Posts Tagged sales and marketing

Advance Planning Is the Key to a Successful Website

Mar 22

Posted by Bob in Web Development | No Comments

Planning a website that will achieve the goals you have set for your business is probably the most difficult part of the entire Internet marketing process. Yet, most people completely bypass this important step or, worse, just turn the whole project over to a website designer to handle.

When you take the time to strategically plan the outline of your new website or an upgrade of your current one, not only will you achieve a website that will show off your business in the best way, but one you will be able to add and edit content easily, and probably most important will help to achieve your overall business goals. Here are a few steps to use in the planning process:

1. List all the information about your product or service that a visitor to your website might be interested in knowing. For example, visitors to a school’s website would probably want to know the attendance levels, size of the classrooms, information on staff members and what sports they can participate in. Take the time to brainstorm as many areas related to your product, service or industry that someone might be interested in when visiting the website.

2. Take on the role of your website visitor. Visit some websites and review them as if you are in the market for the services those sites have to offer. As a visitor, what do you like and dislike about each site? Are you driven to take action? How easily can you find what you are looking for? Are there a lot of pages to navigate through to get to what you are looking for? With the goal of making your website as easy for potential customers to use as possible, note all of this information down for future use.

3. Do keyword research to find out what visitors will be searching for. Google has a free keyword research tool that will work fine for this purpose. Type in a general phrase such as “high school” and see what other keywords come up. These are the things your visitors already have questions about. With this information in hand, you can plan your website to feature content that answers people’s questions.

4. Plan your new website so that it can expand. Stay away from website formats that can’t be expanded easily to add products and new pages. You will find that building a great website is a constant work in progress.

5. Finally, make sure your website is easy to control, so you don’t have to rely on your website designer to make even the smallest changes. Today’s dynamic Internet marketing environment demands new and fresh content added to your website often, and the old fashioned sites that rely on a web developer to make changes just won’t work anymore. Your new website should be on a platform that lets you add content quickly and easily.

The investment by your business into a new website is a large part of your marketing budget. Don’t waste it with an inferior website that doesn’t support your business objectives.

Marty Dickinson is the founder of HereNextYear, Inc., a full service Internet marketing company in business for over 10 years. His specialty is Internet marketing solutions for the small business owner, speakers and authors. Visit to see what HereNextYear has to offer and to learn more about their innovative new website packages fully integrated for ease with social networking and other Internet marketing strategies.

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Tags: general business tips, Internet Marketing, Marketing, Online Marketing, sales and marketing, Small Business, website design, Website Development, website tips

You Can Make the Most of Your Website With Advance Planning

Mar 21

Posted by Marty Dickinson in Internet Marketing | No Comments

One of the most difficult, but key components of the Internet marketing process is to design your website to achieve the goals you have set for your business. But this critical step is usually the one business people skip, or just leave it to their web designer to consider, which can be even more damaging to their overall goals.

By strategically planning your new website or an update of your existing website, you will ensure you have a marketing piece that showcases your business to its best, allows you to be in control of ongoing content updates, and achieves the goals you have set for your business. Here are a few steps to use in the planning process:

1. Create a list of anything your website visitors will want to know about the product or service you are offering. For example, visitors to a school’s website would probably want to know the attendance levels, size of the classrooms, information on staff members and what sports they can participate in. Brainstorm every possible topic someone might want to know related to the industry, product or service your website will be offering.

2. Imagine for a short time that you are a potential website customer. Visit and review some websites similar to the one you will offer as if you were a potential customer. As a potential customer, what are the things you like and dislike about each website you visit? Are you inspired to take action from the website? Can you find what you are looking for fast? Are there a lot of pages to navigate through to get to what you are looking for? With the goal of making your website as easy for potential customers to use as possible, note all of this information down for future use.

3. Research to find out what keywords your visitors might search for. There are free keyword search tools through Google that are completely adequate for this type of research. Enter a general phrase related to your product or service, such as “coffee filters” and other related keywords will appear. These are the things your visitors already have questions about. Knowing this, you can plan your website content to answer their questions up front.

4. Make sure to plan your website to grow. Avoid websites that can’t be easily expanded to add more pages or products. A good website is a constant work in process.

5. Finally, make sure your website is easy to control, so you don’t have to rely on your website designer to make even the smallest changes. Old fashioned websites that only a web developer can change do not work in today’s dynamic Internet marketing environment that demands new content added regularly. You need a website platform that will allow you to add website content fast and simply.

Your website is most often one of the biggest marketing expenses your business will encounter. It is critical to take the time to plan a new website that is compatible with your business goals.

Marty Dickinson is the president of HereNextYear, Inc., a full service Internet marketing company in business for 15 years. His passion is Internet marketing solutions for the small business owner, speakers and authors. Visit to see what HereNextYear has to offer and to discover more about their innovative new website packages fully integrated for ease with social networking and other Internet marketing strategies.

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Tags: general business tips, Internet Marketing, Marketing, Online Marketing, sales and marketing, Small Business, Website Development, website tips

Advance Planning Is the Key to a Successful Website

Mar 20

Posted by Bob in SEO (search engine optimization) | No Comments

Probably the most critical part of Internet marketing for your business is organizing your website so it will achieve your overall goals. However, most business people ignore this critical step, or leave it to their web designer to take care of, which can often be even worse.

By strategically planning your new website or an update of your existing website, you will ensure you have a marketing piece that showcases your business to its best, allows you to be in control of ongoing content updates, and achieves the goals you have set for your business. Below are a number of steps to follow while planning your new website:

1. Create a list of anything your website visitors will want to know about the product or service you are offering. Using the website for a school, for an example, you would probably discover that visitors would be looking for information on the staff at the school, classroom size, attendance numbers, and sports programs. Take the time to brainstorm as many areas related to your product, service or industry that someone might be interested in when visiting the website.

2. Imagine for a short time that you are a potential website customer. Visit and review some websites similar to the one you will offer as if you were a potential customer. As a visitor, what do you like and dislike about each site? Does the website inspire you to take further action? How easily can you find what you are looking for? Are there a lot of pages to navigate through to get to what you are looking for? Take notes on all this information with the purpose of making your own website as visitor friendly as possible.

3. Research to find out what keywords your visitors might search for. Google has a free keyword research tool that will work fine for this purpose. By typing in a general phrase such as “exercise video”, other keywords will come up that are related. Your visitors already have questions about these things. By arming yourself with this information, you will be able to plan your website to answer their questions right away.

4. Plan your new website so that it can expand. Stay away from website formats that can’t be expanded easily to add products and new pages. A good website is a constant work in process.

5. The final thing to keep in mind is that you want to be able to control your new website, rather than be at the mercy of your web designer to make even the simplest of changes. Successful Internet marketing today relies on a dynamic website with fresh content added often, and having an antiquated website that only your designer can change will just not work anymore. Your new website should be on a platform that lets you add content quickly and easily.

Usually, a new website is one of your business’ largest expenses. Don’t waste it with an inferior website that doesn’t support your business objectives.

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Tags: general business tips, Internet Marketing, Marketing, Online Marketing, sales and marketing, Small Business, website design, Website Development, website tips

You Can Make the Most of Your Website With Advance Planning

Mar 18

Posted by Bob in Internet Marketing | No Comments

Planning a website that will achieve the goals you have set for your business is probably the most difficult part of the entire Internet marketing process. But this critical step is usually the one business people skip, or just leave it to their web designer to consider, which can be even more damaging to their overall goals.

2. Put yourself into the visitor’s shoes. Visit some websites and review them as if you are in the market for the services those sites have to offer. As a visitor who is genuinely interested in your product or service, what are the good things and bad things about each site you visit? Does the website inspire you to take further action? How easily can you find what you are looking for? Are there a lot of pages to navigate through to get to what you are looking for? With the goal of making your website as easy for potential customers to use as possible, note all of this information down for future use.

3. Research to find out what keywords your visitors might search for. There are free keyword search tools through Google that are completely adequate for this type of research. Enter a general phrase related to your product or service, such as “coffee filters” and other related keywords will appear. These are the things your visitors already have questions about. By arming yourself with this information, you will be able to plan your website to answer their questions right away.

4. Make sure to plan your website to grow. Stay away from website formats that can’t be expanded easily to add products and new pages. A good website is a constant work in process.

The investment by your business into a new website is a large part of your marketing budget. Make the most of your investment with a new website that supports the goals you have set for your business.

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Tags: general business tips, Internet Marketing, Marketing, Online Marketing, sales and marketing, Small Business, website design, Website Development, website tips

How To Make the Most of Your Website Through Advance Planning

Mar 18

Posted by Bob in General | No Comments

Probably the most critical part of Internet marketing for your business is organizing your website so it will achieve your overall goals. Yet, most people completely bypass this important step or, worse, just turn the whole project over to a website designer to handle.

The process of carefully planning the outline of a new website or upgrade to an existing website will secure for you not only a vehicle to show off your business in the best light, but also one that you are able to control the process of updating content, and, most importantly, achieve your business goals. Below are a number of steps to follow while planning your new website:

1. List all the information about your product or service that a visitor to your website might be interested in knowing. Using the website for a school, for an example, you would probably discover that visitors would be looking for information on the staff at the school, classroom size, attendance numbers, and sports programs. Brainstorm every possible topic someone might want to know related to the industry, product or service your website will be offering.

2. Put yourself into the visitor’s shoes. Surf the Internet and visit various sites offering similar services, then review them as a potential customer would. As a potential customer, what are the things you like and dislike about each website you visit? Are you driven to take action? Are you able to find what you are looking for quickly and easily? How many times do you have to click to find what you are looking for? With the goal of making your website as easy for potential customers to use as possible, note all of this information down for future use.

3. Research to find out what keywords your visitors might search for. You don’t need to invest in expensive search tools, Google has a free keyword tool that is adequate for this purpose. Enter a general phrase related to your product or service, such as “coffee filters” and other related keywords will appear. These are the things your visitors already have questions about. Knowing this, you can plan your website content to answer their questions up front.

4. Make sure to plan your website to grow. Stay away from website formats that can’t be expanded easily to add products and new pages. A good website is a constant work in process.

5. Finally, make sure your website is easy to control, so you don’t have to rely on your website designer to make even the smallest changes. Today’s dynamic Internet marketing environment demands new and fresh content added to your website often, and the old fashioned sites that rely on a web developer to make changes just won’t work anymore. It is to your advantage to plan a website platform that will allow you to add content quickly and simply.

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Tags: general business tips, Internet Marketing, Marketing, Online Marketing, sales and marketing, Small Business, website design, Website Development, website tips

How To Make the Most of Your Website Through Advance Planning

Mar 18

Posted by Bob in Site Promotion | No Comments

1. List all the information about your product or service that a visitor to your website might be interested in knowing. Using the website for a school, for an example, you would probably discover that visitors would be looking for information on the staff at the school, classroom size, attendance numbers, and sports programs. Try to list every possible topic about your industry, service or product that a visitor to your new website might be interested in knowing.

2. Take on the role of your website visitor. Visit some websites and review them as if you are in the market for the services those sites have to offer. As a potential customer, what are the things you like and dislike about each website you visit? Are you inspired to take action from the website? Can you find what you are looking for fast? How many times do you have to click to find what you are looking for? Take notes on all this information with the purpose of making your own website as visitor friendly as possible.

3. Research to find out what keywords your visitors might search for. You don’t need to invest in expensive search tools, Google has a free keyword tool that is adequate for this purpose. By typing in a general phrase such as “exercise video”, other keywords will come up that are related. Your visitors already have questions about these things. Knowing this, you can plan your website content to answer their questions up front.

4. When planning your new website, make sure to keep in room to grow. Stay away from website formats that can’t be expanded easily to add products and new pages. A good website is a constant work in process.

5. Plan a website that you can control, rather than be at the mercy of a web designer to make even small changes to your website. Successful Internet marketing today relies on a dynamic website with fresh content added often, and having an antiquated website that only your designer can change will just not work anymore. It is to your advantage to plan a website platform that will allow you to add content quickly and simply.

The investment by your business into a new website is a large part of your marketing budget. Don’t waste it with an inferior website that doesn’t support your business objectives.

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Tags: general business tips, Internet Marketing, Marketing, Online Marketing, sales and marketing, Small Business, website design, Website Development, website tips

Advance Planning Is the Key to a Successful Website

Mar 17

Posted by Bob in Web Design | No Comments

1. Write down on a piece of paper everything you think the visitors to your web site might want to know about your product or service. Using the website for a school, for an example, you would probably discover that visitors would be looking for information on the staff at the school, classroom size, attendance numbers, and sports programs. Brainstorm every possible topic someone might want to know related to the industry, product or service your website will be offering.

2. Imagine for a short time that you are a potential website customer. Surf the Internet and visit various sites offering similar services, then review them as a potential customer would. As a potential customer, what are the things you like and dislike about each website you visit? Are you inspired to take action from the website? How easily can you find what you are looking for? Are there a lot of pages to navigate through to get to what you are looking for? With the goal of making your website as easy for potential customers to use as possible, note all of this information down for future use.

3. Investigate to find out the keywords your visitors will most likely search for to find your website. There are free keyword search tools through Google that are completely adequate for this type of research. Type in a general phrase such as “high school” and see what other keywords come up. These are the things your visitors already have questions about. By arming yourself with this information, you will be able to plan your website to answer their questions right away.

4. Plan your new website so that it can expand. Avoid websites that can’t be easily expanded to add more pages or products. You will find that building a great website is a constant work in progress.

5. Plan a website that you can control, rather than be at the mercy of a web designer to make even small changes to your website. Old fashioned websites that only a web developer can change do not work in today’s dynamic Internet marketing environment that demands new content added regularly. Your new website should be on a platform that lets you add content quickly and easily.

Your website is most often one of the biggest marketing expenses your business will encounter. Make the most of your investment with a new website that supports the goals you have set for your business.

Share and Enjoy:

Tags: general business tips, Internet Marketing, Marketing, Online Marketing, sales and marketing, Small Business, website design, Website Development, website tips

Make the Most of Your Website With Advance Planning

Mar 17

Posted by Bob in Blog Related | No Comments

Planning a website that will achieve the goals you have set for your business is probably the most difficult part of the entire Internet marketing process. However, most business people ignore this critical step, or leave it to their web designer to take care of, which can often be even worse.

The process of carefully planning the outline of a new website or upgrade to an existing website will secure for you not only a vehicle to show off your business in the best light, but also one that you are able to control the process of updating content, and, most importantly, achieve your business goals. Here are a number of important steps to take in the website planning process:

1. List all the information about your product or service that a visitor to your website might be interested in knowing. Using the website for a school, for an example, you would probably discover that visitors would be looking for information on the staff at the school, classroom size, attendance numbers, and sports programs. Try to list every possible topic about your industry, service or product that a visitor to your new website might be interested in knowing.

2. Take on the role of your website visitor. Visit some websites and review them as if you are in the market for the services those sites have to offer. As a potential customer, what are the things you like and dislike about each website you visit? Are you inspired to take action from the website? How easily can you find what you are looking for? Are there a lot of pages to navigate through to get to what you are looking for? With the goal of making your website as easy for potential customers to use as possible, note all of this information down for future use.

3. Do keyword research to find out what visitors will be searching for. You don’t need to invest in expensive search tools, Google has a free keyword tool that is adequate for this purpose. Type in a general phrase such as “high school” and see what other keywords come up. These are the things your visitors already have questions about. With this information in hand, you can plan your website to feature content that answers people’s questions.

4. Make sure to plan your website to grow. Avoid websites that can’t be easily expanded to add more pages or products. You will find that building a great website is a constant work in progress.

5. Finally, make sure your website is easy to control, so you don’t have to rely on your website designer to make even the smallest changes. Successful Internet marketing today relies on a dynamic website with fresh content added often, and having an antiquated website that only your designer can change will just not work anymore. Your new website should be on a platform that lets you add content quickly and easily.

The investment by your business into a new website is a large part of your marketing budget. Don’t waste it with an inferior website that doesn’t support your business objectives.

Share and Enjoy:

Tags: general business tips, Internet Marketing, Marketing, Online Marketing, sales and marketing, Small Business, website design, Website Development, website tips

Advance Planning Will Make the Most of Your Website

Mar 17

Posted by Bob in Search Engine Marketing | No Comments

The process of carefully planning the outline of a new website or upgrade to an existing website will secure for you not only a vehicle to show off your business in the best light, but also one that you are able to control the process of updating content, and, most importantly, achieve your business goals. Here are a number of important steps to take in the website planning process:

1. Write down on a piece of paper everything you think the visitors to your web site might want to know about your product or service. Using the website for a school, for an example, you would probably discover that visitors would be looking for information on the staff at the school, classroom size, attendance numbers, and sports programs. Take the time to brainstorm as many areas related to your product, service or industry that someone might be interested in when visiting the website.

2. Take on the role of your website visitor. Visit some websites and review them as if you are in the market for the services those sites have to offer. As a visitor who is genuinely interested in your product or service, what are the good things and bad things about each site you visit? Does the website inspire you to take further action? How easily can you find what you are looking for? How many times do you have to click to find what you are looking for? Take notes on all this information with the purpose of making your own website as visitor friendly as possible.

3. Do keyword research to find out what visitors will be searching for. Google has a free keyword research tool that will work fine for this purpose. By typing in a general phrase such as “exercise video”, other keywords will come up that are related. Your visitors already have questions about these things. Knowing this, you can plan your website content to answer their questions up front.

4. Make sure to plan your website to grow. Avoid websites that can’t be easily expanded to add more pages or products. A website is not static, but rather should change constantly to meet your customer needs.

5. Plan a website that you can control, rather than be at the mercy of a web designer to make even small changes to your website. Today’s dynamic Internet marketing environment demands new and fresh content added to your website often, and the old fashioned sites that rely on a web developer to make changes just won’t work anymore. Your new website should be on a platform that lets you add content quickly and easily.

Usually, a new website is one of your business’ largest expenses. Make the most of your investment with a new website that supports the goals you have set for your business.

Share and Enjoy:

Tags: general business tips, Internet Marketing, Marketing, Online Marketing, sales and marketing, Small Business, website design, Website Development, website tips

You Can Create 20 Killer Benefit Statements in Copywriting For the Web in Just 20 Minutes

Mar 16

Posted by Bob in Site Promotion | No Comments

For me, the most difficult part of writing ad copy has been to come up with great benefit statements. And benefit statements are critical to selling your readers to try your products, services, and ideas, second only to the headline.

In comparison, the other parts of copywriting that people might find challenging, such as stories, headlines, and great price offers were easy. What drove me nuts was coming up with a benefits list; that is until I discovered how to develop more than one benefit a minute.

You may recall from Sales 101 that benefits are what sells your product or service, not features. Knowing that, I started to try to get to the bottom of what benefits actually are. They’re action items, right? For example, you “lose” weight or “make” money. So, why not start out all benefit statements with action verbs? This is the process to take:

1. Find a long list of action verbs and alphabetize them.

2. On your computer or desk, spread out the list so you can see the whole thing
.
3. Make up a sentence describing your product or service using each verb on the list.

”Accelerate” is the first word on my list of verbs, for example.

So, I might say to myself that my product helps people to “Accelerate your learning speed by getting true hands-on training with every command”.

4. Write benefits until you can’t think of any more, and don’t think of quitting early! You’ll weed out the benefits later that don’t have as much punch as you thought. Don’t worry about duplicates right now either. Just open your mind to think about your product or service and brainstorm benefit ideas as they come.

5. Now you organize your benefit list in order of priority from most important benefit to last.

This process has worked for me to write great benefits statements, as well as when coming up with article ideas for my blog, such as “35 Reasons Why a Blog is Better than a Traditional Web Site for Your Business,” or “50 Ways to Kill a Perfectly Good Seminar”.

Use my list of verbs or create your own and start creating your killer benefit statements in just 20 minutes. In most cases, a good list of 20 benefits is all you will need for your sales page.

Marty Dickinson is an entrepreneur and the founder of HereNextYear, Inc., a full service Internet marketing company in business for 15 years. He specializes in Internet marketing solutions for the small business owner, speakers and authors. Visit to see what HereNextYear has to offer and to learn more about their innovative new website packages fully integrated for ease with social networking and other Internet marketing strategies.

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