Did you know that 80% of all businesses fail in the first 5 years while 80% of all franchises enjoy success past 5 years? You don’t have to be a genius to realize that there is a strong message being sent by those numbers. Here’s the #1 difference between the two: franchises rely on a framework for business success that has been perfected and proven over time and most businesses operate without documented systems.
Business Growth U.S. implements a proven framework for small business success that helps your business develop and execute the money making activities that it needs to do every day to sell more in less time.
We help you target your ideal client, understand exactly what they want when they make their decision to buy, and create compelling marketing messages that enable you to out-market and out-sell your competition. This allows you to out-smart, out-market and out-sell your competition...and dominate your market.
We are a team of certified coaches, consultants and trainers who are focused on helping organizations improve. Our staff includes consultants who have diverse skills in business coaching, management consulting, marketing strategy, financial performance and sales training. We exist to serve client organizations who are seeking revenue performance improvement … and the ability to more rapidly respond to opportunities as an organization.
Does your firm need more leads, more conversions, more transactions, higher prices and increased profits? Take the first step today and call us to setup a FREE Business Growth "Possibilities Session”. In that session we’ll explore what challenges you and your top team are facing, what kind of results you’d like to see instead, and whether this program could help or not. Whatever the outcome, you’ll leave the conversation clear about the issues you’re facing and excited about what’s possible. Call (972) 727-6880, email info@businessgrowthus.com .
by Rick Erling
Does your website create website traffic and generate enough sales leads? If you are like most CEO’s, sales and marketing management I speak with on a daily basis, the answer is probably no.
If you perform a Google search on “sales and marketing strategies” you’ll be pleased to find over 62 million web pages devoted to helping market a business and increase sales. Spend just five minutes looking at the search results and two items become very apparent . . .
You can’t expect to compete in business today without leveraging your reach with online digital marketing tools and having a Web Site Marketing Strategy. If you’re not appealing directly to the person who is reading your ad, you risk them seeing it without realizing how it relates to them. Considering there are over 65 million pages devoted to “sales and marketing strategies” validates the importance of creative writing and how to appeal directly to your customers’ need to increase traffic and conversions.
Keep in mind that when people meet in a live in-person business meeting, we introduce ourselves with some statement about what we do, and why we should work with one another. In a live meeting it’s important to show very quickly that we understand their issues and needs, and that we have ideas and solutions to address these.
Your website is a virtual meeting tool. It must accomplish the very same objectives of an in-person meeting. It must convey common points of interest, whether personal or professional. The virtual visitor must begin to feel that they can relate with you, and this helps to build the beginning of a business relationship. Studies show you have 8 seconds to build this relationship before they click to the next site listed in the search listings. If the visitor doesn’t feel they can relate to you, if they’re overwhelmed, confused, can’t easily navigate your site or simply not interested in your site, they’ll leave in very short order — 8 SECONDS!
Keeping the above strategy at top of mind, here are the top seven smart ways to get your business noticed on the Internet.
1. Keep it simple.
Get rid of Flash and fancy intro pages! Studies today show you only have 8 seconds to convince a prospect how you can help. Does your website describe your product or service in a succinct, compelling and visual fashion in that timeframe?
With thousands, perhaps millions of Google hits for a given search term, prospects are looking for exactly what they’ve typed in or they move on to the next search result.
2. Value First, Brand Second
Don’t make the mistake of dragging your business value behind you by leading with the brand name of your product, service or company. Push your business value out in front of you and set yourself above the competition by using “Value Forward” methodology!
3. Call to Action
Once you’ve got their attention you must have calls to action like an offer of a free white paper, webinar, or newsletter to harvest prospect contact information.
4. Easy Navigation
Your website must be easy to navigate with less than 7 navigation buttons on the home page.
5. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Make sure your site appears high on search engines’ results pages. By including the right keywords and phrases, your site will appear higher up on Google, Yahoo! and other search engines.
The key to keywording is translating what your product or service does into appropriate “Value Forward” keywords and phrases that will turn your visitors into qualified sales leads.
6. Pay Per Click (PPC)
Your sponsored or PPC listing on a search engine results page (SERP) must call out to the person reading it. If you’re not appealing directly to the person who is reading your ad, you risk them seeing it without realizing how it relates to them.
In many situations it may even be necessary to develop new landing pages to help increase site level conversion.
7. Podcasting and YouTube
Podcasting and YouTube are new and simple technologies that you may want to take a look at. All you need to get started is a decent microphone, a digital audio or video recorder and editing software.
This is a great strategy for many small businesses for several reasons. A voice, or video reference or testimonial rather than words on a website can convey conviction, credibility and personality.
8. Track Your Customer Conversation Ratio or C.C.R.
It is not how many unique visitors come to your website that is important. It is how many you can identify as prospects. Most companies today spend large amounts of marketing dollars on tradeshows, advertising, email marketing, corporate branding and direct mail driving thousands of potential buyers to their website . . . yet they don’t know who is there and don’t have engagement devices to capture their name. To generate more leads, track your C.C.R. through your daily audit logs as well as the names of those who sign up for your free information.
Are you interested in insuring your solutions, products and services are conveyed in a compelling fashion on your website? Yes, your web designer will provide the actual website design and artwork, BUT it’s up to you to know what the content should be. Most importantly, you need to supply content that will trigger search engine hits and drive qualified traffic to your website.
When you’re not experienced or don’t have the budget to have web strategy, marketing, sales or systems people on staff, or simply don’t have the bandwidth, get help! Smart business owners surround themselves with consultants that are strong where they are weak. Please consider having us help with your sales, marketing, and website strategies improvement projects.
Rick Erling, is the President of Business Growth U.S.in Dallas, Texas and can be reached at (972) 727-6880. Business Growth U.S. is committed to helping you discover business growth strategy that creates more leads, more conversions, more transactions, higher prices and increased profits through our unique, “Four Stage, Ten Step Framework for Business Success".
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