Here is a list of some useful tools that may come in handy with your online marketing, all are either free or very low cost.  There is an additional list available on a previous blog post – Some great free online tools for you to try

Sweet Captcha - ever wondered what the security code that you have to fill in when sending in a request via an online enquiry for is called? Well it’s a captcha. This means that only real humans can fill out the form and will stop spammers sending in dozens of enquiries. Sweet Captcha is a fun alternative to the usual numbers and letters.  Try it yourself on www.sweetcaptcha.com

This captcha is asking the user to drag the flower to the bouquet

RSS Include – Want to add an RSS feed to your website and don’t know how to do it, well this tool is really easy.  Simply add the feed url, customise the look and feel and bingo, it generates the code. You can use it to create a box for everything from a blog, Facebook box to a simple ticker box.  There is a Premium account which costs only $36.50 a year so very affordable.  Have a go https://www.rssinclude.com/my_rssboxes/create_new_box 

SEOmoz – Have access to all the tools you need to optimise your website, their research tools include Inbound link reporting and analysis (great to see where your competitors are getting their inbound links), a SEO toolbar,  SEO reports – generate regular reports that will detail where you appear for your target search terms and identify any issues like duplicate titles, errors seen etc I highly recommend upgrading to the pro account – starts at $99 a month.  www.seomoz.org

Yola – need a website and dont have a massive budget. Yola online CMS is a great option for you to be able to set up your own starter website and its very easy to use. Choose from loads of different templates. Includes everything you need from editable meta data, blog, widgets, editable CSS (for the more advanced user) and much more.  There are free options but I recommend upgrading to the Silver account from only $90 a year, this will allow you to point in an existing domain and gives you access to more advanced templates.  Give it a go now on www.yola.com  

Blueface – ever wondered how you can track phone calls that come from website visitors without having to ask each and every person  where they heard about you?  Well look no further, with Blueface you can rent you a new phone number for a very low cost.  Use this number on your website or on a specific campaign and every time a call is made you can see the details in the handy online reports. Costs start at a low €9.99 per month. The good news is that you can rent a number with the area code for where you are located so if you are in Cork city you can have a 021 number or in Bantry you can get an 027 number.   More information on www.blueface.ie

I hope you find these useful, if you want to achieve something online and don’t know of a tool to help, contact me now and I am sure I have the ideal tool for the task.

Recently I have heard a lot of people say that email marketing is dead, I disagree.  It is changing but that is a good thing.  During the “Celtic tiger” years businesses got a little complacent about their email marketing, sending generic news out to all contacts. This was wrong then and is still wrong now.  I will not open an email with the subject  “News from Joe Bloggs company” and most others won’t?  I have lost count of the amount of emails I have received down through the years with bad and boring subject lines and even worse content.  Here are my tips to email marketing success:

1. Firstly and most importantly ensure you are complying with data protection.  There have been changes to the data protection legislation recently so please ensure you understand them fully before using email marketing. Full details available on http://www.dataprotection.ie/viewtxt.asp?DocID=1152&StartDate=1+January+2011#14  
2. DO NOT use your email programme e.g. outlook or web mail to send bulk email.  You will potentially get blacklisted and your emails will get caught in spam filters.
3. Use a third party programme like www.constantcontact.com, www.newsweaver.com or www.mailchimp.com. You can choose one of their easy to use templates or get a template designed just for you. They also will not get stuck in spam filters. 
4. Break your recipient list into core categories and send news that is relevant to them, if that means creating  different a few newsletters each month then do that. The more targets the news the higher impact it will have which will result in higher conversions.
5. Keep each newsletter short, people get bored after the first couple of articles. 
6. Include strong call to actions, if you want people to do something e.g. click on a clickable image to book or buy something then ask them to click on the link.  Don’t assume that they will know.
7. Include strong images that attracts the recipient to read more or action something.
8. Be relevant and timely
9. Time limit your offers so there is a sense of urgency there, if they know there are only 12 hours left on a specific offer they will action it immediately.  If you leave the offer open then they will pop the email aside to come back to later. Guess what, they won’t come back to it.
10. Send regularly but dont send so often your recipients are dropping out in their droves. Try once a month.
11. Test what day gets the most actions and/or conversions.  Tests show that Tuesday or Wednesday mornings are good but it will depend on the content.  
12. Review your reports – How many opened the newsletter?  How many clicked on a link? How many converted to a sale or lead? Analyse and tweak the newsletter until you know it will have the optimum impact
13. Don’t forget to add your social media links, website links and contact information so people can connect with you in other ways.
14. Include an opt-out (data protection) and your contact details so people can let you know if they don’t want to receive your e-newsletters.

Happy emailing

Every week I make note of the questions I am asked – here is a list of the top 3 questions from last week:

Q: What are the most important thing to focus on when optimising a website?
A: There are many factors taken into account by search engines when giving you a ranking. They include

• On page optimisation - that includes keyword density in page content, internal link anchor text, alt text, url’s, page names, structure, navigation etc
• Inbound links – extremely important.  The more links you have from relevant high ranking sites the better. Aim to include target key phrases in link anchor text.
• Well written, well optimised meta data
• New Google’s +1 Button

Click here for more information on Organic Search Engine Optimisation

Q: What are white hat and black hat techniques in SEO?
A: SEO experts normally categories SEO techniques into 2 categories – those that are legit and enhance the users experience and does not involve deception (white hat) and those that are what I refer to as cheats (black hat) and do not enhance the users experience and will normally get you banned in time.    There are many things that can be done that are black hat techniques, two examples are: hiding key words / phrases in the page or delivering the user and search engine different pages (cloaking).   If you cheat you will get caught and the result will not be good.

Q:How do I choose what key phrases to target?
A: There are many ways to decide on this.  Create a spreadsheet columns:

1. Web page
2. Keyphrase(s)
3. Competition

Now fill in column 1 with the list of pages in your site. For column 2 research your key phrases:  

• Talk to clients, ask them what they search(ed) for. 
• Analyse your website statistics to see what key phrases are currently generating traffic to your website. 
• Use Google itself, type in your phrase and Google instant will give you recommendations
• Use Google Keyword Tool
• Be logical, how would you search.

Identify search terms for each page, have up to 10 if needed.  

Now whittle them down to 3 per page buy checking what competition there is for these search terms online. Easiest way to do this is to go to Google and type in your search terms using ” ” and under the search box you will see how many listings there are.  Aim for ones that are attainable.  Try go for ones that you know have high search volume and low(ish) competition.

Got any more question, click here to ask Sandra and get a personal response

I work a lot with the tourism sector and find that smaller properties like B&B’s are finding it increasingly difficult to increase their Facebook connections (likes).  Here are some tips that may help (some of the tips are generic and could be used by any business):

1. Promote your Facebook page in the rooms. Consider placing a tent card in the room with your Facebook page details and ask guests to connect with you. Give them an incentive to connect e.g. discounts, up to date news, competitions etc
2. Do you have a public computer for guests to use? If so, set your Facebook page as the home page, every time a guest uses the computer they are immediately brought to your Facebook page
3. Put the Facebook logo on ALL promotional material, including business cards, brochures, leaflets etc. Don’t miss any opportunity to make people aware that you are on Facebook.
4. Put the Facebook logo on menus – some of you may not like this one, especially if you serve dinner or evening meals.  Nobody wants to be sitting beside someone that is on their phone in the middle of dinner but it may be ok at breakfast time.
5. Use QR Codes on printed material to allow people to access your Facebook page with ease. It is a great talking point and may give you an additional opportunity to persuade them to connect with you.
6. Ensure the Facebook logo is on your website in a prominent position – don’t feel that it should be in the footer of the site as this may never be seen by your website visistors.
7. On departure, send an email to all guests asking for feedback.  Give them the option to leave it on Facebook or Trip Advisor, most people will have an account in one or the other
8. Competitions – Facebook competitions are a great way to increase your “likes” but you must use a third party app like www.wildfireapp.com or www.northsocial.com . Competitions entries can be completed by liking the page or get more inventive and interactive and ask people to submit photos or videos.  Don’t waste the opportunity, use competition signup  to gather data for e-newsletters or bulk text marketing.
9. Embed the Facebook Like Box on your website  and ask them to like your page.
10. Add your facebook page link to your email signature
11. Create a welcome page – as you are providing a very personal service why not include a welcome video
12. Add e-commerce (f-commerce) elements to your Facebook page. A lot of the booking engines can now be integrated into Facebook .  The ideal one will allow people to book on the page and not take you to a separate pop up page.
13. Get active – no point in asking people to become a fan if you are not going to converse with them.  By timely and remember the 80 /20 rule. 80% personality and sharing information. 20% selling.  Important that you dont appear to salesy, you will loose fans that way.
14. Ensure your Facebook link is on your LinkedIn Profile
15. Use the @tag when writing on other business or friends walls.  This could be used in the body of the post or sign off using it. To do this simply type in @ and your page name and it will automatically create a link to your page.  This is especially important when writing posts on other business page walls that would be relevant to your business and your guest interests.
16. Add link button and share button to your website and blog. This allows readers to endorse and share your content which will gain you more connections. People trust peer recommendations.

I hope this helps you on your way to Facebook domination. Happy connecting

Any questions call me on 087 8348279 0r 062 67054.

Sometimes it is difficult to recognise that you need professional search engine optimisation services.    You may think that you have enough visitors to your website but if everyone is finding you through your name and nothing else there is definitely work needed. Some questions to ask yourself:

- Am I being found in search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo for key search terms that will drive traffic to my website (other than your business name)?   Review your analytics to answer this one, if you don’t have website analytics rush out and get them installed now. Google analytics is the most popular and the data is very easy to analyse.

- Do you know how your actions can impact your search engine position?  If not you should at least get some SEO training so you understand how you can help your position in search engines

- Are you getting quality traffic to your wbesite?  SEO should focus on targeting the right traffic to your website

- Are your competitors getting the position you would like?  The only way to boost your position is to work on your search engine optimisation whether you manage this inhouse or contract this out

- are you thinking of redesigning your website or doing major work? Website design and SEO go hand in hand so please speak to an expert at the very early stages to ensure your site is search engine friendly

Now, whats the answer?  Need SEO services?  More information available on http://www.dynamicwebmarketing.ie/search-engine-optimisation-page.html

Even in these hard times we are investing in new websites and online marketing because it’s where our customers are , we all want to be better than our competitors and having a website that looks out of date just won’t cut it.  Here are the top 5 things you should do if you are considering redevoping your website:

1. Content and design - as your business strategy changes so should your website’s. It is important that your website is a true reflection of your business.  It should reflect the products/services as well as the ethos and personality of the business.  If you can afford it, try get customised design for your website as this will ensure it reflects your business in a true light.  Templates are a good stop gap but customised design is the way forward.

If you are considering rebranding or are creating your brand, read our previous blog post on how to create a strong impactful brand.

2. SEO – your search engine optimisation needs to be planned from the very begining.  Plan the structure of your website, once you have identified your website structure, do your keyword research to ensure that, where possible, you are using target search terms in your page names.   Never have a page called Products or Services.  This means nothing to users or search engines, your pages should be broken down into main categories of products/services and named accordingly.

3. Interactive elements – include interactive elements like video, social media feeds, blogs, customer feedback or reviews etc.  Users trust peer recommendations and allowing people to review your products or services will build trust.  If you are allowing users to interact on your website by leaving comments or reviews it is important that this is monitored and managed carefully.  

4. 301 redirects - this is extremely important. If you have an existing website you MUST request that a 301 redirect is put in place for ALL pages so that the old pages redirect to the new page.  This will also allow your ranking to be transferred to the new page.

5. Review your analytics – do not change anything until you have analysed your existing website traffic, where were they entering the site, what pages were converting the most trafic etc.  Knowing this will help you make informed decisions about where changes are needed to the layout and content.

I hope you find this information useful, if you are in the process of or are considering redeveloping your website and are unsure where to start, why not call us for a free over the phone consultation 062 67054

Google’s new +1 button is currently being rolled out on Google.com so it will be a while before we see it on Google.ie (most people’s default in Ireland).  When it comes you will be able to see the +1 beside the search engine listing, this allows people to see the content/listings you recommend but also you will be able to see what other people are recommending.   So no matter what you are looking for or selling, if people endorse it by clicking +1 it will make your listings stand out and more relevant to the user. Google have said in a recent blog post that the +1 ” will be one of many signals we use to calculate organic search ranking”.    This move is good as it will ensure that content with value gets the traffic it deserves.

To +1 listings you will have to set up a public profile and a new tab will store all the sites that you +1 making it really easy to find that great web page you were on last week.   Google are also rolling out a +1 button for your website so people can +1 the page/content while they are on it.

So what now, if you dont have content that people will want to +1 you need to start creating it.  This button will be powerful and will play a big part in people’s decision making process when choosing the listing they click on, it will also impact your search engine position so it cannot be ignored.

For more information read http://adwords.blogspot.com/2011/03/1-button-adwords.html and http://www.google.com/+1/button/

Great news for all you folk out there that created a profile page for your business instead of a fan page. You can now migrate your profile to a page. To explain this further, if you are collecting “friends” on your business page it is the incorrect type of page. You need to get people to become a fan or “like” your page. Facebook frowns on people who set up a profile page for a business, another reason you should have a fan page is that the profile is limited to 5000 friends so once you get to 5000 you can go no further.

This new feature will allow you to migrate your profile to a fan page but be aware it will not sync up all content. Your friends will be changed to fans or “likes” and your profile picture will transfer but everything else will be lost so it’s a good idea to download your images etc before changing over.

This is excellent news and long due. For more information click http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php?migrate

After a long wait, Facebook deals is finally here -  it is currently being tested with some of the leading brands A|Wear, AXA, Champion, Guinness Storehouse, Insomnia, Meteor, Milano and SuperValu.    Facebook Deals means that (when out of the test stage) you will be able to offer freebies and discounts to people who check into your business using Facebook Places.

Out of the 500m Facebook users, over 200m of them access their Facebook page via a mobile device making deals an ideal way to build loyalty, get new customers and spread the word fast.  

Think of someone on the street near your business, lets say you are a restaurant.  If this person uses Facebook Places to check out what restaurants are nearby and you are using deals, they will see your listing with an icon beside it which will let them know that you are running a promotion.  Now you have given them a reason to drop in and make a purchase.  To avail of the offer they will check in using Facebook Places and as a result their friends will be made aware of their location. You can then build loyalty by offering your most loyal customers specific discounts.

There will be 4 types of deals available:

• Individual Deals – one time deals. You can offer this to new and existing customers to launch a new product, offer a new gift etc.
• Loyalty Deals –  the promotion can be claimed after a certain number of checking. This is a great way to build loyalty.
• Friends Deals –  offer discounts of groups of up to 8 people when they check in together. In order to claim your deal, your customers need to introduce what you have to offer to their friends and family.  Great way to build exposure.
• Charity Deals –  every time a user checks in, you donate to your favourite charity.  Let them know you care.

This is a great move by Facebook and I look forward to checking in and claiming my deal.   I hope it does not take too long for deals to be rolled out to everyone.

For more information visit http://ads.ak.facebook.com/ads/FacebookAds/Deals_businesses_US.pdf .

Having a website is now as important as having a phone number. But why have a website that is not promoting action.  You need to tell the visitor what you want them to do, don’t assume they know where to go next. Here are some tips on helping you strengthen your call to actions:

1. Do the groundwork

Look at each page of your website and identify the goal for the page – where do you want the visitors to go or what do you want them to do.  Every page is a potential entry point via links and search engine listings so ensure that EVERY page of your website includes clear call to actions.

2. Benefits

Before a user is willing to click they need to know what they will get out of it.  What is the benefit of them making the next move?

Coca Cola do it well. Their feature clearly states that  you should “Join My Coke Rewards and pick up gifts that are sure to entertain”.  I little bit of mystery but you know what you have to do and what you will get.

3. Incentives

Sometimes asking them to do something is just not enough, include an incentive. Free gift, access to information people that others wont get etc.  I do not recommend however that you add an incentive to Surveys or Market Research Questionnaires, if you do this it may influence their answers.

4. Three click rule

Ensure visitors can get to where they need to be within 3 clicks, 5-6 clicks if it includes e-commerce.  If there are too many clicks people will drop out before completing and you do not want this.  Also try not collect too much information – people will shy away from enquiry forms that are too long and ask too many questions.

5. Keep amount of call to actions low

You do not want to bombard visitors to your website with loads of different call to actions take each page individually and decide what the call to action(s) will be and include them in key areas on the page, that are above the fold (they should not have to scroll to see or action the call to actions). 

6. Capturing data

If you are capturing data e.g. name, email, phone number etc,  take the opportunity to ask permission to send e- newsletters, text marketing etc.  This should be an opt-in tick box NOT, click here if you do not want to receive.

7. Create urgency

Use words that create a sence of urgency

Call Now

Buy Now

Offer only available until …

Order now to receive free gift

8. Make it stand out

To ensure visitors see your call to actions you need to make sure that they can easily see it.  Keep it above the fold (as mentioned above). Images stand out more.  Use colours that work with the website look and feel but stand out from the other content on the page.

Carphone Warehouse do this well – you can clearly see the Online Exclusive offer on their home page.

9. And finally – Test

If you are not getting the return you expected test out different imagery, wording,  position on the page and even the offering. 

and finally….

It is extremely important to ensure that you have clear actionable call to actions on your website, if done well it can generate real measurable return on investment and isn’t that what we all want from our website.