Joanne Costin | Content for Biz Inc.

Green Beer and WordPress Go Down Easy

I love this day. I love green beer, eating corned beef and cabbage, and celebrating my Irish heritage. It’s also the perfect day to showcase the new website I created for my friends at Chicago-based Shamrock Tuckpointing. I recently helped Owner John Gallagher overhaul the Shamrock Tuckpointing website using the WordPress theme WP Remix. I love the idea of WordPress for creating great websites, not just blogs. I hope we can finally say goodbye to stagnant, static websites. My Mom might not be able to update this site, but just about anyone else could do it.

When it comes to Internet marketing, Gallagher is like a lot of small contractors – he didn’t know where to begin. He understood that potential customers search the Internet and not the Yellow Pages. And he knew that a website lacking in style, substance and visibility was causing him to missing an opportunity. However, he was lacking a solution that fit his budget.

A few months ago, I wouldn’t have been able to help John beyond providing content. But after learning how WordPress can work as a website, I knew I could do more. Too often web designers complete the design, only to be held at a standstill because the client doesn’t have content. Waiting in the wings are search engine specialists who want to be paid handsomely for getting that page to the top of the Google rankings. It’s all too overwhelming and expensive for a small contractor who is busy estimating jobs, hiring workers, repairing chimneys and inspecting job sites.

With WordPress it’s easy for content to be the driving force for design, and the two can work together seamlessly. With elaborate paid themes available, an array of Plug-ins, SEO options and free analytic tools, you can have a very dynamic website up and running very quickly and economically. I’m not a webmaster by any stretch of the imagination, but I was able to get this site completed in a matter of weeks.

I wish I could show you the “before”… but you can see the “after” at www.shamrocktuckpointing.com.

Could WordPress be a solution for you?

Four Reasons Why No One Wants to Use Your 800 Number

Marketers spend countless hours coming up with strategies to engage customers and prospects through content marketing. Yet, too often, when customers are trying to engage with a company, such as when they have a question or problem, we make it difficult. We relegate the answers to an 800 number, when we could be providing the information online. Here’s why 800 numbers are a turn-off:

1) The automated voice mail. If there’s a better way to make your customers feel like they are not important, let me know. When is the last time you heard a message that was engaging on an 800 line. “Listen carefully, we have changed our selections” is typically followed by an endless array of options, not one of which involves a human being. Companies may as well just scream, “We don’t want to talk to you!”

2) The wait is too long. I recently spent 10 or 15 minutes waiting to ask a question of GoDaddy.com. Another interaction with Lenovo took more than 30 minutes to resolve. And while you wait, you have to listen to annoying music, or sales messages.

3) People who can’t solve their problems. When you finally do reach a human, it never seems to be the person who can solve your problem. By the time you have been transferred to the right person, you have explained the problem at least three different times to three different people.

4) There’s usually no record of your conversation. Unless you count the confirmation number you scribbled on a scrap of paper. After a phone transaction, I am often left wondering if anything really will be accomplished.

Is it any wonder that your customers would look online for the answers to their problems? Studies show an increasing preference for online interaction.

Does your website content address your customer’s questions? Do you have an area for frequently asked questions? Can a customer chat with an operator online? Can they access a customer portal to see their account information?

Many b-to-b marketers fail to answer common questions online because they want people to call them. But will they?

What’s your strategy?

Seven Tips for Working with a Writer

When hiring a writer for the first time, you may not be certain what you need to provide. So I thought I would share what I have found to be helpful as a writer, and as an editor or project manager.

Tip #1 Define your objectives. Are you trying to increase awareness, entertain or solicit a response?

Tip #2 Know what specific areas you want covered. A brainstorming session with a writer will help clarify your thoughts and the direction you want to go.

Tip #3 Suggest resources you know and trust. If you are asking a writer to talk with a customer, contact the customer in advance to let them know a writer will be calling. If you are interviewing sources within your company, let the writer know the best way to reach them. Provide email addresses as well as cell phone numbers. It is much more efficient to arrange a time for an interview via email, than via phone.

Tip #4 Think about tone. How do yo want the copy to sound? Do you want it to be conversational or authoritative? Funny or serious? If you are having a hard time defining it, find examples of writing styles you like and forward them to the writer.

Tip #5 Learn about word counts. How many words do you need? Do you want the writer to locate photography? These are variables that should be decided at the outset. You may not be used to working in word counts, but having a good idea of length makes for a more efficient process. If you ask for a 300 word blog post, don’t accept 1,000 words. It’s a lot harder to write concisely than it is to write “long.” But don’t ask the writer to cover the world in 300 words, either.

Tip #6 Set a realistic deadline. Most writers need three to four weeks for a feature article, especially if there are a number of people to interview. Your writer will likely be working on other projects as well as yours. Sometimes there are stumbling blocks, such as a person that is not available for an interview.

Tip #7 Give good feedback in a timely manner. A few days or even a week after the copy is submitted is fine. Personally, I like to see edits in RED. It helps me understand what you like and don’t like. Learn how to use “Track Changes” in Microsoft Word. If the writer missed the mark, a phone call, rather than an email is probably a better way to get the project back on track. Avoid the temptation to re-write the piece. That’s what you are paying for.

Writing is a time-consuming task that requires skillful attention. It is difficult to find the uninterrupted time you need to write. Hiring a professional writer is a great way to get the kind of engaging, valuable content you need to drive traffic to your website. Have you worked with a writer before? What do you think is most important to a successful outcome?

Fun Friday – Do Be and Don’t Be

DON’T BE … A WORD HOG

The Word Hog relies heavily on copy to convey a message. In this example, too many choices and too much reading slows the laptop buyer down.

http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/laptops.to

DO BE … A VISUAL THINKER

Use graphics to support the text and guide the user through the decision-making process. On this page from Lenova, the bold red and blue boxes and the graphics below serve to separate Professional Grade computers from “Lifestyle” choices. Two choices vs. twenty makes for a much better user experience.

http://www.lenovo.com/us/en/

Who’s Looking at You?

Are you one of 90 million people on LinkedIn? One of the more interesting features of the business networking site is the ability is to see who has viewed your profile. Even though I have an unpaid subscription, I can see enough about the people visiting to know that my profile is something I need to pay attention to.

For example, in the past five days, my profile has been viewed by five people, some of whom I recognize, and some of whom I don’t. In the past 15 days I have turned up 11 times in the search results. Last year there were more than two BILLION people searches on LinkedIn. Just as you can improve your website’s rankings with the use of keywords, the same is true of your LinkedIn profile. Did you know LinkedIn now offers an enhanced profile for companies?

Who’s looking at you? Potential customers, bankers, vendors, journalists, former colleagues, future employers– anyone and everyone who might want to find out more about you or your business is searching online. So what does your online presence say about you? Are you professional, up-to-date, well-connected, well-read, and highly recommended? Can you be found through LinkedIn or Facebook? Does your company have a website? How easy is it for someone to find you if they can remember your name, but not your company; or your company, but not your name?

For those of you who are diligent about maintaining your LinkedIn profile and website you are probably already reaping the benefits of your efforts. But I know for a fact, there are many people and companies who still want to do business the same way the have always done it.

Does the construction industry lead the world in terms of companies without websites? I think it must. I was recently looking for a Las Vegas contractor to interview for an article I was working on. From a list of about 25 highway/heavy contractors, I was shocked to find that fewer than half had websites. This correlates with other research that shows that fewer than half of all small- and medium-size businesses have a website.

Now I had the names and phone numbers for the companies without websites. I could have easily called them for the article, but I didn’t. Why? Because I would much rather have some background information on your business before I make the first contact. How many others come to the same conclusion about working with your business?

While personal relationships are still the cornerstone of many business marketing efforts, companies must recognize that an online presence is a necessity in today’s world. At a minimum, create a LinkedIn profile and periodically review who is looking at it.

So please pass this post along to someone who needs to hear it. Ninety million people can’t be wrong.