Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Setting Yourself Apart

From our earlier posts we've seen how the Internet has changed the way we do business, how we promote them, and the changes the Internet itself has gone through. Bottom line, it has become a more crowded and competitive space. Local businesses are competing in their local arenas and sometimes nationally or globally. With all this competition how does one set their company apart from similar businesses?

So far we've been talking about the design and promotion of your website to set you apart. Conversion-based architecture helps to ensure ease of use no matter what customer type you serve. Aggressive Internet marketing makes sure that your website is easily found, talked about, visited, and generates conversions of traffic into customers. But, what are some little extra things that will set you apart?

In Internet marketing, we call these little extras conversion tools. They improve the customer experience, keep customers on your website longer (aka create stickiness), and generate word of mouth. Below are just a few ideas, but contact us to see more and discuss their advantages.

Placing a video along with regular text gives the customer an option to choose how they consume the information provided about your company. Now you are catering to their needs. Thus, improving their experience.

Along with video we use an ROI calculator. It's a gadget that our clients can use to get a rough idea of what they can expect their returns to be for our Pay-per-click campaigns. They can play around with it for a while which give them a chance to think about their goals, so they will ready to talk budget when they contact us. Just by them spending a little extra time on our site, we capture more of their attention. The more attention then the more likely they become a client. To see the ROI calculator, click here and scroll down to the middle of the page.

The third I want to introduce is the Click-to-call element. This conversion tool allows customers to call you without them having to dial your number. It allows you, the business owner, to measure and record calls made to your business from your website. Not all click-to-call tools are the same. The one we offer has many advanced features such as the find-me-follow-me function and virtual receptionist. Both these features give the appearance of a larger company to your customers. They make sure customers find the person they are looking for and that a call never goes unanswered. Our click-to-call solution is the best one we've found, and we've looked a lot.

All in all, these tools are about the customer. What are their needs? What will hold their attention longer? What will impress them, so they tell their friends? These tools range from free to moderate price, from cheesy to impressive. Pick our brains about the ones that we've seen success with and for creative ideas for your business today. Let us help you stand apart from the crowd.

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