Look out Austinites! There’s a new kid in town. Renown marketing consultant, Jeffrey Eisenberg, author of multiple books (listed below), web analytics specialist, professional speaker, and conversion king is relocating to Austin, Texas. I met Jeffrey last week at the local SEO Meetup after watching his presentation: 21 Secrets of Top Converting Websites. He’s a down to earth guy that really understands the personas of people who buy online; a great addition to the marketing community of Austin.

Eisenberg started the presentation talking about website conversions. Many people mistakenly think the term conversion, when used with regard to websites, always means buying something online. But a conversion can also be something as simple as clicking a video, entering an email address, or filling out a survey. In other words, it’s an action. Sometimes  it’s the first and most important action in building the relationship before the sale, a.k.a. Lead Generation. Below is the Eisenberg brothers’ definition of conversion rate:

“Conversion rate is a measure of your ability to persuade visitors to take the action you want them to take. It’s a reflection of your effectiveness and customer satisfaction. For you to achieve your goals, visitors must first achieve theirs.”

Here are the 21 secrets of top converting websites that Eisenberg discusses at length in his presentation.

1. They Communicate UVPs & UCPs
2. Their Offers Are Persuasive & Relevant
3. They Reinforce The Offer Sitewide
4. They Maintain A Scent
5. They Make A Strong First Impression
6. They Appeal To Multiple Personas & Segments
7. They Don’t Slice & Dice Optimization
8. They Leverage The Voice Of The Customer
9. They Use UGC As Navigation
10. They Promote Using UGC
11. They Build Credibility With UGC
12. They Use UGC Feedback In Research
13. They Use Persuasion Principles
14. They Even Make Forms More Engaging
15. They Provide Point Of Action Assurances
16. They Keep You In The Process
17. They Consider Email Preview
18. They Budget For Experience
19. They Have A System For Prioritization
20. They Make Decisions With Data
21. They Execute Rapidly

View the entire presentation, a playlist of nine videos, on www.socialmediatherapy.tv.

Jeffrey says, “when you build a site or redesign a site, you are about 30% done. The real work is in the optimization, not in the site. Everybody does that ass-backwards. EXCEPT for some people [Amazon] who now control 25% of the ecommerce market. [Companies that decided] we’re not ever going to stop redesigning, we’re not ever going to stop thinking about the experience.”

“We take those funds that might otherwise be used to shout about our service, and put those funds instead into improving the service. That’s the philosophy we’ve taken from the beginning. If you do build a great experience, customers will tell each other about that. Word of mouth is very powerful.” ~ Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com

Jeffrey and his brother Bryan have written many best selling books. Here are three that come to mind: Waiting For Your Cat To Bark:Persuading Customers When They Ignore Marketing, Call To Action: Secret Formulas to Improve Online Results, and Persuasive Online Copywriting: How To Take Your Words To The Bank.

P.S. Austin is a cool town and it’s easy to see why Jeffrey would want to move here: high tech, music, tex mex, healthy economy, etc… But at the Meetup I discovered the real reason he moved to Austin; it was for love. Thanks Mia!

This month’s Austin Social Media Club featured a panel of nonprofit movers and shakers who answered questions from David Neff (another local nonprofit rock star) about how they utilize social media within their organizations. Although the topics vary from month to month, I noticed from the first club meeting I attended that social media for social good is always an underlying theme. Sure, people want to grow their businesses and grow their networks using social media, but using social media tools to facilitate a call to action, is what Austin Social Media Club does best. Whether you’re talking about @ConnieReece and The Frozen Pea Fund, or @MikeChapman and Mobile Loaves & Fishes, @MichelleGreer and the hugely successful Austin Charity Water Twestival or @daveiam and Lights. Camera.Help., it’s all about making a difference.

I mean, it’s really not all that surprising that my first Tweetup was a Bleedup! I gave blood for the first time in my life, summer  of 2008, due to Michelle Greer and David Neff’s persistent tweeting. Their efforts helped the local blood bank double their supplies before the busy fourth of July weekend.

The cool thing about this month’s meeting is that RealNetworks, Inc. donated $1000 to the Austin Social Media Club. ASMC then forwarded the money to Mobile Loaves and Fishes to help them toward their goal of purchasing a mobile home for Peggy, a local disabled homeless woman. In return, the meeting began with a short conversation about video and Ooona Rokyta explained how their new product, RealPlayerSP, is a super easy way to play and share videos on your phone or computer. Thank you for your generosity RealPlayerSP! I hope more companies will follow their lead!

Last night’s panel included Amando Rayo, @elmundodemando, director of Hands On Central Texas, a program of United Way Capital Area.

John Turner, @southwestkey, Interim Director of Communications for Southwest Key Programs.

Courtney Clark, @CancerCourtney, Director of Marketing and Development at Planet Cancer.

Alan Graham, @MLFNow, President and CEO of Mobile Loaves & Fishes.

All of the panelists rely on grants and donations for their organizations to run smoothly and successfully. But the common theme of the night was that their number one priority was not to ask for money, but to engage and build relationships while providing quality content, resources and information. These people are passionate about their work and excited about sharing their cause, answering questions, and making new friends. And when their fans or followers DO decide to donate their time or their money, it’s because they feel involved and connected.

Mr. Mobile Loaves and Fishes said it best:

It’s all about the three R’s. Relationships, relationships, relationships. ~ Alan Graham

Austin Social Media Club is an equal opportunity, user generated, venue where you can network, learn, and be inspired. They have meetings every month and it’s open to anyone who is interested in learning more about social media. And just so you know, Social Media Club meetings take place all over the world. Check this wiki to find a club meeting near you, or you might want to start one yourself!

]]> http://www.socialmediatherapy.com/2009/10/16/its-all-about-the-three-rs/feed/ 3 http://www.socialmediatherapy.com/2009/10/16/its-all-about-the-three-rs/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SocialMediaTherapy/~3/KsrnpuGZips/ http://www.socialmediatherapy.com/2009/09/03/socialnomics-a-wake-up-call/#comments Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:17:52 +0000 Sue Rostvold http://www.socialmediatherapy.com/?p=6897

It’s a people driven economy stupid” ~ Erik Qualman

You don’t have to join the Revolution, but it is happening, whether you acknowledge it or not.

Erik Qualman is the author of a new book called Socialnomics: How social media transforms the way we live and do business. Erik is a pretty smart guy who graduated from my alma mater, The University of Texas at Austin, with an MBA just ten years ago. His compelling promotional video is a real eye opener.

Recently, Qualman spoke about Socialnomics at the Book Expo America convention, the largest book publishing event in North America. Here’s a video clip from his BEA 2009 presentation in May where he shares some interesting facts about Wiki’s and Facebook.

The fastest growing segment on Facebook is
55-65 year-old females

People find this statistic shocking, but I don’t. Most women are natural communicators and networkers, so it makes perfect sense. And you can be sure that these numbers are accurate coming from within Facebook. See the entire article from InsideFacebook.com for more facts and graphs about Facebook users.

The rest of the stats seen in the video, along with their sources, are in the book and can be seen here on the blog: Socialnomics.net. All statistics have inherent bias and are rarely exact, but they are often an excellent way to capture a trend or movement. Here’s one example; By 2010 Gen Y will outnumber Baby Boomers….96% of them have joined a social network. The source for this was from Grunwald Associates National Study and highlighted on Trendsspotting Blog. They did a national study and sampled 1,277 kids from age 9-17. The results stated that 96% of online teens/tweens report ever having used any type of social networking technology including IM/chat, text messaging and email. Reporting “96% of them“, instead of “96% of online Gen Y users” is a bit deceptive, although there is no denying that this trend is still very impressive.

I haven’t read the book yet, but I am really looking forward to it, despite the statistical wiggle room.  I have read some awesome reviews and hear that it’s filled with valuable case studies and real world examples of how businesses are utilizing social media.  Here’s a link to the Buzz About Socialnomics page.

Amazon link: Socialnomics: How social media transforms the way we live and do business

I met Deltina Hay at her book signing and talk on the Social Web at BookPeople this past July. I really enjoyed her presentation and how openly and honestly she spoke about her writing process for this intensive project.
NOTE: Video below shows some excerpts from Deltina’s presentation.

There is no shortage of social media books at my house, (ie My LibraryThing)  so of course I had to get a copy of “A survival guide to Social Media and Web 2.0 Optimization: Strategies, Tactics, and Tools for Succeeding in the Social Web” to add to my geek library. I’ve been reading it off and on for the past several weeks, and must say, I am both shocked and impressed at how much valuable information is contained within its almost 400 pages.

Most people are well aware of the term SEO (Search Engine Optimization), but many haven’t heard of and/or don’t understand SMO (Social Media Optimization). Deltina talks about the Social Web and explains why interacting, collaborating and sharing is vital to your social media online presence. The book is extremely detailed and perfect for anyone who is ready to take their social media understanding to the next level. It is an instructional textbook that even includes a companion cd with forms and resources to help you get both organized and optimized. Here is a downloadable pdf containing Chapter Seven complete with forms.

I have been actively studying social media tools and strategies since 2007, so most of the book’s content is not new to me. That said, I am quite sure I will use this book weekly, not only as a handy reference guide, but also at a consultant’s companion. Much of what I do is about empowering and educating others so they can understand and better utilize social  media in their businesses. I work with all levels and much of my time is spent explaining concepts, tools, and strategies. I have already started recommending this book to my clients. For a sneak peek you can check out chapter seven in it’s entirety, as supplied by Dalton Publishing below.
Social Media Book Teaser

After listening to Deltina I’ve decided that she is a definitely a SMOP (social media optimized personality) and she is running two very successful SMOBs (social media optimized business) here in Austin, Texas; Social Media Power and Dalton Publishing. Hint: One of the best ways to learn about social media optimization is to study what other SMOBs and SMOPs are doing. Following Deltina on twitter is one place to start. @SocialMediaPWR

This book will not only help you survive, it will help you thrive in the Web 2.o world. If you are new to social media, this survival guide will undoubtedly save you time and anguish. And if you are an advanced Web 2.0 user, it will help you flesh out a solid strategy to harness your own social media power. And the added bonus is,  when you are really busy and your friends keep asking you social media questions like “What’s an RSS feed?” etc…, you can just hand them the book and say, “Chapter 3!”

Now, please excuse me, I have to go tweet this, write a review on amazon.com, add this book to my LibraryThing and my reading list on Linkedin, and double check that my RSS feeds are successfully filtering this post to my facebook page and subscribers. Perhaps I’ll even add an image of this book cover with a link to this book review to my Social Media Therapist Flickr account! It’s all about being an authentic SMOP after all.
___________________________________________________

Amazon link: A Survival Guide to Social Media And Web 2.0 Optimization by Deltina Hay

Publisher link: A Survival Guide to Social Media And Web 2.0 Optimization by Deltina Hay

If you want to support indie publishing and get a discounted price, click the Buy Now button below, or the publisher’s link above. Dalton Publishing offers an affiliate program discount so that everybody wins. More dollars go directly to the independent publisher, you save a few dollars, and I even make a buck or two! :) Of course it is your choice, get the book at your local book store, at Amazon.com, or buy it right here for $18.95 including shipping!

I have a good friend who thinks Google is going to take over the world, and not in a good way. Whenever she brings up the subject my mind quickly fills with images from the Terminator movies. Machines take control and mankind as we know it is doomed. I know where she’s coming from, regarding privacy, etc…  but I have nothing to hide, so I’m not afraid of Google. In fact, I’m pro-Google. I use gmail, Google docs, and I LOVE having a Google profile.

Google Profiles are relatively new, but I’ve had mine since last year when I first discovered the beta feature while browsing around my google account. In fact, when I first created mine I was really frustrated because it wasn’t even googlable yet. But that all changed this past spring when Google freed the search engines robots, Googlebots, so they could read and access google profiles.

What I recommend is that you purchase a domain of your name, or something close, and have it forward to your Google profile. For example, on my business card I list just one url: SueRostvold.com. It’s perfect because it directs people to all my links, as well as a brief description of the services I offer. Instead of trying to tell someone what your twitter handle is or to look you up on Linkedin, just send them to yourname.com!

Create your own Google profile now.

Use my Google profile as a guide.

Just like your Linkedin profile, your Google profile will show up on the first page when someone does a search of your name. Not only is it empowering to take control of how you are viewed online, it can also raise the ranking of your blog and other social networking channels. And finally, having a complete and impressive Google profile is a great way to show off your technical and social media savviness to your clients or perspective employers.

Found a fantastic little video that helped me better understand Google, SEO and Thesis.

Web designers can make some killer looking sites. And there is no shortage of free templates, that look awesome, to help you build your website. But what I didn’t understand until recently is that Google doesn’t like the cool code that makes up the cool design. Google likes clean and simple html. If you have some wild and crazy design code mixed in with the html code that makes up your content, ie your text, then Google has a hard time figuring out what your website is about. The Google robots get confused and give up. They may find and record some of your content, but they don’t do a thorough job. Then your ranking suffers. You don’t get found.

Solution? Watch the video below.

This video was made by Brian Clark of Copyblogger.

•    The Guardian named Copyblogger one of the world’s 50 most powerful blogs.
•    Advertising Age ranks Copyblogger as a top 5 blog about marketing.
•    Technorati says Copyblogger is one of the most popular blogs in the world, and a top 20 favorite among readers.
•    The editors of Performancing honored Copyblogger founder and editor Brian Clark by naming him the most influential blogger of 2007, and he came in at number 30 among the 50 most influential bloggers compiled by top blogger Leo Babauta.

Copyblogger uses Thesis.

No matter what you are using now, it’s never too late to get started with Thesis. (I can help if you like!) After all, Thesis is the most innovative and user-friendly SEO-Optimized Wordpress framework on the planet!

I love simple websites. While in the middle of a making a website transition a couple years ago, a friend recommended Don’t Make Me Think – A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug. I found it incredibly useful. Steve gets straight to the point, and even throws in a bit of humor while telling you what you really need to know. It’s a must read for web designers and anyone who has a website. Don’t Make Me Think goes beyond web design and explains web usability, something many designers forget to consider. You want your website to look good, but more importantly, you want people to easily find their way around, i.e. don’t make them think!

In his book Steve says, “In the past five years I’ve spent a lot of time watching people use the Web, and the thing that has struck me most is the difference between how we think people use Web sites and how they actually use them.”

One of the more interesting parts of the book is how Steve explains with diagrams and details how we navigate around a website.
We don’t read pages. We scan them.

Some people get so hung up on design, that they forget about the goal of their website. You want your visitors to stay, to read, to click and ultimately to spend money. But also, you want your customers to be satisfied, interact, tell their friends, get valuable content, write excellent reviews, and come back again and again.

That’s why having a site that makes sense and is easy to navigate is so crucial. Sure, SEO is important, it’s what gets traffic to your site. But when you finally get them to land on your website, you want to keep them there and keep them happy. If they get frustrated, you may lose them forever.

It really doesn’t matter that this book was first published in October 2000, and printed it’s second edition way back in August 2005. It’s still the best book I’ve seen that explains succinctly why usability is one of the most crucial aspects of your website, and also offers detailed steps on how to achieve it.

Don’t Make Me Think is a great book that really made me think.

Be sure to check out Steve Krug’s excellent website Sensible.com for more great information about usability, workshops or to read excerpts from his book!

“I’m just going to get a free blog from Wordpress.com. I mean, why pay for something when you can get it for free?” I’ve heard this more than once, and it makes me crazy. I’m sure that sometimes people think I’m trying to get them to hire me when I explain why a free Wordpress blog doesn’t always make sense. I’m not. I just like to share information, especially when I think it can keep them from major headaches later on. (I know. I ‘ve had this headache.)

When someone says they have a free blog at Wordpress.com, what they mean is, they have free web hosting. Wordpress.com is hosting the site for them at no charge. They are supplying both the application, (Wordpress is built into the site), and the web server. Web hosting is a service that companies provide to help you keep track of and store all the files for your website. Everything on the internet needs to have a home on some computer somewhere. When you hear people talk about their web server, they are talking about the physical computer or computers that their web host uses to store all the files that make up their website.

When you sign up with a web hosting company, like Bluehost.com, then you have access to all the files that make up your blog. The guts of your website, you know, the html, css, php, and all those other crazy coded files that don’t make much sense until you need them.

TERMS

1. Sorry, We’re Closed – WHAT IF they decided they aren’t going to host blogs anymore? This happened recently with Yahoo.com/Geocities. They told everyone that had a free hosted blog that they needed to move it, lose it, or buy your own domain and pay for hosting through them. Many people lost all their links and had to start from square one again.

2. Ooops – You could be DELETED. You are subject to their Terms Of Service. When you get something for free, you have little power or recourse. “We may terminate your access to all or any part of the website at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice, effective immediately.”

3. Advertising – One way that they can offer free web hosting, is by having advertising. Wordpress.com displays ads on your blog to certain types of visitors.  You may never see the ads, they code it so you won’t.  But, you never know just what your visitors are seeing; a POP UP AD, a banner ad or a text-link ad.

FEATURES/SUPPORT

4. Lack of Flexibility - You cannot use valuable plugins that help your blog become truly SEO friendly.  Also, you have NO ACCESS to custom title tags or Google sitemaps. These features can make all the difference when it comes to getting found through natural searches online.

5. No Customized Themes – You can add a few custom headers to blogs at wordpress.com but you cannot use a completely customized Wordpress theme. And most importantly, YOU CAN’T USE THESIS, the most powerful theme available today.

6. No Phone Support - You have zero phone support so if you have a problem you’re STUCK WRITING EMAILS and figuring out forums to find answers. With web hosting you have 24/7 customer service and tech support. They help you every step of the way.

7. Space Limitations – They are very generous with their storage space, but if you need more, you will have to pay. If this happens you’ll be PAYING FOR EXTRAS, but still have a limited website. Note: Bluehost.com provides unlimited space.

DOMAIN NAME

8. Unprofessional - It’s obvious to others when you don’t have a “real” blog. Your visitors might get the impression that YOU AREN’T SERIOUS enough to invest in your own domain name.

9. Your Domain Name - will always have “.wordpress” in it. “Hey, check out my site at www.tryingtobeprofessional.wordpress.com” . In addition, it’s much HARDER TO REMEMBER a longer name.

10. Google Me Not – When you add a blog to an existing website and your blog link forwards to www.yourwebsite.wordpress.com you aren’t helping your website rankings at all. The whole point of the blog is to help google find your website by keeping your content fresh and relevant. YOU ARE HELPING GOOGLE FIND WORDPRESS, not your website. Note: The correct way would be to install wordpress onto a separate directory or subdomain on your existing website. When you’re done it should look like this: www.yourwebsite.com/blog or like this: www.blog.yourwebsite.com.

CONTROL

11. A Limited Future – You may have VERY LIMITED needs when you first begin with Wordpress and think this free version is perfect. As you learn more you’ll begin to see new possibilities and customizations that were incomprehensible to you when you began may become features that you find you can’t live without! The only way to get these features? Paid hosting.

12. No Control – Your content is in someone else’s hands. You have limited access to your files.  The bottom line is, you are NOT IN CONTROL of your own website!

13. Upgrade Sub-Par - Yes, you can have more control by upgrading your free account, but then IT ISN’T FREE anymore. By the time you pay to remove adds, add a domain and the extra space you are still subject to their terms. Why not just host your own website and have complete control of your content?

Final thoughts.

So basically what I’m saying is that it’s not a good idea to have a free website as your main home online. Whether you’re an individual or a business, get your own domain and pay for your own hosting.

If  you already have a free Wordpress site, and it is your only blog/website,  I suggest one of two things. 1) Buy a domain, install wordpress and start fresh. You can always direct people to your new blog from your old blog, or 2) Export all your content from your free site into a paid site, then you’ll have everything in one place. The sooner you do this the better in my opinion.

That said, blogging communities are great and should not be ignored. Having a free blog within a blogging community  however, is very different than having a website all your own. Of all the free blogging communities around, I like Tumblr the best. Here is a list of some of the most popular blogging communities.

Wordpress is a blog application found at Wordpress.org
Wordpress is free to use. It’s called open source.
Wordpress is awesome. Smart people use it.
Wordpress.com is a place to be part of a blogging community.
A free Wordpress blog doesn’t make sense as your only blog.
A free Wordpress blog is a great way to learn the ropes.

You can have a Wordpress blog/website one of two ways.

• Free web hosting at www.wordpress.com.
• Paid web hosting through the company of your choice. Then you install the free Wordpress application. The annual fee for quality hosting is usually around $100. (I like, use, and highly recommend www.Bluehost.com)

Need a website? Well it’s never been easier! One option is to hire someone to set up a site for you, have them spend a couple hours teaching you the basics, and then you are well on your way. Below are some beginning steps to ensure a great start.

My trifecta: Bluehost, Wordpress, and Thesis

A Quality Web Host

I have used Bluehost for my web hosting for the past 3 years and have been very happy with them. I’m not surprised when I check out various web hosting reviews and find Bluehost frequently in the top  five. Their hosting plans come with valuable extras and their customer service is awesome. I highly recommend Bluehost. Good News: They are available 24/7, eager to help, in the U.S. and easy to understand.  Cost: $107.40 annually ($8.95 a month)

A Great Domain Name

When picking a domain for your site, the key is to pick a name that is easy remember and not confusing. to spell. You can buy your domain at a variety of sites. GoDaddy.com is probably the cheapest and most popular. (I’m not a big fan though) You’ll pay between $8-$12 for one year and as long as you renew annually, you own that domain.  Good News: When you sign up for annual hosting with Bluehost, you get one domain for free! Cost: $0

Install Wordpress

Even if you don’t think you want a blog, it’s smart to have your website in blog format. Regardless of the purpose of your website (business, e-commerce, nonprofit, personal) Wordpress is a great foundation. Good News: Bluehost offers Wordpress installations as part of their hosting service. Cost: $0

Install Thesis

You may not understand what a Wordpress theme is, but trust me when I say that Thesis rules! Sure you can obtain a free no name brand template from just about any web hosting site available today, but it won’t come close to giving you the design and SEO capabilities that Thesis does.  Good News: This is a one time cost and well worth the price. Cost: $87

Third Party Apps

Now it’s time to install some important third party applications that make your Wordpress/Thesis combination work even better. Sociable, Akismet, Google Feedburner, and Google Analytics are just some of the staples. Good News: Most third party apps for Wordpress are free! Cost: $0

For example: Akismet (Automatic Kismet) blocks spam comments and spam links that show up on your website.

Next steps

Now comes the really important stuff. Deciding on content for your website and incorporating social media into your overall marketing strategy.

Social Media Therapist’s additional recommendations:

1. Accept the fact that you’ll never know it all, and if you hire someone to help you, they won’t know it all either. It’s impossible, so just have fun learning!
2. Understand that your website will always be a work in progress. Static websites don’t make sense. The goal is to be frequently adding fresh and relevant content.
3. Don’t just hire someone to do the work for you, hire someone who will teach you as much as you would like to learn. You never know when a little explanation might make something finally click for  you.

WEBSITE SETUP PACKAGE: I am currently offering a pre-set package to set up Wordpress/Thesis websites.  In addition to the BlueHost and Thesis theme cost of $194.40, you’ll pay another $350 for my time and expertise. This cost will cover the set up, including third party applications, and two consulting sessions. Please email me for package details. Cost: $544.40

This morning I turned on the radio in my car to hear one of my favorite Eagles’ songs, New Kid In Town. I had a very nostalgic little drive to my neighborhood grocery store. This song came out in 1978, the same year I graduated from high school.

On my way back from the store what I didn’t expect to hear was “Tweet to Win!”. K-Geezer (a.k.a. 107.1 KGSR Radio Austin) engaging their listeners on twitter? I guess I don’t listen to the radio enough to realize it’s becoming the norm. I decided to do a search, and sure enough, I found a site that lists radio stations on twitter.

New Media and radio seem like a natural fit in many ways. When you think about traditional advertising, (Radio-Television-Newspaper), it’s clear who has had the edge all along. In fact, radio perhaps was the very first form of social media marketing using technology. They have been engaging with their listeners since the very beginning. I’m not saying they did it well, but they were getting feedback and engaging none the less, even way back in the early days of radio.

So it’s come to this. Tweet-to-win. Instead of caller #7, it’s Direct Message #7 on twitter who gets the JD Souther at Threadgills tickets!

Well, it worked. They got me. I came home and started following @KGSR. I plan on trying to win some tickets with DM’s too. Way to start twittering KGSR! I’d love to see you incorporate some non-profit fund raisers into your twitter strategy as well. You have the twitter power now, use it for good!

FYI: In 1978 the Eagles received two Grammy awards: Best Vocal Arrangement for “New Kid In Town” and Record of the Year for Hotel California. Ahhh… the memories.