Its not often I praise my business partner so publically however today he deserves some credit…

Dillon Boivin has years of experience in increasing traffic to websites! We often joke about how he has taught me everything I know when it comes to SEO.

This competitive / friendly atmosphere is what drives us both on to succeed. We often set each other challenges to see who holds the upper hand – I remember a quad bike race a few years back, I will let Dillon tell you who won….

Anyway due to our competitive nature we decided to see if I (the pupil) could beat the Emperor (Dillon Boivin) at his own game……

I’ve been getting fed up of his constant taunts of how he thinks he’s better than me!

Therefore on Monday we decided to have a little bet to see who could get a brand new website onto the first page of Google the quickest.

So what happened……

Well let’s just put it this way 5 days on I am wishing I never took this bet.

Dillon won hands down. I’m sure he cheated or pulled a fast one or got some fancy software, I reckon it was a scam!

Anyway now ... continue reading article.]]> Dillon Boivin – what a legend!

Its not often I praise my business partner so publically however today he deserves some credit…

Dillon Boivin has years of experience in increasing traffic to websites! We often joke about how he has taught me everything I know when it comes to SEO.

This competitive / friendly atmosphere is what drives us both on to succeed. We often set each other challenges to see who holds the upper hand – I remember a quad bike race a few years back, I will let Dillon tell you who won….

Anyway due to our competitive nature we decided to see if I (the pupil) could beat the Emperor (Dillon Boivin) at his own game……

I’ve been getting fed up of his constant taunts of how he thinks he’s better than me!

Therefore on Monday we decided to have a little bet to see who could get a brand new website onto the first page of Google the quickest.

So what happened……

Well let’s just put it this way 5 days on I am wishing I never took this bet.

Dillon won hands down. I’m sure he cheated or pulled a fast one or got some fancy software, I reckon it was a scam!

Anyway now I’ve stopped sulking lets look at the positives….it is a bloody good job that he looks after the SEO at Activ!

Till next time Mr Dillon Boivin, you might have won the battle however you will not win the war!

Activ’s unique approach to web design and search engine optimisation (SEO) has seen them rewarded in the 2010 HSBC Start Up Star Awards.

Check out the HSBC website here:

http://www.startupstars.hsbc.co.uk/start-up-stars-finalists-2010

The key to Activ’s growth stems from the uncomplicated approach they have taken towards the web design and SEO industry.

Bridging the gap between the suppliers and purchasers in the IT industry is something that has long been needed. Many purchasers regularly turn away from purchasing a website at the fear of being confused by the supplier.

With Activ offering fixed prices linked with their commitment to explaining everything in a language the customer understands has seen them prosper over recent years as they have grown into one of the largest web design and SEO companies in the UK.

Offering a high quality service at a price all SME can afford has not only meant they have succeeded here in the UK it has seen them move into Spain, Australia and Ireland.

Simon Rickett Director at Activ says, “We are delighted to win this award and it is a credit to all the hard work everyone puts in here at Activ. A ... continue reading article.]]> HSBC award Activ, International Business of the year in this years regional Start Up Star Awards.

Activ’s unique approach to web design and search engine optimisation (SEO) has seen them rewarded in the 2010 HSBC Start Up Star Awards.

Check out the HSBC website here:

http://www.startupstars.hsbc.co.uk/start-up-stars-finalists-2010

The key to Activ’s growth stems from the uncomplicated approach they have taken towards the web design and SEO industry.

Bridging the gap between the suppliers and purchasers in the IT industry is something that has long been needed. Many purchasers regularly turn away from purchasing a website at the fear of being confused by the supplier.

With Activ offering fixed prices linked with their commitment to explaining everything in a language the customer understands has seen them prosper over recent years as they have grown into one of the largest web design and SEO companies in the UK.

Offering a high quality service at a price all SME can afford has not only meant they have succeeded here in the UK it has seen them move into Spain, Australia and Ireland.

Simon Rickett Director at Activ says, “We are delighted to win this award and it is a credit to all the hard work everyone puts in here at Activ. A very big thank you to all our local advisors as they have been instrumental in us achieving this recognition”

When asked, what the future holds for Activ, Simon goes onto say, “The need for websites is at an all time high, so we can’t take our eye of this however what has been fantastic over the last few months is that our SEO service is staring to gain momentum as companies who already have websites are now taking advantage of our SEO services. It won’t be long before our SEO service reaches the same heights as our web design service”

To find out more about Activ, visit:

www.activwebdesign.com

www.activseo.com

I haven’t stopped!

I’ve been doing 1 to 1 training days with our Activ entrepreneurs and really working hard to take Activ to the next stage in its developments. I’m not complaining however I needed a quick break away from it all to catch my breath (hence this post)

Today has seen the launch of our great new websites that explain in full about the fantastic franchise and business opportunities Activ offer.

Also today something happened in my personal life that I am pretty chuffed about to (can’t say too much now, however all in good time).

Anyway got to dash – I have to prepare for a training day I am running tomorrow for all the the latest franchisees that have joined Activ,

Best Wishes

Simon

The next most important factor is DO NOT write content to sell your services or goods. What do we mean by this? In this day and age small companies are using the internet as a key part of building their customer base, keeping in contact with their clients and also using it as a means of advertising.

Having a website is essential today, however it is what you do with it which will determine if having it in the first place was money well spent or money down the drain! This is why online marketing is essential.

The common mistake is that people think as soon as a website is designed, like magic hundreds of customers are going to start flocking to take advantage of the services and products on offer. If this is you and you are about to have your website designed, it won’t happen, you need to give the development of your ... continue reading article.]]> With all content ensure before you start you identify exactly who you are aiming at. The reality is that we are all aiming at someone to take advantage of what we are offering however what is that persons profile? i.e. what makes them tick? who is your target audience?

The next most important factor is DO NOT write content to sell your services or goods. What do we mean by this?
In this day and age small companies are using the internet as a key part of building their customer base, keeping in contact with their clients and also using it as a means of advertising.

Having a website is essential today, however it is what you do with it which will determine if having it in the first place was money well spent or money down the drain! This is why online marketing is essential.

The common mistake is that people think as soon as a website is designed, like magic hundreds of customers are going to start flocking to take advantage of the services and products on offer. If this is you and you are about to have your website designed, it won’t happen, you need to give the development of your website much more thought!

95% of websites don’t actually achieve anything. Why? Because they were never designed with the objectives of the business in mind from the start…

Too many websites are designed with the sole purpose of selling products or services.

If you want to benefit from the rewards the power of the internet brings you need to turn your website into a lead generation tool and don’t try and sell from it.

Once you do this your profits will go through the roof!

What am I getting at?

Think about the last time you searched online, how many websites did you visit before you actually found the info you wanted? 10, 20 or even 30. Meaning that all the websites you visited that you didn’t interact with might as well not have been there in the first place! This type of behaviour is common for every type of internet user, meaning every day millions of sites are being visited but 95% of them might as well be redundant.

That is what you need to stop! You need to get this 95% of internet users to interact with your website when they visit it. You have to give them a reason for staying on your website and ensuring they give you their data so you can use it to market your products and services to.

Imagine if you collected data of 5% of the users of your website, this would mean you would be generating leads to market to at a later date!

Look at your website as a lead generation tool, nothing more. Write the copy of your website with this objective in mind.

This is why having a website isn’t about selecting the right web developer or technical genius it is about selecting the right online marketeer who can explain this to you. Someone who can give you tips on how your website copy should read, how to generate leads and how to use that data to maximise your profits.

Online Marketing and web development are two totally different things, one will cost you money, one will make you money!
So how are we going to ensure your audience stays on our website, reads your articles and emails?

The answer is information. Free information! If you can provide your readers with information about what you are offering they will interact with you. We all like to find out more about interesting topics, therefore if a user is searching online for a certain topic that you offer if you have written an article about it they are likely to read about what you are saying.

As they read your article they are likely to click on the anchor text links you have added to find out more which means that you actually start to generate visitors visiting your website, interested in exactly what you do.

If you can get a visitor to your website through writing interesting articles you are half way there, however what you need to do is when you get them to your website is actually offer them something else for FREE i.e. an E Book with more information about what they have been reading about? Why?

The answer is very simple, because as soon as they complete that contact form for further information you have got exactly what you need to turn your website traffic into sales! You have their data! Once you have their email address you can then continue to send Free information about who you are and what you do then suddenly one day that user actually needs what you are offering and who are they going to contact?

At this point they are going to contact you. You have provided them with various free information, from the initial article, to the Free E Book, to the follow up emails until suddenly they actually need what you are offering!

What has happened here…. When a customer walks into a shop on the high street it is because they more than likely need something from that shop, however when we search online we have so much more choice, meaning many times a user searchers online they don’t actually interact with any websites. However if you can actually capture the data of your users and then market to them regularly through email marketing campaigns, when they actually come back to searching online they are more likely just to go straight to your site as you have continually reminded them you are there!

Your website is their for one purpose to collect data and provide free information! Do not forget that. Once you have that data you can use it and then try and sell your products and services. If you think your website will do that for you, you will be very disappointed.

Don’t worry I’m not about to start harping on or discuss those inner demons or anything like that so you can carry on reading!

I’m just going to identify some practical methods that can really change your behaviour patterns as an entrepreneur.

By using these strategies you will be able to “Turn Ordinary Business into Extraordinary Business”

I want to start with a little story that happened to me a fair few years ago, that has stuck with me throughout everything I do.

I use to work at a college lecturing Psychology, and in order for our team to improve our students results our head of department had arranged for a Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) expert to come and talk to us. The purpose of the session was to identify the role Lecturers play in developing students to achieve their goals.

I remember the session like it was yesterday! The department I was in contained a real mixed bunch, ranging in age from 24 – 65, all with different experiences, some had been lecturing for years some ... continue reading article.]]> How we think controls everything we do. There is no getting away from the fact that what we experience in our lives, impacts our behaviour in some way or another.

Don’t worry I’m not about to start harping on or discuss those inner demons or anything like that so you can carry on reading!

I’m just going to identify some practical methods that can really change your behaviour patterns as an entrepreneur.

By using these strategies you will be able to “Turn Ordinary Business into Extraordinary Business”

I want to start with a little story that happened to me a fair few years ago, that has stuck with me throughout everything I do.

I use to work at a college lecturing Psychology, and in order for our team to improve our students results our head of department had arranged for a Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) expert to come and talk to us. The purpose of the session was to identify the role Lecturers play in developing students to achieve their goals.

I remember the session like it was yesterday! The department I was in contained a real mixed bunch, ranging in age from 24 – 65, all with different experiences, some had been lecturing for years some had just started!

What was apparent was that the older, more cynical members of the group did not really want to be there. They couldn’t see how the session was going to benefit them and their students in any way shape or form.

NLP is all about successful experiences and how by reinforcing those successful experiences we can educate ourselves in self awareness and effective communication.

Two members of the group really stood out for me, both male, mid 40’s, lectured for years and worked with many students.

Over the years they had developed the attitude that it was a lecturers responsibility to inform their students what their capabilities were.

Do you agree with this?

If you were a lecturer would you feel it was your role to tell your students what they could or couldn’t do?

They took the approach that if a student came to them and said they wanted to do a certain subject or pursue a certain career that it was their responsibility to say NO YOU CAN’T DO THAT, YOU WILL NEVER SUCCEED.

I found this pretty hard to stomach and the session turned into quite a heated discussion. I wanted to know why on earth they thought they could dampen someone ambitions in one foul swoop.

As lecturers we have a responsibility to assist learning and encourage development not stop it dead in its tracks.

The session moved on and we were asked to do a variety of tasks one that really stood out for me was that we were asked to stand at one end of the room and imagine a line running from one end of the room to the other.

We were then told to envisage this line was a time line. At the end of it was where you wanted to be in 10 years time.

Once this image was clear in our mind, we were instructed to walk up the time line, identifying at every stage exactly what you needed to do to achieve that goal of where you wanted to be.

The purpose of the exercise was really to get us to focus on our goal and exactly what needed to be done to reach it.

At this point no one knew what each other had imagined. One by one we revealed exactly what we had thought about. One of men I mentioned answered with:

‘To be still at the college and doing what I am doing now’

The other man said something almost identical!

Well for me that explained a few things!

They had stop setting themselves targets, they had no ambition to improve or develop. But what really bugged me the most was the fact that because they had lost that drive this was now rubbing off on the students they were lecturing.

When it came to me, and I was asked what I had pictured, I responded with:

I want a Ferrari, well its not the Ferrari I want but the self fulfillment that means I have achieved everything I wanted to do that might put me in a position to afford one.

And guess what, a sarcastic laugh filled the room. I don’t need to tell you who were the instigators!

To find out more about how to turn ordinary business into extraordinary business download the free Ebook here

As more traffic is driven to your site, you can entice many of them to subscribe to your mailing list or opt-in list. This is a list where in website visitors agree to be sent promotional materials such as newsletters, catalogs and such that could keep them updated about your site or the niche of your site. These promotional materials are sent via e-mail to the members of the list in different time intervals.

When using e-mail as the media of your marketing and advertisements, you eliminate the need for high costs. Email is free and if you can manage to make your own promotional advertisements you can also save a bundle there. With an opt-in subscribers list, you are pretty sure that what you are sending out is received, viewed and read by the subscribers and not simply being deleted. ... continue reading article.]]> Every online business provides great service to generate satisfaction among their customers. As each and every customer receives satisfaction over their products or the services they get, there is a great chance that they will become a return customer and buy again. Better yet, they will recommend you to other people that could generate more business for you and your site.

As more traffic is driven to your site, you can entice many of them to subscribe to your mailing list or opt-in list. This is a list where in website visitors agree to be sent promotional materials such as newsletters, catalogs and such that could keep them updated about your site or the niche of your site. These promotional materials are sent via e-mail to the members of the list in different time intervals.

When using e-mail as the media of your marketing and advertisements, you eliminate the need for high costs. Email is free and if you can manage to make your own promotional advertisements you can also save a bundle there. With an opt-in subscribers list, you are pretty sure that what you are sending out is received, viewed and read by the subscribers and not simply being deleted. They have signed up for service and have consented in receiving it.

This means that there are constant reminders to your subscribers about all your products, new products and services as well as any promotions and special deals you are having. There is also the chance that they can be forwarded to other potential customers as they tell their friends and families about you and your site.

Of course you should be also aware that a subscriber may unsubscribe when they feel that they are not getting what they want or expected. Make sure that they are satisfied with your opt-in marketing strategies and keep them excited in receiving your newsletters and catalogs. Here are some tips that can help you build a list of eager subscribers.

Make your promotional materials interesting and fun. Try to use a little creativity but not too over artsy. Build around what your product or service is about. For example; if you are selling car parts, put some pictures of what is new in the auto parts world, a new wing door possibly that can fit any car and make it look like a Lamborghini.

Try to research what people are looking for, these way, you stay one step ahead of them all the time and you will be their bearer of new tidings. They will be eager to receive what you are sending them because they new you always have fresh and new things to share with them.

Write good articles that can be very informational but light at the same time. If your subscribers enjoy your articles, they will go to your site by clicking the links that you will be putting on your newsletter to read some more. You can provide articles that can connect to many people. Be diverse in your articles. Put something humorous, then put something informational, then put something that has both.

Are you wary about this because you don’t like writing? No problem, there are many professional and experienced article writers that   can do the job for you for minimal fees. They know what they are doing and can provide the need that you have for your newsletters, the money that you pay for your articles are going to be met by the many sign-ups and the potential profit from the sales that you will get.

Create and send an E-book to your customers about anything that is related to your business or site. Use your knowledge and expertise in the field you have chosen to help other people who are similarly interested. Offer this e-book for free. You can write about anything informational and helpful to your subscribers. For example; you can do manuals and guides in so many things. This e-book could be used as a reference for many people.

Share this e-book with everyone, even other sites; just make sure that they donít change the links in the e-book that will lead people to your site. If you want, you can always get some people to write it for you just like your articles. Your investment once again will be covered by the great marketing this will generate.

Add e-coupons in your newsletters that will help them avail to special discounts. Put a control number in your e-coupon so that they can only be used once. When people get discounts that can be found in your newsletters, they will be eager to receive your newsletter in anticipation of what you are promoting next.

If your subscribers can get benefits from your newsletters, they will be very eager to receive them.

Just because a business operates online it does not mean it isn’t an honest business with integrity. I can understand why online businesses get labeled as scams, cons etc in some instances, there are a lot of cons and scams out there (the nigerian lottery winnings, the inheritance from a King in Somalia, I am sure you have seen the emails too) but there are many honest and successful businesses that operate in this industry.

As one of the largest web design companies in the UK Activ Web Design are a professional organisation that offer web design services to small businesses across the UK, Ireland, France and Australia. Web Design is traditionally known as a ‘techie’ type business but Activ take away all of the confusion with web design, they offer fixed price websites that are designed to help a business:

Activ talk about websites in a language that is easy to understand Activ keep it simple! Why would Activ Web Design be a scam? with hundreds ... continue reading article.]]> I felt compelled to write this article about one of my companies, Activ Web Design, today as the internet and internet-based businesses are always being labeled as things they are not!

Just because a business operates online it does not mean it isn’t an honest business with integrity. I can understand why online businesses get labeled as scams, cons etc in some instances, there are a lot of cons and scams out there (the nigerian lottery winnings, the inheritance from a King in Somalia, I am sure you have seen the emails too) but there are many honest and successful businesses that operate in this industry.

As one of the largest web design companies in the UK Activ Web Design are a professional organisation that offer web design services to small businesses across the UK, Ireland, France and Australia. Web Design is traditionally known as a ‘techie’ type business but Activ take away all of the confusion with web design, they offer fixed price websites that are designed to help a business:

• Save Money
• Save Time
• Make Money

Activ talk about websites in a language that is easy to understand Activ keep it simple! Why would Activ Web Design be a scam? with hundreds of satisfied customers and dozens of testimonials and case studies from across the World, Activ thrives in a highly competitive, technical industry because it is different. We talk to you in a language you understand! We know what a website needs to do to work for your business! Below are a few testimonials from our satisfied customers…

Thank you for the work you have put in creating the www.personaltouch-epc.co.uk website. The results have been fantastic and in a period of only 2 months have completely repaid all of my initial outlay for the creation of the site and surpassed all my expectations. I would also like to thank you for your efforts and speed in which you have made additional alterations and added pages to the site.

Thanks for the great service, very personal and efficient

At Cunningham’s Cook & Bakeware Company we value our confidence to deliver our message and image to our customers.   That’s why fulfilling expectations, delivering a quality product, and helping our customers achieve their objectives are our top priorities, and personal attention, accessibility and providing reliable, hassle free service are how we like to do business, and part of our success is down to our website. I would recommend Tommy Laughlin of Activ Web Design to anyone – good service from the beginning and after completion of my website. It took half the time I expected and I was very pleased with the result. Any problems or updating is dealt with quickly and efficiently. A friendly and professional service. Lots more enquiries and the traffic has increased on our website dramatically, thanks for all your help in improving our business. We wanted something that would look professional and be easy to use and maintain. The Activ Web Design team were very professional and easy to work with. They took time to understand our business requirements, explained everything in everyday language and produced a simple but effective design. They also provided invaluable advice about how to turn enquiries into sales. The whole design process was completed in a few weeks and we are absolutely delighted with the results.

If you are looking for a WEBSITE THAT WORKS for your business get in touch with Activ Web Design, we know how to deliver! Not a scam, not a con, Activ have, in 2 years, become one of the leading web design companies in the UK. Did I tell you about the recent awards Activ has been nominated for…

• Activ reached the final of the Nectar Small Business Awards 2009
• Activ reached the final of the Leicestershire Business Awards 2010
• Activ reached the final of the Fast Growth Business Awards 2010

Hundreds of satisfied customers, national recognition and fantastic service and support. Activ Web Design is the choice of small businesses across the UK, Ireland, France and Australia

Finally one final point watch this space as we will be launching a great new service very soon!

Marketing is a process that never stands still, when you stop marketing you might as well close up shop!

In your marketing you need to be able to identify why things don’t work. If you assign a poor response to the wrong factor it can be devastating for you.

It is more often than not, not because where you placed the advert was wrong, (which is what we all seem to think straight away), it could be any reason of a number of different elements i.e.

Marketing is all about triggering specific emotions to result in an action!!

Let me explain using web design as an example….

If I send an email that says,

“I sell websites for £499 and £999, do you want one? If you do get in contact with me!”

What emotional response has been triggered?

Apprehension, doubt, concern, however more than likely NO EMOTIONAL RESPONSE, which means the reader is only going to think….

“I’m not spending money with you I have no idea who you are! What you doing emailing me like ... continue reading article.]]> To be successful in marketing you must evaluate, redesign and retry your campaigns.

Marketing is a process that never stands still, when you stop marketing you might as well close up shop!

In your marketing you need to be able to identify why things don’t work. If you assign a poor response to the wrong factor it can be devastating for you.

It is more often than not, not because where you placed the advert was wrong, (which is what we all seem to think straight away), it could be any reason of a number of different elements i.e.

• What message was delivered?
• Was there an action required?
• What was your objective in the first place?
• Did the marketing cause an emotional response?

Marketing is all about triggering specific emotions to result in an action!!

Let me explain using web design as an example….

If I send an email that says,

“I sell websites for £499 and £999, do you want one? If you do get in contact with me!”

What emotional response has been triggered?

Apprehension, doubt, concern, however more than likely NO EMOTIONAL RESPONSE, which means the reader is only going to think….

“I’m not spending money with you I have no idea who you are! What you doing emailing me like this out of the blue? You obviously want something! DELETE!”

The only person who might respond will be that person who wants a website right that second.

Would you ever walk into a sales meeting, and your opening comment be…..” do you want to buy my product or service now?”

No never, they don’t know who you are, what you are offering, how it will benefit them so WHY are you doing it with your marketing?

Recently I ran a campaign titled….

I have a complaint about Activ

The analysis of this campaign was astounding. Why would anyone start a campaign with such a negative comment? Well I will tell you why, because everyone reacts quicker to bad news, good news is great, but bad news spreads like wild fire.

The email did contain a complaint, however that complaint was a POSITIVE complaint about how busy an entrepreneur I had worked with had become as a result of following the advise they had been given.

HOWEVER EVERYONE EXPECTED IT TO BE NEGATIVE and that is what resulted in….

• Response time to action – up by 35%
• How long people read the email for – up by 18%
• How quickly it took people to click to the page I was directing them to – up by 25%

By generating this amount of activity so quickly, it meant the number of leads generated was much higher than usual, in fact 40% HIGHER

However people did unsubscribe also I did have people respond to the email with a few choice words! But so what? As we had generated 40% MORE LEADS THAN USUAL

This is what you want in your marketing you want to create emotional responses!

People are all different therefore how they react to situations are all going to be different. If you get people unsubscribing, giving you a few verbal’s it doesn’t mater! It should mean you campaign has been successful!

With email marketing the key is to generate emotional responses quickly, that result in an action!

Don’t follow the norm, stop sending emails that are boring, start sending emails that are creative, thought provoking THAT CREATE AN EMOTIONAL RESPONSE. Go and look at your marketing, does it create emotional responses or does it just say, DO YOU WANT TO BUY SOMETHING? If it says the latter change it NOW! My whole business has been has been built around email marketing, it works if done correctly.

Finally I just would like to give a special mention to one person who responded to my last campaign.

The campaign was called – “I owe you an apology”

This special person responded with – “Apology accepted now XXXX XXX from Mickey Mouse”

My question to you, is why did you go the effort of responding?

The answer is simple… because it created an emotional response! An emotional response that obviously got this person’s back up, however an emotional response that generated us hundreds of leads. What is more important leads which result in sales or no leads at all!!

Anyway till next time Mickey Mouse…. I will be in touch!

It is pretty simply really….if you know the reason WHY, you are more likely to ACT…..

I have a 3 year old daughter who seems to only have one word in her vocabulary… WHY

“Put your shoes on” – WHY?

“You need a coat” – WHY?

“You need to brush your teeth” – WHY?

“You can’t have that” – WHY?

And so on ……

However when you tell her…..

“Put your shoes on because we are going to the park” – SHE DOES IT

“Put your coat on because you will get cold outside” – SHE DOES IT

“You need to brush your teeth to make sure they stay clean and healthy” – SHE DOES IT

“You can’t have that because it is dangerous” – SHE DOES IT

Now look at your marketing…. are you telling your potential customers the reasons WHY they need to enquire?

Why they need to purchase what you are offering?

If you are not using the why’s in your marketing – WHY NOT?

Many of us ignore this aspect of our marketing because we ASSUME our target audience will know the reasons why?

It is such a simple aspect to marketing that it is often forgotten! You need to tell ... continue reading article.]]> Why oh why is the word WHY such an important marketing trigger?

It is pretty simply really….if you know the reason WHY, you are more likely to ACT…..

I have a 3 year old daughter who seems to only have one word in her vocabulary… WHY

“Put your shoes on” – WHY?

“You need a coat” – WHY?

“You need to brush your teeth” – WHY?

“You can’t have that” – WHY?

And so on ……

However when you tell her…..

“Put your shoes on because we are going to the park” – SHE DOES IT

“Put your coat on because you will get cold outside” – SHE DOES IT

“You need to brush your teeth to make sure they stay clean and healthy” – SHE DOES IT

“You can’t have that because it is dangerous” – SHE DOES IT

Now look at your marketing…. are you telling your potential customers the reasons WHY they need to enquire?

Why they need to purchase what you are offering?

If you are not using the why’s in your marketing – WHY NOT?

Many of us ignore this aspect of our marketing because we ASSUME our target audience will know the reasons why?

It is such a simple aspect to marketing that it is often forgotten! You need to tell your audience the reasons why what you are offering is so important to them.

Go and analyse your marketing campaigns, look to see if they are clearly identifying the reasons why, or are they just making a statement. People don’t interact with statements and to be honest they are not really that bothered on how great you are!

If you were told to turn off the TV now without a reason – WOULD YOU DO IT?

No you would ask WHY? “Why do I have to do that I am watching it?”

The Why’s are the reasons why people will interact with your products and services.

Go and look at your website – does it explain the reasons WHY?

Go and look at your brochures – does it explain the reasons WHY?

To many people are more interested in informing their target audience how great they are and missing out on the only psychological factor that is going to make people interact with you….

THE REASON WHY?

Look at this way, your marketing needs to clearly explain the benefits of what you are offering to any potential customers if it doesn’t do that, you are missing out on sales!!

WHY ON EARTH DO YOU WANT TO MISS OUT ON SALES?

I can’t say too much just yet! However I can tell you we are currently redeveloping the Activ network to take things to the next level.

The reason for the excitement was because if what we are developing behind the scenes works it will change the whole way local information websites work.

Obviously we won’t know till it is launched however to see the sparkle in the eye of our in house development team (where sometimes a rocket is needed to get them excited), we must be doing something right!

Watch this space, we are planning for a launch this summer.