Every now and then you hear something that makes you go “Hmmmm… Isn’t that the point?”  I had one of those moments not too long ago.  I was talking with a real estate office HR Manager about her agents’ reaction to the Online Dominance program, and if any other agents were getting curious yet.  She said one lady, who was a long-time agent, commented that it may be fine for those young bucks just starting out, but people like her who had been around for years just wouldn’t be able to pay for something like that, and besides, what could it have to teach HER?  She didn’t have time for it.

 Well, hmmmm… Isn’t that the point?  If you are working so hard and have so little time, and yet still have so little money to invest in yourself, are you really having a fulfilling career and life?  Isn’t it so frustrating when you work and work to offer people an opportunity, but they just completely miss the point?

 What are some experiences you have had where missed the point?  Or better yet, what are some ways you had success getting your point across?

 Well, this week’s Featured Article from Dr. Jay addresses “The Missing Links in Web Marketing”.  Be sure to read it so you don’t miss out!

I pretty much say what is ever on my mind.  That’s nothing unusual, but today, quite frankly I am hoping that some of you will pay attention.  I have had enough of the ignorance that I see everyday on websites and people who have no business discussing how consumers use the web.  So I am going to try again, to get people to understand some of the missing links in Web Marketing.

1.      Having your website found is not enough; the idea is to get people to use your website.

Pay Per Click may increase your activity, but that doesn’t mean that anybody will actually use your website.  Your goal is to get people to use your website not to have them just find it.  I am so tired of the ignorance of people who insist that if you pay to be number one in the search engines people will do business with you.  The facts are this, paying to be number one doesn’t mean anything, if you don’t have information people want.  You are lying to yourself if you believe it’s true.  You should know your statistics inside and out, and check them regularly.  You need to be able to interpret those stats, or hire someone that can.  You need to probably have someone who has insight not into your web design, but the information your website has.  You need to be working towards the goal that you know what your intended consumer wants and get them the information quickly and in a way that is easy to find and understand.

2.     Looks aren’t everything.

People please I am begging you, don’t spend most of your time on your website look and spend more of your time on information.  The search engines don’t care if you have flash, cute pictures, etc.  The search engines care if you have the information people are looking for when they type in a request.   Give them that information.  Ugly websites can do great business because the focus on the right things.  Besides the search engines don’t care what your website looks like, they are only interested if you give the people what they want.  If you have a ton of graphics, flash, and other cute widgets moving around, consumers find it distracting and will click off your page because they get irritated by the distraction.

3.     Don’t assume you know your consumer.

This is the biggest mistake business people make.  They think they know their consumer best.  Quite honestly you don’t, because you are standing in the middle of the forest looking at the trees, you really can’t see it clearly.  You really need someone to walk you through the painstaking task of really figuring out who your consumer is,  what it is they are really looking for, and what they really want and need.

4.     Privacy is a bigger issue today than ever before, always thinks about it.

In today’s world identity theft happens according to one report every 30 seconds.  Although you would never steal someone’s identity, make sure your website doesn’t require name sign-ups for information that is otherwise free, and when people do give you their personal information, make sure that you ensure that their privacy is important to you as it is to them.

5.     Develop Web Relationship.

I think I may be one of a handful of people who even talk about developing relationships with people through your website.  The idea is to let your website do your talking for you.  When you meet a person face to face you engage them, you speak their language, and you build a relationship.  All of those things must come through on your website.   There is a reason why places like myspace.com, facebook.com, and other community sites are so popular, because on some level they develop relationships.  Whether you like it or not, it is your future.

6.     Address the fears associated with your business or service.

People don’t understand why I say this, but it is so powerful.  Whenever people hire a business or a service there are potential negatives and fears that are associated with completing the process.  You need to address these fears, there is nothing more powerful than to acknowledge the fears of someone, and then empower them to overcome them.  This is what removes the fear, removes the shame from the fear, and the guilt of the person not knowing how to deal with them.

 That’s another prescription for your internet health.

Dr. Jay