Online Marketing for Results

Honestly, it's a blessing that more businesses are not online

I know, I know I should not think like that but I really believe that it's true.  Some businesses 

really have no business online, they need to focus on the business they have offline. 

You know how they say that a little knowledge hurts some people, well that is absolutely true for

most traditional businesses with a web site. These business owners know that they should have 

a web site, they know that millions of dollars are made by other businesses online everyday.

That's why they were compelled to build a web site.

The problem is that because they know this they think they are "all set" when it comes to the internet.  

They already have a site so what else do they need.

The question they hate to answer is:  How is that working for you?

They either speak in hyperbolies or are honest enough to admit that it adds no value to their business other

than the bragging rights to their customer.

Imagine what a business could accomplish with sales and marketing tools that helped you convert more leads, boost sales and save time-automatically.

Infusionsoft is the leading sales and marketing software for small businesses, combining your CRM, email marketing and e-commerce tools together into one system. 

From personalized lead nurturing and follow-up, to better sales pipeline management, to an integrated shopping cart, Infusionsoft can help you do it all with automation.

Ready to see what Infusionsoft is all about? 

 Register now for our live interactive demo to see the difference you can make in your business.

Why Are Businesses In T&T Still Using Web1.0?

There is ample evidence to confirm the hypothesis that business owners in Trinidad and Tobago do not fully appreciate how the internet can affect their bottom lines.

The major internet service provider in Trinidad, TSTT, has done extensive research to determine exactly who is online but...

Let's not rely on statistic because it only tells one side of the story. You should be aware, however, that according to TSTT research there are approximately 224,000 people in this country connected to available internet service providers. In a population of approximately 1.3 million people that represents just under a third of the population. What are the implications?

It can be deduced that the online market is large enough to include clients for any business. The fact that almost one third of their potential local customers are connected to the internet is enough reason for every business to pay attention to what's happening online.

It's an unwise business decision to ignore this balloning online segment of the population. In fact, right now we know that online connections are increasing exponentially. in a few years, with the reducing cost of access to ISPs, the number of Trinbagonians online may increase even faster and in greater numbers than what has been forecasted. Doesn’t it make sense that businesses begin the process now?

Here is the thing. Unlike the general population, most businesses are connected to the internet, most not all. The problem is that the majority is still using Web1.0 strategies. That is, local businesses primarily use the internet for sending and receiving emails.

In addition, most of the existing websites, the exception being entertainment sites, are not interactive and not developed to convert visitors to paying customers. The more astute local online businesses drive traffic to their sites with the primary goal of generating revenue from advertisers.

Only a small handful has any definable online business model.

The next time you read the Trinidad Express, Guardian or Newsday scan the advertisements and see for yourself the number of ads with web site addresses. You will find quite a few with email addresses which tell you that the company or business owner is connected to the internet but does not have a web site.

The majority, however, even with full page ads, have no email or web address.

Also take a look at the business cards in your pocket or pocket book. How many of them have a web site or email address? I would guess very few.

So why would a business want a website? If the value is not apparent, it becomes a non-issue. If newspaper ads are getting business new customers; why worry about the internet? The answer is leverage. Consider this…

1. If you purchase a classified ad the newspaper charges you for every letter and they tell you what you can and cannot say. In other words they censor your ads. With a website you can add pages, hundreds or thousands of them at no additional cost other than what the designer charges per page.

2. For the price of a full page newspapers display ad or a one minute TV ad with a low frequency, you can have a full year of your company's information displayed online. The cost, your domain name and hosting, less than $100 USD. Your only challenge is getting people to visit the site.

3. The internet allows you to track everything that happens on your site. Every detail that is too combersome to track on any other mediums is trackable online. You can easily find out how many people visited your site, how long they stayed and what they are actually interested in. Impossible with any other advertising media source.

Essentially what is being suggested is NOT that businesses stop advertising on the other media but to leverage each ad so that they maximize the benefits. It will not cost one penny more to add your web site address or email address to an ad.

People who are connected and really interested will find you on the web and be more inclined to visit your business. The internet is just one tool in your arsenal and although it must be employed wisely; it cannot be your only strategy.

There is still a large segment of the population whose only connection to a business is either physical or phone but as we can see that is rapidly changing. So continue to place ads but leverage each. And while we are on the subject of ads, please ensure that every ad you place is a direct response ad, anything else is just a waste of your advertising budget.

Your choice as a business owner is to wait for the evolution of the internet to sweep you online or make the decision that you will be there when it reaches critical mass. As with everything else, there is a learning curve, the sooner you start the more experience you will have online and the more you will know. Find out how simple it is to do. Get a copy of the Internet Manifesto and be notified when the Trinidad and Tobago Special Report is completed. Go here.


Thank you for reading, comment if you feel so inclined.

A Simple Sample of The T&T Web Market

Today I sipped the market. Live face to face intraction with busines owners. Not to sell services but more to gauge their perceptions of the internet and a website. What I found was very interesting.

My approach was simple and semi scripted. After identifying the owner and introducing myself: I asked...

Do you have a web site?

Ok, I admit a sample size of 10 is too small to draw any serious conclusions from but this was not a full fledge scientific study, merely a peep into the minds of 10 Trini bueiness men. The results were as follows;

3 out of 10 had a Web site,
5 out of 10 had an email addresses on business card/stationary
5 out of 10 had a phone number only

Of the three businesses with web sites only one actually was a professionally built site. That means that of the 10 business owners that I collected cards from, 90 percent did not have a web presence and 50 percent of them did not have an email address on their business stationery.

On more than one occasion people responded yes to my question and proceeded to give me an email address. One business man angrily said he would have to hit someone on the head with a computer. It was alright at home, he said, but the store; never. Another attempted to convince me that the free domain and host was enough for him because according to him,” its hard enough operating offline”
.
If that small sample is indicative of the larger population then the digital divide, which I mentioned in my Special Report, is a lot wider than anticipated. As a marketer, that translates into more education, more information, a longer learning curve and ultimately more expensive market to penetrate.

The good news is that with creative guerilla marketing coupled with the intellectual level of the population and the invasiveness of the internet; it is not impossible to forecast that the observed trend could be reversed within 48 months. The business class in most societies has always been the innovators, the leaders in driving the citizenry to adopt new mediums it will be no different here.

Even with no guerilla marketing action Trinidad and Tobago will reach the level of internet sophistication. To a large extent it depends on how soon the business community adopts a more aggressive embraced of this new medium.

It will come to pass one way or the other; in four, five or ten years but it will. That depends.

I’m Shy About Marketing Online Too but…

“Shyness has a strange element of narcissism, a belief that how we look, how we perform, is truly important to other people.”

I was just reading a response to the Fan Survey on FB which was designed to gauge the marketing expertise of the GMC Ltd fan page. One of the respondents struck me as being a typical noobie. I think it’s because it reminded me of myself when I started out. According to the responses the person was absolutely new to online marketing.

Most of us at some point are but it was the response to the last question in the survey that caught my attention. On question #5. In your own words, one or two if possible; which two areas of marketing are you weakest?

The response was “I’m Shy”. What would you say” take the Fan Survey here.

An answer, in my opinion, that is perfectly honest. Remember the survey is totally anonymous, even I don’t know who the answer came from. It’s honest because I remember being there, in fact, sometimes I’m still a little shy with some of the things I do. I’m shy but I do it while being shy then look at the results.

There is a point where you think, “Ogosh, what if someone shoots down the idea”. “What if they think I’m a fraud and just want to rip them off”. “What if it just don’t work?” What ifs and what ifs that amounts to nothing. The Internet is a scary place when you think of the millions that view what you put out. It can be extremely frightening to someone who thinks shy.

The truth is that it’s easier when you accept the fact that not everyone will agree with what you say. Not everyone will see it your way. It’s not a risk, it’s a certainty. For me the secret is passion, if you are passionate about an idea, a business, a cause, anything that makes your blood boil then most of the shyness disappears.

With passion, half the battle is won; the other half, will face you everyday.

For those of you here who have not taken the copy of the Internet Manifesto, do it now. Put your contact info and you will have it within seconds.

You need foundational information on the Internet and how it can be used to market your product or service. Reading the Internet Manifesto will give you the foundational knowledge you need to get started.

Let knowledge and passion be the catalyst that melts away shyness.

Have a great day.

Be well

Quick Online Payments

Are you still mailing or hand delivering invoices?

Before I found Freshbooks, the online invoicing software, My invoices were created using Excel. Not very professional looking but even with a template it took some time.

Freshbooks is a refreshing change. I have been using it for over a year now and it has saved time that I can now use doing something else. I have even had clients who remit a bank wire transfer on the same day that they get the invoice. Freshbooks makes sense to me.

For example, not only was it easier to create invoices but they provide time tracking, or I could print out the invoice and snail mail it. In a few cases my clients were able to pay using online payments like Pay Pal.

One great feature was the ability to pre date late notices so that clients would automatically be notified that a payment was past due.

The biggest benefit, to me, was the time it saved. Hours of time billing, following up, keeping records and believe it or not I'm getting paid earlier.

I used the free option until I was convinced that it worked and then upgraded.

If you ever had the problem of sending online invoices you should check out Freshbooks, it is a time saving alternative.

Stay well.

Is Your Business Web site Useless?

"If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts." Albert Einstein


Ogosh man; that question is so insensitive.

Ok, I’m sorry I asked it like that but I just wanted to get straight to the point, not to beat around the bush. In reality beating around the bushes is safer because what’s in the bush is unknown.

The tactful, indirect approach is more likeable because it appears more sensitive, unassuming and compassionate. All enduring qualities I’m sure but in the end its fluff and no substance. To get to the truth you need hard questions.

This blog will carry a series of posts focusing on business web sites in Trinidad and Tobago. We want to drill down into what it takes to build, market and maintain a professional web presence that is actually a business profit center. We want to discuss your experience, not mine, therefore your participation is required. You will get out of it what you are willing to put into it; nothing more or less.

The question is sincere and honest because your web site could be useless.

The fact is that very few business people give their web site a second thought once it’s launched. The reason is simple, they believe that because there are millions of people on the web, when a website is launched anyone can visit. True. In fact they imagine that their customers will be the first to find them. Not true, sadly a web site is not something that you build and they come. Marketing your site MUST BEGIN BEFORE it’s built, NOT AFTER.

Now, do you see the point of my question?

Answer 3 more questions about your business web site.

Be honest with yourself, if you have a site and you were instrumental in building it. Share the answers to the questions only if it’s not embarrassing. Get help if you need it because web sites, unlike wine, do not get better with age. Without marketing, it can only get worse. The questions are:

1.What is or was the purpose for your site when you built it? Don’t say just to make money that is the universal purpose of every business web site. Here’s a hint; if you do not have a shopping cart or pay pal button on your site then you are attempting to make money indirectly. But do you have any marketing tools on your site? Share or think about the purpose of your site.

2.Directly related to your site’s purpose is its business model. Do you use a business model on your site? If your site is made up of a series of pages about you, your product and directions to your store that is not considered a business model. By the way, having a contact page rarely generates inquiries. The internet is not the yellow pages and have you noticed that you don't need the yellow pages anymore, even here in Trinidad.

3.Do you, or is someone under your responsibility, tracking your site metrics? One of the best features of the internet is that everything can be tracked and linked back to someone or some site. If you do not know where your visitors are coming from how will you get more or know if people are even visiting your site?

Ok the answers to you might be a bit troubling. If you do not like the answers you come up with to any of those questions, its ok, you know how misery likes company. The internet is full of sites like yours because many other sites owners are doing exactly as you are.

Web designer do not talk much about what happens AFTER your site is launched because if they did you would probably have opted to leave the internet alone.

I’m here to help. If you are stuck on any of the questions just make a comment.

Again, I’m here to help you, at least to point you in a direction where you might get answers. This is a two way street, if the questions I asked are not what you are concerned about, then ask your own questions.

Tell me what you will like to see me write about. Even if you are in the thinking stage; ask.

I will respond to any and all questions that relate to your web site marketability or establishing your web presence.

This is an invitation to a conversation. Monologues are boring.

If you own a website but not satisfied with its performance, contact me.

If you are thinking of establishing a web presence and need some direction, contact me.

Or, just make a comment, private mail me. I will respond to each and every question in the same format in which it was asked.

If you wish, I will do a quick evaluation of your site and provide you feed back on any areas that, in my opinion, can be improved.

Please, do not take this offer if you believe that your site is perfect and cannot be improved.

The floor is all yours now.