Getting someones attention is hard these days. Just keeping up with friends that live in the same city is difficult, let alone the ones all over the world. If we didn’t have Facebook I’d be screwed!

So the trick is once you have their attention to lock them in. Make sure they can’t leave without knowing more. My friend Mary (who I make fun of because I know she’s reading this) has been a great example of this over the last few months.

By having ‘guy dramas’ in her life, she had me completely locked in. We were seeing each other at least once a week to get the latest stories and debate the next course of action. But now the guy dramas have finished and my own dramas have taken precedence again.

Luckily she’s a lovely person so she doesn’t always have to resort to drama to get us to hang out…because no one likes a drama queen.

So how does this relate to your website? Make it gripping, make it fascinating, and tell a great story to keep visitors hooked.

Why

I really don’t think I need to point out why you should have interesting content on your website that keeps peoples attention. I’m sure we all realise that…but are we doing it?

How

The easiest way is to make sure there’s always something to come back for. Promises of more great content and a consistency around your distribution can help that. You should think about this as you create content. If you create X, what is the logical Y that people would come back for.

I’ve done this with my 7 Steps for Website Success. It was pretty obvious that more steps were coming and so people were actively checking the Members Only Area for it. (BTW I’ve finally finished them all! On to the next project mwhuaa.)

I’m now attempting the same thing with my blog posts. By logically ordering them and making that clear with the numbering I’m trying to show that there’s more useful content coming. I also try to do one every day so you know it’s here to read.

So what content can you use to suck visitors in and release it in just the right fashion to make visitors come back for more. And do you have enough quality content on your website so visitors are already browsing for hours when they first arrive?

Homework

Assess how much content you have on your website…it’s not enough. Make a commitment to create new, relevant content for your visitors as often as possible. And make sure it’s gripping enough to come back for juicy seconds.

With visitors zipping about all over the Internet, it’s hard to get anyone to slow down and chat. From webpage to webpage they surf, instantly forgetting what they’ve just seen.

So if you want a visitor to return, you need to help them out a little. You need to get a visitor to commit to staying in touch with you, whichever way they want.

Why

If you don’t capture a visitor’s attention long enough to get their contact details, you’ve lost them forever. Sure, some might return on their own steam, but the percentages rank against it. How many times have you tried to remember some great website you found information on…but the name escapes you.

Internet Marketers have all sorts of tricks to capture email addresses and then sell, sell, sell to that list. But that’s not we’re about. If you’re lucky enough to be entrusted with a visitor’s email address, you should treat it like your own. Always offer the visitor value, never try to sell them to death!

How

The obvious one is an email capture box for a newsletter but there are other ways to stay in touch with your visitors. For example, they can subscribe to your RSS feed of your blog. This way the always get the latest information you’re publishing through your website.

[Note For those of you who don't know what a RSS feed is, click on the orange square in the top right, then use Google Feedreader to subscribe to this blog for free. Have a play around and save yourself hours visiting your favourite blogs each day.]

And don’t forget the power of social media to stay in touch with visitors. Have them sign up to your Facebook Profile and Pages, Twitter, and other profiles around the web.

Homework

Think about how you communicate with visitors and capture their information. What other ways could you do it? Remember to give your visitors as many options as possible.

Small businesses tend to forget just who their website was created for. It’s not your business, it’s not your shareholders, and it’s not your mother.

Your website exists to serve your customers, first and foremost. It may serve them by helping them buy your wonderful products, but your website experience is all about the visitor.

Why

People are selfish *shrug* They want to make themselves feel good above all else. Some people do this by hurting others, normal people do this by searching for experiences that add to their life. The sooner you realise this fact, the better your website will become.

So when a visitor comes to your website you want them to get the best experience possible. So good, that they might even buy some of your products…don’t faint yet…stay with me…

Surprisingly, the best approach to selling your products is not getting right in a person’s face and yelling “Buy my damn product!!!” Salespeople, advertisers, and marketers have tested this technique thoroughly and finally the results are in.

People don’t like being sold to.

So why would you make your website all about your business and your products? No one wants to read a sales brochure on the Internet. It’s just boring and doesn’t add anything to their life…unless they buy your product.

We need a new approach.

How

Your website should help visitors with what they seek. You should earn their trust by providing quality information that can help them out first. If what they need leads to your products, then that will happen in good time. But there’s no use jumping out from behind a flashing banner ad and yelling “Buy my product!”

Because we know that doesn’t work.

Instead, ask yourself how you could add value to your visitor’s life. Make their visit to your website worth something even if they don’t buy your products.

You’ll quickly find the more satisfied visitors you have, the more clients will appear wanting to buy your products…if they have a good reason to.

Homework

Look at your website and list the benefits a visitor gets from it. If there are none, make another list of what benefits you could offer visitors. Then go do it. If you already offer some benefits, add some more!

It’s Friday and I don’t know about you, but this is when I usually look back and wonder what I achieved during the week. I check my nice little Action Plan and see what I managed to tick off each day.

While this is good and I know I’m making progress, sometimes the little things can get in the way of the big picture. So today I spent some time reanalysing my long term goals and planning for the future.

I think it’s important for all small business owners to do this, especially when it comes to your website. The website can often slip down the list of priorities as other ‘more urgent’ things spring up. My aim is to stop you mistreating your website like this and give it the attention it deserves.

Think of me as your significant other that harasses you because you just forgot our anniversary…again! Though it’s up to you whether you imagine me throwing plates at your head…

Why

Taking a step back and deciding where you want to take your website is an important first step in the improvement process. Without an idea of where you want to go, you’ll never reach it. Quite frankly, if you don’t know how important planning is we’re probably wasting our time here.

So let’s get to the real stuff.

How

Setting long term goals for your website isn’t the trickiest thing in the world. You just decide what you want to achieve with it in the future. Bear in mind, the more you want to achieve, the more effort you’ll have to put in. Which is really where I want your mind to be. Right now, your website is not living up to it’s potential.

When I plan I look at two areas: Objectives and Goals. Everyone seems to have a different method for planning, but here’s mine. I like to keep it nice and simple to ensure I’m not planning for the sake of planning.

First you come up with your objectives. These are in an unquantifiable form like make more sales, increase website traffic, etc.

Then I take those objectives and work out how they can be made into measurable goals. So in a years time I want to have x amount of sales and x amount of unique visitors a day.

So now I have my objectives and goals for the coming year. The next step is to fill in the steps it’ll take to get there. So I do my 6 month, 3 month, and 1 month goals.

The final step is to assign actions I will take to reach these goals. Again, I work back from a year and work out what I need to do, right back to the coming month. So now I have a list of the most important actions I will take each month.

I always plan more accurately in the short term and am a bit more vague in the long term. Those months will fill themselves in at the end of the month when I go through and plan out the next months actions in more detail.

The result is a Action Plan for the next month with the most important actions listed in priority. I realise these are the actions that will grow my business so they should always get the focus before the daily problems that tend to appear.

Make sure you’re getting closer to achieving your biggest priorities every day, before getting sidetracked with the latest emails or surfing the web. This is the way to growing a successful website and business.

Homework

Guess! Take some quiet time over the weekend and go through this planning process for the next year. Then on Monday, get started on your biggest priority of the month.

I was corrected recently in a forum and told that in business you should appeal to as many people as possible. This was in response to a comment I made:

I’d rather be hated by 50% of people and loved by 50% than cause no feelings in 100% of people.

Well I stand by my comment and I think it’s a good guideline for your website.

It’s also interesting to note that all that ‘free’ advice you pick up in forums can be more costly than paying someone who knows what they’re talking about. After all, how many millionaires are going round forums giving help?

Exactly. But I digress…

Why

It’s hard to differentiate your business while keeping everyone happy. It simply doesn’t work. A grandmother isn’t interested in the same things a teenager is. A hardcore environmentalist will have conflicting views with a capitalist. We’re all different, that’s just life.

We’ve heard so much about product niches recently, especially online. Well don’t forget the emotional niche as well. If you’re too busy trying to impress everyone with the same thing you’re missing out on taking your business to the next level.

How

Now you don’t really have to go out and try to make people hate you. You can if you want, it’s worked for quite a few people. But you can differentiate yourself in other ways. The important part is you don’t worry about keeping everyone happy. Pissing off a few people can be a good thing.

One thing I use is going after bad web designers. I’m quite happy to state that most web designers have no clue how to make money on the Internet. They may make pretty websites but when they start giving advice where they aren’t qualified, I get a little *grrr*

Can you be an advocate in your industry? Can you use your personality to make you stand out? Can you berate and anger 90% of the world while 10% will walk over hot coals to support you and buy your products?

Homework

Based on what was different about your business, how can you take it to the next level? How can you make your website take the high ground…or the low ground? Though, whatever you do, stay away from the middle ground. That’s where businesses go to die!

And for those that want more, there’s another 4 pages about this is the free Members Only Area.

Sheep are notoriously poor. If you’ve ever been friends with a sheep, you’ll know they’re always trying to borrow a couple of bucks (don’t worry, I didn’t understand the pun either). It’s also the reason sheep don’t have wallets.

So why, as a small business owner, would you want to be a sheep? Obviously, you wouldn’t if you want to feed your family or buy a Ferrari. So why do most small business owners just follow the herd when it comes to their website.

Website Super Success Secret #1:
Be different, stand out, and DON’T be a sheep.

Why

Being the same as everyone else is the worst thing you can do in business. Why will visitors choose you if you offer nothing to differentiate yourself? Sure, you say you offer great service, prices, and the best product on the market. But…so does every single one of your competitors.

Go on…ask them!

You want your website to stand out and be remembered. With billions of websites cluttering the web, that’s no easy task. At least for those lesser beings that don’t read this blog!

If you don’t stand out, you compete on price. And that hurts, especially on the Internet. So why wouldn’t you want your visitors to remember you.

How

What is the hands down, easiest way to stand out and be different? Your personality. By infusing your personality into your website, you start to build a relationship with your visitor that is more than just Mr or Mrs Cardboard Salesperson. They get to know the real you just like they would if they walked into your showroom.

There’s a reason I “make websites betterer”, there’s a reason I talk about poor sheep. It may strike you as insanity (the voices say it’s not…), but I just want to make this stuff a little fun. I know what it’s like reading lots of blogs and the ones I remember are the ones that are different.

I heard someone ask, “But what if I don’t have a personality?” First off, everyone has a personality; the question is if it’s the right voice for your business. If it’s not, make one up. I’m not talking about lying completely and becoming a 21 year old Brazilian swimsuit model, but this is the Internet…

You don’t need the life of the party type personality to hold your audience captive. Most of the time, you’re writing, so make the most of your time to craft just the right message. Take some writing classes. Practice is all it takes. In no time you’ll find it a lot easier to do, trust me.

If worst comes to worst, you can always get a good copy writer to do it for you. And don’t forget the images and design of your website also convey personality. Make sure it all ties together the right way.

Homework

Think about the type of personality you bring to your business. Will your audience connect with it? Then work out how you can sprinkle it into your website. You’ve got to start somewhere and you can refine it over time. So just do it.

Ok, it’s finally time to admit the truth. I’ve been giving you all these tips to improve your business and marketing online but I’ve been leaving something out.

You see, there’s a bigger reason that myself and my clients have obtained success in our respective industries. It has nothing to do with search engines or social media. It has nothing to do with branding or being different.

The secret is: Being Evil.

You can find out more here: The Evil Genius Guide To Business

I deeply apologise for misleading you all, I hope I can one day regain your trust…

If you’re on my email list, you know I don’t mail very often. Only when I have super important stuff to tell you like what colour socks I’m wearing. But the important thing is I keep in touch. Not often, but I hope just the right amount to make you feel loved.

So it amazes me when businesses have no email list. No active way of communicating with  potential or current clients. How are you supposed to build a relationship if you don’t talk people? Note: As an equal opportunities supporter, I will accept sign language as an answer.

Now I’m not saying you need to leave people swimming in your emails, quite the opposite. Before you send each email you should ask yourself, “How will this benefit the other persons life?” And no, the answer can’t always be “Because they’ll buy my fantastic products and live happily ever after!” We’re looking for a little more than that…

Now my overwhelmingly witty dialogue has convinced you to start collecting email addresses, you need some kind of opt-in process. Most Internet savvy people go for ‘double opt-in.’ This means they’ve given you their email address (opt-in #1) and then clicked a confirmation link in the first email (opt-in #2).

Then you include an ‘unsubscribe’ link at the bottom of every email so you can be sure they actually want to hear from you. Because, surprise surprise, some people don’t want to be spammed to death by product offers.

There are various services that will make things easy for you. I personally use Aweber and find it good. It can be a little complex to start with but there are heaps of tutorials to teach you how to use it. It also has a high delivery rate, meaning your email doesn’t get marked as spam as often…unless you’re selling Viagra. Shop around, read some reviews, and make an informed choice.

The moral of the story, if you have information that is valuable to your potential market (their definition, not yours), then you should start giving it to them. The more value you can offer, the better relationship you can build, and the happier everyone will be.

There are literally millions of people trying to making millions online. They’ve caught the bug and they can’t wait for their bank accounts to start overflowing like the gurus claim.

To help all these people out in their endless cycle of frustration and despair, here are my…

Top 5 Ways to Ruin your Life and NOT Make Money Online:

1. Try all new ideas for exactly one month before getting bored and moving on

2. Always look for the get rich quick scheme, not a sustainable business opportunity

3. Buy all the ‘gurus’ products, then wait for them to jump out of the box and do it all for you

4. Never stop learning new marketing techniques, even if it means never taking action on them

5. And remember, if it sounds too good to be true…
grab your credit card!

Well I hope those tips will help you reach your goals of misery and frustration. Remember, your old boss will always take you back and definitely won’t hold a grudge.

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Being different sets us apart, especially in business. To many people are afraid that if they stand out they will lose customers. But if you look at the most successful businesses, they all do things differently.

Go and take a look at the other websites in your industry and your competitors. What strikes you about them? Bingo, they’re all the same. You could argue that they’re the same because that formula works, but I blame a lack of creativity and laziness.

Your website should be different and unique. It should make your customers actually take notice and not just file you away with all your competitors. When all the businesses look the same, people decide on price. You never want to compete on price!

I hear the moans of “But we ARE different! We’re way better than all our competitors!” Guess what, saying it doesn’t make it true. Even if you have great customer service, putting that on your website doesn’t mean anything.

Guess what? All your competitors say they’re “high quality, customer focused, and great value.” So where does that leave you?

The solution? Show them you’re different. If you have great customer service…show them! And you don’t have to wait until they make a purchase, get some testimonials on your website. Make them stand out, have photos and videos of your customers. Tell stories the have examples of great customer service in them.

There are so many ways to stand out and it doesn’t take a great amount of creativity to do it. Look at other websites and see how they do things. Steal great ideas from other websites in other industries.

So, the moral of the story: Be Different. And then work out how to show this through your website.