November 2015 – Vertū Marketing

The Importance Of Good Copy

November 25, 2015 by tylie eaves

The quality of a website says a lot about a company. Low-quality graphics, outdated information and poorly written copy reflects negatively on a business, no matter the type or size. In addition to the visual elements of a website, it is vital to ensure that what the website actually says is professional, attractive and informative.

Website copy should draw in potential customers, attracting them toward your products or services. If the pictures and graphics are the “hook,” then the copy is what actually “reels” a customer in. Solid website copy should accomplish the following things:

Provide comprehensive information. A potential customer should be able to find any and all needed information about your business with just one visit to your website. People do not like to be visually assaulted with loud graphics and obnoxious pop-up ads, but they do wish to be fully informed when researching a company.
Be enticing. The copy on your business’s website should be professional, but also enticing. Don’t be boring–if you are not excited about what your company has to offer, then no one else will be either. Your words should communicate your passion to readers.
Optimize for search engines. Copy should be written in a way that is search-emgine friendly. Use keywords in order to come up higher in Google and other search engine results.

Implementing good copy is a simple step to take in order to improve your website. However, do not be fooled by the simplicity of it–the value of good, quality copy cannot be understated. To improve your search engine results and ensure that your website portrays a positive image of your business, work with a team that understands the nuances of writing high-quality copy for businesses.

Don’t Make Fear-Motivated Decisions – You Will Regret Them!

November 21, 2015 by tylie eaves

No matter how successful you become, how long you’ve walked the road of life, how much you know – how little you know, how much you’ve been through or how naturally brave you happen to be — fear is a part of the human condition.

Making choices based on fear, whether those choices are professional, personal, political (you name it) almost always results in irrational decisions and senseless regrets.

There are ways to prevent yourself from making fear-motivated decisions. There are ways to overcome the struggles we ALL face (me included).

What are you afraid of?

Goals off Track? Bring Them Back Around with Purpose

November 20, 2015 by tylie eaves

Goals are one of the main driving forces in life. After passion and purpose, goals refine and whittle down life’s path, making the road ahead clearer and easier to follow than ever before. But, what happens when a new goal makes the road bumpier instead of clearing away the brush? Even for people who have already found their purpose in life, goals can be a tricky thing to manage.

Most people already know that internal purpose is much like a personal GPS for success in life. Unfortunately, it usually is not the only voice that one may be hearing. Opinions from friends, family and business colleagues can overwhelm and silence that inner purpose, and soon goals can begin to veer off that previously set path.

When there are more potholes than smooth pavement in life, it is important to evaluate the goals that you are working toward. First off, are they actually your goals? When considering this, look at what influenced you to set a particular goal. Was it your purpose or your parent’s purpose for you? Your passion or your colleague’s? If that goal did not come straight from your purpose in life, it might be time to cut your losses and return to square one by setting a new goal.

Get back on track.

Fight the urge to beat yourself up or mope around over lost time and resources spent on a misguided goal. Instead, fuel that same energy toward self-evaluation. Return to your purpose, write down your core principles and create goals that align with you, your purpose and no one else.

Worldwide Mindset Helps Fuel Wealth

November 19, 2015 by tylie eaves

While the exact definition of wealth will be slightly different from person to person, it can be boiled down to a single concept: freedom. Whether business owners are in search of financial freedom, work freedom or even the freedom to do what they want with their time, true wealth can have a powerful influence on the freedom that any given individual will experience in his or her day-to-day life.

Many entrepreneurs and business owners share this common goal of freedom through wealth. In this goal, ambition is not contained by the normal borders that separate states and countries. Online businesses often start out by only providing products to the country in which they are based, but worldwide expansion is usually the logical next step.

According to predictions, a whopping 1.8 billion consumers are expected to shell out $30 trillion by the year 2025. Confining a business market to a single country is not only ignoring an enormous portion of the world population but is also ignoring one of the best opportunities to expand business and increase wealth.

Not ready to expand yet? That is fine, but moving your business from a national to international scale takes time and planning, so go ahead and consider the following:

What countries have the best market for your product?
Are there any tax implications involved?
How will shipping costs be affected?
Will there be any potential issues with customs?
Is setting up an international division and distributor a good idea?

Expanding worldwide does not happen overnight. All good wealth plans include both short– and long-term goals, so take advantage of time and begin drafting the plan to get your product into the hands of the international community.

Step up Your Mobile Sales in 3 Steps

November 19, 2015 by tylie eaves

Still think your mobile website is not that important? At least 90 percent of consumers use smartphones to make online purchases! In spite of this high percentage, over half of consumers who initiate a transaction on their smartphones ultimately abandon their initial purchase attempts. Most smaller businesses and startups do not have dedicated apps that can be downloaded onto smartphones, which makes the mobile website all the more important. Follow these three steps to improve your mobile sales and overall consumer shopping experience.

Hire a professional. In the early days of any business, most entrepreneurs become a jack of all trades and take on the work of several different positions. When it comes to websites, especially mobile versions, the DIY approach is usually not the best. Unless you have a background in digital arts or web design, this is one job best left to a professional.

Streamline the checkout process. This applies to both the computer and mobile version, but is especially important for consumers who are shopping from their phones. With an “abandoned cart” rate of about 56 percent, removing all obstacles to finalizing the order is necessary to cut down those numbers.

Ask for feedback. After the new mobile site has been up for a few weeks, utilize that email list and get some customer feedback. Not everyone will feel up to the task, but offering nominal rewards such as a certain percentage off future purchases is usually sufficient to get a good understanding of the user experience.

Consumers do not just shop from their computer desk at home anymore. With a smartphone, that perfect product is only a few fingertips away no matter where they are, and a transaction is just as likely to take place at a coffee shop or on the bus as it is from a home computer.

Keep Your Chin Up!

November 18, 2015 by tylie eaves

The world is full of critics. Everywhere you turn on social media, someone is shouting an opinion, giving a political rant or blasting a company for a negative customer service experience. Bad deals, an unfortunate financial decision or a minor setback can knock the wind right our of your sails. Many days, it may seem like there is no end to the discouragement. As a small business owner, fighting tooth and nail to break into a heavily saturated market, it is easy to become overwhelmed, burdened and frustrated to the point you may be ready to give up.

When you have these moments–and you will–take a look at the heart of your business. Remember why you started this process and remember that your goals may not be so far out of reach. Upset by an interaction with one customer? Talk to others and find out what you are doing right. Chances are people will have many positive things to say about your business.

If you are feeling discouraged, reflect on what your company has accomplished so far. Remember how good it felt to provide a job for another person or have a positive impact on a client? By focusing on the positive, you can see beyond temporary circumstances and move forward toward your next goal.

Finally, if there is a problem, take care of it. If there is a source to the consistent issues, problems and discouragement you are facing, find it and deal with it. Is a certain product failing, costing you time and money? Are you unable to successfully manage your company’s social media presence? Whatever it is, reevaluate and get the help you need to alleviate the problem. A simple evaluation may lead to fewer bad days and less discouragement–which is always worth the effort.

Keep your chin up! Better days are ahead.

Entrepreneurs Take Steps to Hack Their Brain Power

November 17, 2015 by tylie eaves

Too busy to stop for a lunch break? Scheduling your trips to the bathroom? Not sure where one work day ends and the other begins? The early days of a startup can be a blur of meetings, research and networking, with many entrepreneurs forgoing their own well-being in lieu of focusing on their businesses.

Our society praises hard workers for a reason — they are great! But, there is a distinct and profound difference between a hard worker and an over worker. The next time you feel like forgoing a lunch break or rest period in order to power through more work, consider what science has to say about the power of a simple walk.

Exercise improves memory.

Having trouble remembering the main topics of that last meeting? A walk could have helped. Even mild exercise greatly reduces the anxiety and stress felt by a person, and both of these are prominent inhibitors of cognition in the brain. Want to remember more and keep your stress level low? Spend some time walking each day.

Exercise affects the size of the prefrontal cortex.

Both the prefrontal cortex and the medial temporal cortex strongly influence the memory and thinking power of the brain. Scientists discovered that these areas of the brain are actually larger in people who exercise on a regular basis. Most people see a significant increase in just six months, with full benefits more apparent after about a year.

The brain is the most important asset for any entrepreneur. New ideas, business strategies and even just day-to-day management of business requires a sharp, focused mind. If these areas of life are starting to turn a little fuzzy, strap on a pair of comfortable shoes and hit the sidewalk. Your brain will thank you for it.

3 Quick Steps to Increase Your Christmas Affiliate Sales

November 17, 2015 by tylie eaves

The do-it-yourself mindset has certainly been revitalized on the Internet, with dozens of blogs and websites offering quick and easy how-to instructions for everything from home projects to teacher gifts. Far from slowing down, DIY articles are still wildly popular and have an already-established target market of readers and followers. With Christmas fast approaching, DIY gift ideas are some of the most popular options.

So how does this translate into affiliate sales? All successful affiliate marketers must create a platform of value on which they can stand. Here’s how to combine the popularity of DIY articles and affiliate links in order to rapidly grow your profit:

1. Provide useful DIY projects and tips for the respective time of year. No one is interested in making their own Halloween decorations in February, and Valentine’s Day crafts are pretty useless it’s in October. Keep your projects targeted to when they will be most useful.

2. Use affiliate products as part of the project. Giving an honest demonstration and review of a product is an excellent way to encourage readers to click on affiliate links, but actually giving readers a need for that product can be even better. Utilize your affiliate products in your projects, document that use with pictures or video, and make sure your readers understand the value that they contributed to the success of the projects.

3. Make the link easy to find. There is no need to be shy about your affiliate links. While blasting them in the banner or first sentence might not be the best idea, go ahead and insert your affiliate link in the list of necessary items to complete the project. Placing it in parenthesis after the item’s name makes it easy for readers to quickly grab the product they need to complete the DIY project.

More and more, people around the country and world are returning to the old tradition of creating hand-crafted gifts for their loved ones. With ingenuity and planning on your part, cashing in on this opportunity with a valuable product of your own can be a cinch.