So, this year I’m working with a great business coach.  He’s helping me to shape Eckweb for the future.  One of the topics we’ve been discussing lately is communicating with clients.  His advice is to “talk” to clients on a regular basis.  You know, pick up the phone and talk.  My response is “I wish I had the time.”

So, we’re working on that.

But, I have to say, this issue has always been a dilemna for me.  I mean, my job as an seo webmaster is to get my clients used to working with their websites and the Internet.  I’m often dragging them there, away from their phones and fax machines!!  I know all this technology is still new for some folks but frankly, they have to learn it.

If a business has a website and they don’t use it, what’s the point?  They’re missing out in a very big way and the truth is, in just a few years, they may very well be out of business because they’ve gotten so far behind in technology.

I stress to my clients that the best way to contact me is via email.  The reason for this are several…

1) Having clients across the country means clients are in several different time zones.  Instead of holding off until “tomorrow” to make the call to get an answer to the question, sending out an email can often mean that the answer will be there waiting for the client when they come in the next day.

2) Running a small business (and I’m sure many of you can relate) means that I wear many hats throughout the day.  Needless to say, I’m extremely busy.  And the type of analytical work that I do as an SEO webmaster means that I’m often buried in some complicated program or coding.  Stopping to answer the phone is not just a time issue, it’s a problem getting back into the program I was involved in. Imagine taking apart an engine, all the pieces are in front of you but now you have to put it back together.  There are steps you have to take and if you’re interrupted at step 3 and step 5 and then again on step 9, you’ll have to take some time to regroup your thoughts to get back into that project for that particular step.  SEO is just like that.

3) The time!!  Most clients keep me on the phone for at least 20-30 minutes.  I’m sure it’s because they don’t often  get me on the phone but there are days that I could literally go from phone call to phone call and that just is not the most productive way to manage my time.  What I often find is that the client just wants to “talk” to me.  They want to know that I’m there (I guess).

4) Cryptic emails.  What I find most often from the clients who call me the most is that their emails are cryptic.  You know, they type in one question with no details and I’m supposed to guess what they’re talking about.

Have you ever played the game Taboo?  You’re supposed to try to get your team members to say the word that is on your card but there are certain words you can’t use (which are listed on the card).  So,  if you’re trying to get your team to say the word “airplane” you can’t use the words “flying” or “pilot” or “travel” or “stewardess”.  So, instead you often end up describing it.  So, your speech to your team would be something like…”this is something that you take when you go far away and need to get there fast”.

Some people have a very hard time with this game.  Instead of describing the word they just use another word.  “sky”  “clouds”  “hawaii”

That’s how cryptic emails are.  Just a few words but no details, no substance.  So, I email them back asking some questions and I usually get something like, “just call me – it’s easier”.

Yes, it’s easier, but the truth is, this person owns a website.  And the communication through that website is email.  Is that website owner going to call every single person who emails him a question?  Or emails a comment with their order?  We would all love to be able to do that but businesses can’t survive that way.  We need to learn how to communicate effectively via email and chat and social media.  Otherwise, we’ll be left behind.

So, I completely understand what my business coach is trying to tell me.  I know it’s important for customer service to “talk” to clients.  I would love to have the time to chat with them.  But the truth is, I don’t get paid when I chat.  I have to do the work which I am getting paid for, that’s where my time needs to go.

And my clients need to work with me to embrace this new technology they are so desperately fighting.  The Internet is not going away, social media is not going away, in fact, it’s getting stronger as the mobile market gets stronger.  So, embrace it.

I suppose, in the end, we’ll come to a compromise.  But,I just wanted to share my thoughts with you about this subject.  If you have any comments, just let me know.

Tags: communication, customer service, internet, small business, websites

Yet another new phrase to add to the English vocabulary – carrotmob!

What is is?  The website describes it as “…a network of consumers who buy products in order to reward businesses who are making the most socially responsible decisions.”

http://carrotmob.org/

The website goes on to explain…

“It’s easier to understand if you look at an example. In the first ever Carrotmob event, a liquor store agreed to invest in upgrades that made their store more energy-efficient. In exchange, hundreds of Carrotmobbers showed up at once to support the winning liquor store.”

What a great concept!  Basically, businesses compete to WIN a carrotmob endorsement.  This in turn brings in business.  So, instead of punishing businesses (with boycotts, etc.) this company looks to reward businesses.  A positive method for a positive message!  Great idea!

So, it’s easy to see how it can help your business.  But how can you get involved?  What do you need to do?

Easy enough to get started, simply contact the company at info@carrotmob.org and they’ll get you started!

Tags: carrotmob, internet marketing, marketing, small business

The great majority of small businesses have yet to take advantage of Internet Marketing services.  For some, it’s the cost, for others, it’s the inability to comprehend what it is.  So often I hear comments from callers such as…”Well, I guess I’m supposed to have a website so can you build me a website?”

I imagine this must have been what it was like when television or radio first came out.  Trying to educate business owners on the potential these venues have for their businesses is not easy.  If they don’t understand it, they don’t want to participate in it.  Well, at least some of them.  We do have callers who say they don’t care to know how it works, just that it works.  And boy, does it ever!

Yesterday, a small business client that sells one niche product (a natural product for the care of gums) emailed me.  We’ve been marketing his website for only 2 months (so we’ve really just begun) and although the number of visitors to the site has grown his sales were minimal and he felt he wasn’t getting as much business as he should have.  He also felt that the “language” we used on the website for marketing wasn’t correct.  He had investigated this whole “SEO Thing” and he advised me that he’s learned enough about it to know that what we’re doing just wasn’t right.  (I’ll have to let my 40+ clients who’ve been with me for 5+ years know that I’m just faking it!)

My response to him was this…

#1 -  we have to get traffic to the website, we have to let people know that this product exists and what it could do for them establishing why they should purchase it.

#2 – we have to accomplish #1 by going after the keyword phrases that people are already typing in.  We can’t sell a product on the Internet by it’s name only.  If people don’t know the name, they’re not going to find the website.  So, we have to sell it by what it does.

#3 – I repeated my request to him for about the 10th time that he absolutely needs testimonials and recommendations from dentists.  Without those, the product doesn’t have any credibility.  You have to build trust in the viewer coming to the website and you can’t do that by just talking about the product and how great it is!

The client didn’t agree, he just felt he needed to go in a new direction.  Well, can’t win them all I say.  But I felt sorry for him in a way.  I mean, I know that the product could do well for him if he understood how the Internet works.  The ROI (Return On Investment) that he could have gotten from our services for him would have been great.

How do I know?  Because I know that if you give the viewers what they want, you will do well.  It’s happened over and over and over again.  I’ve seen it with great products and services and I’ve seen it with products and services I didn’t think would have a chance, in any market!

Give the audience what they want and you will succeed.

Tags: internet marketing, niche marketing, roi, small business, successful internet marketing, website marketing

So many colleagues, friends and family are out of work these days, it seems everyone is looking for some tools to help them get an edge on getting that next job. The author of Me 2.0: Build a Power Brand to Achieve Career Success, Dan Schawbel, wrote a great article just on this very subject. Here are the highlights…

1) Start with a website
Whether it’s a full blown website or a blog, either way, start with a presence on the Internet that is completely your own. This website is your resume. It can say volumes about you in an entertaining way, much more than just a sheet of paper. You’ll need to either get a web designer to create your website for you, or you can create your blog at Wordpress.com.

2) Your URL is key
Dan writes, "The objective of the URL is to have something you can freely promote and that people can remember." – So, an URL that’s your name or describes what you do would be perfect. I personally like GoDaddy.com for domain name registrations but there are many others out there. Just make sure to purchase your domain name for a very minimum of 2 years.

3) Decide on the format and design
Make sure that your website and/or blog are unique – try (try very hard) not to use templates. Create your own individual space on the Internet. Remember, it is this space that others will be "meeting you" for the first time. Or it is this space that others will be "getting to know you". Use it wisely. If you’re not good with colors and design, get someone who is.

4) Enhance your resume with multimedia
Did you know that in 2008 there were about 1 billion more searches conducted on YouTube than on Google? What does that tell you? Video is in and if you can add a video or slide show to your website, you’re adding another dimension. Try animoto.com to create some great slide shows.

5) Integrate your social network profiles
Okay, if you haven’t yet created some social networking profiles for yourself, I have no idea what you’re waiting for. These days, HR departments are regularly using these profiles to "check" the candidates who are seeking jobs. Create your profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. If there are any specific social media networks that are geared towards your industry, sign up with those as well. And yes, it’s not just signing up, you actually have to participate in them. If you’re looking for work, you’re probably going to networking groups, meeting other professionals, getting your name and resume out there. These social media networks are the same thing, only you’re doing it all online and you get to drink your own coffee.

6) Make your resume shareable
In other words, make sure to make it as easy as possible for viewers to your website or your blog or your social media profiles to be able to send your resume to someone else. If an HR person reviews your facebook and thinks that you would be a good fit for another HR person in another company, you want to make it as easy as possible for them to just click on a button and send out that information. Add this feature to your website, your blog, wherever you are on the Internet.

In the article, Dan Schawbel gives a link to his own online resume – check it out!

Read the complete article on Mashable.com

Tags: resume, small business

Tags: economy, home based business, multiple streams of income, recession, small business