our emotional response to a brand, but for most of us it comes down to one very important emotion: TRUST.
TRUST in terms of branding equals Reliability + Delight. *Thanks again Marty Neumeier. Really! Google him.
I've given this some thought and I want to explain why I agree with Neumeier on this, and why you should THINK CRITICALLY about the equation TRUST = Reliability + Delight when you're branding or rebranding your business. Ponder this:
1. Reliability: Is your packaging, messaging, web copy, graphic design, videos, advertising, marketing content, website, blog, brick and mortar shop or facility, employees, managers, owners or workers CONSISTENT with the Brand of your business?? If you haven't projected a seamless display of consistency you're in danger of being seen by your customers/clients/patrons as being unreliable. You MUST focus, Focus, FOCUS your efforts on consistency in order to gain their TRUST.
2. Delight: Are you creating the emotion of Delight for your customer base? If you haven't created a brand that elicits the emotional response of Delight in someone's gut your brand is more than likely BORING! You MUST focus, Focus, FOCUS your efforts into creating the experience and emotion of delight for your customers/clients/patrons in order to gain their TRUST.
So what IS your customers or clients "gut feeling" about your Brand?
1. Try asking them (ask lot's of how's and why's).
2. Take lots and lots of notes on what they have to say.
3. Make the necessary changes to your brand.
Be reliable, be delightful, be trustworthy...
If you have any questions or want to get deep about it, I'd LOVE to help. Please get in touch!
