Why We Goldfish Don’t Want To Be Like Famous and Wealthy Web Design Companies…
May 04, 2008
Okay, that sounded weird the second I typed it, but it’s true in the sense that, although we want to grow and do well, we won’t do it at the expense of ethics and our appreciation of our clients. It’s not because we are superior human beings, although my wife is pretty cool, it’s because we’re people. Just like our clients, we want fairness wherever and whenever we can get it in the business world. If you don’t give a fair shake, don’t complain when you don’t get one.
Here’s an example of what most web designer’s attitudes are towards clients.
He’ll remain nameless, but the author of “The 7 Reasons…” below, is a very high-profile, successful web designer sharing his outlook on clients with his many fellow designers, the vast majority agreeing with him wholeheartedly. Although this is a single subject, it is enlightening to observe the standard attitude a lot of web designers have towards clients in general…
7 Reasons why they “Avoid Hourly Billing Like The Plague.”
Them: 1. “It’s time consuming”
“Constantly starting and stopping timers is an annoying and time-consuming practice—it’s completely counter-productive.”
Goldfish:
Keeping track of everyone’s time is the only way to pay your contractors correctly and demonstrate that your client is getting all that they are paying for (and more). Besides it’s your job to keep track of time with whatever you do. Otherwise, you’re just blowing bubbles through the client’s treasure chest…you know, like in a fish tank…okay never mind.
Them: 2. “It makes clients nervous”компютри
“You would be surprised how much more comfortable your clients will be if they know exactly how much they are going to spend. Open-ended hourly billing, even accompanied by a ballpark figure, makes buyers nervous. Flat-rate billing makes them feel secure.”
Goldfish:
Give control of the project’s time and money to the client (without the project being open-ended) and simply ask them what they are comfortable with. Sounds crazy, I know.
Them: 3. “It encourages lower productivity”
“When you’re getting paid by the hour, there’s no incentive to work faster or smarter. In fact, the slower you work, the more you get paid. Flat-rate billing encourages you to work efficiently.”
Goldfish:
There should be an incentive to work as efficiently and as hard as you can, no matter. How about appreciation of the client, their trust, and their money for incentive. There’s also the incentive of referrals when the client knows you worked your rear fins off for them.
Them: 4. “It lends itself to tedious website update work”
“Some may feel differently about this, but I hate doing updates on ugly sites I didn’t design. Charging by the hour lends itself to this kind of work. I want to spend my time designing new sites and helping my recurring clients. Flat-rate billing will help you do more of what you like to do.”
Goldfish:
Helping clients with whatever sites they currently have helps them in a pinch and surprise! they become “recurring clients.” I hate to get all complicated but, if GoldfishNetwork didn’t design the site and the client asks for help, guess what? We help them.
Them: 5. “It doesn’t stop feature creep”
“One common misconception about hourly billing is that it puts an end to feature creep. In reality, all it does is frustrate the client. I their mind, every time they ask for something that should have been included in your original time estimate, they’re being hit with unfair additional charges. Start with a flat rate with plenty of padding for feature creep, and this will rarely happen.”
Goldfish:
Our proposal to the client spells out what is included in the first place and gives examples of what kind of additional work the client may, or may not want done as the project moves along. As a client I wouldn’t want my trusted web designer to “Start with a flat rate with plenty of padding” and leave it at that.
GoldfishNetwork gives two options, one option is a single solid number bid (that does include padding that we explain thoroughly) and the other option is a hybrid that gives the client the safety of a single solid number with options and a discount on top of it. Both options leave the possibility of the project coming in under the proposal (which happens). We don’t just scoop up all the gold coins at the bottom of the tank.
Them: 6. “It severely cripples billing potential”
“Imagine giving an $3000 estimate for a very basic website. Let’s say you’ve been designing websites for awhile and you’re getting pretty fast—you know it will take you about ten full hours of work to get the project finished. Billing by the hour, puts your rate at $300 per hour. It sounds outrageous when you put it in those terms. They have no idea how much work and effort it’s taken to hone your skills to their current level. That same site may have taken you fifty hours when you first started designing websites. Flat-rate billing allows you to charge what your services are really worth.”
Goldfish:
I guess the point is, hey, why not charge $300 per hour for a basic site, the client won’t know and besides, in the past, you had to learn your craft and everything. I guess this well-known, wealthy web designer feels that he has paid his dues and can now pull stuff like this with a clear conscious.
GoldfishNetwork charges less than the guys “in the city” because we’ve spent years working out how to combine “People, Process, and Technology” to deliver top value and get some new blue gravel for the old tank once in a while.
Them: 7. “It encourages clients to abuse you”
“When you charge by the hour clients tend to argue and grumble about every little charge because they can see every little charge on the invoice. When clients feel that you’re cheating them by not working fast enough, they can get really grumpy. Flat-rate billing keeps everybody happy.”
Goldfish:
Hey, mister successful web designer guy(s)… If your clients “abuse you,” “tend to argue and grumble,” “feel like your cheating them,” and “get really grumpy” as stated above… you may not be good at having clients.
Folks, this widespread attitude that clients are so darn-gum difficult and unappreciative of the fine and dandy, “smoke and mirrors,” $300 per hour work they’re receiving is perhaps a wee bit arrogant. Unfortunately, you’ll find this attitude all over the place.
Maybe these web designers should take a nice long swim and think about why their clients seem so ignorant and hard to get along with, they might get lucky and see their own reflection in the water.
There, I feel better. I hope you do too.
Posted by goldfish at 11:20am
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“The Recession” and “2 more…”
April 18, 2008
I just don’t know about “the recession” we’re supposed to be in. Business has been very good and we’re hiring. Our current clients all seem to be doing well and optimistic.
I do know that sometimes (at least with me) a recession can be in my mindset. How I perceive business to be for us Goldfish can change at times but I find that I’m the one that decides, based on the short term and that’s a mistake (for a few reasons).
If I buy into the recession mentality I’m really doing a number on myself and my business. It’s not fair to either one of us (especially the business). So when I get the feeling there’s more room in the fish bowl, I ask myself…
Pipeline not as full as you would like it? Well then, let’s “2 more” the problem.
2 more phone calls per day to potential clients.
2 more emails per day to potential clients.
2 more hours per day of brainstorming better solutions for my clients.
2 more current hosting clients I can ask for referrals.
Just thinking about things “by the numbers” helps me.
And…I know this sounds like I’m all wet to some of you….actually doing the things on my “2 more” list helps even more.
Here’s to you and 2 more!
Posted by goldfish at 8:46am
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“Goldfish” Web Designer Nets Better Business Nomination
January 24, 2008
The Times
US and World News provided by Reuters
GoldfishNetwork.com Owners Lisa and Michael Thayer Have a Passion For Marketing
By Jennifer Clampet
The Times, Jan 24, 2008
“BIG FISH, BIG POND” Michael and Lisa Thayer, owners of GoldfishNetwork.com, hold in their hands their own marketing plan for their Web site design and marketing business.
TUALATIN, OR. Through muffled crunching, a woman began to speak on the other end of the phone.
The woman caller was unmistakably munching on something as she began to talk, remembered Lisa Thayer, co-owner of GoldfishNetwork.com.
The caller admitted she had found Lisa’s business card attached to the front of a bag of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers. The crackers had quieted her hunger, and the card had piqued her interest.
“What exactly can you do for me?” the woman caller asked.
In a sense, Michael and Lisa Thayer’s company, GoldfishNetwork.com, works to get the word out.
“We take a client’s vision and make it a web site that represents them out in the world. That’s our goal,” Michael said. But the GoldfishNetwork also works to help clients, mostly small business owners, learn to market themselves.
As a 15-year-old dishwasher at a restaurant, Michael learned early on that marketing pays off. And at the age of 27, he set a record as designer and distributor of a Lake Tahoe calendar that sold 65,000 copies, still a record today.
Now at the age of 50, Michael said, “I learned to sell myself and what I was doing, because if I didn’t, no one else would.”
“Every business has a story,” noted Michael as he leaned forward in a swivel chair at the GoldfishNetwork offices off SW Boones Ferry Road in Tualatin. The blue walls and jazz music playing in the background give the office a soothing atmosphere.
Life hasn’t always been this calm. Being married to an entrepreneur, Lisa said, is like riding a roller coaster but, after 14 years of marriage, the couple has been able to find a perfect venue for each of their talents. Michael, the creative one who loves to hear people’s stories, and Lisa, the numbers-driven one with a business degree, both share a love for marketing.
The couple owns shelves filled with books on the subject. Michael calls marketing their hobby. But as GoldfishNetwork approaches its three year anniversary, marketing is proving to be more than just a pastime.
This month the company was recognized as one of 14 businesses in Oregon and Southern Washington to be in the running for the 2007 Better Business Bureau Business of the Year Torch Award.
The winners of the 2007 Business of the Year Torch Award will be announced at an awards ceremony and luncheon Jan. 24 at the Multnomah Athletic Club in Portland.
Other businesses nominated for the award include Ron Tonkin Toyota, Hawthorne Auto Clinic and Bridge City Legal Inc. in Portland and Paintegrity in Forest Grove.
The public nominated the businesses for demonstrating excellence in customer service, innovative business practices and community involvement.
The Thayers believe they were nominated for the award because of their community involvement. The couple is actively involved in the Love Box for Troops program, which encourages people to pack up boxes of goodies and send them off to deployed troops, and both are active in the Tualatin Chamber of Commerce. Michael is serving as a chamber board member this year, and Lisa is the chair of the technology committee.
“There is no end to the help they’ve given to us,” said chamber Executive Director Carla Thaler.
The Thayers and their contract employees designed and implemented the TualatinCrawfishFestival.com web site within two weeks as the crawfish festival drew near.
“They came back with something better than we ever expected,” Thaler said of the web site.
The Thayers would like to be known in the community for the business-building work they do for their clients. But for now most people know the couple for their marketing idea, the goldfish.
Cabinets above desk top computers in the company’s office hold bags of goldfish crackers ready to be handed out as part of the company’s own marketing plan.
Lisa noted that it’s pretty common for the office to get calls from people snacking on the crackers as they chat away about their business needs.
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“Spiders and Crawlers and Bots! Oh my!”
January 04, 2008
Search Engine Marketing
(Article 2 of 4 Part Series)
“Spiders and crawlers and bots! Oh my!” - Two views of the same website
One of the most challenging aspects of optimizing a website is that there are two audiences to appeal to: 1.) standard website users (like you and me) and 2.) search engines. There are many similarities in attraction but also some very important differences.
First, let’s take a look at the top four usability issues from a human/standard user’s viewpoint:
Ease of navigation. This is no time to be overly creative and make visitors guess where to find pertinent information. Sounds like a deceptively simple piece of advice but you only have an average of 8 seconds to capture your audience’s attention. After you have spent time and effort driving traffic to your website, don’t lose them by frustrating them! One navigational tool users appreciate is the addition of a “site map” or hierarchal list of the pages of your website.
Visually attractive. If it looks like a high school student created your website, it will adversely affect your business’ public profile. If you don’t care about your professional image, the customer might also think you don’t care about the quality of your work. Keep in mind that the internet allows individuals the chance to anonymously pre-screen your business. You may truly have a solid, reputable business but you don’t have a good design aesthetic and technical capabilities, you should retain the services of a web designer and developer.
Content-rich. Studies show that website visitors read websites like billboards not novels. Make sure that whoever writes the copy for your website is familiar with this very important difference in writing for the web. Place your most important content “above the fold” so that the user doesn’t have to scroll down unless they need more details. Make your website more relevant to the user by providing a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). Don’t be afraid of having a page of categorized links to other website resources but of course, ask that they in turn link back to your website. Also, be sure to update your content as information in your industry changes as this will garner more frequent, repeat traffic.
Speed. In our increasingly fast paced society we have little tolerance for time wasters such as watching someone’s fancy “flash” intro or waiting for a picture to download. Use flash animation sparingly for maximum impact and to respect visitor’s time.
Not every website on the Internet gets the majority of its traffic from the major search engines, but you can’t afford to ignore them. Search engines processes and methodologies are quite complex and are updated all the time. The simple explanation of how search engines work is: the user types a query into a search engine which quickly sorts through literally millions (sometimes billions) of pages in its database and produces matches /results ranked in order of relevancy.
A search engine’s database is culled from a variety of sources.* Many of the larger search engines use web “spiders,” “crawlers,” or “bots” programs that search the Internet in a methodical way to index and find new or updated data.
The most important thing for a website owner to know is that due to the use of these automated spiders some content and links displayed on a web page may not actually be visible to the search engines.
Now, let’s take another look at the top four usability issues - this time from a spider’s viewpoint:
Ease of navigation. A spider isn’t concerned about getting lost, either you provide an easy roadmap to and through your website or it simply doesn’t exist in the spider’s mind, metaphorically speaking of course. The best way to do this is by adding a site map.
Visually attractive. Web spiders don’t have eyes therefore even an actual picture of Bigfoot would have no effect on relevance without adding text. Search engines don’t index images, they won’t index any text your web site presents in image format. To fix this problem, you can use “ALT tags” or image descriptions in your website coding.
Content-rich. Content is king when it comes to web spiders but beware! Search engine algorithms have evolved to identify redundant text and the overuse of keywords. This means some of the tactics ethically challenged web designers used a few years back no longer fool the search engines and can actually harm your standings if overused. Search engine algorithms these days even go so far as to calculate the ratio of actual text (content) to the amount of coding .Web spiders also consider the information within three clicks of the home page to be most relevant to a search. Spiders as well as human users appreciate fresh content. (I will address the important issue of updating content in the next article.)
Speed. Although search engines generally won’t penalize for the use of frames, dynamic content and multimedia files, they will have difficulty indexing them. They also don’t index pages that require registration, cookies or passwords.
I have seen many business owners make the mistake of designing an elaborate website and then seek out a professional SEO (Search Engine Optimization) expert. This can lead to disastrous results such as poor performance, missing your target market, and a potentially costly redesign. Before you begin your website project, make sure you clearly express your business vision, current and future marketing plan, and expectations with your web designer. (BTW- If the web designer isn’t asking you about these vital areas perhaps you should keep looking.)
*Other search engine sources include search engine advertisements, human based search engines or web directories and topical search engines.
Lisa Thayer is owner of GoldfishNetwork.com, a website design and marketing company located just south of Portland, Oregon. GoldfishNetwork.com serves clients in 9 states across the U.S. Lisa can be reached at (503) 783-0440 or by e-mail: Lisa@GoldfishNetwork.com
Posted by goldfish at 10:12pm
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Search Engine Marketing- (Article 1)
October 08, 2007
Search Engine Marketing
(Article 1 of a 4 Part Series)
By Lisa Thayer, GoldfishNetwork.com
October 8, 2007
Surveys show that over 80% of internet users find new web sites by using search engines.
The question on everyone’s mind today is “How do I get my website top placement on the search engines?” In order to answer that question, I need to give you a little background on the way search engines work.
There are two primary ways your website gets to the top of search engines; one is to pay for placement, the other is to market and design your website so that it rises up through the page ranks “organically” in search engine results.
Before I begin to discuss pay for placement online marketing, I have to get on my soap box and make a special announcement: If you glean nothing else from this article, please remember this bit of advice: having a baseline BEFORE you start paying money for advertising is imperative as is tracking results of an online marketing program. Okay, back to the topic at hand.
Programs such as Google’s AdWords and AdSense, or Yahoo’s Sponsored Search are good examples of paying for placement. Each search engine has their own individual fee structure. The price you pay to advertise in this manner depends on the “keywords” you choose and the competition for those placements. As you would imagine, the competition would be less, and therefore it would be cheaper to advertise, the keywords “ice for sale Alaska” as opposed to the competition to advertise the keywords, “vacation rental Maui”.
Keywords can be thought of as the words a person would type into the search box on search engines. They can consist of a word(s), phrase, or an alphanumerical term. If you are spending your marketing budget on keyword ads, you need to choose your keywords carefully. Using keywords that are overly broad such as “best dentist USA” can result in bringing more traffic to your website, but if you only have dental offices in California, that search won’t result in a new patient. Conversely, choosing keywords that are overly specific might bring in too little traffic. Keywords are so important in fact, that selecting keywords has become an industry all its own.
The two top search engines used by the general public are Google and Yahoo. Google and Yahoo also supply some of the smaller search engines such as AOL, My Space Search, Netscape, Alta Vista, etc. with their search results. In fact, if you added up the huge market share of Google it would account for almost 70% of all searches!
As previously mentioned, having a baseline BEFORE you start paying money for advertising is imperative as is tracking results of an online marketing program. You obtain a baseline by having your web designer add a tracking program/ code to your website. We set up Google Analytics on all of our client’s websites.
Wikipedia’s definition: Google Analytics. (GA) is a free service offered by Google that generates detailed statistics about the visitors to a website. Its main highlight is that a webmaster can optimize his/her marketing campaigns through the use of GA’s analysis of where the visitors came from, how long they stayed on the website and their geographical position. Users can define and track conversions, or goals. Goals might include sales, lead generation, viewing a specific page, or downloading a particular file. By using this tool, marketers can determine which ads are performing, and which are not, as well as find unexpected sources of quality visitors.
Many of my clients have asked, “wait a minute, why is Google Analytics FREE?” The simple answer is that Google knows that if you have the information to make informed online advertising decisions, you will be more likely to advertise. And, since Google is the giant of the search engine world, chances are they will be able to earn your business.
Next time, I’ll discuss spiders and crawlers and bots! Oh my!
Lisa Thayer is owner of GoldfishNetwork.com, a website design and marketing company located just south of Portland, Oregon. GoldfishNetwork.com serves clients in 9 states across the U.S. Lisa can be reached at (877) 783-0440 or by e-mail: Lisa@GoldfishNetwork.com
Posted by Lisa at 11:26pm
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Marketing Your Business to Win.
July 19, 2007
The (big) problem with traditional marketing:
Poll after poll shows that up to 80% of buyers use the Internet to research products and services and then choose a company to contact. Most people dispose of telephone books within days of receiving them. In fact, two years ago I was told by a former manager at Dex that Dex has a five year plan to move all listings and services onto the Web and get out of the paper telephone book business. What’s that tell you? Newspaper readership is at an all time low making the ads you buy much less effective (but not less expensive.) Radio? Nope. Not without major investment and testing.
The Web has what you need to move your business forward.
To keep your business healthy and growing in the most cost effective and profitable way, you need to use the web to better serve your customers, add value, and increase profits. Not having a web-based marketing strategy can actually have a negative effect with client perceptions about your company and gives your competition the edge.
I understand that you’re very busy (I am too) and the idea of marketing your business online may seem daunting. I promise you it doesn’t have to be the case. Read on!
Here’s an outline of a very basic, affordable web-based marketing strategy:
- Build an email list for your new newsletter. (Contact me for easy ways to produce good newsletter content.) Collect email addresses from customers and from the business cards you’ve collected over the course of operating your business. Feel free to contact me for ways to successfully build your email list.
- Deliver a message and offer that is of real value. Make your subject line compelling enough for your mail to be opened. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just of value. Be your personable self and ask everyone for permission to continue emailing your newsletter.
- Ask the recipients of your emails to share them with friends, co-workers, and family.
- If you have a good web site direct them there for more information. If you don’t have a good website, take it down, redo it, or don’t give out your web address.
- Rinse and repeat every 2-3 weeks or longer depending on the nature of your product or services
This one strategy alone will produce more quality leads and sales for you once you build your customer list and use it wisely (and a good list makes your business worth more as well…) There are many more ways to further profit from your list…
For additional marketing strategies that will produce more sales and profits for your business, email me at Michael@GoldfishNetwork.com
Posted by Michael at 7:18pm
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Why use GoldfishNetwork.com?
July 09, 2007
1) Your business is very important to you. Ours is very important to us. We have a reputation for going “above and beyond” for clients like you and for delivering top quality websites and website development. Besides, if we don’t pay attention, we won’t be able to pay anything else.
2) You’ll find that we’re “people people.” We actually enjoy the interaction we have with our clients and the satisfaction that comes with a successful project and happy people who give us checks.
3) When you work with us, you will appreciate the fact that we are business people running a media arts and marketing company, not artists trying to run a business. That means we understand budgets, project deadlines and other factors necessary for a business to succeed.
4) Most web design companies won’t take projects under $5K. They have high overhead and can’t make smaller projects profitable for their company. We actually specialize in redesign. Why pay for more work than you really need?
5) We offer unique “Time Block” billing. This allows you, the client, complete control of your project scope and budget. Unheard of in the web design world!
6) You’ll find that we communicate well. Telephone messages, faxes, emails, whistling, and hand signals all get a prompt response from our team.
7) You can actually walk in and visit. We love meeting our clients face to face and sitting down with them to understand and deliver the online image they want. We offer a FREE initial consultation of up to 1 hour. Besides, we also have a vast tea selection, great coffee, and bags of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish snacks.
Contact us at www.GoldfishNetwork.com and we’ll be glad to be of service to you.
And you’ll have new friends in the web design and marketing business!
Thanks!
Michael and Lisa Thayer
Posted by Michael at 6:59pm
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Web 2.0 tools are changing business… Wikis
July 02, 2007
Wikis are defined by…Wikipedia here.
As a matter of fact, Wikipedia is a great example of a public, moderated wiki.
“What’s the short description of a wiki (in English)?”
Basically, a wiki is a database of pages which visitors can edit live by correcting or adding to the information. The “comments” from visitors are what builds the wiki up in value. A visitor can edit a page in real time, search the wiki for content, and view updates since the last visit. In a “moderated wiki,” wiki owners review comments before addition to the main body of a topic.
What you can do with a wiki.
With a wiki, it’s easy to swap ideas and information on various projects among the participants. A project can be an “at home” family project or a “living” company knowledge base. A wiki makes it easy for people to collaborate, focus, and get things done from wherever they are and whenever they want to. A few examples of available tools to enhance a wiki are RSS feeds, calendar sharing, live AV conferencing, and more.
What does a wiki do for your business?
Whether you use a wiki for an in-house project or an overall, company-wide communication tool, you will find increased creativity, expertise, and productivity. Also, a company wiki will really cut down on all the emails that zing around in all directions and a wiki will limit communication breakdown because everyone is literally “on the same page.” As more and more info is added to the company wiki, it’s value increases and becomes a “collective brain” for your business. That is a very valuable resource for reference and training as well as an information hub for anything, whether a single project or a complete company resource. Why not have more than one for specific tasks and projects?
“Thanks Michael, what can YOU do for me?”
I can help you market better and make more money by coaching you and showing you how to implement cool web stuff that creates more business. If this something that you might be interested in (and why wouldn’t it be…) send me a leftover Thanksgiving card, give me a call, or send an email.
*Want a couple of incredible marketing tools that will impress your current customers, generate new customers, and make you a lot of money? Good! Next time I’ll show you how adding audio and video to your site will do just that.* Until then…
Posted by Michael at 12:25am
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Web 2.0 tools are changing business… Social Networking
June 14, 2007
Social Networking as defined by Wikipedia is here. Our focus here is, of course, how your business can use social networking tools and sites and this is a basic intro.
What’s the big deal about Social Networking?
The impact of user-generated content on marketing has been great. Web 1.0 users were considered consumers by marketers but now with Web 2.0, they become participants. To interact on the Web, people use web sites, blogs, forum participation, audio and video, to participate by commenting and/or adding content that other users can interact with. Well known examples of Web 2.0 social networking sites are Wikipedia, Second Life, Digg, MySpace and Flickr. The content of these sites can usually be shared, rated and even sometimes edited or added to by visitors (user-generated content). Social networking also uses content on the Web influenced but not necessarily created by visitors to those websites.
How basic marketing happens with Social Networking tools and sites.
Now, visitors to your site/blog can comment on your blog or they can create blogs of their own and include content from outside sources (including you/your company). Again, content such as forum participation, text, video, and audio.`To better market your business and/or products you can join in on discussions, offer help, and generally use your knowledge to interact with customers and potential customers. Ask for their input and interact with them. Use a slide show with audio or just audio to tell your story, give tips and advice. And look out because here comes video. It’s got a lot of impact (and it’s not as hard to use as you may think…) Use the best of what you can do to show examples of why your company is the best choice for the customer. By the same token, ask others for advice or comments. Why? Because interaction is a two way street. Link to other sites of interest and have them link to yours.
Again, this is a basic overview but it should give you a better idea of what’s going on with social networking.
“Hey Michael, how can you help my business?”
That’s a great question! I can help you market better and make more money by coaching and showing you how to implement cool web stuff that creates more business. Is this something that you might be interested in? If so, call or send me an email.
Hey, next time I’ll have something you can use in-house to improve your business (and/or use for social networking)…Wikis!
Posted by Michael at 10:01pm
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Web 2.0 tools are changing business… RSS
June 01, 2007
RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. The Wikipedia definition is here. An RSS feed allows a person to “pull” content of their choice to their computer (unlike email being “pushed” to your account). You can “subscribe” to the news sites, newsletters, blogs, and podcasts that you want delivered to you and control the flow of info. When something new becomes published, it is delivered directly to your computer. There are thousands of blogs, info sites, or entertainment sites that continuously create great content on almost any topic you can think of. The content can be text, audio, or even video.
When you subscribe to a RSS feed, you receive only the information you want. Usually, a “feed reader” or “Feed aggregator” must be installed to subscribe to the content. Go ahead and Google “feed aggregator” there is a lot to choose from. Oh, yeah, they’re free.
“How does RSS change my business?”
Here’s one big one. Your customers can easily accumulate shopping info and prices and availability of items or services that they’re looking for on the internet. You want to be involved in that shopping activity don’t you? You want it to be easy for your customers to be reminded of your presence and aware of your new items, new services, and your special offers. Your business should be set up to deliver useful information that your customers would want to receive along with those special offers. “Useful information” can be seasonal tips, industry news, event news, new products, new uses for your products and so on. Each delivery of that information is your billboard directly on your customers computer screen. Be smart and make your delivered info something that your customers will want to pass on to friends and family.
To sum up…
When you offer and deliver an RSS feed to your customers, you stand out as a useful and informative business that cares about them. It’s a personal message served directly to your customers. They’re easy to set up and delivery is automated. You should offer the RSS feed on your website and tell your customers about it through email and/or in-store info, (flyers at check out…) If your business has a blog (as it should) a new entry can be delivered to your customers by making an entry to your blog. When you get up to speed and use powerful, available tools, like RSS, you’ll serve your existing customers better, create new customers, and see a payoff in the bottom line.
*Warning* Utterly shameless plug ahead…
I can help you market better and make more money by coaching and showing you how to implement cool web stuff that creates more business. Is this something that you might be interested in? If so, call or send me an email.
Next time we meet here…Social Networking!
Posted by Michael at 8:23pm
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