|
by Emma
If there was ever a time to start learning how to grow your online channel, it’s now. Being creative and starting to use your online tools can help leverage your business, improve customer service and extend your market reach without a huge cost investment.
In this newsletter we’ll be describing three easy ways to help you action an online channel. Some you will already be aware of and even use in your business activities. They are easy, quick and measurable.
- Tracking Offline and Online Promotional Campaigns by using CRM reporting tools and Google Analytics to measure the touch points. Click throughs to the site is only one part of the measurement, by measuring and analysing the other activities, for example conversions over time (leads vs visitors), lead source via forms, potentials pipeline, market input and revenue will help you optimise your next marketing activity.
For example, a success story is Shapland Swim School, had the highest online registration in January 2009 via a TV commercial. Hilton quoted “To achieve on-line registrations we’ve invested in advertising on other websites, SEO and television. We’ve certainly found the television campaign managed by our agency RHA Advertising to have the “most bang for the buck” in terms of achieving online registrations and cost per lead. Our franchisee’s send us emails telling us how happy they are with the online strategy. And that’s the best measure you can have.”
- Online customer service. Create a 24/7 Knowledge Base by publishing FAQ’s in vTigerCRM. By using the database for displaying answers to frequently asked questions, allows for self-service client support. Having the ability to deliver information quickly about products and services from a searchable database removes the need for a pre and post support, lowering support costs for both you and the client. People are automatically turning to the web to get more information.
- Start a Blog. Blogging is a great way to get more traffic from the right audience. Blogs allow you to engage your customers and guests in a dialogue and humanise your brand. For example, testing new products and services before you launch. Just by encouraging your prospects to engage with you online through a blog or forum opens up a new way to receive genuine client feedback.
The web is turning into a new communication channel. Companies can now successfully correlate market input to online response rates as an effectiveness measurement.
For further information or would like to discuss your online requirements, contact Emma Puttick at Sauce Software.
Tags: analytics, blog, campaigns, crm, customer service, Marketing, online, reporting
by Emma
One of the most challenging issues facing business is cashflow management. Having run a small business for nearly 3 years now, we’ve certainly learnt some lessons. Some of the systems which we’ve implemented have reduced internal inefficients, cross purposes and miscommunication, allowing time to be a more strategically focused company.
Being able to measure the amount of money your company makes and spends during a given period can be used used as a barometer of your company’s health and worth. Understanding your cash flow lets you evaluate:
- Borrowing needs
- The timing of new hires and major purchases
- The timing of payables
Assessing Incoming Cash Flow Processes
- Your company is not a bank. It’s always a good idea to get the payment terms out on the table at the beginning of the business relationship. This allows you to get on with business of delivering the exceptional service or product, knowing the cash is flowing in.
- Staying on Top of Receivables. Don’t wait to invoice, not even a day. Any extra time to send the invoice stalls the money coming in as well as widening the cashflow gap.
- Accept credit cards. “Can I put that on credit card?” should be a common question within the business, you receive the money within 2 days. Setting up an internet merchant facility is very straight forward these days, there are a variety of different services the banks can offer for all amounts of revenue. DIY alternatives are Paypal.
- Cashflow forecasting. A simple spreadsheet which records actual receivables against a forecast can show a 3 month projection if your business is on track, or you need to notify a provider that an invoice may be paid later than usual.
Assessing Outgoing Cash Flow Processes
- Bill Paying Arrangements. If you have set payment terms, you can ask the vendors if they would consider different arrangements. For example setting up a quarterly payment schedule versus a monthly payment schedule could work better with cash inflows, or having a few extra days will help smooth out cashflow.
- Make the most of your employees. Throwing new people at a problem may not be the best solution. One of the biggest expenses is the company payroll, can additional responsibility be added to current staff? If tasks can be separated and assigned to different people that is great. Think processes, not people.
- Consider outsourcing when processes are in place. At an early stage of a business there are a lot of processes which need to be established prior to outsourcing. However any part of the business which isn’t a core part of your business like, bookkeeping, marketing, copywriting, testing, administration can all be serviced by outsourcing providers.
Tags: business, cash flow, management
by Emma
Last week we were reminded that a mix of traditional marketing and online marketing can produce great results.
Chris Shapland from Shapland Swim Schools and Hilton Sentinella from Rha Advertising produced a campaign which launched their franchise business online. A TV ad which played for one week promoting the Swim School then directing the viewers to book online. The result was a 90% increase in registrations from last year via the online registration form and 40-80% conversion rate, the lower conversion rate was because that particular swim school had filled all the places.
Just by “going live” online doesn’t mean magic will just happen, you need to work it, test, measure and improve. There are so many ways to start marketing your business online. It is all out there for you to grab today.
by Emma
In November 2007, Ipswich was named the world’s most livable mid-size city. In their latest newsletter Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale says:
Among the many announcements made as part of the Ipswich City Council Budget for 2008-2009 was a commitment to further embrace technology to market our city online. Ipswich needs to move with the times and develop new ways to market our city and its attractions on the world wide web.
The new rules to market your business online:
by Emma
Situation
ThanksAMillion is the challenge the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Queensland has set itself to raise $1 million in 2008 to support Queenslanders living with MS and fund research into a cure.
To communicate the ambitions and objectives of ThanksAMillion, an online solution was sought. Ideally this solution would provide a website and an events management package to host information regarding fundraising activity specifically for ThanksAMillion and collect payments online.
Continue reading “Case of: Thanks A Million - MS Australia”
Tags: Case Studies, Marketing, sales
by Emma
Recently, there has been noise made about businesses feeling like they have to make cuts to their budget and our customers have been looking for more cost effective ways to market their business. An essential part of your business marketing strategy is having a web window. Once you are on this technology wave, there are a few quick fixes to improve your business website stickiness…
Here are some reminder tips to look at for your website, to keep customers coming back to you:
- Look at the experts in your field and note what they are doing to attract customers.
- Find words and phrases that you connect with and adapt them to your site.
- Customise these words and phrases until they become your own.
- Be sure your most important content is placed high on the page so visitors to your site will see it.
Continue reading “Never too late for the web!”
Tags: content, tips, website ideas
by Emma
Recently we’ve had a number of clients sign up for our Top 10 Web page Optimizer Report. This is a report which conducts an analysis of your website against the top 8 ranking websites found on Google.com.au, against your specific keywords searches and then offers suggestions on how to improve your rankings.
Easy and small changes to your sales and marketing website can FLIP your online lead generation results around.
By following the suggestions made within this report you can increase your chances of being found through organic search results. Unfortunately with organic searches there are no shortcuts and results don’t happen overnight.
However, here is a case study of how one of our customers, “Which Training” moved from the fourth page of Google to within the Top 10 when someone searches for ‘Training” in Google.
Continue reading “Case of: Which Training”
Tags: Case Studies, google, SEO
by Emma
Last week I attended a great evening hosted by the “Wizard of WOW”, Paul Dunn.
Paul’s favorite sayings include “Funky Business” quotes like “We are in a sea of sameness, in a winner takes all world, normal equals nothing - be abnormal“.
Is your business normal or abnormal?
This opened up some great ideas, tips and tricks that can powerfully engage your customers.
Paul shared ideas on how to create a WOW experience for your customers. I have listed three. The cost is minimal so why not try these out on a customer today? Measure your results and see for yourself the WOW experience in action
Continue reading “Sharing the magic moments with customers”
Tags: Marketing, sales, tips
|
