In this world of technical overwhelm and choice, there’s one success metric that stands out above the rest as THE most important metric.

It’s not how many people come through the door of your store. It’s not about how many marketing campaigns you conduct to drive people through those doors. It’s not the number of Likes, Tweets, coupons, whatever. No…

It’s about how many people buy and are thrilled that they did. So thrilled they tell others.

Stay focussed on that simple key metric and you’ll find yourself managing a successful business!

The post THE key metric of a successful business appeared first on Web Design Durham Oshawa Whitby Ajax Pickering Peterborough.

Internet tools have made it even easier to send out even more info. For some, the old habit of sending out information to large numbers of people to see if you get a little bit of traction is a left-over from the newspaper days. But those days are gone (or need to be).

It’s become so much easier for businesses to segment their audiences and send relevant information. But how do if you know if it’s relevant? Try the “DIGS” test.

Imagine yourself in the shoes of your target audience. You’ve just received the information you were planning to deliver to your audience. Ask yourself “Do I Give a Sh*t?” If the answer is “Yes” and it’s personal, practical and timely, then great, send it. And if not, either change it or don’t send it at all.

DIGS…remember it.

The post Does your writing pass the DIGS test? appeared first on Web Design Durham Oshawa Whitby Ajax Pickering Peterborough.

Me: Why do you think you need one?

Prospective Client: Others have said we should get one. And it’s kinda cool.

Me: But you don’t count.

Prospective Client: What?

Me: Why does what you want have anything to do with getting an app?

Prospective Client: I’m still not following

Me: You build an app or a website for your online visitor. If they need or want an app to see or buy your product, then get a mobile app. If not, why bother?

Prospective Client: But, I like having the latest technology

Me: Me too. There’s a lot of cool stuff out there. But the key is picking the ones that translate into revenue or reduce your costs. And that means asking yourself, “What do my prospective customers use and want?”

Prospective Client: But I’m not sure.

Me: Talk to some of your current perfect customers. Ask them.

Prospective Client: Sounds straightforward

Me: It is. People just get distracted by the cool. Revenue first, cool second.

The post Do you need a mobile App (or website)? appeared first on Web Design Durham Oshawa Whitby Ajax Pickering Peterborough.

My client showed me the overall dollar number. I whistled and said, “That’s a big chunk of change”.

“Yes”, she replied. “We keep it as a percentage of overall revenues.”

“Ok”, I said, “so which marketing vehicles produced the best results from a revenue standpoint? In other words, what’s working?”

A blank stare. “Not really sure, she replied.”

“Ok”, I said, “Let’s take your two biggest ad spends and see how much traffic they’re actually driving to your website.“

“Oh, hold on”, she said, “I do have a report from the directory sales rep.” She showed me the report and said “Look at all the people searching for our company!”

“Fine”, I said, “But don’t you want to know how many people are actually coming to your website from this service? Isn’t that why you bought it in the first place?”

“Yes” she said.

“Well good news”, I said. “I’ve got your Google Analytics report here. It shows you what’s actually driving traffic to your website and what’s not.”

And so we looked at the numbers and she decided to scale back on those vehicles that weren’t working and increase dollars on those that were. It’s a simple strategy that will help you stop wasting money and become more effective with your advertising dollars.

It’s amazing what your website visitor data will tell you. But you have to look at it.

And if you need help making sense of the numbers, give us a call.

The post What’s working? A small advertising change that will save you LOTS of money in 2013 appeared first on Web Design Durham Oshawa Whitby Ajax Pickering Peterborough.

So here’s the question: Is most online social interaction done within the confines of social media?

In the excellent article “Dark Social, we have the history of the web wrong”, Alexis Madrigal explains how when social media appeared it placed a framework around our social activities and turned us all into publishers. “Facebook and Twitter shift the paradigm from private sharing to public publishing. They structure, archive, and monetize your publications.” So now, business owners have to add the title “publisher” to their list of competencies! Getting tired yet?

But, there is no need to worry quite yet. Madrigal also talked about how the majority of our online social activity is still done outside of social media through texting, instant messaging and emails, which he named dark social. In his example over 56% of that online social activity was dark social. And the rest was split between various social media websites.

Being social is about creating deeper relationships with people, having 2-way conversations that mean something. And yet, there is a steady stream of articles suggesting we dive into social and gather as many likes, friends and connections as possible. Why? So we can blast our “please use me” message out to more people? Do you really want to be one of those irritating people that buys lists and spams everyone? Do you really think people will buy from you? Do you buy from them?

Take a step back. Take a breath. Look at your overall business and marketing plan. Review your marketing vehicles to determine which ones are effective. Experiment a little, but measure. Is what you are doing driving quality visitors to your website? If not, adjust.

I love social. I’ve seen it work well in some industries. As a B2B company that builds websites, we experiment to see what’s working for our business. But the reality is the majority of our online social interaction, at least the interactions that turn into revenue, is for the most part still dark social…at least for now.  We’ll see what happens in the future.

The post Dark Social: Majority of social sharing is done outside of social media platforms appeared first on Web Design Durham Oshawa Whitby Ajax Pickering Peterborough.

So when you call up a website designer and ask for a website that works on all devices/browsers, please ensure you are ready to pay accordingly. Web design is cheap and easy if you don’t need the website to work properly. But then so is cooking as long as no one has to eat it.

The post Web Design is like cooking. Easy as long as no one needs to consume it. appeared first on Web Design Durham Oshawa Whitby Ajax Pickering Peterborough.

The good news is that you can still have dynamic – and more effective – websites using newer technologies. You can take advantage of search engine changes and drive more traffic to your site, incorporate social media to boost awareness and supercharge your whole web presence.

Our customers believe that online marketing is increasingly driving business to their website. If you still have a Flash website and want more business from your site, we’d love to help transform your online web presence.

The post Still have a Flash website? Convert it now. People will thank you. appeared first on Web Design Durham Oshawa Whitby Ajax Pickering Peterborough.

If you are committed to helping and inspiring your customers then a blog should be your number one priority. It is one of the most cost effective and rewarding ways to start creating information that customers will appreciate, and key to your marketing today. Carefully crafted blog articles will demonstrate that you are an expert in your field and a helpful resource for your clients; a sure-fire way to draw in and generate new business.

I have compiled some top tips from to help you get started in making your blog valuable.

Listen to your customers. Keep a notebook and jot down the questions you’re asked. Answer them with 5 bullet points. Each question will form the basis of a short blog post.

1. Research the big questions in your market. Pick the topic that catches your eye. Draft a simple Q&A blog post that deals with the topic from the point of view of your customers. Write about the subject as if you were explaining its relevance to a favourite client. What would they want to know about it?

Don’t be afraid of not knowing enough. Remember, your bread & butter is somebody else’s rocket science. Keep it simple and relevant to your audience.’ James Chapman, Managing Director, Development Done Right

 Break it down. Feed people’s hunger for quick answers now by breaking down what you know into small chunks that can be easily digested. Bulleted lists are great for blogs. They add structure and allow you to pack in lots of valuable content without a lot of extra word padding.  Up to 10 points on a list works best. We are all busy. A shorter list reassures readers that this is going to be a quick win read, not War and Peace.

1. Think quality before quantity. ‘Blogs need content, but you don’t have to break your back creating it. In most niches, updating a blog with 1-3 highly valuable content pieces each month is enough,’ says Derek Halpern on the excellent DIY Themes blog. I am sure that is music to your ears!
2. Illustrate your point. Find an image that fits your brand: professional or quirky, stylish or funny. Be consistent when using images in blogs. Keeping them the same size for example, or in a similar style.
3. Question and respond. You want people to engage with you through your blog, so encourage dialogue by asking a question at the end, throwing the floor open for comments. Blogs are unashamedly opinionated, so ask to share other people’s views. When people do comment on your blog, make sure you respond – by building engagement through your blog, it’s more likely to get shared.
4. ‘Share this’. An invaluable feature of any blog is the ‘Share this’ button – this will make it really easy for people to pass on your content if they like it. Without ‘share this’ they’ll have to go back to Twitter or Facebook, or wherever they found the link, and do it from there. ‘Share this’ is your chance to strike while the iron is hot, and make the most of the few seconds when your reader is still with you, and keen to tell other people about the brilliant thing they have just learnt.
5. Point to related content. Another way of capitalising on the enthusiasm your blog will have stirred is to guide the reader towards other blogs you’ve written on similar themes. Highlighting other relevant articles will pull them deeper into your website and increase levels of engagement.

If you found this article useful and you are raring to get started then take a look at our 20 article ideas to get you writing. Choose four of these suggestions and start jotting down blog article ideas around them.

I really hope these ideas are useful. If you have any other blogging tips please share them.

The post Valuable tips for blogging brilliance appeared first on Web Design Durham Oshawa Whitby Ajax Pickering Peterborough.

If this sounds like you, you are not alone. I believe some business people spend their marketing dollars out of habit and name recognition rather than results.  It doesn’t help that the latest phase in the current media transition finds sales people with shiny new digital offerings charging exorbitant rates to naive business owners that are attracted to the miracle of the online world.

So, what’s a business to do? The secret isn’t so secret and has been the same for years. You measure what’s effective and move your marketing dollars to where it’s working. But businesses don’t measure or even observe the shift that’s happening. And so they continue doing what they do. And if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you always got.

What’s actually getting results for your business?  If you can’t answer that question, it’s time to start tracking the numbers. Otherwise, you’re just throwing money away.

The post The simple secret behind knowing where to put your marketing dollar appeared first on Web Design Durham Oshawa Whitby Ajax Pickering Peterborough.

If you want your website to be valued by your customers and generate a consistent stream of good leads for your business what do you need to focus on?

Here are eight of the most important elements you’ll need to address with your web content and design if you want your website to fulfill its potential.

 1. Focus on your target reader

If you want to create a website that genuinely works for your business, put your customer’s needs first. This means defining exactly who the website is for, building a deep understanding of their needs and designing the site and its content around them.

Just describing your company, what you do, the services you deliver is not enough. You’ll miss the mark with your customers and miss an important trick with your marketing.

Remember: your website is not for you, it’s for your customers.

2. Content matters

Some mistakenly see a website’s content purely as filler. Bung a few words down to replace all that Lorem Ipsum text. Nobody reads it anyway do they?

The content is vital: your words ARE your message. So think content first, then get the web designers in.

3. Valuable content matters most

We see many sites without a shred of valuable content.  Remember: this is the type of information that your buyers seek so make your content USEFUL to those you want to do business with. Think library, not brochure with valuable articles, video, slideshows, guides. Fill those shelves over time.

4. Good design is essential

Investing in good design is crucial if you want to give a professional image, entice people to stay on the site, read what you have to say and find the information they want to find, fast. Skimp on good design at your peril. There’s nothing more off putting than a poorly designed, confusingly laid out site with content that is hard to read.

5. Make your website simple to navigate

Make it simple for your visitors to find the information they want, fast or they’ll quickly get frustrated and click away. Can they get from A to B? Pay attention to the site’s information architecture and make sure it’s structured around your visitors’ different needs. This takes thought and planning.

Remember to follow conventions – don’t try and reinvent the wheel.

6. Learn to label for search engines

Search engine algorithms are getting better and better but if you don’t label and link your information properly then they will struggle to index your stuff. If you’re going to get the most from your investment in great content, optimize your site and learn how to index it properly so you get found.

 7. Make your website sticky

The longer your visitor stays on the site, the higher their level of engagement and the more chance you have of starting to build that relationship, get them to sign up, contact you, buy your stuff.

Fill the site full of information they genuinely value. Link and direct them to related content: “If you like this, you might also be interested in this.” Invite them to sign up – give them an opportunity to come back for more.

8. Clear calls to action

We don’t mean just putting your details on the Contact Us page. We mean having clear signposts to action across the site – telling your visitor what you want them to DO if they like what they find.

So many sites miss out on this. Retailers tend to be better at it – ADD TO BASKET, BUY NOW. For service firms – the purpose of the site is to engage your visitors, to build the relationship, not always to elicit an immediate purchase. Give clear calls to action and spell out the next step you want the reader to take.

Build your website around these eight elements and you’ll reap the rewards in terms of visitors, leads and sales.

By Sonja Jefferson, www.valuablecontent.co.uk. Sonja’s book Valuable Content Marketing – how to make quality content the key to your business success will be out 3 January 2013. Available for pre-order from Amazon.com.

The post Essential ingredients for a valuable website appeared first on Web Design Durham Oshawa Whitby Ajax Pickering Peterborough.