There are a few things that make any website likeable and bring in sales beyond the fact that it belongs to you.
LET ME EXPLAIN.
I’ve seen quite a lot of ‘visit our website’ lately, and often, the only interesting stat is that the website is yours.
That’s all.
… and that, my friend is the mistake many professionals and businesses keep making repeatedly (I used to make this mistake too).
The problem with that approach is that while the intent is to put yourself and your business out there, you inadvertently position your website as an ‘online signboard’; basically an advertorial, little/ no context.
We already know that the goal of a website is to get people familiar with your business, brand and/ product.
So how come most of your websites are doing the exact opposite?
And you really expect returns? E go hard o.
Okay, ‘so what should I do now, unku‘, you may ask.
Answer; show your visitors around your website methodically and get them to take an action on your website that increases your bottom line.
Here’s what I mean-
Your goal is to make money, right?
– What are he steps you can walk your visitor through that will give them a really high chance at the results they seek?
– Where does your website fall in that list of steps your potential clients are going to take once they encounter your business?
Are you seeing where I’m going with this?
It’s not enough to just design a website with homepage, about page, contact page and expect results, you see.
If your desire is to have them sign up for your services, is there a quick one page guide you can create and gift them for visiting your website?
Is there a free tool you can give them to help them achieve something basic at their business before they can have confidence enough to work with you?
Your answer to those questions will help you know if your website is designed to help your business grow or not.
This concept is referred to as, ‘having a value ladder’.
To put this in better perspective, when a visitor visits your website, what have you set in pace for them to do or encounter that gets them to :-
1. know you
2. Like you
3. Trust you
4 Tell their friends about you
If you can answer these questions, then you are on the right track and well on your way to tremendous growth.
If you can’t, the you definitely need a website growth strategy.
And that’s where I come in
Once every month, this year, I will be freeing up some time to help you develop a bulletproof website growth strategy.
Sometime last week, some guy I shared a tricycle (keke) with mentioned that he saw one of my videos. I asked which one and he says ‘data analysis’.
I did a video tutorial sometime in 2012/2013 on SPSS for a PhD class I was privileged to teach for a semester at the University of Jos.
While the experience was humbling as well as a great learning platform, I was even more surprised that the video will still be in circulation.Okay… I sort of thought it will… but the sudden realization from that conversation made me realize that that video was worth the time it took.
I think it’s time I release tha course to the public.
We’ll see…
And that is my highest qualification to talk about the above subject. If I can teach PhD students and have them learn and take my exam, then I sure got this! Atin?🙃
Back to the topic above…
Creating an online course is simple. It requires that you have
1. A topic you can teach that’s in demand
2. The setup tools
3. The Production tools
4. The Distribution tools
I’ve grouped them so for quick understanding.
Let’s dig in.
🎯 A TOPIC
Duh!
Before you venture down the online course path, you need a subject you can talk about. This could be a how to video on some tool or skill now in need in the marketplace. It could be a ‘use case’ video to explain areas of applications for some tool, skills or technology.
If you find/ have one topic you can talk freely about, you have a good head start towards creating the perfect online course.
🎯 SETUP TOOLS
1. A quiet place to record. For best results, find a space that has no echo.
2. A microphone. You can get a lapel mic or a regular headphone (the sound quality is much better). If you have access to neither, you can use you system/ laptop mic.
3. A recording software. Some include-
– Camstudio — Free (I started out with this)
– Screencastomatic
– Camtasia (I currently use this one)
🎯 PRODUCTION TOOLS
There are plenty online courses out there that would never get the attention they deserve simply because the production was poor even though the content of the course is actually rich. I am referring to courses that 5- 10 minutes in, you are already dozing off or are quickly distracted by non essentials.
You video should have the right transitions, sound effects and theme that gets and keeps your prospective audience attentive to your course.
I have found that the best way to do this is to have include lots of movement in your video. Think of ways you can explain how a car moves (for instance). Would you rather have someone show you the picture of a car while talking about the gears, throttle, brakes and lights, OR would you rather see pictures/ actual short video of these parts as the course instructor talks?
The answer is obvious, right?
You can achieve good production by using a video editor. Camtasia comes with a really intuitive video editor. Other editors include –
– Wondershare Filmora
– Windows Movie Maker (I used this one when starting out)
– Adobe Premiere
– Adobe Captivate (Super Cool tool)
🎯 DISTRIBUTION TOOLS
The final stage of course creation is distribution and it’s the most crucial. Obviously, if you can’t distribute your course, you probably shouldn’t have created it in the first place unless of course, for educational purposes.
Your distribution channel of choice will depend largely on your target audience and the goal of your course. Then there’s also your pocket to consider.
1. Use already existing platforms if you are just starting out/ have a limited audience. Platforms like Teachable, skillshare, thinkific allow you to publish your courses on their platforms and simply direct your target audience over there to access while at the same time exposing you to a global audience.
2. Create your own platform if you already have a large and loyal following. Solutions like Kajabi, wordpress LMS are great options. You can upload you already recorded and produced video courses and have your people signup as member at a recurring fee if you like or a one-of fee.
You can also create super cool landing pages to launch your courses and drive conversions.
CONCLUSION
Okay…this was a long one, I admit 😅.
If you made it this far, I like to think you have gained some clarity.
At one point or the other at whatever level you are or may have been in your entrepreneurial journey, you would engage the services of a freelancer in person or remotely. I’ve read quite a number of stories of entrepreneurs who’ve been burnt by Virtual Assistants who turned out to be way less than they purported to be.
There’s a shortage of resources for virtual assistants in Nigeria as well as guides to helping business owners find and engage the best. Consider this a step in that direction.
I have worked with a sizable number of clients since 2015 remotely and have come to learn that at the center of failed projects and missed deadlines is CLEAR COMMUNICATION.
Here’s a short list of how to get more results our of your Virtual Assistant/ Freelancer-
Have a to do list for the entire duration of your project with your VA or put one together before your work begins.
Break down your list into timelines. This will help track progress in real time. Use a tool like trello for this
Discuss fees well in advance (hourly/ monthly) and agree on a documented renumeration time table. Many failed projects occurred because of ‘go and get started, we will settle’.
If you already have a picture of what you want your VA to come up with, show them. Don’t assume they will figure it out. Then you can discuss possibilities and options if needed and agreed. VA/ Entrepreneur relationships get strained when this bit is not addressed. You don’t want a task taking longer than expected because a do-over resulted from the freelance not pulling off what you had in mind.
Have a definite date of completion for each task. This will keep everyone concerned committed throughout the duration of the project.
Make sure that you both are happy with your terms. There’s nothing as sad as bad blood within the team on a project.
Working with a Virtual Assistant may well be a vital step you can take to move your business services forward if you cannot at the moment afford full time staff. But you must get your house in order to make things work the way they should.
At geeroute systems we have been offering virtual assistant services around digital marketing and more recently online course development and deployment. I have observed that our best results have been achieved by following the above steps.
Perhaps in the nearest future we’d have our own upwork. Until then…
Have you worked with a freelance or a VA in the recent past? What has your experience been like? Kindly share below.
Like many of you, I ventured down the entrepreneurial path a few years ago with really high hopes and an almost guaranteed conviction that everything would fall into place. Sooner did you realize that all those amazing projections was but one side of the coin. After several months you just couldn’t figure out why potential customers just couldn’t figure out the need you were filling for them nor even cared.
I have been there many times.
I have had multiple reasons to explain this in the past ranging from poor marketing, little or no ad budget, bad copy, insufficient market share, etcetera…
But today, something else clicked.
Interestingly, this is not the first time my mind has brushed over this reality. It just didn’t seem like enough reason until today.
One main reason why you are unable to get the attention of the audience you seek is because majority of them don’t read and don’t care either.
Let that sink in a bit.
Let me explain…
Digression ***
A common statement in Nigeria is that if you want to hide anything from the black man, put in in a book. Many people have challenged that claim citing the many graduates we have here and the great feats a lot of them are achieving. That is true.
However, we still have a whole lot of Africans and indeed Nigerians who will drop any piece of textual content that is more than a few paragraphs long just because it’s ‘too long’.
end of Digression****
To this day many business owners are trooping to Lagos and Abuja from within Nigeria and beyond to launch their businesses. Isn’t it curious that in these states where great deals are closed everyday, we still have extremely broke people there? Why?
The gap, is knowledge.
The people who break new grounds in business and make monumental impact are avid readers. These folks read everyday. They are in tune with current trends that matter to and help them achieve their goals and aspirations.
At the other end of the table are those who believe that they do not need to learn anything new. So they have zero interest in books or in increasing their knowledge. As a result they are ignorant about the opportunities you are bringing to the table. Worse yet, they are scared to even check it out.
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.” – George R.R. Martin
Think about this… Why else do only few people grow in your area?
We can therefore make the safe argument that the easiest way to truly grow your business is to run it in an environment with the larger population of individuals and businesses that are educated enough to buy into your products and services.
If the people you are trying to sell your product or service are uneducated about how your offering can help them and are unwilling to read so as to learn, you are backing the wrong horse.
So, which part of Nigeria or Africa are you right now? Is your product or service getting the attention of the right crowd?
Or
Are you making noise in the minds of the wrong crowd?
You might realize that your current location is your main hindrance to scaling your business or to landing that job/ client you need to get to your next level.
Remember, if they are not educated enough and clearly don’t care about knowing more, you probably will be wasting away trying to convince them.
MOVE!!!
Let’s discuss…
Did the above make sense to you?
Can we fix it?
What recommendations would you offer?
Comment below.
PS: Feel free to email me if you would like to have a session with me to chart a Digital Marketing cause for your business.
I am quite smart, if I do say so myself. But I do not know everything. So I learn new things everyday.
Google is great.
But google will not give you everything.
YouTube is also great.
But YouTube will not give you the answers you need the most.
You know why?
Because, these platforms will only give you the answer to the right questions.
So YOU RUN A BUSINESS but after so many months and frantic attempts, you’ve just not been scoring. Trust me, it’s not a great place to be in. I know, I’ve been there.
As cliche as it sounds, the SECRET to growing any business begins with your WHY and and quality of answers your are able to FIND.
*Read that section again…slowly.
You can download hundreds of YouTube videos all you want…
You can find, read, download, save and print all the google articles you want, but none of that that will help if you are not sure of what you are looking for.
Do you see the connection?
You see, many struggling business owners I’ve observed here on facebook space have great business ideas and plans but will never score any goal because they have literally lost touch with their WHY or don’t even have one to begin with.
Without a why you are passionate about, you will not know what your ideal customers need and how to fill that need.
Result = No GOAL
Without a why you will not know which channels and metrics to pay attention to. You’d basically be shooting blanks.
Result = No GOAL
Without a why, you will not know which tools you need right now at this phase of your growth and the journey of your ideal customer.
Result = No GOAL
The results are predictable and inevitable.
Talking about your ideal customer…
Do you know that it takes a minimum of 7 contacts with your product/ offer for your ideal customer to know you (Become aware of your service or product), Like you (Consider you a good fit for them) and Buy from you (Decide that they can part with their money)?
This is called a BUYERS JOURNEY.
This is a concept that few business owners understand that influences their CONSISTENT INBOUND MARKETING processes.
It’s why you keep seeing their adverts on your timeline.
Have you noticed that it is often after a few contacts with some brands online, you begin you warm up to the brand that respond to their offers?
THEY HAVE A WHY that perfectly aligns with their journey of their prospective clients.
If you don’t have such a why, no matter which channels you choose to run to because of bad market, I hate to break it to you, but you’d be shoot blanks.
Result = No GOAL
The good news is that you can replicate the results of other successful business owners and even surpass them..
all on your own terms…
But you must begin with your WHY and you must be committed to seeing it through.
How would you like me to help you shoot and score in the coming weeks and months of 2019?
Afterall, it’s the second half of the year.
Click HERE to book a strategy call today and let’s get your business back on track.
PS: YouTube and Google are great, but I am a shorter cut 😎
In such a social media era like ours, it is still somewhat of a mystery how some websites manage to keep getting views on their sites while others literally struggle. It almost feels like there is this magic wand that the successful websites have that the struggling one don’t. Hopefully, what I’m about to share will help you gain the needed insight and command your own wand, driving more eyes to your website.
The Number 1 Rule of Owning a Website
Few business owners understand this, but the main purpose of a website is to get seen. When you get seen more than once and by multiple eyes, you are said to be generating leads. It is from these leads that clients come and business flows. However, like many have observed, the trend is to sell, sell, sell; after all we are in our online marketing filled world. This can tricky and sometimes hard to think beyond just creating an offer using a landing page and selling instantly. Who doesn’t want to make it Big? I’m talking about the long haul here.
Websites like Techpoint and BusinessInsider and many others like them have understood that the money is in the numbers. I by that I mean repeat numbers. How many stores do you know are still open for business without leads walking in frequently each day?
When businesses like Techpoint share their website content, chances are that people who like the content will share them on social media leading to much more reads and leads, which is their number 1 goal. That is what your aim should be- to get people excited by your content that they end up sharing instantly. Do you see the point?
What is your own business goal?
Have you determined the steps you must take to reach that goal?
Where does your website fit in in the series?
What can you share to get people to click the link that leads to your website content?
Have a click bait
A Click Bait is best described as content whose main purpose is to attract attention and encourage visitors to click on a link to a particular web page- google
Again going back to what Techpoint, BusinessInsider, TechCrunch and your favorite websites do, reflect on what they write that makes you unconsciously click to read more. That sentence or two is the click bait. And because their content is good, you always go back, thereby increasing their google rankings and open rates. What do they get in return? More leads, that’s right. You’re getting it!
In case you are wondering, Click baits can be text, video or both.
Before jumping into creating any content, first think about what you want to share; what you want your business to be known for- it could be ;
Your culture
Trends you are passionate about
Businesses you love
Causes you support
It could be anything really. The idea is that you write for those people who are as passionate about that topic/ cause/ idea as you are. Then think about the choice of words that will get them to click to read more. See some suggestions from contentrow. Notice how enticing the contents are.
There’s a caveat here though – you must have something relevant to share that’s rich and informative and resonates with a specific audience segment, not the whole internet. Otherwise, your rankings will reduce. Meaning you have to be in this for the long haul. You may want to hire a freelancer or a team of copywriters to help you out here.
Notify visitors of new content
Have an automation system in place that automatically notifies your readers/ leads that you have put up new content. I personally recommend Onesignal.
While it requires some setting up to have it active and in play, you will be very happy to have it on your side when you push out content. Onesignal sends out automatic notifications to subscribers the moment updates are shared. I personally love it for it’s simple setup process.
You might consider other tools however, but Onesignal is free. So what’s there to lose?
Conclusion
We all will be happy if our website got thousands of views each day. I know I would. With a strategy in place and the appropriate tools as discussed above, it is possible. But it begins with you knowing why you are creating content and for who? I hope the tips above are helpful to you.
If so kindly share your thoughts in the comments below.
