July 31, 2007
Massage Business on Gold Coast Example
Ripple Massage is a mobile massage business on the Gold Coast here in Australia.
Alison has a terrific little business and it got me thinking how much more effective a mobile massage business can be. After all, if you're not rooted to 1 spot your potential market size increases enormously.
As a result of being mobile, Alison also provides massage for Brisbane clients (100 km up the road).
Her target marketing isn't within 5 km, it's within 100 km.
Posted by Brendon at 4:21 PM | Comments (1)
March 12, 2007
Pool Builder Sees Benefit Of Anchor Text
Chris Hooley gives an excellent example of how important anchor text is with a post about an Arizona pool builder mate.
Check out Chris' excellent blog post here.
Brendon
Posted by Brendon at 3:24 PM | Comments (0)
March 7, 2007
How We Went From # 426 To # 14 In Google
We're doing a case study on getting better rankings for a web site over on Tailored.
It's working well so far - the Northern Ireland web designers site we're doing has moved from # 426 to # 14 for the targeted term.
Cheers
Brendon
Posted by Brendon at 11:01 AM | Comments (0)
November 2, 2006
Hard To Explain Ugg Boots Ranking
I current have a very simple ugg boots site ranking will on MSN - it comes in at # 5.
I'll be reviewing the site (it generates ugg boot sales for another site) and try and figure out why it gets ranked well. I did have it ranking # 1 last year, but have changed many things about the site since then.
Sometimes we just have a bit of luck with results.
Brendon
Posted by Brendon at 1:51 PM | Comments (0)
September 8, 2006
AHCC Experiences
I've just added an interesting article that might be of interest regarding my AHCC days of marketing a hospital.
Hope it is of some interest.
The AHCC Secrets of health marketing
Cheers
Brendon
Posted by Brendon at 2:17 PM | Comments (0)
July 24, 2006
Do What You Say You'll Do From Day 1
I was recommended a copywriter last Thursday.
On Friday morning I rang the copywriter and asked a few questions and asked for a few samples/portfolio examples to be emailed through.
The guy I spoke with said "Yes, no worries. I'll email them to you this afternoon."
I Didn't Get Them In The Afternoon
I didn't receive the info that afternoon.
The copywriter sent the info through the next day (Saturday) with his email saying "It was great speaking with you yesterday and my apologies for not getting back to you as promised....."
I must be getting grumpy in my old age because I emailed him straight back letting him know we wouldn't be using him. I didn't even bother looking at his samples.
You see, no matter how good they are at copywriting, they're crap at keeping promises. And if that's the way they start a relationship it will just get worse.
As a busy web firm we just don't have the time to be chasing up guys like copywriters to provide the information they were going to provide last week. We just can't trust these guys to be useful to us and help us grow our business.
The best indicator of future performance is past performance.
If he doesn't keep his promise the first time, he more than likely won't keep them in the future.
Cheers
Brendon "Grumpy" Sinclair
Posted by Brendon at 1:52 PM | Comments (0)
July 12, 2006
I'm Trying A New Tack With These Posts
I have a client.
She had a web site.
It had not made 1 sale in 1 year. Not 1.
She agreed to a redesign with new copy.
She agreed to our well-thought-out web marketing strategy.
We did the redesign. She signed off on it the whole way.
1 hour before we launched the site she rang me.
She'd changed her mind.
She didn't like the redesign.
She preferred her 'old' site.
She want us to put that back up.
After wasting a couple of weeks trying to get the site different enough so she liked it enough to launch, I'd had enough.
"Try our site for 3 months. If it doesn't work I'll give you your money back and redo the site like the old one," I said.
I promised her 2 sales a day by the end of 3 months. She thought I was way too optimistic.
We put the new design up (with all new copy).
We implemented our web marketing plan.
Today was 3 months after the launch.
Today she had 21 sales.
Those 21 sales today made her twice what I charged her for the new web site.
And I Thought It Was Her
All along I thought she was the moron.
When actually I think it's me.
Brendon
Posted by Brendon at 3:06 AM | Comments (0)
June 16, 2006
Getting $10,000 Web Development Jobs
Want to know the secrets of getting $10,000+ web development jobs?
Check out Show # 39 over at Tailored Podcast.
Cheers
Brendon
Posted by Brendon at 1:10 PM | Comments (0)
May 8, 2006
A Draft Pitch Letter You Might Like To Use
Managing Pay Per Click advertising campaigns can be lucrative work for web developers. Here is a letter we have used previously.
===============
Dear Name
My name is Brendon Sinclair and I amd the Executive Director of Tailored Consulting, one of Queenslands leading Pay Per Click (such as Google Adwords) experts. I am writing to see if you you would be interested in more targeted visitors to your web site, a wider market reach and a better return on your web site investment.
Per Per Click advertising is growing tremendously fast because of 1 simple fact - it works. You get people who are actively searching for your product or service at that precise moment to click on your ad and visit your web site. Simple and very, very effective.
I have just returned from Londo where I held meetings with one of the biggest Pay Per Click advertisers in the world. My friend spends $41 million per annum on Pay Per Click advertising and the secrets and knowlegde I gained was amazing.
By engaging us as your Pay Per Click advertising manager you get access to that knowledge. We charge a simple 15% fee on your advertising spend - that is, if you spend $2,000 on Pay Per Click advertising we charge you just $300 for the month for managing the advertising (there is also a small initial set up fee - a one off).
We believe it is fantastic value for the benefits we provide. For example, we will almost certainly save you our fee and more by using our expertise to get the cheapest pay per click ads.
If you would like to have a chat about Tailored managing your Pay Per Click advertising for best results, then we would love you hear from you on 07 5598 4898.
Yours sincerely
Brendon Sinclair
====================
Feel free to adapt that letter for your own use.
Posted by Brendon at 12:36 PM | Comments (0)
March 24, 2006
What We're Doing Online
After quite a break we're back!
We're doing some new things online and are about to launch our biggest site ever (no details public just yet).
We've been implementing online video - a pay per click manual e-book site and a search engine optimization e-book review site
Check them out - both are 7 1/2 minutes long.
The results have been positive and, without getting specific, my advice is to use video online and start using it now!
We're also doing a podcast over at TailoredPodcast.com.
We've employed Tina for the specialist Audio & Video role.
Cheers
Brendon
P.S: Go on, go. Start your video making! ;o)
Posted by Brendon at 11:44 PM | Comments (0)
September 25, 2005
# 5 In The World
In the case I detailed below this has been the follow up.
On Wednesday afternoon I quickly optimised a page for this company's most desired key word. Others had worked on their site and gotten nowhere over the past couple of years.
48 hours after I uploaded the optimised page the page is # 5 on Google.com. I emailed the prospect to let him know.
Here's The Math
The site would generate probably 8 leads a day (based on a whole lot of information I've gathered) if they have good search engine rankings. They should close at least 1 sale a day.
Average sale is $3,000.
So with some decent search engine optimisation this site can generate an additional $1 million in revenue for the company. At present it generates approximately $6,000 a year.
Let's see what happens from here.
Brendon
Posted by Brendon at 3:33 PM | Comments (0)
September 3, 2005
What To Say
I've been approached to market a guy's dream site - he's developed a portal of sorts and sees it as the next big thing.
Trouble is there is no way the site can succeed.
1. It takes 78 seconds to load on a 56 k modem.
2. It is a very confusing site - I know what he's trying to sell and I couldn't even find my way around.
3. It does not offer anything of any real value.
4. It requires a huge shift in thinking and behaviour from people (and there's no motivation to do it).
5. His budget to market this revolutionary new site is $0.
So what do I do?
There are 2 trains of thought running through my head:
1. Say no. He has no hope of success.
2. How do I really know it won't work? Maybe this guy is the next Bill Gates/Steve Jobs/Whoever and ahead of his time.
# 2 is an interesting one. As the guy marketing the site should it be of any interest to me whether this site succeeds or not?
I still get paid (or would if this guy had any budget!).
But I look at it this way (from experience): If I don't believe in the product I certainly can't market it effectively.
So I've said no.
So then, should I tell this guy the truth about his site: again, from experience, the answer is "No".
He needs to figure that out himself. If I am right it could save this guy a lot of time and effort, but he hasn't asked me what I think so I won't tell him.
Cheers
Brendon
Posted by Brendon at 6:11 PM | Comments (0)
July 16, 2005
"Why should we pick you to develop our web site?" Part 3
Hello.
I've mentioned Experience, Credentials & Guarantee already as the aspects that set us apart. But I think the biggie is this next one:
Value
By that I very simply mean this: We aren't the cheapest but we do provide fantastic value for money.
I always think examples are a little dull, but here goes anyway:
* We had an old client with whom we'd worked with for years.
* He sold his business and started up again with a business partner.
* The business partner had been working in the business for 2 years and in that time had made 1 $400 sale from the web site.
* My old client had us come in and redevelop the web site.
* $5,000 & one month later we were finished.
* The next month the web site had $68,000 in sales.
* The month after that it was $80,000.
* The month after that is was $100,000.
That's value.
Engaging the services of the cheapest web developers can be a false economy. Make sure you don't skimp on the important things. And a web site can be an "important thing" for your business.
Remember, always look at the value not the cost.
Not Expensive
Having said that we're not expensive at all.
We've worked hard to keep our overheads down - what that means for you is a web development firm that is often 25% less expensive than a firm working out of a fancy address (our office is located above a Pizza place and a Cafe - that's not too fancy!).
We prefer to spend our hard-earned on better equipment so we can make ourselves better and more efficient.
Global Market
And of course our market in global. It's just the same for us to work with a client in New York (as we do) as it is to work with a client next door (he's in the next street across actually). So we have that flexibity through investing in our processes and our equipment and that's a good thing.
Regards
Brendon
Posted by Brendon at 3:47 PM | Comments (0)
July 14, 2005
"Why should we pick you to develop our web site?" Part 2
This next thing we have always seems to create some controversy when I suggest all web developers should have one. They often just don't see the need.
Guarantee
We guarantee our work 100%.
If you, as our client, don't think we've provided you with great value and done exactly what we said we'd do then their is no charge. Simple as that.
As our client you need to know that we do what we say. That we'll do the job and that their is absolutely no risk to you.
I figure that if we don't guarantee our work then what we're really saying is "Well, we may or may not do what we say." And that's not good enough.
Other Web Developers
When I suggest the use of a guarantee to other web developers the general thinking is "What if the client doesn't like the design, etc?"
That's not relevant.
The development of a web site needs to be a consultative approach in that the web developer should liaise with their client to ensure the web site meets their needs and wants (of course most clients understand that the web developer has more expertise at web development and is someone worth listening to).
What generally happens with our clients is we talk at length about what the web site and provide our recommendations and adjustment suggestion to what our clients specify.
For example if a client wants to have a huge photograph on the home page we might advise against that on the grounds that the load time (how long the web site takes to load onto someone's screen) might be too long. And we'd back our recommendation up with relevant research.
Stay tuned for the next Point of Difference: Diversity.
Brendon
Posted by Brendon at 3:46 PM | Comments (0)
July 12, 2005
"Why should we pick you to develop our web site?"
That's a great question. And a question I get fairly often - though it's not always put that way.....but that's what the person in front of me is trying to get at.
The Truth
The truth is there are a good number of decent web developers about. Finding them is the tricky bit of course because we'll all say we're the best. So we need to be able to differentiate ourselves from the rest.
Here's my effort at answering that question and differentiating what we do (Part 1 anyway):
1. Experience
You see we're not just web designers or developers. We're also web owners. Pretty unique in the world of web designers.
And I'd guess that very few people have had the experience we've had over the past few years.
One site exploded with sales after a major current affairs show featured it. We went from 1 sale a day to 5,000 a day.
Dealing with the logistics of that gives you very valuable experience.
Another site we have went from $0 to $10,000 a day in sales in just 12 weeks.
What that means for our clients is this:
* We know what works (saving you possibly years and $000's in waste)
* We test everything (and we know what to test)
* We're very results driven (we know it's about business. It's always been about business. The prettiest site doesn't win. The site working to its full potential does.)
2. Credentials
This is the risky bit. I don't want to sound like a complete clown, but I probably do need to express some details about myself and the Tailored team.
We've been in the web game for close on seven- (7) years now. After working with one of Australia's leading designers for a couple of years I was frustrated with the focus on design at, it seemed to me anyway, the expense of the web site being functional, useful and effective.
Since then my business has developed hundreds of web sites. Most of them successful. Some hugely successful. Some not so good.
Some small sites, some huge sites. Some simple sites, some hugely sophisticated sites.
We research and immerse ourselves in the technology. A good portion of our time here is spent investigating the latest standards or innovations on the web.
As the writer of one of the world's biggest web master e-newsletters (130,000+ subscribers) I have access to a huge amount of data relevant to the next design we'll complete. Data we spend hours poring over each day.
I'm the author of 'The Web Design Business Kit' - a book for web developers that has had sales in excess of $1 million in just over 12 months.
The background - my background isn't in web development. I'm more of a marketing guy. And that, I firmly believe, is one of the main reasons why our web sites work - because we focus on how the site needs to be developed to get results.
What Do Our Credentials Mean For Our Clients?
It's means we know what we're doing when it comes to developing successful web sites. We know what to focus on. And we know how to get results. Real results.
Brendon
Posted by Brendon at 3:43 PM | Comments (0)
May 8, 2005
120 Valentine cards - and I won't even get a date!
Howdy. Hope your day is going well.
This entry is one I've transferred over from the Tailored.com.au site from Feb 2004.
I've just posted off 120 Valentine Day cards and I'm certain I won't get one date. Not a single one. I've sent them to young and old, male and female, gorgeous and not so gorgeous. But I know I still won't get a date.
You see, I sent the cards to our clients and suppliers. The essential message inside was:
===============================
Happy Valentine's Day!
Roses are red
Violets are blue
You're a wonderful client/person/whatever
And we want to thank you!
===============================
The card was signed from the whole team here, with dashes of humour here and there to personalise each card.
* As marketing people, we need to show that we know how to stand out.
* As businesspeople, we need to keep in contact with our clients.
* And as nice people, we need to say "Thank You" to our clients.
I'm sure many people will read this and go "Yeh, nice idea."
But almost no-one will do it. And it's this simple stuff that makes a difference.
All of these people will be receiving our offline newsletter in the next few weeks. And they all received christmas cards 6 weeks or so ago.
Keeping in contact can be the easiest thing to do. And the best. Like the ad says - Just do it!
Brendon
Posted by Brendon at 10:55 AM | Comments (0)
April 29, 2005
Lots Of Ways To Skin A Cat
I recently did a proposal for a web site that came to $2,000. $2,000 is as low as we'll go to design a web site - the margin is really not there for us to do it any cheaper.
The client said no. I thought of 2 things:
1. Excellent. He's not the sort of client we want because of his low budget.
2. Damn it! Part of our business growth is in what we call 'Monthlies" - where we manage/market a web site for a monthly fee. I'd quoted this guy $150 per month. That's $1,800 a year and that's $1,800 a year for, hopefully, the next 10 years.
So I just made a call to the guy and said "Okay, you can't afford the $2,000 to redo your site. How about we put you on our monthly program at $150 per month and start to get your web site working for you?"
He said yes.
The point of that is this: check out your position from many different angles. There are lots of ways to skin a cat (note: I'm in no way advocating skinning cats!).
Regards
Brendon
Posted by Brendon at 10:00 AM | Comments (0)