Sites that Win

Julien Rocheblave

Your Foundation: The Three Pillars of any on-line Strategy

Maybe someone told you that you need a newsletter, or videos, or a blog or other things sounding even more exotic.

The truth is none of those will work without a solid foundation.

We'll start with the basics. Without these three in place, there simply is no on-line strategy.

These are like a heartbeat check. If you're not alive, there's no reason to start surgery.

1. Your Web Site
2. Your Social Presence
3. Your Reviews

Your Web Site

If you are here, you obviously have one. But can you see it on a smart phone? In 2017, 58.9% of internet usage was by mobile device.

You want your website actually talking to your customers, and especially addressing what they need. If your web site doesn't, it might just be a really expensive calling card. Ultimately you want your visitor to take the actions that grow your business, and your website should be designed to optimize that.

Your Social Presence

While there are many possible sources of traffic, and new ones seem to be popping up every day, your first stop should be Facebook. Pew Research shows that more than two-thirds (68% actually) of U.S. adults are on Facebook.

And according to TechCrunch, Facebook is now a major mobile browser in the U.S. with a 10+% market share in many states.

In other words, an active Facebook presence makes a difference.

Your Reviews

There is a sea of statistics about on-line reviews, but one should suffice: 92% of consumers now read on-line reviews. While you don't need 100% positive reviews, you should be on top of what your customers are saying, and be encouraging them to review you.

Next Steps

Just open your pages. Then open your competitors' pages. You want to notice which ones actually make you want to take a next step. Which look like "they are supposed to?" Do those make you want to call, or book an appointment?

Which actually give you value such that you want to continue a conversation? Which address your fears, or your customers' most basic fears? Which put you at ease? Which make you say "I'd like to meet this guy!"

Which make you laugh? Which make you feel like this is business owner who will take care of me?

And you'll start to see the kinds of things we or you can do to make sure that your website is doing what you would like it to, namely bring in the people you serve so you can take care of them, and put few, or better yet, a lot more dollars, in the bank.

And if you want my help, reach out.

Deividas Toleikis

So, I updated my blog software, and it got me looking around, and I landed back at Lavi Furniture Industries, and this is what I found:

There is no place called Woodmire, New York. Anyone in New York would know that. Lavi highlights a project at the “South Shore Hebrew Academy” there. Try to find the South Shore Hebrew Academy. There's a North Shore Hebrew Academy, the Yeshiva of South Shore, HAFTR, the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns & Rockaway, and HASC, the Hebrew Academy for Special Needs. But South Shore Hebrew Academy, I guess they are the one that has no website. A new synagogue, apparently yes, a website, no. If you can't take the care to get this right, what else do you get wrong?

Next, it's obvious you've wasted a lot of money on your website, and still haven't learned how to make it drive business. I wrote these about Lavi's business years ago: Having a Purpose, and Fit and Finish. I forwarded them to Lavi. I've forwarded them to its consultants.

It's like they ran 42. kilometers of a marathon (42,195 meters), and then quit.

It's worse actually. It's like they trained and prepared and paid thousands of dollars to go and run that marathon, and then quit in sight of the finish line:

• The site is still about them. It should be About The CUSTOMER.
• The English site has an Israeli phone number, with no international dialing code. How much does it cost to maintain a few phone numbers local to your clients, or put a +972 and drop the leading zero on the English page.
• There's no powerful call to action. Maybe they've got a crack sales team that does it all, and the website is just for eye candy. But it's so damned easy to give a little value for some contact information that it's almost a sin not to.

My point: If you are going to invest in the asset, go that extra 195 meters and have it work for you. Anything less is a waste of your money.

Don't waste your Money. Finish the race. I'd be glad to help you do that.

Choose Your Business Today

This special has expired, but if you are willing to commit to yourself, I'll do my best to meet you where you are so that you can have the kind of online presence that will best drive your business.

Call me at (203) 517-0518 and we'll figure it out.

Richard Boyle

I spoke to a dental practice recently. In this case, this husband and wife team are actually dear friends, and great dentists.

I've told them about the great content we have available for our Social Content Scheduling Clients, and offered to hook them up.

When I spoke to the office, their social media manager told me they are looking at Altice and Hearst.

I was confused; so I called. They were under the impression we're in different leagues. Altice will get them on television and local media, and Hearst is a big media company that “offer[s] customized audience solutions for every business, service and institution.”

Read more »

You are building a website to boost your legal practice. You want to talk with the Conversion Rate Optimization ("CRO") Guy First. There are Three Reasons:

• Money: Your CRO Guy makes sure you don't throw good money at a bad design,

• Money: Your CRO Guy makes sure you don't waste money creating unnecessary content,

• Money: Your CRO Guy makes sure that your first iteration, and each subsequent one, increases the rate at which your site visitors become your customers, and

• Time: Your CRO Guy keeps you from wasting time on stuff that doesn't advance your business; so that's really about money as well.

So Who is this CRO Guy?

Read more »