In Austin checked in and registered for SXSW. Looking forward to day 1 tomorrow!
Yet another example of a fundraising mechanism for nonprofits- this time on your mobile http://ow.ly/1gJE4
Free Job Postings for Nonprofits http://ping.fm/PPRRj
7 Tips for Building a More Successful Site
What do professional website developers know that novices don’t? Why are some sites successful while the majority fail? Firespring has conducted focus group and survey research with end-users to try and understand their preferences and habits. This research has revealed these tips for building a more successful site:
1) Build It For Speed. It’s a fact of modern life - people are in a hurry. Nowhere is that more true than on the Internet. It seems that no matter how much technology improves, nothing is ever fast enough. In fact, the faster technology advances, the faster people expect things to be. So what does this mean for your website design? It means that you have less than 10 seconds to capture your potential customer’s attention. If they cannot at least begin to understand what/who you are in that much time, they will “click off” and go somewhere else. To minimize your load time, keep graphics small. Compress them where possible. Use flashy technology (Javascript, Flash, Streaming Audio/Video, animation) sparingly and only if it is critical to your presentation.
2) Target Your Market. Know who your market is and make certain that your site caters to their needs. It is critical that your site reflects the values of your target customers. Is your market mostly business professionals? If so, the site must be clean and professional. Is your product aimed mostly a teenagers and young adults? Then your site should be informal and relaxed. The key is to know your market and build the site to their preferences.
3) Focus the Site. Make certain your website is focused on a clear, definable goal. If your business offers many different products or services, dedicate a unique page for each instead of trying to sell them all from one page. Upselling and cross selling is vital but don’t dedicate so much to it that the customer feels trapped in a hard-sales pitch. Make mention of other products, but do so subtly.
4) Credibility Is Crucial The most professionally designed site won’t sell if your customers don’t believe in you. The impersonal nature of the Internet breeds a certain level of mistrust. For your site be successful, you must overcome this tendency. A straight-forward privacy statement is one way to build your credibility. Provide a prominent link to your privacy statement from every page on the site as well as from any location that you are asking your visitors for personal information. Provide legitimate contact information that includes an email address, mailing address, phone number and a fax number. If you are unwilling to provide this information to your customers, they are much less likely to trust you.
5) Make Payment Easy. Offer a variety of payment methods for your customer. If you don’t yet take credit cards, start immediately. Provide an address for those who prefer to pay by cash, check or money order. Make sure the payment process is clear, easy to access and intuitive to use. Eliminate as many steps as possible. Do not ask for any more information than is necessary to complete the transaction. Nothing frightens a customer off faster than feeling that their privacy is being invaded.
6) Provide Simple Navigation. Make site navigation easy and intuitive. If your customer cannot navigate your site to find what they want, they will go elsewhere. Limit the choices and direct your customers through a sales process.
7) Offer Ample Content. Content is still king. Ask target prospects and customers the question, “If we were to build the perfect website for (this business) – one that would entice you to come to our site for information, what would you expect to find?” Then provide everything they request. Be sure that all content is edited and checked carefully. There is no better way to give off the appearance of an amateur than to allow spelling and typographical errors.
Implementing these items into your website will create a professional online presence with the relevancy and user-friendliness necessary to achieve high-traffic and repeat business to your site.
Jay Wilkinson is the Founder and CEO of Firespring, a marketing services company based in Lincoln, Nebraska with more than 3,000 small-business clients in 13 countries.
New Blogging Rules: Be Careful What You Say
The FTC just released an updated set of guidelines for advertising and marketing on the Internet. The subhead on their web report says “Advertising must tell the truth and not mislead consumers.” Really? Advertising should not mislead? But how will the snake oil guys make a living?
Actually, I applaud the FTC firming up its stance. It’s important that Bloggers remember that the rules of slander and defamation apply to what you post online just as they do to any other form of speech. Aside from telling the truth, what else is the FTC dictating?
#1. Bloggers who are paid or receive free products or services in exchange for writing reviews must disclose that fact.
#2. All ads must show “typical results” for your product or service. In the past, you are able to share stories of people who had amazing results and make it all good with the disclaimer “results not typical.”
#3. If you obtain an endorsement from someone and then evolve your product or introduce a new version, you must ask the endorser to provide an updated endorsement. You are no longer able to keep using the same tired faces for all iterations and incarnations of your products.
To learn more about the Federal Trade Commission’s updated guidelines, visit http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/ecommerce/bus28.shtm.
Jay Wilkinson is the Founder and CEO of Firespring, a marketing services company based in Lincoln, Nebraska with more than 3,000 small-business clients in 13 countries.
Congress wants to increases taxes on investors. This would be a tough blow to start-ups: http://tr.im/HfM5
Twitter on the verge of killing RSS: http://tr.im/Heri
Google’s announcement today will have a huge impact on businesses that use Facebook: http://tr.im/GX91
Putting a Reasonable Price on Facebook and LinkedIn: http://ping.fm/WXPqb
