3 Reasons Why Business Web Sites Fail

 Web Sites Distracts Businesses



Businesses without web sites lose money.

Do you believe that?


Internet marketers believe that every business with a web site increase the possibility of additional revenue.  They say this even when it’s not self serving.

The theory is that a web site allows anyone anywhere to access your business allowing instant expansion and potential profit generation.  But is that what really happens?


No...

That's a myth.  There is too much proof to the contrary.  For the vast majority of traditional businesses with an online presence in the form of their own business web site is a disappointment.  The level of satisfaction varies by industry but usually expectations are unmet. There are literally millions of business websites online today that provide no value to the respective businesses.
 
The truth is that many businesses are not ready for the internet. More precisely many business owners are not familiar enough with the internet to know what works and what doesn’t work.  Most business owners are too busy to specialize in internet marketing.  Establishing a profitable online presence requires a lot more than having a web site built. The fact is that marketing a website begins before the site is actually built.

Puttting The Cart before the Horse Never Works.  

Web designers are not internet marketers. Web designers build web sites.  They use precise, attractive graphics strategically placed to awe site visitors.  Their priority is the look and feel of the site, its layout and navigation.  The word is “presentation” its impressive affect on the visitor.  Once accepted the web site becomes the property of the business owner or business.  Therein lies...

The Problem  

What most business owners or corporate managers know about online marketing can probably fit into a thimble.  Even if they have some online
marketing experience they must now market a site that was not designed for marketing.  They may even become very good at driving traffic their site by using paid sources but with no business model or conversion strategy it’s just a matter of time before they let the site fend for itself. .  . 
Brochure web sites are as effective as traditional offline brochures.  Brochures employ a push marketing strategy as opposed to creating a pull strategy by optimizing the site before it is built. . .

The three main reasons that business  web sites fail are:

1.     Building a web site with “establishing a web presence” as the primary purpose.

2.     Inability to or neglect to include marketing in the site building process. Ususally happens when the designer has no internet marketing skills.  

3.     Appreciating that Internet marketing is NOT an event but a process.

The ideal solution is for the business owner to learn internet marketing prior to building a web site.  This may seem like the most obvious thing to do but the cost in time makes it more profitable for the owners and managers to focus on its core business. Fortunately everything you need to know about internet marketing is already online. 

For businesses that already have a web site it may require some sort of makeover to introduce a working business model.  Here again the information is on the web but each business is different and it is recommended that you work with someone with internet marketing skills.  You may simply need a plan that includes an business model and an internet strategy to meet your sales goals.

The least desirable but most efficient solution is for  business owners to seek consultation/coaching with internet marketing experts to build or modify the site.  This option is least desirable because it does require an investment. This is an investment that can produce returns repeatedly.  Businesses tend to look at the overall capital outlay and the need for an internet marketer on a contractual basis or on the payroll is not something they are willing to do. 

The ultimate solution is to get everything at a fixed cost where it will require very little time on the part of the business to maintain the profitability of their web site and know that all their customers are contacted on a regular basis.  To have a fixed cost that provides support small businesses ti engage their clients with online expertise that takes years of learning to develop.

Imagine using state-of-the-are marketing tools to convert more leads, boost sales and save time; automatically.

Automatic is the functional word here because business owners and staff can continue to do what they do best while their web site is generating profits or leads 24/7.

This leading sales and marketing software was developed for small businesses with a list of clients that may be already dormant.  It combines CRM, email marketing and e-commerce tools together into one system.

Thinking about building a web site or have a site that is not working?  Take a look at a free demonstration on how this software works.  It can really save time and years of learning.

 View Demo Here

Does Barack Obama Presidency Affect Caribbean People?

Barack Obama Eating Doubles

Congratulations Mr. President

Barack Obama winning another term as President of the United States has very little tangible affect on Caribbean people.   

According to US Foreign Policy the Caribbean is lumped in with a Latin America Policy, it does not matter that most of Latin America speaks Spanish we are categorized right along with them.  

 As you may know, Caribbean people from different islands each speak with their own accent and colloquial language.  It’s so bad that sometimes we cannot even understand each other.  That reminds me. 

    

One day I boarded a bus in Boston, needing directions, I asked a fellow passenger with my heavy Trinidad accent.  “Which stop do I get off to be on Columbia Road” That is what I meant but I said it just the way I would in Trinidad.  The passenger looked at me weird.  

 I asked again before he responded with: I don’t speak Spanish and turned away from me.  I never forgot that because in my mind I was saying “I don’t speak Spanish either” 

That is an aside but there might be some validity in how the US Foreign Policy perceives the Caribbean.  The United States is Trinidad and Tobago’s primary customer for gas, oil and derivatives.  We are one of many suppliers.  If T&T stopped producing oil tomorrow it will be a mere ripple in the US supply.  This is a strictly business relationship.

It did not matter if Romney won the Presidency nothing would have changed. 

There is another compelling reason why the Caribbean and especially countries like Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Venezuela and Columbia are important to US Foreign Policy.  All these countries are considered trans shipment points for illicit drugs flowing into the US.    

As such, the Caribbean is important to the extent that the US can assist in stemming that flow.   You would agree that it’s pure self preservation on the part of the US so we could expect that it would have continued no matter who won.

But here is how President Obama affects the Caribbean.  We are proud of him.  There were very few Mitt Romney for President Supporters in the entire Caribbean.   As much as I hate to admit it, 

Caribbean people are mostly descendants of Africans and call it genes, hereditary or environment we support each other morally if not physically.  To put it plainly, it’s tribal, a matter of race black and white. 

Don’t get me wrong there is no hatred or racism involved.  Caribbean people tend to be more democratic than republican.  Issues such as women’s rights, immigration rights, human rights are issues that resonates with Caribbean people.  

 Choosing Obama over Romney was a good choice all around, proof is the majority of Americans who agreed, not all of them were black.  

Get Out Free - If You Don't Agree With The US Presidential Results

Stop Complaining - Find A New Home

You can start planning now to get out of the United States the day after the results are announced.


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The airline will fly you to destinations such as the Bahamas, Mexico and Barbados – situated close to the US.

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This is surely a neat polling idea.  Hurry up and get on board while you still can.

Read more about it here.

Jet Blue Election Protection 2012.

Independent Senator Hints at Mandatory Service Programme for TnT Youths

Book Launch "Children In The Back Row

Dr. Lennox Bernard, UWI Lecturer, Independent Senator announced at a recent book launch that recommendations will soon be presented to parliament to implement a Trinidad and Tobago Youth programme with a mandatory  service learning element.    

He predicts that this recommendation will be met with some resistance but it must be an essential part of a solution to our nation’s increasing crime rate.   

Dr. Bernard was the featured speaker at a book launching of “The Voice of the Children in the Back Row” hosted at NALIS a couple of weeks ago. 

The book authored by Kathleen Robinson, a veteran educator who currently lectures at UTT, provides an exploratory narrative of four fictional students.  The background is in a native Caribbean setting that is representative of any of the islands.  

 It allows the readers to see from the eyes of a teacher the reasons why a child would choose to sit in the back row.  It mingles non-fiction with the actual reality.  Unintentionally and simultaneously, the book analyzes the teacher’s perspective as she narrates her experience with each student.  This is Mrs. Robinson’s first literary work.

Here is an article reporting on the launch of the book in the Trinidad Newsday

If you are interested in the dynamic of a Caribbean classroom experience you can get your online copy from Amazon.com. 

Warning: Facebook Is Killing Productivity In Trinidad And Tobago

How Many Houyrs Are We Spending On Facebook Every Month?

In the last post we saw how Facebook has invaded the minds of at least 33 percent of the population. Facebook has become as important as the Internet for most of the Trinbago population with access to the Internet.

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Today we want to look at Facebook from the aspect of time and the value it brings to the Trinidad and Tobago population.

The fact is that Facebook is a genuine social network where people meet and interact with each other. It’s universal, people are social animals.

According to the latest statistics there are now over six hundred million people on Facebook.

They view a total of an estimated 770 billion Facebook pages every month and typically visit the site 40 times per month. Users spend an average of 23 minutes on each visit. That calculates to 9.3 billion hours used on Facebook in a month. 

Therein lies the problem. Facebook is killing the productivity of Trinidad and Tobago.

Consider this. What happens when 403,860 local registered Facebook accounts users visit the site 40 times a month and spend an average of 23 minutes per visit?

Consider that time is a function of what is called “man hours” i.e. the number of hours it will take one man to complete any task.

 

Now let’s make a bold assumption that only 20 percent of the people in Trinidad and Tobago waste productive hours on Facebook. Guess how many man hours Trinbagoians waste every month on Facebook?

The number of hours is stupidly big. In this case, “man hours” become incomprehensible.

It’s easier to understand that when we look at only 20 percent of the Trinbagoians registered on Facebook and calculate their estimated time; it’s 154 mostly unproductive YEARS.

That’s just 20 percent of the number of registered Facebook users living in Trinidad and Tobago.

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And there is more. We have not considered the time Trinbagoians spend on mobile devices. Globally, there are more than 100 million active users currently accessing Facebook through their mobile devices and they are twice more active on Facebook than non-mobile users. These mobile devices are becoming increasingly more popular in Trinidad and Tobago.

 

Do you think that Facebook is helping this country?  I don’t.

But there is a good reason that I’m on there and you should be too. 

Why is Jack Warner Not Helping These Chinese People?

Trinidad and Tobago Crime Buster

You just would not believe how stupid some people can be.  For those of you who don’t keep up with the crimes in Trinidad and Tobago, two Chinese nationals were shot to death in a recent robbery.  Sad, but everyone is being targeted by youths who want to get rich on other peoples’ sweat. 

Jack Warner in his capacity as National Security Minister in his eagerness to show the nation how conscientious he is about his job visited the relatives of the murdered victims.  Of course, as has been his political style and habit he made a media pronouncement; he will help.   

He must have been referring to the death stipends paid to locals who are entitled to benefits.  He also offered them protection which as Minister of National Security it must not have been such an outlandish promise. 

OK, so big surprise today’s Express front page head line “No Help from Jack”

 

You can read the story from the link below but what's confusing is what were the relatives thinking when they opened up to reporters.  Why would they attempt to bite the hand that promised to feed them?  If anyone know people and especially government officials it would be the Chinese. Something is wrong here.  

Are they thinking that the story would embarrass Jack and by extension the government into getting tickets for 3 to China?  Actually no price could be put on the loss of a mother and father so it must not have been the funds for the tickets they wanted.  Just wanted the population to know not to believe promises by government officials.

Or maybe the reporters led them to believe that what they said would not be reported.  Sometimes these things are not what they appear to be but whatever the reason, I’m sure of one thing.

Jack Warner will not help them now.  

He has weather bigger storms than this. He reminds me of the Teflon Don of the New York crime family.  Nothing sticks on him.  Jack has something to prove with this new job. He will not allow something like that to get in his way of proving that he is the right man for the job.  

 In my opinion, by putting their concerns in the public domain they have ensured their fate.  Not openly but silently and behind the scenes.  All he has to do is nothing but now maybe he will do a little bit more than nothing.

OK, I may be wrong but I would bet that this is the way it will play out.  Read the article and share what you think.   

 Would you help them?

The link NO HELP FROM JACK

A Video History of Trinidad & Tobago Steel Pan

A Documentary of How An American Teacher Appropriated The Art  of The Steel Pan For US Consumption. 

An unusual twist to the history of the steel pan.  The video was produced back in the 1956 it's intended to document the making of a steel pan.

The narrator is an American, Peter Seeger who also wrote a manual for playing steel drums.  It is an informative video especially for the local youth who are unaware of the origins of the pan.

Look at it to the end, you will see how the pan making art started propagating throughout the globe. At the end of the video when the narrator assured the pan maker that the pan would be heard all over America.

He responds with "Take me up to America" implying that he could make as many pans as they want.  But our visitor had already six hands on video documentation of how to make and tune a pan.  This is a very interesting video if you have an open mind.  Take a look at hit to the end.  .