What does this mean for your business?

• It is now not just about having a fancy looking website
• You need a website that demonstrated your credibility, builds trust and develops a relationship with your visitors
• You also need a effective and consistent presence across the web
• You also need to translate web visitors into customers or clients and this means understanding  the  online  buying process

Here’s a quick audit you can complete to see how close you are to achieving this:

• Are communicating your expertise, and credibility and creating trust through your website?
• Are you guiding website visitors through a process to create a relationship and tap into their buying cycle?
• Do external sites and platforms communicate the same consistent message as your website?
• Do you know how many people are finding you on line, where and what action they are taking after visiting your site
• Do you communicating powerfully enough what you offer?

If you’ve answered no to any of these questions it’s time to start making those tweaks to help you make more sales!

Start by looking at the pricing and packaging of your good or services, take a look at ways you can make people feel more secure in the buying process and then look at your website copy and how well your product or service, you as the business owner and the business itself is being presented.

And if you need some help with this – why not join me on one of the Marketing Masterminds.

*  Research by  Compete – previous research by Yahoo!, BIGResearch, and comScore  found 80% to more than 90% of consumers buying in-store have consulted the Internet for information prior to purchase

The post How to develop your online presence and make more sales appeared first on Business Coach London | Small Business Coaching and Mentoring.

During our interview I took the opportunity to pick Karen’s brains about the power of colour in business.  One of the things we talked about was the strong associations people have with colour and the difference between being drawn to a colour because we like it and using colour effectively in business branding.

As Karen points out, the colours we use in our business brand need to be consistent with the values expressed by our brand. It is worth checking that there is this consistency across all our materials and, if we are running a bricks and mortar business, our physical environment.  If you have a beauty salon, for example, you can look at your decor, packaging, staff uniforms and booking cards to see if there is consistency in your use of colour across all these materials.

We also talked about colour symbolism – which is all about how colours are perceived in different cultures.  It strikes me that an awareness of cultural association becomes really important in our business when we are trading internationally and for anyone who knows that their website is being viewed by visitors from other countries.  Karen gave the really interesting example of the colour purple and its association in this country with luxury.

Here’s a replay of the interview:

You can find out more about Karen here:

http://www.karenhaller.co.uk

By Sonia Thomas

Google

The post The Power of Colour in Business appeared first on Business Coach London | Small Business Coaching and Mentoring.

It is true that you do have to provide reasons for people to buy and, specifically, to buy from you.

It can be daunting when you look around and see the range of people and organisations offering something similar to you.  It is also true that you need a very clear sense of the competition!

However, if :

• there is enough demand for what you provide
• you provide something of quality
• people recognise the value of what you offer and are willing and able to pay for it
• you target the specific needs of a specific target group with your goods or services

You make marketing your business a lot easier and start removing the need to compete.

A key factor in this is that you need to provide your potential clients with a clear idea of:

• what makes your service or product different
• what makes your service or product a great match for their needs

And to do this you need:

• clarity about your product or service and the needs it serves
• clarity about your potential clients and what they want and need

To really sell your difference you need to understanding it so start by looking at what you offer:

• What is most compelling/attractive to your clients?
• How can you refine what you offer/how you offer it to make it more compelling?

Look to increase client benefit and tailor it more closely to clients wants and needs

Don’t look at pricing what you offer at the lowest possible price – think about what you can do to stand out from the crowd.

Some examples include:

Improving your service

-e.g. timing, location, delivery speed, follow up, returns policy, guarantees.

An example – deliver to the workplace or in the workplace

Specialising

Have a signature product or service that you are known for.

An example -   a florist who makes up bouquets for anniversaries using the Victorian  language of flowers

Customise

Offer options to combine services or products or offer clients the option to change elements of the service or product based on their needs.

An example – option to add a personalised message to gifts

So forget trying to be better than the competition and identify what really makes you different!

By Sonia Thomas

Google

The post Worried about the Competition? appeared first on Business Coach London | Small Business Coaching and Mentoring.

What is Google Authorship?

Google authorship links your online content to your Google profile.

Why link your content to your Google profile?

• Google’s ex  CEO, Eric Schmidt, has said that if your content is tied to your Google Plus profile, it will begin ranking higher in the search engine
• Your listing on Google will look very different – and will include your picture, a link to your Google plus profile, the number of circles you are in and links to the rest of your work – this all increases your credibility, makes your listing more memorable and makes it easy for people to find you
• Once you have claimed authorship it is easier for Google to determine if this is your original content, and whether you should be credited above other sites that may copy or reprint your content
• Including your picture in your listing generates more clicks and more trust – as you are seen as a real person
• You can use Authorship Analytics – and see how where your content comes in search results and how often your content is viewed – which helps you tailor and refine your writing and choose relevant topics for your audience

What Google authorship looks like in search listings:

So, how do you link your content to your Google Profile?

• Set up a Google Account if you don’t already have one
• Set up your Google Profile and make it public
• Add your website/blog to your Google Plus Profile under the heading – Contributor to
• Follow these guidelines on how to add some code to your site to link your content to you Google Plus Profile

Now you are good to go – just remember to add your code to each time you publish online.

By Sonia Thomas

Google

The post Why you should be using Google Authorship appeared first on Business Coach London | Small Business Coaching and Mentoring.

Guy, previously the chief evangelist of Apple, is the author of ten books including “Enchantment”, “Reality Check”, “The Art of the Start”, “Rules for Revolutionaries”, “How to Drive Your Competition Crazy”, “Selling the Dream”, and “The Macintosh Way”  and owner of Alltop.com

His new book is co-authored with Shawn Welch the author of From Idea to App, iOS 5 Core Frameworks, and iOS 6 for Developers as well as the developer of several iOS apps.

Because of Guy’s and Shawn’s love of technology and online engagement I was expecting to get some ideas on how to use the web to publish and promote a book.

But I wasn’t expecting such a comprehensive look at the process of research, and advice on how to write.  There is a whole section, for example, devoted to tools for writers.

This book also tackles the both the issue of online versus traditional publishing routes and the practicalities of how to produce, upload and sell your book.

“How to Publish a Book – APE” is an honest, highly practical and information rich guide to publishing, supported by a range of links to a range of online links.

Some examples of Guy’s attention to detail  include an analysis of the sales of printed versus ebooks in 2011 – revealing that 79 percent of all trade books were still printed.  He also breaks down the costs of production and explains sources of funding outlines.  More than this, he outlines how to make money (yes money!) from your book.

Anyone thinking about writing a book should get “How to Publish a Book – APE”  today!

Guy Kawaski

Shawn Welch

By Sonia Thomas

Google

The post How to Publish a Book appeared first on Business Coach London | Small Business Coaching and Mentoring.

I was really surprised to meet so many published writers and the diversity of the writing was a real eye opener.

Despite having to travel 27 floors up in Millbank Tower  (which is beautifully set on the banks of the Thames in central London) the effort was worth it and the view was spectacular.

One thing that did really shock me, though, was the amount of work being done by some bloggers to attract traffic to keep sponsors happy and generate some income.  It’s can be incredibly time consuming, while at the same time earning you limited revenue.

It is always good to have your own service or product to sell as it can be so much more rewarding  – emotionally, and psychologically.  Plus, you can make more money and build a sustainable business.  Or, you can combine with others to create an authority site, and generate a great deal more interest, engagement and revenue with the same amount of work.

So, come on ladies, let’s get our stuff together and make our content pay!

By Sonia Thomas

Google

The post My Thoughts on Blogfest 2012 appeared first on Business Coach London | Small Business Coaching and Mentoring.

But it is worth thinking about how you can get the very most from your guest blogs.

First -  it is really worth planning your guest blog as part of a series.

Think about your guest post as a introduction or overview of a topic.  You really do need to offer great information or tips in this first article so both your blog host and their readers get access to really high value content.

But make sure that you also publish follow up articles or resources on your website.

Your follow up articles may go into more detail on an aspect of the topic you’ve covered in your guest post, they may give more tips or further resources or a different way of solving a problem or issue.  Your free download may be written, audio or video.  The important thing is that your follow up materials should be relevant to your guest post, offer really high value content and be really attractive to those people who have read your guest post.

Second – ensure there is a call to action

In your guest post, ensure that your bio slug (the short biography at the end of your article) offers  readers the opportunity to visit your site to get further resources, or read your follow up articles, or download a free resource. Express this offer as a clear and simple call to action, for example, for my free guide  How to Plan your Book in 90 Minutes click here.

What should your bio slug include?

Apart from a call to action, a good bio slug should also have:

• Your photo
• A statement of the results you achieve for customers (the benefits you bring)
• Your name, title and website address
• If there is some space – a few words demonstrating your credibility e.g.  Author of Toilet Training Made Easy

Next -  as soon as your guest post has been published, you can start to share the news

Some ways you can do this:

• Tell people through your mailing list
• Tell people through Twitter
• Post an update via Facebook
• Put a post on your blog with a link to the guest post
• Post an update via LinkedinPost an update via Google+ – using your profile and your business page
• If you have been published by a site or organisation with a high profile, list this on your website  with the organisation’s logo

Finally – remember to connect and respond!

• Set up a Google alert for any references to you article – visit the relevant sites and respond to any comments and references to your article
• If you are using wordpress – do the same with any pingbacks
• Respond and engage with any comments on your guest post
• Respond to any comments you get through social media and keep the conversation going!

This will help you get a lot more value from the time you take to guest post and to develop new relationships and more interest in you and what you do.

By Sonia Thomas

Google

The post How to Get More from Guest Blogging appeared first on Business Coach London | Small Business Coaching and Mentoring.

The great advantage of guest blogging is that you can tap into the audience of established blogs and “borrow” credibility – as being published on someone else’s blog is seen as an endorsement.  Guest blogging can raise your profile as an expert in your field and can also help drive targeted traffic to your website.  If  you can also include a live link back to your site, your guest post can also help you build links back to your site and raise your visibility in the search engines.

Here’s a simple 3 stage process you can follow to find out where to guest post:

1  First, do your research – identify blogs which are written for your target audience which accept guest posts.

You can use Google to do this as Google has a blog search function.

You can find the blog search page here:

http://www.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en

Try typing these phrases into the search box:

Guest post (your key word)

For example, if you want to guest post on parenting type:

Guest post parenting

Or you could try:

Write for us (your key word)

It’s important that the blog is up to date, so try including the date in your search, for example:

Write for us (your key word) 2012

You can also search Twitter – try searching on a range of search terms, for example:

looking for guest writers (your keyword)

guest bloggers (your keyword)

guest blogging (your keyword)

Try with and without hashtags #and follow relevant tweets to identify blogs that are looking for guest writers.

2  Next, select the most useful blogs to contribute to.

So, how do you decide which blogs are most useful?

• Find blogs which have a high readership and are regularly updated.
• Choose blogs which have reader comments and allow sharing via social media.
• Make sure the blog allows you to include a bio slug and a link back to your website.
• Choose blogs which are a good fit  -  the tone, content, and target audience should all be a good match for you and the way you write.

3  Finally,  before you submit any articles as a guest blogger make sure you read the writing guidelines and terms and conditions, that you are happy with them and can comply with them.

The guidelines should let you know about:

• Word count
• Originality of content
• Reprint and redistribution rights
• Copyright (it’s always good to retain your copyright!)
• Frequency of guest posts

Once you have a list of at least 3 sites  -  you are ready to start writing that guest post!

But before you start writing – here are some ideas on how you can make the very most of that guest post.

By Sonia Thomas

Google

The post How to Find Out Where to Guest Post appeared first on Business Coach London | Small Business Coaching and Mentoring.

In our interview Jackie shares the story of how she set up 1230 and generously shares her experience and her practical tips on business networking.

Here is just a short extract from the advice Jackie gives:

• To be a successful networker you need to be visible and, therefore, regular attendance at events and meetings is a must

• Networking is not about selling but about building relationships of trust – so people can be confident in recommending or referring you to others

• Networking also offers you support, advice and the opportunity to tap into the expertise of experts – which supports your business growth

• It is important to give a clear and simple message about your business – so plan and practice what you intend to say

We also talk about a range of different ways in which people can formally network and the different types of networking groups that exist and the importance of finding the right kind of network that will work for you.

If you feel uncertain or uncomfortable with networking Jackie also shares some tips on how to deal with this.

We also talk about how to present your business in one minute and a structure you can follow to write your one minute presentation.

To listen to highlights from our interview – just click below.

Jackie Groundsell is MD of the highly successful women’s networking business, 1230 The Women’s Company Ltd. To find out more about 1230 and Jackie just visit http://www.1230.co.uk

By Sonia Thomas

Google

The post Jackie Groundsell appeared first on Business Coach London | Small Business Coaching and Mentoring.

Email marketing is still the most powerful way of connecting with potential and existing clients and customers and making sales.

In fact, recent research by iContact revealed that:

• there are 3 times as many email accounts as all accounts of Facebook and Twitter combined

• consumers who receive email marketing spend 83% more when shopping

Here are some tips for using email effectively to market your business:

• ensure people opt in to your email list – for a higher level of engagement and a higher level of interest in what you offer, accurate email addresses, and a higher conversion to sales rate

• ensure your emails offer valuable information, resources and genuine, high value, offers to your subscribers

• target specific messages to those who are interested – use a professional email system so you get information on opens, click and opt in rates, and can segment your list to send to only selected groups

• include images in your email messages to avoid overwhelming people with written information.   Hubspot‘s recent research found that 65% of people prefer emails which are “mainly visual”.

• personalise your messages – again, Hubspot’s research found that including your subscriber’s first name in your messages led to an increase in click rate by over 2%, and that including your name or your company name prominently led to an increase in click rate by over 8%

• 88 % of people now read their emails on a mobile device -  so check that your email is compatible with different devices (another good reason to use a professional email service)

• take time to craft an accurate and compelling email subject line – people are great at filtering out unwanted information – so, tell them what they will get by opening your email

Finally

Your email messages are a powerful way to connect with your potential and current clients and customers and is a way of developing a relationship of trust.

If you build your reputation for delivering value through your email messages and make your messages specific and relevant to your subscribers – more people will read your emails, take action and you will make more sales.

By Sonia Thomas

Google

The post Top Email Marketing Tips appeared first on Business Coach London | Small Business Coaching and Mentoring.