by Kristina Parker | Jan 20, 2014 | Design, Latest
If you’ve been on the internet long enough, for something a lot more sensible than cat videos and pointless Facebook updates (say for instance, for making some real money) then you’ve also- on multiple occasions- come to that moment where you’ve had to get a website for yourself. Now, getting a website that actually works wonders for your business AND manages to survive the regular spate of Google updates is no cakewalk. You need a pro to do the best for your website. Luckily, it’s easy for you to find a good web developer, but how do you get the one you can trust?
One simple test is by making him discuss things that no other web developer would want to, like these four things…
You can’t go ahead without a plan
If you’re going for anything major, you need a plan. Many business owners think of their website as a whole different entity, as opposed to considering it a major aspect of the marketing strategy. Therefore, it doesn’t really make sense for you to just put random or no content up for users to see. Web design actually varies based on its purpose. So, obviously marketing plan counts. After all, it is the one thing that gives you solid direction. A good web developer understands this, and expects you to let him in on the plan too. This will help him come up with a more relevant design, which is perfectly in line with your goals and objectives.Talk to him about your target audience and the kind of growth you expect from the website. Don’t shy away from deep discussions about your plans with the developer.
Bad content
While the whole ‘Content is King’ thing may be over-hyped, there is a reason it has become the hype. Unique, relevant and original content is what lends your site the credibility that keeps people coming back to it. If the content is bad, no masterstroke of web design is going to save it. And if your web designer/developer isn’t telling you that already, you’re pretty much being taken for a ride. Agreed that the web developer isn’t really a big expert on the subject firsthand, however, he’s seen enough of web content to be able to distinguish the good ones from the bad. Moreover, publishing the content on a website is a major part of the web design. So, the bad content will eventually translate into bad design.
You will want to change
Nothing on the internet is stable or constant. Trends are changing on a daily basis and people are constantly on the lookout for something new and fresh. As a business, you have to constantly stay on your toes, so that you’re not lost in the crowd and clutter out there. This will require you to make some changes in the future. You wouldn’t want to stay out of tune with your audience. You need to maintain your appeal. Plus, somewhere down the line, your objectives and goals will change, so will your needs. Imprisoning your website in the last century with technology that cannot be altered or changed is one of the first things a good web developer will prevent you from doing.
Demand feedback
You’re not going anywhere without this. Yes, you may have a specific vision in mind. And yes, it’s for YOUR business, but don’t forget that you are putting it out for the world to see. It’s about the users- your target audience. And it is important that your website doesn’t fall flat on its face due to lack of appeal. This is why feedback helps; it lets you know what the other side is thinking. No developer is going to let you go live with a website without getting adequate feedback first.
The secret behind the success of any collaboration is clear and open communication, and of course, great attention to detail. Stick to these, and you should be sorted. Good luck!
by Belinda Lui | Jan 6, 2014 | Latest, Social Media
In a generation of file-sharing, we may find that the lines that separate innocent enjoyment and online piracy to be a bit blurred. First, it was Napster that took a major hit in 2001 when record labels went after the file-sharing giant for copyright infringement that eventually resulted in its bankruptcy. Now Megaupload, a company that started in 2005, was charged for allegedly operating as a business dedicated to copyright infringement in January of 2012. Like YouTube, Megaupload was a website where users could upload videos and share them with friends. Unfortunately, the videos that were uploaded weren’t always legally owned by the users. Megaupload faced many criticisms about online piracy that eventually led to Kim Dotcom, Megaupload’s owner, being arrested.
You can watch Vice‘s mini-documentary on the Megaupload case here:
This controversial case surrounds the argument of whether it is ultimately the service provider or the end-user’s fault. Kim Dotcom argues that it is not the company’s responsibility to monitor and track the activity of its users in its entirety.In his defense, YouTube offers the same service and gets much less slack for the same type of activity. Albeit, YouTube does a mediocre job at monitoring the activity on its site, there is still plenty of copyright infringement happening without any real consequence, it seems.
The topic of online file-sharing has been a tricky one for years. If I’m sharing a song or video with a friend with the sole intention of expression, should it still be considered a crime? It seems clear that when files are shared for the purpose of making money, it is a crime. What if it’s not? At what point does it become illegal? Who is to blame? As a form of Social Media, what should businesses be aware of to avoid criticism in copyright infringement?
In the case of Kim Dotcom and Megaupload, what are your thoughts on how the trial should pan out?
by Belinda Lui | Jan 3, 2014 | Latest, Social Media
I remember when Pinterest was first getting popular and served as one of the biggest distractions when I was trying to study for exams. I liked the humorous posts and fashion boards. A few years later, my friends started getting married and Pinterest was an excellent way to brainstorm ideas for bridal showers and cute DIY projects. As the end user, I can definitely see how Pinterest marketing would be a good outlet to implement a campaign to leverage a product or service. As a business, you might want to know…
5 statistics on Pinterest Marketing to consider for your marketing strategy:
1) Conversion rates for Pinterest traffic are 50% higher than other social media sites:
In other words Pinterest drives more traffic. The click-through from Pinterest to your website and then ultimately purchasing your product or service, is ultimately what you want.
2) Pinterest buyers spend more money, more often, on more items than any of the other top 5 social media sites.
Which makes sense — you can appeal to the consumer visually, with a convenient link to your website.
3) 47% of U.S. online consumers have made a purchase based on recommendations from Pinterest.
What this means is that your content has the potential to make a major influence if it is repinned often. This is especially true because Pinterest networks are made up of friends — and people trust their friends.
4) Pinterest generates 4x more revenue (per click) than Twitter and 27% more per click than Facebook.
Pinterest has been referred to as a “top of the funnel channel” — this is because it sends more new and potential customers to your site than Twitter and Facebook. Being a strong lead generator, Pinterest has earned its name in the marketing arena for online sellers.
5) 80% of total pinterest pins are repins.
Which means, original content makes up 1/4 the amount of total content on Pinterest. Designing content that is relevant and shareable will increase the likelihood of it being repinned.
(Statistics from: Social Media Today)
What are some examples of excellent Pinterest marketing?
by Belinda Lui | Jan 2, 2014 | Business Success, Latest
It’s common at the end of each year to reflect upon what happened, what worked, and what we can learn from. In our personal lives, we make resolutions to improve certain areas that aren’t up to par – so why should it be any different for your business? It isn’t good enough to simply resolve to be better if you can’t measure and quantify this success. Learnings are a crucial aspect to improving but only knowing that something went wrong isn’t quite the same as knowing how it went wrong.
Measure this year’s success with the following tools:
1. Website:
A great measuring tool for your web ranking is Alexa Sparky: it provides a global and national ranking for your website in comparison to other sites on the internet. Knowing where you stand against your competitors is a great way to measure site appeal. Google Analytics is another great way to measure website successes: this tool breaks down the traffic for each page and subpage of your website.
2. Social Media:
Buffer, Instafollow, and Sprout Social are all great ways to measure followers, demographics, and behaviour on your social media accounts. Sprouts Social even allows for you to generate white label reports on your statistics.
3. Blog:
Wordpress Jetpack Site Stats is a great plug-in to add to your blog so that you can measure the likeability of each post and compare the success of them to other posts you’ve written.
4. Internal:
Create a spreadsheet that clearly lists quantifiable goals such as, “50 new clients/month” or “website refresh by February 1, 2014”. It’s great to set goals but if you have no way to measure the successes, then it is impossible to put things into perspective.
There are a plethora of tools available to measure the goals you’ve set out to achieve this year.
What are some of the tools that you use to measure success? We’d love to hear your thoughts!
by Belinda Lui | Dec 30, 2013 | Business Success, Latest
I was once told by a friend that success is to “work smarter, not harder” — what she meant by this, was that it isn’t impressive to be the last person to leave the office if it’s because it takes you 12 hours to complete a task that might only take 5 hours for someone else to do. We get caught up in the details, paralyzed by fear of making mistakes if we work faster. We might feel a little unmotivated at times because our position isn’t a challenging one. And if it is an overly-challenging position, we might even feel burnt out and too overwhelmed to do better. So what to do?
Here are some ways to work smarter, AND harder for success:
1. Show up, Sit Down, Get it Done
This point seems like common sense, but it’s surprisingly not. A lot of people shy away from the opportunity to own a project or job task. The way I see it, don’t make excuses or create hurdles for yourself — just show up, sit down, and get it done.
2. Reputation, no matter the industry, follows you
We think that the things that we do may not come back to haunt us, but what we might be forgetting is how small this world actually is (especially with social media). Impressions (first, second, and one hundredth) are extremely important. All it takes sometimes is one bad review to cancel out all of your great achievements when trying to land your next gig.
3. Flexibility and fun breeds innovation
It’s important to have structure in your workflow but not necessarily in your workplace. If you find that you’re much more productive in a coffee shop or with headphones in, then do what works for you. Oh, and have some fun while doing it.
4. Breathe. Don’t let the nerves get to you.
We all have moments at work when things seem to be a bit overwhelming – a deadline, a boss, a co-worker, all of the above, etc. The key to success here, is to breathe. Things aren’t as bad as they seem. If you can keep calm and divide and conquer, I promise things will be easier.
5. Be the hardest worker.
Contrary to what my friend told me, I think it’s important to be the hardest worker as well as a smart worker. Being smart isn’t enough if you’re lazy or doing your work without intention. The trouble with choosing one over the other is that you think that they aren’t two separate entities that need to work together in order to achieve success. Work smarter, AND harder.
What advice do you have to be a smarter and harder worker to achieve success?
