Scratchpad

"Newspapers will flourish when they stop printing “news” and start printing experience."

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:46:14 -0800

“Newspapers will flourish when they stop printing “news” and start printing experience.”

- Me

"‘I have amazing things planned for you,’ promises the Lord. ‘I’ll be by your side at all times—I’ll..."

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:36:20 -0800

“‘I have amazing things planned for you,’ promises the Lord. ‘I’ll be by your side at all times—I’ll never abandon you! You have every reason to smile; your future is looking bright! When you cry out to Me for help, I’ll rescue you. And when you seek me with all your heart, I’ll come running! No matter how far from Me you’ve drifted, I will find you and bring you back home. You can take that to the bank!’”

- Jeremiah 29:11-14 (RRPV)

"A godly wife is the most precious treasure a man can find! Her husband can trust her completely, and..."

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:08:03 -0800

“A godly wife is the most precious treasure a man can find! Her husband can trust her completely, and she fills his life with beauty and grace.”

- Proverbs 31:10-11 (RRPV)

I just got off the phone with Apple. If there is one thing you...

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 10:29:00 -0800

I just got off the phone with Apple. If there is one thing you can learn from Apple (and there are tons of things they do right), it is ~~good~~ word-of-mouth worthy customer service. (See, I’m telling you right now!)

I called to find out if iMovie has a feature and was dissapointed to find out it doesn’t have what I need. So I asked if there was a place I could request a feature and the specialist said, “Yes, just go to www.apple.com/feedback and the marketing and product development team will recieve it.”

I think back to the businesses I’ve worked with and none of them have anything like this setup. It’s just simple.

Define Professional

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Many of you are in positions where you aren’t looking for a career change. Nevertheless, imagine for one moment that you are looking for a new job. You find some possible positions you believe you’ll be perfect for, spend hours honing your resume and cover letter, and secure an interview. You walk into the interview wearing scrubby blue jeans, a t-shirt, and your favorite sneakers.

Now can stop imagining. Would you take that prospect seriously? Most likely not. And neither would a lot of people.

At a recent chamber of commerce event I asked members how the appearance of a site influenced their purchasing decision. The consensus was that they would leave the site and look for another company to purchase products from if a website did not look professional. This is not just limited to my small focus group. One study put out by eMarketer found that 68% of U.S. online shoppers distrust a site that does not have a professional appearance. Another study found that 75% of consumers make judgments about a company’s credibility based on the website’s design.

Your Customers Are Talking. Are You Listening?

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

If you’re not listening or not sure how or where to start listening, here’s how you can start today (for free):

Google your name, company, and product or service name.
Use Technorati to search what bloggers are saying about you.
Find a forum where there may be users of your product or service.
Look for sites that allow users to review, such as Google Maps, Yelp, or ones more specific to your industry. If someone can review your product or service, then chances are someone has.

Can’t find anything mentioned about your business or organization? Send me an email and I’ll give you some ideas on where you can start listening.

Proof That Listening Is Important To Your Success

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

A frustrated Gorillapod customer left a comment on a blog one day talking about how his Gorillapod broke…again. The owner of Gorillapod left a comment on the same blog apologizing for the bad experience and told the customer to contact him so they can send a new one, this time the “beefier” model to guarantee it wouldn’t break again.

Jim Noble wrote a review on eBags.com after the zipper on a bag he purchased broke. The review simply noted he liked the bag, but the zipper’s design was weak. Since eBags tracks reviews, they sent Jim a new bag. But they went one step further by writing and thanking Jim for making them aware of the flaw, and notified him that his advise was being passed on to the manufacturers so future bags wouldn’t have weak zippers.

The M.D. Anderson Cancer Treatment Center thought the reason cancer patients chose them was because of their reputation of staying on top of technology and medical advancements. As it turns out, they were wrong. Through an online community where cancer patients could share their stories and support other patients, M.D. Anderson learned a number of valuable insights. One being that patients were consistently waiting one to four hours before at their appointment before they finally saw their doctor. With this and other insights, M.D. Anderson could focus their marketing message on what the customers really valued, not what they thought the customers valued.

I could tell you many more stories just like these, but these three should help you understand why listening to your customers online is valuable to the success of your business and why you need to be listening.

7 High ROI Web Design Priorities

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

I know your time is limited (but I want to share this for your benefit), so here are seven high return redesign investments:

Make it simple for you to listen to and talk with your customers. This could be a blog or discussion forum.
Professional, appropriate, and attractive design. This includes high quality images.
Well thought out and easy-to-use navigation. If your prospects can’t find what they are looking for, they’ll go to your competition.
Add search to your site. Mandatory for sites with 100 or more pages.
Add an e-newsletter. This adds value for your customers.
Persuasive content. Write informative product/service descriptions that give your customer the info they need and entices them to contact you.
Search engine friendly. Make it easy for search engines to find you and rank higher (I will be covering this in a future newsletter as well).

What changes have you made to your site lately that increased your sites value in the eyes of your customer or prospect that could be added to this list?

What Are Your Visitors' First Impressions Of Your Website?

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

When a prospect visits your website, what are their impressions? Do they find the information they need? Do they leave your site quickly? Do they take your desired action and contact you?

If you don’t know the answer to these questions, there are two ways to find out.

The first way is to study your website usage findings (using an analytics program). This will show you not only the number of visitors coming to your site, but more important data revealing the length of time visitors spend on a page, what page they click to, how they came to your site, and much more. The second and perhaps best way is to simply ask.

Let six of your best customers know you are redesigning your site and ask for their honest advice on the following questions:

“What is your ‘initial’ impression (re: design, content, ease-of-use)?” You could ask them to rate it on a scale of 1-5.
“What parts of the website are confusing, mis-leading, or lacking?”
“If we (your company) could add a new feature that would bring value to you, what would it be? (e.g. blog, support forum, video tutorials, etc.)”
“What do you like about our competitor’s website?”
“In general, how can we improve our website?”

After you look over their advice, do you see similar comments? I.e. perhaps multiple customers noted that adding product training videos would be beneficial.

With this information in hand, you are now ready to put your money where it will have the greatest benefit. That’s something any business can appreciate. ;)

How are you planning to achieve a better web presence that meets your customers’ needs that includes the greatest benefit for the remainder of this year?

The Most Intimate Way To Reach Your Customers And Prospects

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Developing relationships with your customers and prospects is the most effective way to promote the growth of your business. While face-to-face interactions are best for meetings and closing deals, it is impossible to meet with all of your customers and prospects weekly just to build these relationships. This is why it is vital to have a consistent and thoughtful way to communicate with them on an ongoing basis.

The most intimate way to communicate with your customers and prospects is through an email newsletter. I say “intimate” because:

It is personal. Your customers have given you permission to email them on an ongoing basis (permission to build a relationship).
You promise to provide value. In exchange for your customer’s email address, you promise to provide value they can use to better their business or themself.
It is consistent. You promise to deliver it to their inbox on a consistent basis (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly).
It keeps them in touch with you. It answers a different customer need than your website does; that is to keep in touch with your company (versus product or service information).
It helps you become transparent. It allows for the opportunity to give your customers insight into you and your business, thus being more open and leading to trust.

What do you think? If you already have a newsletter, how is it working for you? If not, what is stopping your from starting one?

The Long-Tail of Customer Service

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:14:00 -0700

With so many businesses promising one thing (think those big juicy hamburger ads from McD’s) and delivering another, Les Schwab still amazes me every time I pull into their parking lot. See, Les Schwab employees don’t wait for me to come to them, they run (literally) to me, find out what I need, and direct me to where I need to go - just like their ads promise.

Les Schwab does so many things right: excellent and friendly customers service, build trust, great warranties, clean buildings, good prices, and free popcorn with a comfortable waiting area. As a business you strive to give great service and more, but is there a point where good is good enough? What about the long-tail of service, what about improving upon the little things?

These are the things the customer never expects. So what does Les Schwab’s long-tail of service look like? I think it would look like this:

Check the spare-tire pressure (because it is no fun to be caught with an almost flat spare-tire).
Grab my email address while I am purchasing new tires and send me an email notification telling me “now would be a good time to have my tires rotated for free.”
While you have my email address…
- Let me know of “special offers” only for previous/current customers.
- Send me a newsletter (once a month is sufficient - no more, no less) with tidbits of information such as recalls, safe driving tips, winter driving info, how to evaluate the condition of studded tires, how to increase the longevity of my tires, etc.
Free flat tire changing clinic for those who aren’t mechanically enclined.

What other forms of long-tail service would you add? What would the long-tail of customer service look like for your business?

The NEW Del.icio.us is Out!

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:14:00 -0700

You’ll have to pardon me, but I’m pretty excited about the redesign of Del.icio.us, as I have been waiting a few months since I saw and heard about their plans to do so.

First off, what is del.icio.us? Are you familiar with bookmarking your favorite websites for easy access in a browser such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Safari? Well, del.icio.us is a bookmarking service that:

Stores your bookmarks online (which means you can access them from any computer), making them more accessible.
Allows you to view your bookmarks from your browser just as you normally do.
Is free to use.

Here is a video that will probably make more sense than my attempted explanation.

Features the NEW Del.icio.us has that I am excited about:

Super trendy, eye-appealing, easy on the eyes design. I love good looking and easy to use websites, especially ones that I use everyday. It is simple with multiple shades of gray, white, and blue (to draw your eyes to what is important).
It is more social. Honestly, I am tired of emailing links I think people would benefit from. If everyone used del.icio.us, the world would be a better place - OK, at least sharing websites would be easier!
Let’s be friends. I haven’t had enough time to see “what” the differences are, but I’m hoping that more del.icio.us users start using this as a valuable tool. Btw. If you are interested in learning about the web (all aspects), friend me and I will share links I think will be a valuable use of your time (and you can do the same).
Better search through tags. Previously, I would search a tag (such as”marketing”) and I would get back any bookmark I tagged with “marketing.” I would also see a list of other tags associated with those bookmarks in the right column, but I wasn’t able to narrow my search down to only bookmarks that included “marketing” AND “word of mouth.” Now, I can.
Better search. Period. Now I can search for a tag or multiple tags in my bookmarks, my friends, or everyones bookmarks.
Show me what I am interested in. I want to see the good stuff. Now I don’t have to go looking for it. Thanks to Subscriptions, I can tell del.icio.us to show me new bookmarks other users have tagged with “webdesign.”
See what others have written about a bookmark using Notes. This is kind of like comments, but without a “thread-like” conversation you normally see on Digg or a blog. It will be interesting to see how helpful this feature is.

And finally, a screenshot of the new design (full resolution).

Unplanned Word-of-Mouth

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:12:00 -0700

This is the best kind. It is when you look for opportunities to make your customers feel special. It is when someone asks you for a simple favor and you give them something more.

Yesterday I emailed Jim Logan about an article he had posted on his website a year or two ago. He has changed his website three times since then, which makes my del.icio.us bookmarks non-functional…so I wrote him:

Hi Jim,

I like del.icio.us (ok, I’m an addict) and have saved a few of your articles from previously designed websites of yours (my oh my you change them frequently). As such, the URLs are broken and I can’t easily go back to your valuable articles.

One such article was a sales/direct letter to (I believe) a government entity - I recall it mentioning, “we are not selling software, but services to reduce your costs.”

Does this ring any bells? Do you still have it available on your site? Is it possible to get it from you?

Thanks!

Today I received an email with more than I asked for, with more than I deserve - the entire 57 page report containing this great sales letter I was looking for, for free!

Word of mouth works best when you:

Give your customers more than they deserve when they least expect it
Do it with enthusiasm
Have your customers best interest at heart

Btw. If you want someone who is fantastic at reviewing your sales copy before you lick the envelope, give Jim a call.

6 Tips on Creating Great Surveys

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:35:00 -0700

I just filled out the second annual A List Apart web design industry survey. While I can’t keep track of how many poorly designed survey’s I have taken, I can tell you that this is one web survey that is extremely well crafted (and enjoyable to fill out). Here is why:

Layout - The survey is not made to fit within the confines of the ALA website. This means there is less clutter, less noise, and less distraction.
Design - Like the layout, the design (font type and size included) is very simple and easy on the eyes, which increases usability. One could argue that once a user has started taking the survey they won’t back out due to bad design, but why make them suffer through when they can enjoy it?
Multiple Pages - Rather than the 50 or so questions on one loooooong page the web survey is split into 18 pages with one to five questions per page. Now this might sound like a lot, but the questions are so well organized and flow so seemlessly I proceeded through without realizing there were that many.
Numbered Pages - It is nice to give your users a clue as to how many pages they are committing to, even if it is a short one to three page survey.
Well Crafted Questions and Answers - Many times questions or answers are haphazardly thrown together leaving the user guessing as to how they should answer. Not once did I want to choose two answers when I could only choose one. Both questions and answers had clarity.
Follow-up - How often have you taken time out of your day to fill out a survey, yet never see the results? ALA does a fantastic job processing and putting together survey findings (last year there were 30+K surveyors), making them available for all to see, and blogging about the results.

Bonus tip: This survey is going to provide results that will give me a better sense of the industry I am in. It is relevant, timely, and it will provide value for both my business and others like it over the next year. Because of that, I am happy to spend eight minutes.

A Reminder to Real Estate and Leasing Agents

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:25:00 -0700

If you want to develop strong relationships and be successful in helping families find a home, here are seven things to keep in mind:

Be kind - being short or snippety does not instill confidence in me (just because I need a home doesn’t mean I need to use you as my agent).
Know (at least) the basic facts about each property so I can feel confident in you as my agent (if you don’t know, don’t tell me you “don’t know” - find out).
Have pictures of your property (if you don’t have pictures, proceed to #6).
If you do have pictures, make them the best pictures you’ve ever taken.
Post the pictures on your website and refer me to them (if you don’t have a website, get one.)
If a customer asks to give you their contact information so that when you finally have pictures available, don’t tell me to call back.
Ask if I would be interested in hearing about other properties near the one I am inquiring about and are similar in price range (because I am.)

Some of these things take a bit of extra work, but that is what separates you from your competition and it will pay off. Remember, the way you make me feel today affects who I choose as my agent tomorrow.

What Small Businesses Need From Their Web Companies

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:38:00 -0700

I’ve noticed most business owners don’t know what they need to have a well rounded web presence. They know little about design or layout principles. They don’t know they can track their customers’ actions or how to use that data to create a better user experience by building a site that meets their customers’ needs. They don’t know what makes a well optimized page or that they could be saving customers by using custom 404 pages. And they don’t know the various ways they can submit their business to places like Google Maps or Yelp.

Sadly, neither do most of the people they hire.

I realize that is a bold statement, but I’m going to speak from experience and say that 90% of the local web companies* in my area that are involved in web development do not understand these things either. The sites they create are bloated, don’t meet web standards, aren’t setup with an analytics package, don’t even use basic SEO principles, don’t integrate with marketing objectives or social media possibilities, and the copy is an afterthought.

Businesses deserve better.

Paying businesses deserve better web companies that are passionate about all phases of the web development process, not just design or coding. From my perspective, there are too many self-proclaimed “professional web companies” that don’t care enough to do things right. This leaves the customers with shabby sites that don’t capture their customers’ attention

This is a two part call to action to:
Web companies - If you are out there just trying to earn a living and don’t have the passion and drive to make the web a better place, you are failing the business that’s hired you. If you aren’t passionate enough to continue to educated yourself and change, why are you here in the first place? If you want to better your business and your community, you can start by reading blogs (you can start with my Google Reader Shared list), take that knowledge, and begin putting into practice.

Business owners - Your site could be a lot better and reach a larger audience - I promise. There is a lot to know about the web and all the technologies. If you can find someone that is passionate, they’ll tell you everything you need to know. You should also look for a web company that is publishing a blog or a weekly newsletter that educates you about ways you can improve your site today (you can start by subscribing to this site via email or RSS). Look for companies that are out there making a difference by putting on engaging workshops for free, where you can learn from those who want to see your business grow.

What do you think - Is it too much to ask of web companies to be the Jack of all trades and build a well rounded web presence or should specific tasks be designated to the masters of one?

*I used the term “web companies” as a general term for a freelancer, web designer, or web development company.

Social media can be scary for many businesses because it gives...

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 13:33:16 -0700

Social media can be scary for many businesses because it gives your customers a voice. Lee did a great job of explaining social media giving us a visual of how it can be a positive (and tasty) experience for everyone - even your business.

Instant word of mouth for...

Fri, 30 May 2008 12:18:00 -0700

Instant word of mouth for...:

…~~restaurants~~ your business.

Give every lunch customer 6 desserts to take back to the office.

Give them one desert and they will eat it.

Give them 6 and they will to announce to everyone that they just ate at your restaurant and you gave them snacks to share.

Lesson: One free sample is interesting. Lots of samples turn customers into evangelists.

Via Andy

"Most (as in “more than fifty percent of”) people who build websites do it first and foremost to make..."

Wed, 28 May 2008 18:45:00 -0700

“Most (as in “more than fifty percent of”) people who build websites do it first and foremost to make a living, not because they are passionate about the Web or get a kick out of the idea of giving everybody equal access to information. As long as they get paid, that’s good enough for them. If the techniques they learned several years ago still seem to work and nobody complains, that too is good enough for them.”

- http://moourl.com/opltm

The new standard for meetings and conferences - Seth Godin

Fri, 23 May 2008 13:19:00 -0700

The new standard for meetings and conferences - Seth Godin:

If you are going to bring a group of people together and take up their time:

Engage them
Entertain them
Spend face to face time with them

This holds true for a conference, for your employees, or even for your family. It is too easy to sit quietly in a cubicle or lecture an audience without interacting. Without interaction, all you walk away with is more of you. And that is nothing to be proud of.