OK, so you have a Chooboo website, so what?

Well, your website should be a BIG PART of your sales strategy.   It’s live 24/7, can reach prospects on the other side of the world and is probably one of the most cost-effective marketing tools you will ever come across.  Why is it then that most of us are not getting the most out of our website?  Why is it that many of us are frustrated that our website simply isn’t working?

This article is all about using your Chooboo website to best effect, without spending another penny.  Yes, that’s right – there’s no need to part with any money to implement the suggestions in this article.  So let’s get started with some simple tips.

TIP ONE:  “Put First Things First”

This is habit three of the Seven Habits of Highly Successful People by renowned author Stephen Covey, which holds true with your Chooboo website.  The “Thing” that must be put “First” is an understanding of what your website is there to achieve.  It is there to make your business money.   This might sound like incredible common sense but you would be surprised how many small business owners overlook this fact as they build visually attractive but ultimately ineffectual websites.

Your website should have the objective of making your business money.   To do this it must have Calls to Action – things that you want the website visitor to do upon a visit to your website; typically, to contact you by phone, email or fill in a Contact Form or even to make a purchase.   Of course, many first time website visitors aren’t ready to perform a Call to Action just yet, so they should be presented with a Free Offering – something to entice them to get involved.  For a professional services company for example, this Free Offering might be a free, no obligation consultation; for a restaurant it might be a discount voucher.

Anyone who has attended one of my Business Clinics has heard me harp on about Free Offerings.   Some people object strongly to giving something away for free, but (I say), “Think about how much a new client is worth to you in the long run”.

TIP TWO:  Get Trained Up

Chooboo has a range of online marketing tutorials available for its clients, which are available through its You Tube channel.   The most important of these is the Free Online Marketing course, which discusses your website objectives, registration with various business directories, preparing your website and how to promote and measure what you do.   Sounds like a lot of information??  Well, it is, but at least it’s organised into 6 bite-sized video tutorials that are sent directly to your email inbox on 6 consecutive days.   This makes them easier to digest, at least that’s what over 1,000 previous digesters have said!   Like to register?  Simply click here.

Every 2 Thursdays, Chooboo holds a free (to clients) 2 hour Business Clinic in Holywood, County Down.   This informal session provides an overview of how to manage your Chooboo website and provides some tips on how to promote your website.   Registration is online by clicking here.

TIP THREE:  Structure your Website

This sounds boring but trust me it’s really important.   You need to structure your website to make the content easy to find and to act on.  If your Calls to Action include encouraging a phone call, then make sure the visitor can find your phone number, preferably on the banner of your website.

TIP FOUR:  Produce the right Content

Writing content for your site is the major challenge for our clients, but it’s SO important to get it right.  The idea is to provide just enough content (text, images and documents) to dispel the visitor’s anxiety about performing a Call to Action.    The good news is that “less is more” when it comes to content, so avoid writing huge amounts of text.  Keep it simple and encourage the visitor to contact you to find out the finer details.

TIP FIVE:  Use e-Mail Marketing

People who know me know that I’m passionate about e-Mail Marketing.   I believe that a small business owner must do what they can to drive visitors to their website, and e-Mail marketing is a great way to do that.   Whoever you do business with, make sure you gather their e-Mail address and use it to keep the conversation going with them.   The old adage states that existing customers are the most likely to buy from you again.   Using e-Mail Marketing your can encourage them to do so.

TIP SIX:  Go Social

Small businesses thrive on personal recommendations, so make sure you make it easy to be recommended.  A great way to do this is to open a Facebook Page and grab the “Like” icon to place on your site.   More on Social Networking in future blog entries!

TIP SEVEN:  Promote your Website to the Search Engines

Search Engine marketing is all about researching the right keywords for your website, i.e. the words that web searchers will use to find your website.   I will cover some tips and tricks in future articles, but for the meantime watch our Online Marketing Course.

TIP EIGHT:  Measure what you Do

Your Chooboo website is set up to link to Google Analytics, which allows you to measure the number of visitors your website receives, what they looked at and where they came from (to mention but a few things).   Let us know if you would like us to show you how to access Google Analytics and we’d be pleased to do so.

Of course, these tips are only the beginning.  At Chooboo we want your website to generate sales leads that help to grow your business.   In future articles we will be exploring how to continue making the most out of your Chooboo website.

Thanks for reading!