Inner Circle Media

Here’s a recent article I wrote for AnnArbor.com…

Last week I was talking with a friend in Wisconsin about how she markets her successful small company. While she talked about the variety of tactics she planned to use in 2011, she had an insightful realization.

“I’ve heard people say a thousand times ‘marketing is everything.’ It’s the life blood of your business,” she said. “But really, everything is marketing. It’s not just my online ads or monthly email blast to my customers — it’s everything my company does.”

She continued, “In fact, if you’re in a committed relationship, you understand the meaning of marketing. You know how to attract a partner (or customer), and you know what it takes to stay in that relationship and keep each other content.”

My friend is right. Marketing is about customer relationships — not just initiating them but sustaining them. And like all relationships, every little thing you do and say matters.

As we approach the end of January, most companies are one month in to implementing this year’s marketing plan. They’ve determined their marketing, communications and advertising initiatives, and they’ve allotted money to be spent on each of these items. They’ve assigned someone to implement each step in the plan, and it’s likely that those implementing the plan have job titles like “marketing director” or “communications coordinator.”

But marketing is not just the responsibility of the people in your marketing department or the agency you hired to help with your next advertising campaign. Marketing is everyone’s responsibility. Every person in your organization is a representation of the company, and everyone impacts customer relationships. Marketing is…

• The way your team members answer the phone.
• The way your office or manufacturing area looks.
• Each invoice you send.
• Every email that leaves your office.
• Your parking lot (and your un-shoveled sidewalk).
• The way your president behaves while she’s out to dinner at a local establishment.
• The frustration someone feels when they can’t find your contact information on your website.
• The efficiency and kindness employed when a customer calls with a question or complaint.

All of the seemingly small things you do may increase or decrease the likelihood of someone purchasing your product or service for the first time or the 20th time. Your response to a Facebook posting could make the difference in someone’s decision to recommend you to a friend. Marketing is truly all-pervasive and a long term relationship. It’s in everyone’s job description, and it’s the sum of all parts.

Carrie Hensel is co-founder and CEO of Inner Circle Media and co-founder of the Women’s Exchange of Washtenaw. She writes this monthly column with other members of the WXW board of directors.

“Form follows function – that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union.”  – Frank Lloyd Wright

Here’s a great blog post explaining that good design focuses on meeting the needs of the user not just decoration and aesthetics. Many highly successful websites today (Google, Craig’s List, Apple) have few aesthetic embellishments. So are these utilitarian sites really “undesigned”? Or are they fulfilling users’ needs in by quickly providing easily readable information?

The author (Yaron Schoen) astutely argues that these sites are actually successful because they are “based on the essence of design” – they are uncluttered, easy to read, and full of white space which makes for an enjoyable reading experience. Schoen says, “This is good design, not undesigned. What may seem obvious for our print counter parts, we web folk (especially myself) are finally starting to understand what content design truly means and I think we should embrace this as a better evolution of web design.”

While it may look easy, it’s no simple task to plan and design websites that simply and quickly present information to users. Most websites you see today include unnecessary details, too much information, poor organization, and decorative ornamentation that decreases usability, confuses users, and negatively impacts the business success of the site.

When web teams focus first on meeting the user’s most pressing needs, then they can create a comprehensive and cohesive plan for a website where every element has an obvious purpose. Navigation, layout, and content (copy, graphics, etc) should steer users to readily get the information they are seeking and quickly accomplish tasks on the site. During design reviews with the web team and client, it’s important to keep asking “how does each element in this mock-up enhance the user experience and direct the user through the website?” If the element is just a decoration without a purpose, then it’s not necessary and probably shouldn’t be there. In this way, form will enable function, and the end result will accomplish its intended purpose.

Cameron Chapman wrote a great article about usability (the way people interact with and respond to websites) on the website Six Revisions. Through eye-tracking studies, website analytics, and user surveys, researchers tested many usability “rules” and standards that have persisted for over a decade. This article explains that while some “rules” are just common sense, others that we take for granted (i.e. the 3 click limit) are disproved when tested with actual users. Here are the sometimes surprising findings of the research:

1. Ditch the 3-Click Rule: Research shows that users will click as many times as necessary to find the information they are seeking as long as your website doesn’t frustrate the heck out of them. As long as your site is easy to use and logically organized, users don’t worry about the number of clicks it takes to accomplish what they came to your site to do.

2. Arrange Important Content in a F Shaped Pattern: In a test with over 230 participants, Dr. Jakob Nielsen’s eye tracking study from 2006 showed that website users scan web content in an F-shaped pattern. Other studies have shown similar findings – users scan your website starting in the upper left corner, then reading across and down. It’s important to point out that study participants likely came from countries where their language is written from left to right, and so reading patterns have been long established.

3. People Hate Waiting For Your Website to Load: Surprise! If you make people wait, they won’t stick around. For every second it takes pages on your site to load, user are that much more likely to be dissatisfied and leave your site.

4. People Don’t Like to Read Big Blocks of Dense Copy – They Like to Skim: Here’s another shocker. People actually read only about 28% of the copy on your website, so you better make sure they see what you want them to see. Use big headers, bold text, and bullets for important messages and instructions for what you want users to do next.

5. People Don’t Mind Scrolling! Long ago webbies said that your important stuff should be “above the fold” (a term borrowed from newspapers). Nowadays website users have become accustomed to scrolling past the fold and don’t seem to mind it at all. Furthermore, users are more likely to scroll and actually respond better to websites when the content isn’t crammed into the vertical space at the top of the page.

6. Arrange Your Layout Based on How Users Read: This tip is directly related to #2 above. You should layout important design components (navigation, copy, etc.) based on how your users read. In countries where users read left to right, put the important stuff on the left; the opposite is true in countries where users read right to left.

7. Use Ample White Space and Margins: Users have less reading comprehension when your website copy is densely packed in a wide column. If you want users to actually understand your content and respond favorably to your website, make sure to use margins around your text.

8. Little Things Sometimes Mean A LOT to Users: Pay attention to the details. Wording, color, and obvious buttons all matter a lot to busy website users. Check your site’s usage statistics to find out where users are getting hung up and leaving the site. Then make improvements to those pages.

9. Don’t Rely On the Search Function Alone: This study shows that seventy percent of users prefer to navigate first, then use the search function if necessary, so make sure your content is intuitively organized so users can easily navigate. After you’ve ensured that layout, navigation, and content organization are effectively considered, then work on your search function.

10. Your Homepage is NOT the Be-All End-All: As search engines and social media sites evolve, it’s becoming less likely that users will enter your site through the homepage and more likely that they’ll search for a term that takes them to one of the interior pages of your site. Therefore, make sure it’s easy for users to quickly comprehend what your site is about and how to navigate from any page of your site. Furthermore, use landing pages for your advertising, communications, and social media efforts, so you can readily direct users to take action on your site.

In July, I wrote an AnnArbor.com article called “How can women-owned companies close the revenue gap?” The article discusses the fact that women start companies at twice the rate as men, but according to the Center for Women’s Business Research, men-owned firms are twice as likely as women-owned firms to earn more than $1 million in revenue per year. Moreover, the average revenues of majority women-owned businesses are still only 27 percent of the average of majority men-owned businesses. In the article, I offered a few ways women business owners and leaders might begin to get over the hurdles of growing a successful company.

In August, Dianne Marsh wrote her own excellent article called “What defines business success?” where she references my article and explains that many companies are choosing to stay small, and that “success” isn’t necessarily defined by your company’s revenues or number of employees. Bigger doesn’t always mean better when it comes to companies. I agree with Dianne – my own idea of success is not to grow a massive company. Success for me as a business owner means building and sustaining a good group of clients and retaining a strong, happy team. I’d also hope that my company contributes to our community (through volunteering, donations, teaching, and leadership).

Regardless of our own definitions of “success,” I do find it very interesting that there is still a huge difference between companies that are women owned and male owned.  Here are more stats from the Center for Women’s Business Research:

• 85% of all women owned businesses were sole proprietorships
• 6% of women owned businesses were incorporated (C corporations, excluding S corporations)
• The 6% of incorporated women owned businesses accounted for 45% of receipts of all women owned businesses
• Just under 69% of women owned businesses had under $25,000 in receipts, compared to 5% of all businesses with under $25,000 in receipts.
• Only 2% of women owned businesses had over $1 million in receipts, compared to 5% of all businesses with over $1 million in receipts.
• Only 16% of women owned businesses had paid employees
• 70% of women owned businesses operated in the retail and services sector

What does all this mean? The stats show that women are starting a lot of companies and increasing their revenues; but most of these companies are small, earn less than $25,000 per year, and do not have employees. While women-owned firms may define success in different ways, I worry that because most of our companies are very small one-woman shops, our abilities as business leaders may be questioned or ignored. Are we achieving our full potential? Are we making our voices heard by government, impacting public policy to our benefit, or positioning ourselves to participate in Michigan’s economy as the state recovers in the coming years?

Carrie Hensel and Debra Power, Co-Founders and Co-Presidents of the Women’s Exchange of Washtenaw have received the Small Business Administration’s prestigious award for Michigan’s Women in Business Champions. The Women’s Exchange of Washtenaw is a nonprofit women’s business organization, which develops and hosts educational and networking events for women business leaders. In its two year history, WXW has helped women find jobs, create connections, generate referrals and make friends.  WXW is run by volunteers and its success would not be possible without the ideas and efforts of hundreds of women in Southeast Michigan.

Everyone seems to be asking the Magic 8-Ball these days, “Should I pay for online advertising?” The Magic 8-Ball is giving all sorts of answers ranging from “Signs point to yes” to “My sources say no.”  Does it make sense for your company to pay for Google Adwords or placement in other search engines? Take this quiz to find out.

1. Do you sell your products directly online via an e-commerce / online store?
   
2. Is your product or service new to the market?
   
3. Is your product or service easily searchable by people in your target market? For example, “Brighton remodeling company” is an easily searchable term; “Ethical Assurance Engineering Consultant” or “Unrefined Idea Specialist” are probably not logical, intuitive searchable terms.
   
4. Do your prospective and current customers already look for products or services like yours online?
   
5. Are you in a hurry to get placement in the search engines?
   
6. Are you willing to invest at least several hundred dollars a month to online advertising?
   
7. Does your website currently get listed on page one of Google for your top search terms?

If you answered YES to any of questions 1 through 6, then you should definitely consider paying for Google Adwords and placement in other search engines. If you also answered YES to question 7, then you should be strategic about what search terms you target in your Adwords campaigns. For example, if you already rank at the top of page one of Google for “Ann Arbor mechanic,” then you could use Adwords to target other more widely searched terms like “Ann Arbor auto repair“ or “Michigan car maintenance.”

Question 3 is a tricky one. If you answered, NO then you believe that your product or service is obscure, difficult to define, or not immediately thought of by your target audience. This means you might have a marketing problem, and before you commit your hard earned money to any type of advertising (online or offline) you need to clearly define your target market’s needs and the ways your products or services meet those needs. Then you need to write marketing messages that help your prospective customers immediately understand what your product or service can do for them.

The good news is obscure products or services (or those with a very targeted niche market) can actually benefit greatly from using Google Adwords. For example, a new trend in exercise is AcroYoga (it’s a combination of acrobatics and yoga, and I’ve heard from participants that is fun but hardcore!). While “acroyoga” is currently a very obscure term, AcroYoga franchises could benefit from Google Adwords by targeting broader search terms like “fitness classes,” “yoga strength training,” and “power yoga.”

As business owners, you hear a lot hype about marketing your products and services on the Internet. Experts tell you to “Improve your website. Launch a blog. Build a gigantic mailing list….” The trouble is the marketing information and advice provided online is often directed at companies who sell products and services that are sold exclusively through the internet.

But if you are like the vast majority of service-based companies, your services are delivered by interacting directly with your clients (in person or at least on the phone), so promoting your professional services is NOT the same as promoting a retail product or a service provided only online (i.e. website hosting).

Here are 4 internet marketing myths that could be misleading to service-based companies:

Myth #1— You must have an awesometastic, cool, interactive website.

Reality: You must have a website that clearly defines your service and explains how you help your customers alleviate their problems. Don’t even think about hiring a web development firm until you are clear about who your target customer is, what their pressing needs are, and how you can meet those needs. Design matters, but only so far as your website should look better than your competitors. Content matters MOST. If your content (copy, images, videos, articles, case studies, etc.) is personable, engaging, and speaks to the needs of your audience, they will begin to feel connected to you (and hopefully take the next step of contacting you).

Myth #2—More traffic means more revenues.

Reality: More traffic means only that more people are visiting your site each month. It does not mean that those people are taking any action on your site (reading your blog, filling out your contact form) or ever coming back to the site again. Before you spend money with search engine marketing firms, online advertising, or pay-per-click listings, make sure that your website attracts those people who actually need your services. And be sure that once they get there, they are logically guided toward specific actions.

If you’re wondering if your website compels users to do the things you want them to do, Google Analytics has a great tracking tool called “Site Overlay” where you can see an actual overlay on your own website to see what percentage of users are clicking each link on each page.

If you don’t have Google Analytics to measure your website’s performance, you could do your own user test or survey where you ask some of your customers to critique your website, carry out specific tasks, and provide feedback. The big question should be – “Based on my website, do I look like a credible expert you’d like to do business with?” If they answer YES, then pat yourself on the back. If they answer NO, then improvements must be made!

Myth #3—Build a gigantic mailing list.

Reality: A large mailing list is valuable, but only as long as the people on the list are qualified buyers, current customers, or referral partners. More people are likely to join your list (through your website or by receiving your e-newsletter from a friend or colleague) if you offer them insightful information, incentives, or coupons.

Myth #4—Killer copy will make people buy from you.

Reality: You are selling a service. You are not selling a ShamWow (the chamois, towel, and sponge all in one!). Hype might sell products, but TRUST sells service-based companies and professional consultants. Your website should bolster own brand by showing how you listen to clients, advise them with thoughtfulness and care, and provide exactly the services that meet their needs. If need be, hire a good writer to help you communicate what sets you apart.

In anticipation of WXW’s Goal Setting event on September 18th, I wrote a quick article for annarbor.com about goal setting. Specifically, I noted that just because the economy is in the dumps, it doesn’t mean that you should stop aspiring toward big goals for the future. The “bad” economy is an excuse many people need to slack off. But it’s not an excuse; it’s a motivator, a reason to step up our game.

Here’s a link to the entire article – “Goal-Setting: Set your intention on success”

And here are some handy tips for starting your own goal-setting regimen:

1. Break your big goals down into smaller steps – annual goals, quarterly goals, weekly goals. If your goal is to pay yourself $100,000 next year, then what will it entail in the coming months to make that money?

2. Change your goal of “Increase sales,” to “Close four deals at $25K (or more) by the end of October.”

3. Aim for high yet attainable goals. If you usually land one new client per month, set a new goal of two or three.

4. Be persistent and adaptable: If you are new to goal-setting, it may take time to get the hang of it. Don’t give up. Reassess your goals monthly and make adjustments as necessary. Write your goals in red marker on a dry erase board where you can refer to them often. You’ll find that goal-setting gets easier because as you achieve your initial goals, you’ll be motivated to set and achieve even bigger goals.

Before you post one more thing on Facebook, Tweet on Twitter, or update your LinkedIn profile, ask yourself this – what’s my comprehensive marketing strategy? If you’re not sure why you’re on the web, how do you know if your efforts are successful? Just being there isn’t necessarily going to improve your business. In fact, without a strategy, your scatter shot approach and multiple online personalities could annoy, aggravate, or even scare away prospects, clients, press contacts, and potential business partners.

It seems people are in such a frenzy these days to jump on the online social media band wagon that they forget about marketing basics – who needs your product/service? And how will you reach those people?

Social media should be just a part of your overall marketing/communications plan. It should NOT replace your other efforts (advertising, press, media, website, etc.) Nor should the tools be used in standalone ways – i.e. you build a following on Twitter, but do nothing to reach out via email marketing, blogs, Facebook, etc.

As you create your strategy, consider your audience:

• Who are you trying to reach?
• What are they already doing online?
• Where are they finding out about you?
• Do they use online social networking tools?
• Are they talking about you online? What are they saying?
• What do you want your target audience to do – connect with you, repost your tweets, call you, email you, buy your stuff?

Now consider what tools and/or initiatives you already have in place. Which tactics do you use? Which ones work well for your audience? How could you make better use of these tools?

• Website
• Blogs (yours and others’)
• E-newsletter
• Personal
  

Debra Power (Power Marketing) and I are going to be regular contributors to the Ann Arbor Business Review. Since Debra and I are the co-founders of the Women’s Exchange of Washtenaw, the Business Review hopes we’ll be good spokespeople for the region’s business women. Little do they know that they asked two outspoken and sometimes brassy women to gab about their favorite topic!

After WXW’s April Exchange Session called “Sales – Finding Customers and Sealing Deals,” I wrote an article about women and sales where I pondered the question, “Why are businesswomen often so averse to selling?”

If you’d like to read the entire article, here it is – “Women in business – Start selling like a girl”

I think we cut ourselves short if we think women have to be power sellers with smooth pitches and a quick answer for everything. Often women have inherent skills that help them bond with prospective clients, ask good questions, listen intently, and ultimately determine if a business deal is likely. Here are some tips to help you sell like a girl:

• Build trust like a good friend. Encourage people to talk to you by asking how you can help them.

• Be nurturing like your favorite grandmother. Listen intently to your prospects, so they feel heard. Give them praise for their hard work.

• Be assertive. Guide your prospects through the sales process. Be direct with your questions, so you can thoroughly understand their needs, goals, and intentions.

• Promote honesty and transparency. By being open, truthful, and real with your prospects, you’ll encourage them to behave in the same way.

• Make lasting connections. Realize that many prospects won’t end up being your clients, but that’s OK. They can still be referral sources, trusted advisors, and even friends.