If I was in the car right now, then I’d probably be annoyed at the traffic. It slows me down, it stops me getting from A-Z. It means that I’m spending more time on the road than I want to.

But since I’m on the computer, I can tell you that I want traffic. We all want traffic when it comes to our websites and blogs. Without it online shops don’t make sales, bloggers don’t have readers, businesses don’t have new enquiries, and so on.

To build up traffic to our website we need to follow a strategy that encourages the search engines like Google to sit up and notice. There’s some “tricks of the trade” when it comes to Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and I show you how in my new e-book “12 Keyword Hot Spots for Maximum SEO in 2012″.

It reveals the 12 hot spots that you must insert your keywords to really start driving traffic to your website. These tips start working straight away but it takes time for the search engines to catch up with changes on your site. Expect that within a couple of months you will really see a lot more traffic.

For the complete information guide for all the tips below, be sure to download your free copy of “Hit all 12 Keyword Hot Spots for Maximum SEO in 2012”

The LIST:

Hot spot #1- The URL or Domain Name
Hot spot #2- Your Page Titles
Hot spot #3- Meta Description (and meta keywords)
Hot spot #4- Page Headings and Subheadings
Hot spot #5- First 55 words in your Page Content
Hot spot #6- Internal Linking in the Content Text and Bold Words
Hot spot #7- Image ALT Tags and Title Tags for internal links
Hot spot #8- Back Links and Link Bait
Hot spot #9 – Social Profiles and Social Media
Hot spot #10- Your Tagline
Hot spot #11- Downloadables
Hot spot #12- Submit a Sitemap to Google and other Search Engines

Subscribe to Newsletter and Download Free E-book now

Perhaps you’ve looked at options and found them too expensive? Or perhaps you think it is just too complicated? Or maybe you just wouldn’t know where to start.

Well David Tiong Web Design can offer you an opportunity to start today to make that idea become a reality. Here’s what I am offering:

Free trial start up on BigCommerce
First 2 months at $9.95* per month (*limited offer for limited time)
Ongoing monthly price is from $29.95 for up to 100 products
Choice of shop themes
Easy integration with Paypal or other payment gateways
Option to sell on Facebook as well
Email marketing
Automatic inventory control
Search engine optimisation
Works on mobile phones and tablets

This is an all in one solution including hosting to create everything that you need for your online shop. There are plenty of tutorials and support is readily available.

I can also help to set up your store if needed (my rate is $60 per hour charged in minute increments), otherwise you can try to do as much as you can yourself.

Click on the image below to check out more today about Big Commerce to watch some videos about how you can create your Online Store easily today.

Please note that to take up the $9.95/ month for the first two months offer, you will need to email me to activate your trial store setup for you, otherwise you will be billed according to their pricing after your 15 day trial period ends.

It’s an exciting time to be alive on the internet.  It’s so exciting that people everywhere are sharing online, sharing with friends and family.  People are voicing their thoughts and opinions and experiences across the globe.

I was talking to a guy who is in his 90’s and is using the internet to find out more about his family history.  I read a comment on Twitter about Grandparents who are on Facebook on their iPads keeping up with their extended family everywhere and anywhere.

We are becoming more connected with each other via the internet.  The connections are instant, and not only limited to words, but rich with pictures and videos.  The connections are happening right now on our phones, computers and tablets.

People are talking about everything across Facebook, Twitter, Google+, online communities, forums, email, and so much more.

Are you there joining in, providing a personal face to your business?  Do you know what people are saying about you?  Are you asking questions, getting feedback, finding out what is popular about your services or products with your customers.

Can people find you if they search for you? Do they know how to contact you to ask a question?  If someone wants to refer a friend to you, can they direct them to your social pages?

Are you being part of the excitement of being online?  Are you engaging your market, are you answering their questions, are you showing them the way to your front door? Or are they walking past you because someone else is more exciting, engaging and entertaining?

Featured image courtesy of Johan Larsson licensed via Creative Commons.

If you’ve had some marketing experience you would probably be aware of this concept.  The idea is that you advertise a product to get people to go to a shop to buy that product, so when they are looking at the item on the shelf, this is the First MOT.  Then when they take it home and use it for the first time, this is the Second MOT.

Well now there’s a moment that occurs even before the First MOT and of course this is called the Zero MOT.

Watch this short video which introduces it.

Why is it important?

Zero MOT is when you grab your smartphone, PC or tablet and start learning about a product or service or brand online. It’s the moment of truth that now comes before the first moment.

If you don’t win this Zero moment, then chances are that a potential customer won’t even make it to the First MOT, in other words, they won’t even go to your business or shop.

Is it really that big a deal?

Would you think that if the statistics showed that 50% of people look at product reviews and research online  before buying. That’s 1 in every 2 people.

Or how about the fact that 1 in every 3 people have made buying decisions based on social influences, such as talking with family and friends through email, chat, posting YouTube videos, comments and interactions on Facebook and other social media platforms.  They read blogs that talk about the product, look at comments and ratings listed with Google Places, and visit online community sites where users share information.

How can we take advantage of this moment?

Well the concept to note here is that word of mouth is stronger than ever.  Instead of a person’s praises or criticisms only reaching one person at a time, a person’s voice on the internet spreads much quicker and further.

It is the ease and instant accessibility to share and learn online, that is making the Zero MOT a key ingredient in marketing your business and products.

To make the most of this opportunity you need to be sure that you have a strong online presence of a website and social media pages. You need to be actively responding to comments and feedback, both positive and negative.

People are talking about you online, whether you are present or not.

Key points about Zero Moment of Truth:

• At the Zero MOT people are searching online for you
• People want to learn and share online, so provide the opportunity
• Google’s new Google+ and +1 social sharing must be used (see Search, plus your world)
• When people experience your product or service you want them to share this in online reviews and social pages
• Mobile phones are enabling Zero MOT’s to occur right before the decision to buy
• use QR codes to link to Facebook pages and Website review pages
• Negative feedback can be good to show authenticity and allow you to respond and improve
• When people share online and leave reviews- this becomes the next person’s Zero MOT
• Google has produced a book titles ZMOT:  Winning the Zero Moment of Truth, and I would recommend finding out more.

Google hopes to further personalise these searches this year, by adding information that it finds when’s scouring through your Google+ profile and other Google+ profiles.

Is this another reason why individuals and businesses need to think about having a Google+ profile, in order to stay relevant in the transformation of “search” to “social search”?

One thing is for sure, and that is that these changes that Google are making are promoting their social platform “Google+”.

It will become much easier to interact with others on Google+ directly from search results, to add people to your circles, to see what others are saying and to socialise online.

Check out the video below which is a teaser from Google, and then read the question below.

What do you think? Is it better for the search results to be personalised or nonbiased?

Don't think this one's a happy customer

How’s your Christmas shopping going?  With only 2 more shopping days to go, I thought that it would be good to talk about “customer service” at this peak time of year.

My experience over the last couple of weeks, in most shops, has been quite pleasant and I found sales staff to be quite friendly and cheery.  This seemed a little unusual, given that at this time of year when tensions high, people become very agitated and customers  become more impatient.  Sales staff are under a lot more pressure as they work more hours, while still having to  do their own Christmas shopping.  So I thought perhaps that the happy mood seemed a little odd, however I certainly favour this more enjoyable shopping experience.

To see if other shoppers were having similar experiences, I asked the question over on Facebook “what one word describes your impression of customer service at this time?”  The answers I received were:

1. Friendly

2. Cheerful

3. Pleasant

The replies echoed my own observations.

It’s not all good out there

Shortly later, on Facebook, on the walls of a couple of businesses I noticed some “not so friendly” comments.  I won’t name the companies but it seems that both of them had got themselves into the line of fire over promotions that didn’t go quite to plan.

Company A promised a significant discount offer if they were able to get up to a specific number of “likes” on their Facebook fan page.  They promoted the idea, but didn’t make it to the goal number, however they still offered a reasonably high discount, and then asked people to come into their store to receive the special discount off their purchases.  People did and at this point everybody was happy.

Then they made the mistake.  For the next couple of days they offered a special “pre-Christmas” sale for all their members at a 50% discount.   All those people who had come in to the store the day before and bought at the special discounted price for liking the Facebook page, didn’t find out till afterwards that if they had waited another day they could have got a much much higher discount.

A few unhappy fans were very quick to start commenting aggressively on the Facebook wall pointing out how much each person would have saved if they had been notified of the upcoming special members discount days.  The wall quickly filled with bad comment after bad comment.

I think the idea was good, it just wasn’t executed very well.  There needs to be a time gap between promotions. It’s too hard to manage if you just have promotion on top of promotion, discount on top of discount. Not only that, but also has the impact of devalueing  your stock.

Company B decided to run a competition through Facebook, but didn’t clearly outline the terms and conditions of the competition.  In fact they actually communicated how the competition would be run and how people would receive their prizes (gift certificate coupons), over a series of several short posts on their Facebook wall.

Then after the winners names had been drawn, they posted a comment on their Facebook wall that the winners had to collect coupons within a matter of days or otherwise the next lot of names drawn would be given the coupon.  Needless to say, this ended up causing much anger and some very disappointed winners, who quickly became “losers”.  Again another promotion that should have been good for business, actually lead to a bad review or two.

Are there any good stories?

I’m glad you asked the question, because I want to share a good example of customer service that I came across.  This story made me smile, as it demonstrated wonderful and compassionate service.  Richenda “World Vision’s Social Media Diva” blogs over at www.imrichenda.com and was kind enough to let me share this story with you.  This is how the conversation happened between a customer service staff member and an existing customer.

“I want to cancel my cable.” – Sarah*, cable TV customer

“Can I ask you why you want to cancel your service?” – Gerlinda, cable customer service representative

“I cannot afford it anymore, I am a single mum with a daughter and… I just sponsored a child.”

“That’s amazing! Can I ask what organisation you sponsored with?”

“Through World Vision!”

“Even better! My daughter works for World Vision. That is so wonderful! It’s good for your daughter, too! Is your daughter happy with the sponsored child? How did she react?”

“My daughter is so excited, especially since she saw the picture. She feels like she has a sister! She wants to learn the language they speak in Mozambique and she wants to send her toys. She can’t stop talking about her and she is praying for her now, too.”

“But know you are not just sponsoring a child but a whole community. If you have time, when your daughter comes back from school, watch “sponsor lady” on YouTube. It’s a video my daughter made about meeting her sponsored children. It’ll help your daughter understand child sponsorship and what kind of impact it has on community in Africa.”

“Oh, really! We are going to watch it when she comes home from school.”

“Well, let’s find a way to reward you and your daughter for doing something good. As a company, we appreciate customers like you. I’m going to find you a way to get a discount at the same rate as sponsoring a child.”

“Thank you so much, that is really nice of you! That can mean my daughter will have cable during the school holidays.”

“Thank you for staying with us. Enjoy your cable!”

(excerpt from “What cable TV can teach non-profits”)

It’s encouraging to hear that personalised service does still exist. The example that this lady set (who also happens to be Richenda’s mum) is the positive and creative attitude to service that will be remembered by that lady and her daughter in years to come.

Businesses need to reward customers for their service and support. Firstly it is easier to keep a customer than to attract a new one, and secondly, positive word-of-mouth is the most effective form of advertising and it’s free.

A trend to watch in 2012

The Internet is fast becoming the place to go to to find information immediately that is current and relevant.  Yes, you still have to sift through and find the useful information in amongst a whole lot of junk.  But it is becoming easier for individuals to have a powerful voice.

Bad service will lead to bad reviews and good service will lead to good reviews.  You can’t make every customer happy but I need to point out that customers reviews now reach a greater audience than ever before. And so it’s important to be aware of how people are talking about your brand, it’s time to start thinking of ways to encourage happy customers to talk about your business and your brand in social media, on blogs and on your website.

Quick tips for better service:

1. Make your customers feel welcome and appreciated, by being helpful rather than doing the hard sell

2. Know your products and services and ensure your staff are well trained and informed

3. Communicate all promotions clearly, and make sure you plan ahead how they will run, how long, and put “time” space between promotions.

4. Look for unique ways to “complete” the sales experience.  Consider giving a free “thank you” pack, perhaps with a discount offer for next time or an information booklet or a free sample.

5. Follow-up to get repeat sales: determine what’s the best follow-up for your business- texts, social media, phone calls, mail out, e-mail newsletter

Now it’s your turn

Do you have some tips for offering service that keeps your clients happy and brings them, their families and their friends to your business?

Or maybe you would like to share a “good” or a “bad” experience.  Comment below.

Image courtesty of: Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Audience engagement

Okay so you have written a fantastic post, and you know your audience will love it.  You posted to your blog or on your Facebook wall but no one is responding.  Well there’s one key that you must do to make sure that your audience engages…

ASK them to!!!!

Is it really that simple you ask?  Too often we forget that there needs to be a “call to action” for people to actually respond or act.  This simple diagram above shows that there are 4 areas where you can engage your audience- Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and your blog.

Facebook
Recent changes to the way that Facebook works means that it is not just a matter of posting on your business wall and then assuming that it will be seen in the feeds of your fans.  That may have been how it worked in the past but it’s no longer the case.  You now need to engage your audience so that they actually comment on your page.  The pressing of the “like” button isn’t enough any more.

Fans need to leave a comment, so ask questions in your posts.  Ask them to respond by “tell us what you think about…” sentences and encourage them to say something.

Twitter
Twitter is still an area of uncertainty for some businesses.  They’re not sure how to use Twitter.  It’s a good place to ask quick questions and to get some quick responses.  If you are using it to notify your followers that you have added an article to your website or you have added a change to a product or service then it is another form of good communication.

Again the important thing to remember here is that you want your audience to engage and to “re-tweet” your tweets.  One of the simplest and easiest ways to get responses on Twitter is to simply add “please re-tweet” or “please RT” to your tweet.  Statistics show that just by doing this, up to 51% of your tweets will be re-tweeted compared to only 12% when you don’t ask.

Very important note here is that you do not want to abuse the “please re-tweet” because if you add it to every tweet then people are going to start ignoring.  It’s no different to putting “super urgent ASAP” on every order or every piece of correspondence.  People soon become “immune” to it.

Google+

Still a relatively new social platform, nonetheless Google+ is something you do not want to overlook.  After all,  Google is by far the biggest search engine in the world, and you want Google to index your website pages as much as possible.

Again you need to have a “call to action” with every post on Google+ as you want your audience to interact.  Here the value of a +1 is more valuable than a Facebook “like” and if you can combine that with comments from your audience then you will find that your posts will be seen by other people on Google+ and possibly even on Google search itself.

Your blog
There’s a lot of value in your blog.  For starters there is information for your readers to look through and learn more about your company, your brand, products and so on.  As well, the more content on your site that is updated and current, the more pages that Google indexes of your website.  This leads to more opportunities for people to find you through searching online.

To engage your readers on your blog is possibly the best place for interactions to occur, and this happens in the comments section of your blog pages.  At the end of each post ask questions to invite readers to comment.  For example “what do you think?  do you find that this helps?” or “do you agree with…?” or perhaps “tell us your experience”.

I think you get the idea.  These four areas areas are ideal for audience engagement.  And the key to unlocking responses is simply to ask.

Okay now it’s your turn.  What do you think about engaging your audience?  How do you do it?  Share your tips in the comments below.

Don't make this mistake

“People are just there to chat, to talk about what they did on the weekend or to catch up on the latest goss… I’m not really interested in it”

The market is changing.  Consumers are becoming more knowledgeable through a vast array of information that is available on the Internet. As a result, some businesses have started to realise that it is important to provide information through social media channels and websites that is current, interesting and most importantly, relevant to their target market.

Have you?

Brands are now active on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and on their business blogs. For those businesses who don’t think that there is any point to embracing social media, then just remember that it is another form of communication.  Some customers like to pick up the phone and call you, others are happy to hop in the car and drive down and see you at your shop or office, some customers are comfortable using e-mail and others like to Google and research online.  Don’t put your head in the sand and think that it’s just a passing fad. The new generation of people going through our schools are using these Internet platforms every day.

Are you connected to your customers?

Not only is a presence in social media required for the purposes of promoting your brand and your products, without doing “the hard sell”, but the opportunity to be aware of how people are talking about your business.  This enables you to respond, to improve your service, to fix problems and to offer more personalised interaction with your customers and clients.  This feedback is invaluable, and can be the difference between someone choosing your service over someone else’s.

Do you care?

Imagine that you just bought a brand-new car and started driving it down the road, then you go to turn on the air-conditioning and realised that there was none.  You would quickly turn around and head back into the dealership demanding an explanation.  But suppose that the salesman shrugs his shoulders and says air con is not necessary because it never gets that hot here anyway.  You would not be impressed.

You see the problem is that we have come to expect that a brand-new car will have air-conditioning.  It may not be necessary but I don’t think that you would be recommending that car to anyone, and probably you would not be very happy at all.

This is how some people who are active on Facebook or other social media feel about the absence of business profiles, because to them it is important to be able to interact and to feel that you are prepared to take the time to keep them informed.

What’s your stand?

Is social media important to your business?  Or do you think it is a complete waste of time?  Have your say tell us your experience in the comments below.

Image: Chris Sharp / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Today I wanted to cover in more detail some key points from the series…

1.  Know what your purpose is

If you know your purpose, and you communicate that purpose through clear and consistent branding, then people know what to expect from you.  For example, if I say “music player” then you think iPod, if I say “soft drink” you think Coca-Cola, if I say “fries” you think McDonald’s,  if I say “web design” you think David Tiong Web Design (maybe that’s wishful thinking).

Let’s consider my example for a moment.  My purpose is to help small businesses to find their way online, by designing a website that complements the business, promotes their services and provides information to potential customers.  To support that purpose, I also communicate and assist with social media, advertising and marketing.

It is having this clear purpose that gives me my direction in my work and my designs.

2.  You should tagline

I’m a big supporter of taglines for businesses, because it communicates your business purpose to customers, and a clever tagline can also be quite memorable.  For example YouTube’s tagline is “Broadcast Yourself” and to me this suggests freedom of speech, power and the ability to publish online videos.

My tagline is “Empowering businesses to step into the online world”.  The message here is quite clear that I provide the opportunities for businesses to enter the online world via website creation, and supporting steps for branding online, social media and promoting their business online.

If you decide to use a tagline, then you should consider including it with your brand logo on all advertising including website, social media, and other forms of advertising and signage, both online and offline.

3.  A good logo is essential

Visual branding is just as important as your tagline and your purpose.  In fact the 3 all work together to create your brand image.  Your logo is one of the first things that a visitor to your website sees, as well as a passer-by who sees your signage on your shop or business.  The logo is often the first visual impression that someone has of your business, and it is also what enables them to identify your brand visually.

Just think about some of the most identifiable logos such as McDonald’s Golden Arches and Apple’s Apple.

These days you can get good looking logos designed for very affordable prices and a great logo is definitely worth the money spent.

For some more information on logos I’ve asked Rhani Capobianco from Idea + Ink Graphic Design to comment about logo design.

Question:
How important is having a professional logo design?

Answer:
Logo design in today’s world is totally under rated. People do not understand how important a good logo is and how valuable it is to their business.

It’s the first impression people get of your company, communicating the message of who you are and what you sell.  A logo must look professional as it is the starting point for your whole corporate image.

Question:
Can business people just design their own logo?

Answer:
‘DIY’  Do it yourself – logos are extremely obvious, this is the first impression anyone has with your business and it is very important that you get it right, this is how people determine whether they like the look of what you’re offering.

There’s a reason why professional logo design does NOT cost $5.00. You want to avoid looking cheap and nasty by designing your own logo. Your brand reflects an instant message to people, telling them who you are and what you offer.  If you think you can create your logo yourself you are jeopardizing all of your hard work you have put in to building a brand

Question:
How much does it cost to have a logo professionally designed?

Answer:
A simple logo design allows for easy recognition and allows the logo to be versatile and memorable, (Woolworths, BP, McDonalds, BHP are just to name a few). Idea + Ink Graphic Design offers logo designs for $350. This price includes unlimited amount of proofs and no hidden fees for images or graphics. ‘We hear what you say and deliver what you will love’

Question:
Thanks Rhani, would you like to tell us about your business?

Answer:
Idea + Ink Graphic Design is a studio that offers you a design experience with a degree of difference. We want your business to benefit from our approach to deliver work that is fresh, different and never predictable.

We would love to work with you so contact us today for an obligation free chat on how we can work with you to deliver what you love!

These 3 ingredients, knowing your purpose, having a great tagline and a professional logo, are all essential for creating a brand that is memorable and easily identifiable.  And this is what you want to help you stand out from the crowd.

Have you focussed on these ingredients and how is your branding going?

“Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.” ~Peter Drucker

We all have good days and bad days, some days you feel like you’re “on fire”.  Other days feel like a complete and utter waste of time.

I think that it’s very important not to let yourself feel down when things don’t go your way. Instead learn to expect that progress isn’t always full steam ahead. Sometimes you take two steps back to move three steps forward.

Here are five simple yet effective tips to help you make the most of your time.

1. Get specific

If you know that you have something on your list that you want to tackle, then you need to get specific.  For example, let’s say that on your list you have written “get fitter”, then you need to identify what one step you could take towards that goal that would be an effective action.  This might be to go for a 20 min run, or 100 star jumps.

The key here is that the act of doing something specific makes you feel like you have achieved something, and this inspires you to take the next action.

So find specific steps or actions for your objectives or goals.

2.  Act now

We all seem to be leading lives that are becoming more and more busy.  So much so, that if we don’t act on the moment then that moment is often lost, or long forgotten.

If there is a particular task that we know we need to do, then once you have decided on the specific action then you need to act straight  away.  This does not necessarily mean that you have to drop everything and dive into that task.  It may mean instead that you designate a particular time of the day to complete that task.

“You may delay, but time will not” ~Benjamin Franklin

3.  Focus on getting better

Sometimes we limit our own capacity to improve, by letting ourselves feel that we cannot do something new, or that we lack the skills to do better.  However this isn’t true, this is just self-limiting thoughts.  It’s time to start believing that you can reach your goals and you can overcome bad habits.  Focus on being positive.

“What we can or cannot do, what we consider possible or impossible, is rarely a function of our true capability. It is more likely a function of our beliefs about who we are” ~Tony Robbins

4.  Have determination

Don’t expect that just because something doesn’t go right the first time, or is harder than you expected, that it isn’t worth it.  Often persistence is what gets the job done.  People with more determination and “grit” go further and achieve more.  So be determined and put in the consistent efforts.

5.  Train your mind

Once you start to implement these techniques you’ll soon find that, just like exercising, you start to see results and your willpower improves and strengthens.

In essence you are training your mind to work more efficiently and effectively, with focussed determination.  The more you train it, the more effective you become in being productive and naturally the results will follow.

These tips may sound overly simple, but surprisingly and interestingly, sometimes the simple things we may be aware of, but we need to be reminded of.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step” ~Lao Tzu

Image: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net