Trials of the Entrepreneur
Whether it’s Steve Jobs or yours truly, every entrepreneur has committed many mistakes and been victim to rejection and letdowns along their entrepreneurial journey. These arrows of misfortune, though agonizing, will teach you more about business than any coach, or guru ever could.
I’m no exception, I have learned a lot from my failures, and they have yet to kill me. This is an opportunity to share some knowledge I gained from my experiences. Without further ado, here are 5 tips (read as lessons) to survive the “entrepreneur fail test” that were worth confessing, once I survived them.
1. Success isn’t final
Despite how booming you are, understand that you may fall short again. ‘Loser’ tag is just fine as long as you’re ready to learn. It will motivate you to make wiser, enhanced assessments. The sooner you understand that your business has some beautiful and ugly parts, and there is such a thing as the “God Complex”, you’ll raise your stakes as a leader.
2. Keep in mind: No returns, no business
It’s as simple as that! Initiate a viable business for yourself, and not the one rooted in future skills or unreal investment. If your real business can make it, you will learn how to acquire other firms in the future or raise funding sources. But, relying on the latter path as a surefire tactic is just dumb and can easily backfire on your dreams. Upshot: Quit guessing about coming days from now, and laser-focus on present-day. Adopt, or perish.
3. Keep It Simple
As your business gets underway, and you think you can do more than a few things perfectly at once, well you’re probably not going anywhere. From PayPal to Google, everything stands out like a beacon today. These companies were developed by clear-cut plans, balanced budgets, and only then, did they expand. Keep your business/start up plan uncomplicated; because if it’s not easy, you’re doomed.
4. Be practical
You are an ordinary person attempting extraordinary things, As you are human, the mistake easily made is to believe your own nonsense, so be alert, stop conceiving you as a champion imagining your thought is brainy, and go motivate yourself better.
5. Think outside the box
Murphy’s Law in business is the likely scenario. If you predict 500 clients, you might get around 100. If you project a contract to seal within 10 weeks, it might creep up to 20. What I’m trying to say here is you invariably need to be prepared for these kinds of worst-case scenarios and have fitting backup plans for every circumstances. Don’t look at the problems with one solution in mind, commit yourself to think creatively. Extend yourself by brainstorming about options for every uncertainty and you’ll turn into a better business person.
The Future of Employment
Article by Corri Byrne, dLook General Manager - Like dLook on Facebook
What are your plans for team expansion? Are you employing full time or on a project basis? In-sourced or outsourced? How is the employment landscape changing with technology?
Worldwide Changes in Employment
Government argues that we need more stimuli and the opposition argues that we need more tax cuts to increase demand. There is some truth in both arguments, but that’s not the whole story.
There is a restructuring going on in economies worldwide, jobs are moving to contracted people on value / relevance based terms; that are reviewed by project rather than traditional annual arrangements. Individuals are becoming more like actors / directors / producers and crew on movie sets.
The internet economy is ushering in a new wave of networked project based people working in enterprises with staggering capital values. Facebook is now valued near $100 billion, Twitter at $8 billion, Groupon at $30 billion, Zynga at $20 billion and LinkedIn at $8 billion. These are classed as US companies, when in reality they are becoming stateless organizations that are global in their reach.
While the company capital valuations are huge, they cumulatively employ less than 20,000 people. That’s not a lot of people, relative to their valuations, and while they’re all hiring today, they are largely looking for specific skill sets, suited to needs of “the movie” being made today.
The people resume of the future will call for people who have the critical thinking skills to do the value-adding jobs that technology can’t do, as well as people who can invent, adapt and reinvent their jobs (value) every day, in a market that changes @ NetSpeed.
Today’s college grads need to be aware that the rising trend in Silicon Valley is to evaluate employees every quarter, not annually. Because the merger of globalization and the I.T. revolution means new products are being phased in and out so fast that companies cannot afford to wait until the end of the year to figure out whether a team leader is doing a good job.
Employers or should I say Prime Contracting parties are asking of contract candidates: Can this contactor add value every hour, every day — more than a contractor in China, India, Poland or Russia? Can they add significant value to my prime contract position in the market place, can they adapt to my evolving role in the current project; and can they reinvent themselves for the projects of tomorrow? And can they become continuous self learning organisms that adapt to continuous market place change, so that as a federated group we can adapt and export more into the fastest-growing global markets?
In today’s interrelated, interconnected and intelligent networked world, more and more enterprises will evolve into these federated networks that will not hire sub contracting people who don’t fulfill those criteria.
This will require a new mind-set and skill set to compete. The uncertain, rapidly changing conditions in which entrepreneurs start companies is what it’s now like for all of us planning careers in a world filled by dynamic points of stability. Each point of dynamic stability has the potential to have a catalytic affect on all other points of the federated networks that we may become part of.
In accordance with the Chinese proverb “we do indeed live in interesting time”
Business Models Must Be Built to Adapt
In every market there are industry captains that excel at executing their current business model, that’s what makes them industry leaders.
However most of them slowly become hostages of the status quo, “the way we do things round here slowly morphs into the way we think round here”
History is littered with industry captains that lose out to start up companies who appear from nowhere, and in a few short years overtake the established leader.
A New Paradigm
Cloud computing is bringing in a new disruptive economic environment that will make these transitions occur @ NetSpeed.
This speed of change and market volatility challenges the sustainability of “business as usual” in many markets, placing enormous pressure on any individual enterprise’s ability to respond to market disruption in a timely manner, as most enterprises are now heavily reliant on a multiplicity of external supply partner relationships to produce and deliver their products and services to market.
What’s The Main Frame
Looking back at history, IBM in the 1960’s and 70’s dominated the mainframe computer market, and it did so very successfully against competitors like ICL (UK), Bull (France), Univac, Honeywell, Fujitsu and CDC.
IBM quickly achieved value keystone status within the ecosystems it competed in. IBM’s technology capability, capacity, service level availabilities, integrated sales channels and associated high cost structures were sustained by burgeoning mainframe margins. IBM’s cost base expanded as their enterprise structure grew to manage and support the strategic relationships they forged with their customers.
Their customers (usually large enterprises) were generally value keystone players in their respective ecosystems and also on the trail of sustaining their existing capabilities and capacities.
This capability and value sustaining model utilised by customer and supplier resulted in creating incremental innovations that maintained and improved the business as usual approach in the computer industry.
Consequently IBM largely missed out on the minicomputer market to new competitors such as DEC, Prime, Data General Etc. Subsequent to the minicomputer market, IBM misread the PC market by seeing the value opportunity in the production of PC’s rather than the associated operating systems and software services that supported them.
In the case of DEC and Prime, who had successfully led IBM in the minicomputer business, they completely missed out on the PC market.
The IBM PC division has since been sold to Lenovo (China).
Not Robinson Crusoe
The list of market failure examples is endless and applicable to any industry. All of the above quoted enterprises had the capabilities, resources and capacities to test the relevance of their strategy and value assumptions within their ecosystems; and respond to the disruptive challenges they faced. Yet none of them did so, they lacked the insight to recognise and adapt to change in their business ecosystems.
It appears as if incumbent market leaders throughout history spent their time gathering evidence to support the belief that their strategies, business models and supporting value assumptions were permanently relevant and sustainable.
Give Me the Life Raft
So what’s the lesson to be learnt?
All enterprises and their capabilities, strategies, value assumptions, capacities and availabilities within an ecosystem are dynamically interlinked with their ecosystem partners.
Existing capabilities, capacities and business models, are not permanent and profitable belief systems to be defended at all costs.
Built to Adapt
Article by Corri Byrne, dLook General Manager - Like dLook on Facebook
Is your business ready for disruption? Upheaval? What are the things you can do to future proof your business? This article explores business models that are built to adapt.
Business Models need to be Built to Adapt
In every market there are industry captains that excel at executing their current business model, that’s what makes them industry leaders.
However most of them slowly become hostages of the status quo - “the way we do things round here slowly morphs into the way we think round here.”
History is littered with industry captains that lose out to start-up companies who appear from nowhere, and in a few short years overtake the established leader.
Disrupting the Landscape
Cloud computing is bringing in a new disruptive economic environment that will make these transitions occur @ NetSpeed.
This speed of change and market volatility challenges the sustainability of “business as usual” in many markets, placing enormous pressure on any individual enterprise’s ability to respond to market disruption in a timely manner, as most enterprises are now heavily reliant on a multiplicity of external supply partner relationships to produce and deliver their products and services to market.
Looking back at history, IBM in the 1960’s and 70’s dominated the mainframe computer market, and it did so very successfully against competitors like ICL (UK), Bull (France), Univac, Honeywell, Fujitsu and CDC.
IBM quickly achieved value keystone status within the ecosystems it competed in.
IBM’s technology capability, capacity, service level availabilities, integrated sales channels and associated high cost structures were sustained by burgeoning mainframe margins. IBM’s cost base expanded as their enterprise structure grew to manage and support the strategic relationships they forged with their customers.
Their customers (usually large enterprises) were generally value keystone players in their respective ecosystems and also on the trail of sustaining their existing capabilities and capacities.
This capability and value sustaining model utilised by customer and supplier resulted in creating incremental innovations that maintained and improved the business as usual approach in the computer industry.
Consequently IBM largely missed out on the minicomputer market to new competitors such as DEC, Prime, Data General Etc. Subsequent to the minicomputer market, IBM misread the PC market by seeing the value opportunity in the production of PC’s rather than the associated operating systems and software services that supported them. In the case of DEC and Prime, who had successfully led IBM in the minicomputer business, they completely missed out on the PC market.
The IBM PC division has since been sold to Lenovo (China).
Death is Part of the Cycle
The list of market failure examples is endless and applicable to any industry.
All of the above quoted enterprises had the capabilities, resources and capacities to test the relevance of their strategy and value assumptions within their ecosystems; and respond to the disruptive challenges they faced. Yet none of them did so, they lacked the insight to recognise and adapt to change in their business ecosystems.
It appears as if incumbent market leaders throughout history spent their time gathering evidence to support the belief that their strategies, business models and supporting value assumptions were permanently relevant and sustainable.
Lessons to be Learnt
So what can be gleaned from these cyclical trends:
- All enterprises and their capabilities, strategies, value assumptions, capacities and availabilities within an ecosystem are dynamically interlinked with their ecosystem partners.
- Existing capabilities, capacities and business models, are not permanent and profitable belief systems to be defended at all costs.
Whether you are dominating your market or a new entrant, it is important to maintain an adaptable business model, focused on the rapidly changing market conditions. Maintain an appreciation that your business is completely reliant on numerous external factors - all of which could significantly impact your market position, long term strategy plans or entire industry relevance.
Changing Habits of Google Search
Article by Mande Crnjak, dLook Account Manager - Like dLook on Facebook
How do you use a search engine? What are the words you type to find your page match? This article explores the world of Google search.
Google search. Searches in Google. Google Searching.
Everybody searches differently, especially when looking for a particular product or service.
The question is … are you searching your capital city? Your local area? Your local suburb?
All too often advertisers want to promote themselves as “Plumber Sydney” or “Painter Melbourne” when their real service area is just the Hills district or Mornington Peninsula.
When business owners are looking to promote themselves, they see the Internet as the opportunity to immediately tap unforeseen markets, hitherto unavailable customers - one’s who are just waiting to come across a Plumber in Penrith who will travel 45 minutes to service their emergency repairs in North Sydney.
As a business owner talking with your SEO company, web designer or online directory provider what are you asking them to optimise your page around. What are the keywords that you are trying to be found for and in what geographic area?
Keyword Searches and Suggestions
With the development of Google Places, the Google map and Google Instant (suggested search phrases as you’re typing), a search query is often being generated while you type and predictive results popping up to direct your thinking.
So while you are looking for a specific business or a particular product / service, you’re search words are being made up for you.
Are Google’s words really what you’re looking for?
For example, assume you are in a suburb in South Sydney and are looking for a carpet cleaner.
You go into Google, start typing in “Carpet Cle”… and before you even finish typing the rest of the word, Google has given you the options, “carpet cleaning, carpet cleaning Sydney, carpet cleaning Newcastle, carpet cleaning Wollongong, carpet cleaners, carpet cleaners warehouse”.
So you then click “Carpet Cleaning Sydney” as this seems the most relevant. But the results don’t meet your needs as “Carpet Cleaning Sydney” generates search page listings that are located on the North Shore, Western Suburbs or the Sydney CBD.
Are you going to choose one of these businesses? Or are you going to refine your search? So how often are we refining our search terms?
When searching for businesses which provide us with our desired product or service, we are all refining our searches because:
- We want to support our local community
- Our local suppliers often provide a quicker and more reliable service
- It’s easier to return the product or call back someone regarding the service if it wasn’t quite right
- We don’t have to pay travel costs like tolls, fuel, or be inconvenienced by the time to travel.
Extra delivery costs – additional postage & handling fees particularly when buying from online stores
You may be here in front of me, but how do I find you?
Depending on the type of product or service you are looking for, once you’ve done a local search to find a business do you make the call? Would you go in store to see their range of products for yourself?
So how, as a business owner, do you know if your customer has found you online via your website, your directory listing or social pages? How do you measure the success of your online brand?
Are we searching cities at all?
If you live or work in the city, you are most likely searching that city.
But let’s say you are searching for a restaurant. Are you searching “Melbourne”? Or would you type in “Melbourne City”? Or “Sydney CBD”?
Or would you even go as far as typing in “Italian Restaurant Lygon Street”? Or in Sydney “Thai Restaurant Oxford Street”?
These are the types of keywords people do use to search … so why aren’t business trying to optimize their pages, whether they’re websites, directory listings, advertising campaigns, around these words?
From the North to the South to the East to the West
When looking for a plumber I don’t need to know that it takes 45 minutes to get here - I want you down the road. Well I want you in my house asap and fixing my leak, my burst water pipe or whatever emergency has beset me.
If I’m booking you over the phone following a web search and then you explain that it won’t take long, but I will have to charge you for tolls … hey, give me a local plumber anytime. I don’t want the extra costs or the extra inconvenience.
More and more people are understanding how to use search engines and how to generate the results that suit their needs. It is becoming more specific in keywords and more local in geography.
If people live in the service area then they know how to search it … whether that’s the Hills district, north shore, Southeast Melbourne or the Valley these terms and specific suburbs are showing up with increasing regularity in search engines.
The development of cities which are now moving out in every direction, North, South, East and West, has not only urbanized search terms in relation to these areas, but also keyword searches like “Sydney metro” or “Adelaide Hills”. Are you using these types of keywords to gain customers from these areas?
If you own a business and are advertising online, whether it’s your own website, a directory listing or an online advertising campaign, consider where you want to service and the suburbs and areas that surround it and use these linked phrases and suburbs / areas as your primary search terms to get the best clicks for your buck.
Cloud Computing
Article by Corri Byrne, dLook General Manager - Like dLook on Facebook
Are businesses ready for Cloud Computing? Are we on the verge of a major corporate overhaul of systems, drivers and methods?
Cloud Computing is as useless as a Newborn Baby
A revolutionary new way of doing business is taking place. It started as information technology within business enterprises, and has now been embraced and extended by consumers. It is making sweeping changes to every aspect of today’s economies. It is radically changing the importance and speed of information communication for enterprises, individuals and demand / supply networks.
It is a revolution in network process dynamics, their creation, combination, bifurcation, recombination and patterns of behavior.
It is not being led by Chief Financial officers or Chief Information Officers, who introduced Management Information Systems (MIS) in large enterprises or technology vendors.
Consumer Driven Systems
It is being led by consumer driven dynamic networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn), who’s implications Business Information Industry leaders have in the past tended to ignore.
It is Cloud technology which is now beginning to be adopted by business and government institutions. Like a newborn baby, it presents society with open possibilities around the way we collaborate, cooperate and compete as individuals and groups.
Historically business operations were all about analyzing the year-over-year business model within the physical constrains of individual enterprises:
- Balancing capital, resources, work activities and customer service
- maintaining in-stock levels
- effective asset management and product assortments
However, customer conversion in retail is not just about setting-up a store or even a multi branded distribution network. Consumer preferences from product research to product purchasing has become multi-dimensional, it is now combined as a digital and physical experience and is geographically global in its reach. Sustainable business models must become aligned, agile and adaptive with their demand / supply value networks.
This entails orchestration, loose integration and coordination of clustered demand / supply network partners; digitally linking their enterprises, distribution centers, and business processes, into a seamless experience for the ultimate consumer of their products and services (the use of shared assets, combined business processes, social, mobile, voice, and video networks. and multi-channel retailing.
Despite the consumer / retailer relationship changing at net speed, bricks and mortar retailers have been unable to respond to this consumer led disruptive business model. Retailers are now compelled to manage product assortments and inventory across multi-brand, multi-channel and multi-distribution strategies, (what products to range, across which channels, what inventory to keep, when, where and how much to keep and distribute).
Demand / supply network partners must rethink how their combined operations interact, react, cycle and feedback to accommodate the new physical - digital retail selling environment.
Changing Consumer Shopping Experience
As Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, iPhones, iPods and iPads change the customer shopping experience - Demand / supply network partners need to understand how end-to-end network value is created, transformed, exchanged and consumed in this new environment.
All of these events are network driven and yet all computer business applications to date are enterprise (department) driven.
Vertical industry networks have a compelling need for dedicated real time network support (Cloud Process utilities that coordinate and manage people-to-people and system network-to-network dynamics) that cannot be predefined or pre programmed … the way that current system-to-system interactions are.
Connected Consumer
Article by Corri Byrne, dLook General Manager - Like dLook on Facebook
This article explores the Connected Consumer and why traditional marketing struggles to attain the penetration rates it used to.
Once upon a time consumers depended on retailers to access information as to which product would best answer their needs. However the advent of the web and social networks means that access to product information has been separated from the product and retail store.
In many cases consumers no longer depend on retail outlets for anything other than price comparison and availability. Now with software applications like Red Laser, consumers can use an iPhone to scan a bar code, then search online to find the best deal.
Rising Consumer Awareness
Increasingly, consumers are now better networked and more informed than many of the staff that are trying to sell to them.
When consumers choose to buy online, products are easy to identify, procure and pay for; service responsiveness and product fulfillment is just a click away, and product delivery can be tracked from source to home.
Consumers can also feel more secure in the buying decisions they make; because their purchasing decisions are backed up by online reviews, blogs, recommendations, peer support and advice that is simultaneously available 24/7. All communication is in English – or the consumer’s language of choice.
The real time process between online business and consumer is aligned, agile and instantly adaptive to market change.
This has brought about a gap out there in the market, between retailers and buyers. Retailers are using newspapers, TV and radio broadcasting in an attempt to reach buyers, and it just doesn’t work anymore.
Broadcast Spam - Consumer Filters
Buyers have too many filters available to them. Buyers can limit the content they consume by using caller ID to filter out unwanted phone calls, record television programs and skip through the commercials, or siphon off unwanted junk mail.
Consumers awareness of spam has crossed over to all forms of marketing.
Marketers assume a 1.0% response rate to broadcast marketing campaigns, which is fast turning out to be clearly ineffective.
The Dell System
Consider the worldwide manufacturing operations of Dell Computer. When a consumer designs their computer online, Dell beams that demand signal to its 30 tier-1 and 400 tier-2 suppliers scattered across the globe, they all work asynchronously, against their own clocks, using human and system resources in non-predetermined ways.
That solves the critical challenges in synchronizing the 20% exceptions that must be dealt with in real business— which consume 80% of resources—if an enterprise is to achieve a sustainable competitive edge.
Consumers can stay in touch with their purchase product’s journey manufacture through shipment to final delivery; and the consumer can continue to have ongoing direct relationship with Dell’s support desk without any retailer providing middleman assistance.
The retailer no longer offers any value add to the equation; unless the consumer requires finance.
The question then is how long it will be before finance is tied to online purchases?
Constantly Connected Consumer
The Universal 2008 McCann Report: Power to the People, Social Media Tracker stated:
- 57% of Internet users have joined a social network
- 73% have read a blog
- 34% post opinions about products and brands on blogs / social media networks
- 36% think positively about companies that have blogs
- 83% have viewed video on multimedia channels
- 184 million people worldwide actively maintain a blog
These figures are rising with each year … so where is the future for disconnected retailers?
Improve your online presence and market awareness with dLook online business directory.
Life Without Facebook
Article by Simone Cooper, dLook Account Manager - Like dLook on Facebook
Simone looks at the ramifications of increasing Facebook use - is it just a great social networking tool or a modern addiction?
Millions and millions of hearts stop around the world.
Loud gasps of shock …
A life without Facebook!
Is Facebook really … all that?
Facebook has been embraced by millions as a way to keep up to date with friends and families, or to connect with all sorts of different people, but is it really the best thing since sliced bread? Or the best thing since John Logie Baird invented the first operational television?
People use Facebook everywhere, at home, at work, on public transport; on their mobiles, on their laptops, their iPads. To suddenly have a life without Facebook would it really leave people without a sense of meaning?
Okay, maybe I’m being dramatic here, but many people would find it hard to cope without Facebook. While I’m at it, speaking of people’s fickleness, I can never understand all the Apple “freaks” – those who line up for hours and hours outside the Apple store just to be the first to get their hands on the next iPhone or iPad … but that is a whole other topic.
Back to Facebook … it’s an addiction for a lot of people. I know of a friend who as soon as she gets into work in the morning has to log onto her Facebook account to see what messages are waiting for her and then spends fifteen minutes or so responding before she starts her working day. I also know many of you are thinking … is that wrong?
Influence on a mighty scale
I would have to be one of only a few people who don’t embrace Facebook. I was on a crowded train with a friend recently who’d just signed up to Facebook. I remarked to her with a laugh, “You know, I must be the only person in the world who’s not on Facebook!” This man standing near us turned to me and gave me a big, beaming smile. He obviously thought I was right!
Now obviously I’m not the only person in the world who’s not on Facebook, and doesn’t need to use it, but it seems I’m becoming the minority.
Following the masses?
Do people join Facebook because they genuinely want to? Or because they don’t want to feel like they’re missing out on something? Maybe there’s some peer pressure or media pressure to join Facebook because most people have a Facebook account and you don’t want to feel left out.
To me Facebook seems like a waste of time. Okay, it has its benefits if you have friends overseas, but locally, what is so wrong with face in a book, or catching up, meeting up with friends and family for coffee, for lunch, for dinner? Talking on the phone, or – staying up to date - through VOIP on Skype?
Okay, so some people may argue they do that as well, but do people spend so much time on Facebook that it has become an addiction? That they can’t get by without their Facebook fix?
Personal Facebook Review
If I were to give my take on Facebook, then I’d have say the functionality is great. As a tool Facebook plays a role but should not be the central form of connecting.
Too many people spend too many hours on Facebook; airing their views, their vents and putting in their 10 cents worth. Appears quite often that the comments and content are trivial and probably their use and input is linked to boredom or, worse, a need for social contact that is missing due to Facebook addiction!
If this is a reflection of our modern “social networking” society (that we would prefer Facebook to meet up) well I’ll stick with the “old ways” and catch up for coffee!
If Facebook, online gaming or gambling is a problem please seek help.
Facebook: Effective Advertising?
Article by Mande Crnjak, dLook Account Manager - Like dLook on Facebook
Mande poses the question corporate Facebook pages - are they effective advertising or just another “like”
With more than over 500 million active users, Facebook has quickly become the most influential social network in the world.
But who’s on Facebook? And how effective is it?
Let’s face it, who’s not on Facebook or at least looking at something off a friend’s iPhone during a lunch break?
All people, young and old are “connecting” with people and places from around the world.
An average user has 130 friends and will connect or ‘like’ at least 80 pages.
Facebook has created so many outlets for you (over 900 million) to express how you’re feeling, what you’re doing, where and who you’re with and what you like, that you just can’t help but “update your status” or ‘like’ something, for everyone to see.
No matter what age group you’re in, everyone “likes” everything!
From their favourite movie to their local gym, if you recognise that page, you’re “liking” it!
The Facebook Virus: Like
These ‘likes’ are like a virus!
Whether you’re looking at a friend’s profile or just skimming through your Newsfeed, you’re bound to come across a funny quote, brand, or business you know, and without even thinking, you’ve clicked the button to ‘like’ it.
Maybe even clicking into it and sharing it!
Or suggesting more friends!
And then that’s it!
Within minutes, a few others have clicked ‘like” and that business is getting further exposure by spreading through peoples newsfeeds all over the world.
Or is it?
More and more businesses are creating not only their own websites and directory listings, but are turning to Facebook for extra exposure.
If you don’t already have a Facebook page about your business, or didn’t even know it existed, you will!
It is now rare to find a SEM/SEO professional that isn’t recommending you sign up!
What about those businesses that are already well known? Like Gucci.
If you search “Gucci” in Google, you’ll find their website, a Wikipedia site and of course, their Facebook page.
That’s what’s happening for a lot of other small, medium and large businesses too.
You find a personal site, followed by a directory advertisement and closely followed by a Facebook page.
But which would you choose?
Would you really click on a plumber’s Facebook page? Would you trust him or her?
Say you do click in. Wow, what about those comments on the front page?
The first one says “Highly recommend, fast and reliable service”.
You think great until you see below, “Hunni I locked my keys in the house, can you pick up the kids from school lol”.
Would you use this guy?
Or you’ve clicked onto a page, for example a kitchen renovator’s Facebook, where beautiful photos have been ‘recently added’, displaying examples of the work you’re looking for.
Do you automatically ‘like’ the page and you haven’t even called the guy yet?
How do you know those photos aren’t copied from some other website?
Or are you a business owner with a Facebook page?
You’re wasting all your time adding on videos and photos and testimonials to your Facebook page and forgetting about your website or directory advertisement.
People only find your Facebook page if they know your business name, so how much exposure is your page really giving you?
However, what if you link your website or directory listing to your Facebook page?
We Found You
So people have finally found your business on Facebook.
Are these potential customers taking the extra step to look at your extra (more professional) website or directory listing to get more information?
And if so, how do you know that they found you via Facebook?
The same route applies for directory listings, which create so many links for customers to find more information, directing them to websites, that by the time you get an enquiry, the person calling tells you they found you “on Google mate” or “on your website”.
This leads to the closing question … is a business on Facebook, with information, photos and ‘likes’ providing actual exposure and potential business, or just another page for you, your friends and family to ‘like’?
Farming the Google Plot
Increasingly we are becoming an urbanised culture - a culture driven by speed, increased productivity, greater efficiency, culminating in an expectation of higher profits. This urban mentality has seeped into our economic, social and environmental behaviours … always seeking short term solutions but expecting long term wins.
Urban Expectations
The famous mantra from Field of Dreams, “If you build it, they will come” too often typifies expectations of a successful web strategy.
Like the mega constructions of empty high rise apartments littered throughout the city, many spend $1,000’s of dollars (and more) on mega websites that have a fantastic facade, an awesome interior, flashy graphics and tons of content yet rarely an eyeball doth fall!
As keen as I am to name and shame some websites that fit this category, obviously this is politically incorrect. Instead the focus of this article is to change the approach to online web strategy, encouraging a change of view from an urban, get rich quick mentality to an agrarian, farming mentality.
Google Keyword Seeds
The seeds of any good Internet campaign is keywords. Before you start “growing” your website you must appreciate the environment, your “Internet landscape”. Choosing the right keywords is like choosing the right seeds for a particular soil within a specific climate. Just try growing bananas in Tasmania!
Understanding the best keywords that represent your business is about knowing your customers. There are tons of resources available on this topic, but as a guide:
- Create 3 to 5 phrases a potential customer would type in to find someone in your line of business - this does not include your company name! If I already know who dLook Business directory are then I can easily find them. However, if I type in “business directory” will dLook still appear.
- Understand long tail and short tail keywords - a phrase of 4 - 5 words is easier to attain than a 1 or 2 word phrase. This should be obvious - but with urban thinking all too often its lost.
- Define your geographic market - launching a website doesn’t necessarily lead to global domination. Be realistic about your service radius - if you wouldn’t normally travel there don’t try to optimise for it. Better focusing local and then growing.
My Google Plot
Having created your keyword strategy next you can start to focus on deployment … next article will cover preparing your land, planting the seeds and tending the patch.
Article submitted by Corri Byrne, General Manager, dLook Pty Limited Images courtesy of EA and Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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