When Prospects Ask ‘What Sets You Apart?’... Don’t Answer!

by Melissa Finnigan
www.liqui-site.com

        Tweet

How to provide the "wow" response to the age-old question.

Yesterday I received an email article from a sales training company based in the UK and it got me thinking...

If a client were to ask “what sets Liqui-Site apart from its competitors”, would I start rambling about our offerings and what we provide to clients as if reading from a teleprompter?

Clearly not the best approach, considering that a potential client is not concerned with what was done for another company with a different set of issues. The prospective client really wants to know how we can help address THEIR unique challenges.

I’ve actually been on the receiving end of the “standard response” and have, admittedly, completed tuned out.

Ask Questions First
If value is assessed by how you’re going to resolve a problem, you can’t provide much without a vast amount of detail. Unfortunately, this is where many website design and development companies fall short.

Presenting every client with the “takeout menu” of product and service offerings is a recipe for disaster – and a lost lead.

If a prospective client asks you up-front, “What sets your company apart from competitors”, let them know that you’ll “answer that once you find out more about what [their] challenges are”. You’re sure to get a strange look or comment, but that’s exactly what you’re looking for! Now, they’re paying attention because you’ve done something different from everyone else they’ve been speaking with. Guaranteed.

Now you’ve got to ask questions – from every angle. Leave no stone unturned. And don’t be afraid to engage them further, even after the initial discussion.

Listen Second
In order to effectively service your clients, you must be a great listener. And not just in listening to what they’ve described as their challenges or needs, but in reading between the lines, where deeper issues may live. Then think about ways to solve an issue that works best for each unique situation.

In order to find what the exact issues are, you’ve got to put the time in up-front on conference calls, web-based meetings, in-person consultations and email exchanges.

Since you wouldn’t ask a client to figure out how your company can help them, the role of a genuine salesperson or account manager is to figure out how to marry company offerings with resolution to prospective clients’ targeted issues.

Only after you know the entire scope of challenges, internal resources, technological requirements, allocated budget, etc. can you determine the root cause(s) of the issues. And now, you’re better prepared to diagnose and make relevant recommendations!

Conclusion
The best way to sell products and services is not to sell them at all. Converse, engage in valuable discussions, and your recommendations will sell themselves.

Finally, respond to the initial question: “What sets your company apart from competitors?”

“You mentioned that your current lead generation and online sales have been declining over the last 9 months, so improving these two key areas is very important to you. Well, we recently implemented a new e-commerce platform and lead capture forms on specific landing pages for ABC company facing exactly the same problem as what you’ve been describing. We addressed their organic SEO issues, added new content and re-purposed existing content, implemented a more user-friendly user experience (UX) and developed a social media strategy where none had existed. Three months after website re-launch, they have increased lead generation by 32% and online sales by 46% compared to the year prior. That's what sets us apart from our competition when it comes to needs like yours."

Wow.

An Authentic 'Thank You' Goes a Long Way

by Kelly Campbell
www.liqui-site.com

        Tweet

When a "thank you" is unexpected and creative, clients notice.

This past Tuesday was Valentine's Day, so we decided to do something special for our valued clients. Not exactly out-of-the-box, but creative and thoughtful just the same, we sent Godiva chocolates with a simple note: "When we say we love our clients, we're not kidding! Thank you for your business. From Liqui-Site Designs". There was no reference to Valentine's Day – other than the "love" and the fact that it was delivered on that day.

The response was both overwhelming and humbling. Some clients posted on our Facebook Page.

Many others emailed us, saying things like, "Hello and thank you for the nice Valentine's Day / Client Appreciation Godiva treat we received yesterday! It certainly perked up the afternoon!" and "Thank you for the Valentine's Day gift! It was both very thoughtful and a great marketing idea. I am really impressed with Liqui-Site's unique approach!"

In the last two days, we received a wonderful message from almost every client. It just goes to show that being authentic is always much appreciated. Being unexpected is even more powerful.

Unfortunately, most companies don't go the extra mile to show their clients how much they value their business. With most daily communication occurring via email or social media for maximum efficiency, it's the human interaction of a telephone call or the gesture of a special delivery that can further solidify relationships.

Comments, opinions? Would love to how other companies show sincere appreciation to their clients.

Effective SEO… Possible Without Social Media?

by Douglas Lim
Guest Blogger for www.liqui-site.com

        Tweet

Search engine optimization has certainly changed over the years. In the 90’s, it was possible to keyword stuff your on-page SEO and be able to achieve multiple first page listings on Google. But since then, we’ve seen the rise of off-page SEO, or link building, which includes getting back links from various sources. This includes article directories, forums, blog comments, blog networks, social bookmarking and the list goes on.

Then Google came along and changed the whole SEO landscape again with Panda at the start of 2011. Low quality sites with low quality content dropped in the rankings while authoritative sites with original content were pushed up in the rankings.

Now the SEO landscape is changing again with the advent of community engagement (i.e. social media). There were rumblings in the SEO world that Google was going to take into account social media signals as part of their search ranking algorithm. Now, without a doubt, that time has come. SEOMoz surveyed hundreds of the world’s best search marketers in 2011 to present a report on what factors affect SEO the most along with future factors that would have the most impact. You can read the complete SEOMoz report here.

Quite clearly, social media is playing a huge part in the search rankings and will continue to play a bigger part. Alongside this, I’ve found from my own testing of ranking websites, you cannot ignore social media in your SEO strategy. In fact, what we are seeing is that Google are now recognizing that websites ranking at the top which may have thousands of back links need social proof. They need to have had people Facebook like their page, tweet their page, Google +1 their page or share their page on LinkedIn. This is where the human element comes into effect that people can now validate the quality of pages by using social media and sharing it amongst their followers and friends. This is what Google wants. By providing the best search results, more people will continue to use Google as their preferred search engine, and thus Google can continue to make money on their biggest money earner – Adwords.

Now some quick tips to utilize social media in your SEO strategy. First thing, understand that it takes effort! You’re building a brand presence with social media so it’s not set and forget. You need to be doing it daily. Secondly include social media sharing icons on your website for every page. Make it easier for people to share your content by providing this for them. Thirdly, produce great and engaging content that entices people to share your content. Content is king! Fourthly, add your social media links to your brand collateral such as email signatures, flyers, proposals etc. Fifth for a most advanced tip create a viral campaign using video and spread it amongst your social networks.

Based in Australia, Douglas Lim is passionate about social media marketing and search engine optimization, especially helping others to leverage these two areas. He blogs about different topics within these two niches and has a real passion for the building communities of people online. He does so on a personal level and also for hundreds of clients. For more information, check out his blog at www.douglaslim.org

The "Red Thread of Fate" - For Business

by Kelly Campbell
www.liqui-site.com

        Tweet

We're destined to connect. We don't know how, when or why.

I watched the preview premier of a new TV series on Fox, called Touch, this past Tuesday night. I'd been intrigued by the trailers, but the show ended up provoking thought on how the premise of "destined connectedness" was just as applicable in business.

Have you ever considered that "our lives are invisibly tied to those whose destinies touch ours." This belief is an Eastern Asian philosophy called the "red thread of fate" – whereby an invisible red string is tied to each person destined to encounter another sometime throughout their lifetime. This magical cord may stretch or tangle, but it can never break.

Regardless of religious or personal beliefs, I immediately contemplated how this applies to business. We never really know from where the next lead, sale, employee, affiliate or vendor will come, when they will appear, and how we'll come into contact. That's where the strings come into play!

For business, isn't the "red thread of fate" really a combination of (1) maintaining a great brand reputation, (2) client relationship management, and (3) effective social media?

Need a better idea of what I'm seeing? Example time!

- The executive coach I personally worked with years ago became a client, and refers us to her clients, colleagues and friends. She recommended us to her pilates instructor and personal trainer – a husband and wife team. And while I never had the opportunity to meet either of them, I did meet with the personal trainer's new business partners – and we've since launched three new websites for their medical practice and a film production company with offices in NYC and LA. Additionally, one of my executive coach's colleagues, who I last spoke to about a year ago, has recently referred two of her clients, one in NY and one in LA.

- My college professor became a client for a business that she and her husband started. A few years later, she referred a fantastic graphic and website design student to me, who is now one of our lead web designer / production specialists. (Yes, Chris, that's you if you're reading this. LOL)

- I offered value in a discussion on LinkedIn several months ago. From a single comment, a fellow group member contacted me and has since become a new client. (And your CEO says social media has no measurable ROI?!) Anyhow, I recently sent this new client an NDA so that I could discuss an idea with him that another, existing client presented to me days earlier. Who knows where the next idea can lead when put in the right hands!

The "red thread" is real. The "red thread" is real relationships.

Comments, questions, opinions? I'm really intrigued by this concept and would love to hear your thoughts!

Know Thy Social Community Demographic

by Kelly Campbell
www.liqui-site.com

        Tweet

How to interact with your communities – and track marketing effectiveness

If you’re like most business owners or online marketing managers, you know that you need a presence in the social stratosphere: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn at minimum. But the lesser know specifics about how to determine appropriate interaction with the members of your individual online communities (and track self-promotional results) is rarely written about.

In other words, does the same messaging work for members of each of these social platforms?

The answer is a resounding “no”.

Contrary to popular belief, there are enormous differences between the purpose, functionality and (your company’s own) membership of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn. Even more important is the need for different, relevant messaging to your membership on each of these platforms.

As an analogy, let’s use a couple of well-known retail stores to further explain how crucial it is to know thy social community demographic. Shoppers at Target will generally fall into a different demographic makeup than shoppers of Neiman Marcus, for example. The advertising departments for these stores rely on demographic information (i.e. gender, age range, socio-economic status or HHI, education level, etc.) to ensure that messaging -- in the form of which products they carry, special offers, sales, store-specific credit card offers (the list goes on...) -- is relevant to their particular audience.

It’s no different in social media.

So, the obvious questions become: (1) How do I gain insight into the demographic makeup of each of my social media communities, and (2) How do I not only craft different versions of messaging that will be relevant to them – but track its effectiveness as well?

First, there are a few great social media software tools that allow you to gain an understanding as to who your audience is, from platform to platform. In a recent blog post, Liqui-Site announced its game-changer, called Social ROI.

Second, crafting relevant, targeted messaging is a bit of trial and error. That said, there are basics that great marketing teams follow based on experience, previous results, etc. It’s important to understand that creative copywriting is critical on a platform like Twitter, due to its 140 character limit. On Facebook, you have more freedom with character count, attachments of photos, videos and so on. Regardless of platform though, a link to a landing page on your website (if the post is self-promotional) is the #1 priority. Without that, there’s no way to track the effectiveness of your posts, tweets and messages.

That brings me to the second part of question #2. Web-based software programs like Social ROI allow business owners and online marketing managers to create campaigns, push different messaging to their individual social media presences, and then run a report on the results. Return on investment is then measured by taking your cost per campaign, cost per conversion and value of conversion – calculating it based on actions taken from those posts, tweets and messages by your community members, and reporting on the results.

Pretty sweet, huh? If you’re interested in learning more about Social ROI in 2012, we’d be happy to answer any questions you may have. There’s even a no-obligation 30 day trial of the program. Post questions below or contact Liqui-Site Designs, Inc. at 855-WEB-PLUS.

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for a Prosperous New Year, from our family to yours.

Kelly Campbell
President & Creative Director
Liqui-Site Designs, Inc.

Facebook Page Reviews and Discussions

by Kelly Campbell
www.liqui-site.com

        Tweet

An Honest Update on the Newest Facebook Page Changes

On October 31, 2011, Facebook disabled two features on Pages: the Reviews tab and the Discussions tab. Personally, the Discussions tab never did much for me. The action is on the Wall, we all know that. But Reviews? Those are super important, not only for the credibility of the business but also for the prospects who want to know what previous clients or customers of a particular company had to say – in their own words. And as another blogger so aptly put it "I don't think 'Recommend' is the best description for this, because you are basically giving a review, which could even be negative." He's right.

And now we have what Facebook deems a better, more engaging solution called Recommendations. I'm not sure about that, but I do know that (a) it's harder to find on the right hand side of the Page (when all of the other tabs are located on the left), and (b) all of the previous content has vanished into cyberspace.

Facebook issued this notice shortly before making the change:

“We’ve found that the best way to encourage conversation and feedback is through posts and comments on your Wall, so we’re removing the Reviews and Discussions tabs for now. We’re working on tools to help you moderate, filter and manage content in one powerful place. Stay tuned.

You won’t be able to access your reviews and discussions once they’re removed, so please save this content if you’d like to keep it for future reference."

If you didn't get the memo, as was the case with most Facebook Page owners, you'll have to reconnect with as many customers and clients as possible, and ask them to write a Recommendation (again).

Recommendation on facebook.com/Liqui.Site

Now, for the worst part. You can no longer comment on your own Recommendations as your business. If you select the option to "Use Facebook as [Your Business]", the Recommendations are automatically made invisible to you as the administrator. So, if you want to comment at all, you must first personally "Friend" your customer or client. That's right, you're forced to connect and comment as you, under your personal profile! To me, this is the biggest oversight in Facebook history. We're hoping they change this one – and fast! What do you think?

As the Page admin, you still have the ability to either hide Recommendations or report inappropriate or abusive comments. But don't get too excited about either of those because hiding comments only hides them from your front Page; Users can click to see all of the Recommendations you've hidden. Plus, Facebook has been known to ignore reports of inappropriate comments.

Of course, a better way to handle this – on Facebook's part – would have been to simply move Reviews over to the Recommendations section, since they basically work the same way. No harm, no foul.

But these are the changes, for better or worse. Now, it's up to us to garner new Recommendations, think of fun and engaging ways to build our brand awareness, and keep up with every drastic change at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Google – to name a few.

Let us know if you need any help navigating these social waters. Questions or comments? Please tell us your thoughts!

Kelly Campbell
President & Creative Director
Liqui-Site Designs, Inc.

Website Been Hit By Panda? You Need UGC.

by Richard Feldman
www.liqui-site.com


        Tweet

Your customers are more important than you. Google says so.

If you’ve noticed a big drop in traffic to your web-based business during 2011, then you may have been hit by the big, bad Panda. The Panda update is Google’s latest series of algorithmic changes. In early 2011, Panda affected what it considered to be "low quality, web-based content farms". The result was lost traffic, millions in lost revenue, and lost jobs for many SEO consultants.

Briefly, the main triggers of the Panda Update included duplicated content, excessive use of manufacturer or non-unique content, RSS feed issues, incorrect canonical tag implementation, excessive on-site ads, poor on-page optimization, and other issues.

Back in February, when Google rolled out the initial Panda update, they provided very little concrete, actionable advice that Webmasters and business owners could use to directly reverse the drops in traffic and rankings they were experiencing. Finally, in May 2011, three months later, Google Fellow, Amit Singhal, published a detailed post on it’s Webmaster Central Blog. In it, Singhal described what constitutes a quality site and then lists twenty-two content-related issues Webmasters should be aware of when reviewing their site content going forward. I won't list all those questions here, but the full list above should be reviewed by ALL site owners (and not just those already affected by Panda).

It’s critical to understand "Google's mindset" about what they may be looking at specifically when reviewing a page in a post-Panda world. It’s called User Generated Content.

What is User Generated Content?

User generated content (UGC) is content that your audience adds to your site or which you add as a result of discussions with your audience.

UGC is all about connecting with a niche community, engaging that community to add content to your site, while promoting and sharing that content with others in and outside that niche. This idea of community content creation is nothing new.

The biggest take away here is that publishing new content isn’t enough anymore. You’ve got to create it for relevance and to provide something of value: create it for humans (not spiders). That’s the only way to truly engage your audience and incentivize your community to share, comment and engage over and over again.

Follow @Liqui_Site