Blue Skies

• State of the Industry:– Consumption time online is greater than all other

mediums: social media accounts for 60% of time online

– eCommerce is booming– Search Advertising and Online Advertising are

growing significantly

Maximising Your Online BusinessPMA – June 3 2010

Robert Beerworth – Managing Director

Blue Skies

• State of the Industry:– Consumption time online is greater than all other

mediums: social media accounts for 60% of time online

– eCommerce is booming– Search Advertising and Online Advertising are

growing significantly

What is online success?

• State of the Industry:– We use online for... Everything.– The world, really has changed and new wealth and

opportunity is online.

Why are so many of us falling short?

• Total Confusion, especially around “Web 2.0” and Social Media.

• Poor Industry Advice and Guidance.– Especially the web development industry

• We’re local, and the web isn’t.• The website is the start and end of it.– And the website has no traffic and no interest.

Why are so many of us falling short?

• Myth that if it is not eCommerce, there is no money or benefit to be made.

Is online too hard?

• Yes and no. It is no harder than any business/strategy.

• It takes a strategy, knowledge and a clear head.

Is the reward there?

• Yes and yes. Though the middle ground between success and failure is not that great.

• The website is pure science, not art: we can achieve anything online.

Let’s start with the basics.

• Introducing your new website.• This is the centre of your investment online.• Invest well and properly and you will receive

reward: the Internet will do the hard work for you.

What are the keys to success?

• Whatever we do:– We need a plan.– We need traffic.– We need usability.

What are the keys to success?

• Then we need a methodology:– We need traffic.– We then need to engage our traffic.– We then need to convert our traffic.

– Make the website do something, not be something.

What are the keys to success?

• Build your website as a user, not a business.

What are the keys to success?

• Define your users and their requirements. • Define your requirements: leads, downloads,

phone calls, sales. Keep it simple and make every decision in-line with your goals.

• Marry your goals and user goals together. • Don’t simply give them a page, and make

them do the work. Drive them to your common goals.

What are the keys to success?

• Build a prototype and test it against your audience. Design buying funnels.

• NEVER start a website with designs. • Outsource your content.• Manage timeframes and have regular project

drops.

What are the keys to success?

• No apologies: sell steak knives.

Miscellaneous Points.

• Only engage a great web developer: otherwise, you’ll be watching your competitors disappear into future.

• Don’t be driven by a Content Management System.

• Invest in rich content: video!• Remove roadblocks.• Build a database.

Miscellaneous Points.

• Avoid Flash.• Traffic, traffic, traffic.• Watch your conversion closely: refine

performance marketing regularly.• Syndicate your content: especially

photography.• Collect data appropriately and make your

forms look fantastic.

Miscellaneous Points.

• Keep investing: you will be rewarded. If you stop, you’ll drop.

eCommerce...

• Some high level thoughts:– Start small.– Free Delivery.– Great customer care.– Bundle.– Drive it through performance marketing.– Get it up for Christmas!

eCommerce...

• Users love gift finders:

eCommerce...

Traffic...

• Traffic is the make or break, and the hardest part of the web today.

• You must plan and invest in an aggressive traffic strategy: otherwise, don’t bother.

• Organic traffic simply doesn’t exist anymore.

Traffic...

• A few traffic rules:– You need lots– It must always be increasing– It must be cheap traffic– It must be the right traffic

Traffic...

Search Engine Optimisation• Medium to long-term• Expensive• Lots of traffic• Focus on long-tail• Consider universal search

Search Engine Marketing • Google, Adwords, PPC etc• Short-term• Can be expensive• Only works if they’re buying

on the same day• Tighten the buggery out of

your campaigns and landing pages

• QoSearch

Traffic...

Affiliate Marketing• Short, Medium and Long-

term• Performance based• Need a compelling offer for

affiliates• Let others do the heavy

lifting• dgmpro.com

Coupons• Short, Medium and Long-

term• Performance based• Is discounting good?

Traffic...

Email• Short, Medium and Long-

term• Low-cost• Captive audience• You get what you put in• Consider solus emails for

once-off campaigns.

Syndicate content• Push your content out:

especially video and imagery.

Traffic...

Blogging• An aggressive traffic

strategy: SEO• Must invest in seriously

good (and rich) content for it to work

• Great for media/PR• Make sure it is setup right

Competitions• Huge traffic drivers• Make sure you target the

right audience

Is Social Media where it’s at?

• More than likely, no.– Very few businesses have been successful: those

that have are exclusively large.– It taps a passive market, and not an active: active

users are those searching for you.– Get your 101 in order first.

Is Social Media where it’s at?

• If you’re going to do it however...– Define your plan and make sure it makes sense.– Look to build lists/friends: these are the people

you can later market to.– Consider competitions and giveaways: these drive

traffic and attention. Make it PMA specific.

Is mobile worth it?

• Yes and no. Get the 101 right.• Get a page with your contact details up,

especially for local search.

How do I measure this?

• At the bottom line. If it’s not working, it’s not the Internet: it’s you.

Integrate.

• All roads lead to roam: drive users to your website, where ever you find them.

• Encourage users to recommend you.• Talk clearly and simply: add benefit to your

users.

And in closing...

• Good luck. Once you get it, it’s like falling in love all over again.