Fact: How our customers use technology is changing.

Fact: Your website is a marketing tool based on changing technology.

Today we live online and we do it by utilizing many different tools; our smart phones, our ipads, and our computers. Customers expect us to deliver information to them through the tools they use. Looking for more than just text with images on the page. This has made life more exciting and more challenging, but the fact is we all have to change to grow.

In 2011 it’s time to plan for this change but where do you start?

Look at the Data

You can begin to make a plan to change by reviewing your website data.  Take some time to review the analytics from your website to see:

• Visitor screen size
• Browser types
• Mobile Devices and Carriers

Each piece of data can be found under Google’s Analytics visitors heading.  This can really help you plan. When reviewing this type of data be sure to review it across a longer time frame. Make note of when certain changes occurred, and how they correlate to efforts you had put forward during that timeframe. Pay special attention to the bounce rates and length of time on the site when reviewing these details.  Taking the time to review these statistics can help you decided what area to concentrate on first in growing your website.

Use the Social Web

The social web, as I like to call it, can be any area of social media from blogs, to podcasts to twitter.  Today businesses can use this not only to market themselves, but to informally survey their customer or potential customers about business issues they face. If you’re planning to grow and want to know what your customers are using for technology – just ask! That’s right tweet it, post it on Facebook, or send an email out on Linked in. Create a blog and post to your website or record a video and share it on your website and other social platforms.  To plan you need to know, and who better to tell you what they want than your customers.

Plan It Out with Flair

Now that you’ve done the research and recognized the changes that need to be made to your website, plan out each phase with a date and marketing effort tied to the changes you are implementing.  Be creative and don’t forget to ask for feedback.  Build-in some time for edits based on your customers. They will feel appreciated and you will have a website your audience feels connected to.

In 2011 you may need to make your website more accessible to larger monitor styles or smaller smart phones, add video or increase content; but no matter what you need to do, plan out your growth and you’ll have less anxiety and greater success.

Before you start building or talking to web development firms you need to do 3 very important steps:

• Define the vision
• Create a budget
• Outline a plan

Defining the Vision

What is the big picture for your website?  This is more about functionality than design.  How many sections do you want on your website?  What will each section contain for content? Will some content display differently or have a sorting feature?  If you’re building an ecommerce site, what do you need to show when you first launch? What features do you want to eventually have? For example, customer reviews or login area for wholesalers. Defining your vision will help you focus on the needs of your customers. You should also take some time to understand the trends related to your industry and how they relate to updates and changes in your website.

Creating a Budget

Now that you have defined the big vision for your website be realistic about what you can afford for the first six months of the build and launch.  Other than pre-packaged websites it will take some time to build it.  What can you afford to invest in the website for your launch?  By knowing where you want to end up you can discuss today’s budget with tomorrow’s vision.

Outlining a Plan

Planning is an important part of getting what you want for what you can afford.  Take your vision and budget and break things out into phases. The foundation is the most important part of building a website.  The technology you invest in will allow you to grow.  The right content management system or the right shopping cart framework can give you all the tools to budget for growth.  Next, set target deadlines for each new feature to be added. This will give you an idea from a budgetary point of view to properly plan for allocating funds as your business grows.  I would also recommend trying to tie in marketing initiatives to the new feature launches that you are planning.  This is a great way to get more bang for your development and gives you additional ideas to market to your customers.

You may have heard the phrase a “website is never done”. When you think about designing or redesigning you should keep this approach in mind.  Building with phases can alleviate the pressures of having to invest your entire budget at once. You would not rent a 2,000 square foot office if you were just starting out.  Think about your website the same way and save money.

“Fine”- a word used every day in conversation, but if you’re anything like me, this word makes you a little bit crazy.  The word “fine”, what does it mean? It means satisfied, complacent, and good. In my 11 years in business, I have found that satisfied is not something I want.  I focus on growth and to be more than fine.  To achieve that goal, I encourage myself, my staff, and my clients to think about what’s beyond the today.  Here are a few things to think about:  When was the last time you gave your logo a makeover or your website a second thought?  How about your marketing materials?  Is it all just fine?What keeps some companies ahead of others?  Letting their customers know they will be here today and tomorrow. Marketing is an important factor and during these tough economic times, most people look at cutting this important element in their budget.  Now more than ever, we need to be thinking about how our message is being received by our clients.  Here are a few ways to get your message out there and be proactive about your marketing. Just remember that not every idea here is meant for every business type.  Find an idea that fits your business.

Your Website
The web standards have changed in the past few years.  Is your website dated?  It maybe time to look at re-designing your website.  Add social tools and dynamic elements to encourage growth in your company and your customer.

Social Networking
People are talking and you should be to.  We spend more time on the computer than ever before and part of that time is spent talking with friends online.  There is a social network for every audience.  Get involved, 45 minutes a day is all you need. The trick is to pick one and commit to one social community. Don’t try to do it all.

Search Marketing
Everyone wants to be found online, but you don’t have to be found by the most popular words. Start with the keywords that are searched by 300-2000 people per month.  Less competitive terms means that it will take less time to climb up the ranks and usually drives more targeted traffic to your website.

Blogging
Find a blogging community that inspires you and that talks to you customers.  Comment on posts or become a contributing author. You don’t have to launch a blog to be a blogger.  It’s about community, be a giver and offer your expertise on your industry.

In 2009, be more proactive about your web presence and your web marketing.  You don’t have to break the bank.  Just make the time, plan, and grow.  It will give you the foundation you need for getting you to the next stage of your business.

I started my business my junior year at Hofstra University.  As you can imagine, when you’re starting a business in college, I was short on capital.  I tried to do everything myself, and at 22 years of age, I thought I could do it. When I started out, I had about a million ideas about marketing my business, but not a lot of money to do things. I had to face the truth I didn’t have the manpower or the budget for all my ideas.  So, I turned to technology to help me get up and running. I built my website, set up a customer and lead tracking database, and a few years later, was one of the first people I knew using email marketing to drip my message to past and present clients.

What’s changed? Today my company still has a website, it’s what we do, I still have a CRM tool, and I still use email marketing. The lesson here is finding what works for you and sticking with it.

Pitfalls
The two biggest pitfalls small businesses make when starting out are:

1.        Staying focused on one idea

2.        Sticking with the plan

When small business owners get busy, we forget about marketing our own businesses. Friends and other business owners have asked me how I have the time to keep up my marketing. I simply reply – I have had to make the time. The trick is to stay focused. Don’t try and do it all. I still have a million ideas for marketing my business, but I have realized I can’t do them all.

Achieving Success

1.        Write down your ideas. Seeing things on paper makes it easier for you to take the next step.

2.        Do a little research. Before you jump in, be sure to do a little research on the ROI you can expect from your idea.

3.        Pick one. Start with one idea and don’t try to do two or three things at one time.

4.        Be committed. Whatever the idea is, you need be sure you can stay with it for at least four to six months. It is difficult to measure success in just a few weeks.

5.        Set goals. Put measurable goals in place before starting.

6.         Create a launch date. Choose a date on the calendar for when you’re going to get started.

These six steps will help you stay focused and save your budget. Today when I work with clients to develop their web marketing strategies, I follow these steps. It’s wonderful to be creative and have a multitude of ideas, but eventually you have to pick one and follow through to find out if the idea is right for your business.

Your Email

What is a business today without it? Your business cannot survive without email and if you’re like most businesses, that means not only email on your computer but also when you are out of the office. This issue can then lead to other concerns like calendar sharing and scheduling overlaps. A smart choice for a small business is to get away from using email systems that forward email around. Why not use a system that allows syncing? I don’t just mean email, I mean calendars, contacts and more. If you can’t afford a system that Corporate America uses, but want everything they have, you may want to invest in a service known as hosted exchange. This allows you to have devices wirelessly synced while out of the office so co-workers can see your calendar, reducing scheduling conflicts. No more wasted time worrying about emails that downloaded into an email program that you can’t see on your webmail application. With hosted exchange it is all synced; web, pda and your Outlook. The cost for a service may seem high at an average of about $30/ a month, but when you think about the time you save and the backup these companies put in place, it may be a smart buy.

Your Website

The most common comment I hear from people is that their website isn’t doing what they thought it would for their business. This conversation is one of the toughest talks I have to have with people. The website seems to be the on of the biggest areas where businesses try to save money. Smart spending has ended up costing them more money. When deciding to create a website or redesign a website be sure you make smart choices and ask smart questions. A pretty design doesn’t ensure business. Be sure you ask the candidates you have about their understanding of marketing a website. What most people miss is that a website is more about marketing than anything else. Design and technology are important, but if I can’t find you online, what does it matter how pretty your website is? If and when I find you on the web, and you don’t understand how to get me to take an action on your site – what good is the functionality? When deciding to build a website, be sure to start with the marketing angles and a budget that will get your customers to take notice. If not, you may be rebuilding and re-spending in 3 to 6 months wondering why your website is not bringing you any business. Smart spending is crucial here as people can not hire you if they don’t know you exist – market your website.

Smart spending is a theme that should be carried throughout your business. I hope these two ideas gave you some things to think about as you grow your business. To me, smart spending means not always saving money but getting the best advice for my money. Often times hiring an expert can get me farther faster or using technology can save me time, which ultimately saves me money.

When it comes to growing your business, do your homework and take the time to really understand what you’re buying and if it truly matches your company’s goals. Ultimately you need to buy with your gut, and don’t let price be the determining factor. Don’t be penny wise and dollar foolish.

Technology is a necessity for many people in today’s business world. Without technology we could not manage our projects, keep track of customer orders or manage our data. You use technology to run your business but have you thought about taking a step in another direction? Looking at technology as a way to market your business? While you’ve been managing your business, others have been using technology to:

* Communicate with customers to increase loyalty
* Follow the competition
* Stay innovative
* Research new marketing initiatives
* Gain PR and exposure

Communicate with customers
I am not talking about email, I am talking about the use of new media tools such as blogs. Blogging can be a great way to communicate with your customers by giving them a place to contribute feedback and ideas. Communication does not always have to be written, it can also be visual. Using video to talk to customers or review customer issues can be a great way to build a relationship online.

Follow the competition
Small businesses can use the web to keep an eye on the competition by creating Google Alerts that will update you when your competitors release new products or services. Google Alerts will also update you whenever anyone mentions your competition on a website or on a blog. I watch the competition, but I also monitor what people say about our company.

Stay innovative
What’s the next big idea? You can ask Donny Deutsch or you can start by looking at marketing blogs, listening to podcasts and watching video-logs (vlogs). Mainstream media doesn’t always have their finger on the pulse, and looking outside the traditional media box can be a way for you to stay innovative.

Research new marketing initiatives
Looking for qualified research from a real audience of consumers? Why not turn to social networks like LinkedIn or Facebook? Real people, real points of view are right at your finger tips. Use your network to ask them for advice about new marketing ideas. Create your own group on your social platform to talk to specific issues you want to help each other with. On the Internet people are more available and open to helping with quick questions and ideas.

Gain PR and exposure
Staying in front of your customer is important and the web can help you succeed. What is PR? Public relations for some people is being interviewed by the Wall Street Journal or being on Oprah. What I am doing right now is public relations. Writing for online publications that appeal to my audience. Web 2.0 is about content and reporters, bloggers and podcasters are all looking for a new story to tell. Reach out to the people who are using the technology and see if you can get a little web ink.

Social bookmarking, online awards, search engine optimization; there are so many new areas that allow us to be connected to our market and to our customers through technology. Through the use of social media tools you can utilize all the items we discussed and more; all you need to do is to change the way you see technology. Technology is a tool and it can be used to run your day-to-day business; but it can also be used to grow your business, market your business and catapult you into the next stage you have been trying to reach. Stop and think about how to change your approach toward technology to better position your business for success.

Reality, starting and running an online business is not a part-time job. If you are dreaming of making money in your sleep then that’s also where you’ll be spending your profits – in dreamland. The reality is that eCommerce web sites are hard work. Let’s look at the real items that you need to recognize:

1. Researching the success of your product online
2. Building a secure ecommerce web site that appeals to your audience
3. Updating and maintaining your web site
4. Customer satisfaction and growth
5. Marketing Your Site – Being found online

Start by first researching your product, and then finding other individuals who have an online store that you see as successful. Small business owners like to help each other through associations and networking groups. Reach out for help, and ask the questions you really need to know about how to succeed:

* How long did your web site take to develop?
* Were there any hidden roadblocks you did not know existed then, and that you understand now?
* How much of a budget did you plan for to market your web site?
* How long was it before you really experienced steady traffic and sales?
* What made the biggest difference in the success of your web site?

The reality of creating and marketing any web site is that it takes time to reach your goals. Be realistic about your plan and take the time to find the answers to the questions you have and the questions you did not even know existed.

I personally see businesses fail online because of 2 key items.

One, web site owners don’t listen. They need to listen to their customers what they want, how they like to shop and their concerns about what your online store policies are. Listening extends further than just your customers. It also extends to your web developer or consultant. If you hire an expert to help you create and grow an online business, then you need to listen to their advice. Otherwise you are wasting your money.

Two, business owners fail because they have no budget for marketing. A web site needs to be marketed and it needs to be done by planning and understanding your customer and where they spend time looking for businesses just like yours.

The key ingredient to succeeding online is planning and these items will help you understand what needs to be incorporated into your plan. Starting with these key ingredients, reality will help you reach your dream of success online.

Did you know that a typical desktop computer uses about 65 to 250 watts of electricity and that does not include the monitor? Small business technology choices can make a difference. Let’s start with energy conservation. Do you leave your computers turned on all the time? When you leave your office computers and monitors on, you are wasting energy. You can cut back on frivolous energy consumption by adjusting your power settings to sleep or standby. Not only can changing the settings on your computer help conserve energy, but making a smart decision about the computer you purchase can also save on energy. Mr. Electricity (http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/computers.html) a great web site, has compared different models of Dell and Apple computers to help consumers understand which one saves on energy usage. Now you can make decisions that will work with your business and for the environment. Main stream companies like Dell and Apple are not the only options in the marketplace for energy efficient computer options, OmniPro Systems offers the EcoSys Green Desktop PC which promises to save you money on your energy bills and support you with environmentally approved peripherals.

Recycling has been an important part of the green movement for years and recycling computers has been a problem for many companies. I always recommended donating old computers rather than throwing them away. Now you can take your company’s computers to a greener level by looking in to PC’s that not only cut down on energy usage but also are completely biodegradable. MicroPro, an environmentally conscious company has been working to create green computers, keyboards, mice and monitors. This is a great beginning. I would recommend looking into these options, but please proceed with caution when making new buying decisions.

Every day we as small businesses contribute to the environmental pollution problems by wasting paper and tossing out old equipment. How about instead of buying your business applications you download them? Or looking into cutting back on what you print in your office. Going paperless is not an overnight project but it is doable. I have had the pleasure of working with a wonderful insurance company on Long Island that made that leap over a year ago. Going paperless not only saves the environment but it can also help you and your co-workers better utilize the applications you have at your fingertips. Now you are saving paper, ink cartridges, energy and the environment.

What is Podcasting? A podcast is simply an audio recording that can be listened to online, on your computer or on a player. Many times this service is used for Internet Radio. The term podcast has no relation to iPod. A podcast is an audio file in digital format known as MP3. You can listen to a podcast on your iPod, iRiver or any other MP3 player.

Why should you care about podcasting? A relevant and important question. This question should be approached by looking at your company’s marketing objectives. Who is the audience you are trying to reach? Is your audience other businesses or consumers? What demographics do they fall in? Before you make the decision to start a podcast think about how it fits into your message and your marketing mix. Podcasting like any other marketing you do needs to be done based on your goals.

Podcasting is still a relatively new technology and many people wonder who is really listening. The answer is everyone! More and more people find themselves using the Internet as a resource for information. Traditional media is not the only way to reach your audience. According to recent PEW Internet Study that was done in April of 2005 the podcasting market was estimated to be about 6 million with listenership doubling every three-four months. And trying to reach a market like this through traditional mediums like newspapers, magazines and radio is an expensive undertaking.

Branding, customer loyalty or public relations these are just a few reasons why companies large and small have begun podcasting. The Web is open to billions of people but when an individual is listening to your podcast they feel like you are talking to them. This begins to create a bond between your listener and your business. Not an easy thing to do in today’s fast paced world.

What does it cost to start a Podcast? That will depend on who you ask. There is the cost of a microphone for you to plug into your computer, possibly a cost for software (but some are free) and lastly the cost of your time. Time to plan and execute your podcast. Time to promote it! Follow the other rules of marketing and be consistent – if you are going to podcast, be sure to commit to a schedule.

1. Start by listening to other podcasts you can find them on iTunes, iPodder.org or podcastalley.com and search for topics you want to listen to. Subscribe to the Podcasting feeds and listen to how other people are getting their message out there.
2. Plan out your message and create a plan for reaching your goals.
3. Set aside time to learn how the software works and practice recording.
4. Begin publicizing your podcast to your list of contacts
5. Start submitting your podcast to directories like ipodder.com, digitalpodcast.com or podcastalley.com.

What are your marketing goals? Maybe podcasting is right for your business.

Here are 8 ways to know it is time to redesign your website.

1. What Do You Do?
We look at our own websites with an understanding of our businesses and many times we assume we are clear about our services and products. If you have heard visitors to your web site comment on “what your business does” or “why your company is better than the competition” it might be time to get some more feedback and redesign your site.

2. Directions…Lost Information…Where Do I buy?
People visit web sites for a variety of reasons. One reason above most is information. Are your products and services lost on your web site? Can people interested in working with you find what they came for? Such as phone numbers, directions, store policy or just simply how to add the products you offer to their shopping cart?

3. The Virtual Isles Are Cluttered…I Can’t Find What I Am Looking For!
Are your pages getting too cluttered? Can people find and see what you offer? This point can be a major issue with ecommerce websites. Too much information might make it difficult for shoppers to find what they are interested in. Learn to categorize items into major and minor categories to help shoppers get started.

4. Time for Something New
One of the biggest shockers businesses face is the fact that sometimes the need to add a new technology means your website might need a makeover. Not all designs work with all technologies. For example, adding an shopping cart to your site may require a simpler navigation or an adjustment to design to make room for information you never needed prior to this upgrade.

5. Personality Sells
Every company has a personality and everything about our companies reflect our personality from the way we answer our phones to the look and feel of our web site. Does your web site match your company’s personality?

6. Too Many Window Shoppers
If you look at your website statistics you can see how many people visit your web site each day. Are they looking but not buying? If that is the case you have to start to research as to why this is happening. Why are people taking the time to come into your web site and then turnaround and leave? Is it design? Is it confusion about what you offer?

7. Not Since Some Time in the 90′s
I love watching those VH1 shows and reminiscing about the 90′s but oh how my business has changed since then. How about yours? If your site has not been updated since the day you first put it up in the mid 1990′s in might be time for a new design.

8. Too Much Time & Energy to Change
Updating your web site is so important and nowadays there is no reason why you or someone on your staff can not edit or maintain general copy on the site. Many times the design was not created to make things easy to update or back when your site was first created some of the new tools were not available. Investing a little to update your website might save you more than just money.

These 8 points are just a place to get started and many times that is all we need to get the ball rolling. Remember that your site is for your customers, not you! Talk to past and present clients or shoppers about what they liked and didn’t like about your site. Be open to feedback-it will only help you grow. Your web site might look cool but is it really doing what it is suppose to? And don’t get discouraged if you feel you have no ideas as to what to improve. There is a way to bring it all together. Just ask your customers.