Perth Small Biz: askew

Showing posts with label askew. Show all posts

How to STOP Overspending on SEO

It's an all too familiar story ...

Running a small business from home, seems like such a great idea when you're first getting started. Just the option of being able to control the type of work and clients you prefer to deal with, is an exciting step forward. At least until one of your friends offers the kind advice ...

"You should really have a website."

This piece of advice is then quickly followed up with ...

"I have a nephew who can make websites."

So you decide to take your friend up on their kind offer, and after 3 months of pestering the nephew, your website finally appears. It's not exactly what you expected, but it's better than nothing, right? As he shows you how to make updates, you start to consider the viability of doing a computer programming course at night school.

Surely having a website doesn't have to be this difficult?

Over the next few months, you tell everyone about the new website, asking them to spread the word. You post it up on facebook, tweet about it, stick a business card up on the community noticeboard, and even send out a newsletter to a handful of clients. But nothing happens. It's not even listed on google.

After reading some of those spam emails that arrive in your mailbox each morning ... Affordable SEO ... #1 Page Listing ... Website Promotion ... SEO Proposal With Authentic Results!! ... and not even being sure what "seeyo"is, you call a company with a reputable looking website. They have a professional and friendly phone manner, seem to use all the right jargon, and are very convincing that their promotional package is all you need. It will only cost you $1000 per month, but you'll get that back 10 fold with the amount of work coming in. You feel pretty proud when you strike a deal for $500 per month on a 6 month contract, and sit back, ready to be inundated with work.

The first month brings in a heap of enquiries, but they're not really related to your business. Apparently this is quite normal to begin with, and next month will be better. But as the months go by, you're spending more than you're making, even though the monthly report shows 100 website hits per day. So you start to wonder if working for yourself is really all it's cracked up to be.

Sadly this is a very common scenario, and while the promotional companies aren't doing anything wrong, they are much better sales people than they are promoters.

And what do you do once you've found yourself in this situation?

Stop pouring good money after bad
Review your website from a customer's perspective. If you need to remake it, then have a look at a DIY WIX website.
Choose a product or service that you wish to promote. Just the one. And focus on it.
Work out the reality of what you are capable of spending on promotion NOW...
If it's $1 per day, then don't be convinced otherwise.
Work out where your hard earned dollar is best spent. Where is your audience? Facebook? Twitter? or are they searching Google? Then create yourself a small advert but very specifically targeted soas not to overspend on unlikely clients.

You won't get new work in overnight, there is no quick fix. But with regular maintenance, your self promotion will start to build, and the work will follow.

FREE Useful Tools

DIY WIX website
Google Keyword Planner
Google Analytics
Google Webmaster Tools
IFTTT - Automated social media posting
Facebook Page Review - Likalyzer

Pink-tober was my first step into public speaking

By Anonymous 13:39:00

October is often called Pink-tober simply because some marketing people thought it would be a great idea to turn one month a year pink in recognition of Breast Cancer. So while everyone is thinking Pink, and working out interesting ways to raise money for Breast Cancer research many of us "survivors" get called into work places to have pink cup cakes and give a bit of a chat about being breast aware.

In my career, I've attended loads of presentations, and more than just a handful of these fundraising awareness campaigns. I have never been inspired to rush home and check for lumps, quickly book a mammogram or even throw wads of hard earned cash at the cause. And as a pretty cynical marketing person, I was a little "over" all the pink this and pink that and all the hard luck stories that came with it.

So as my own toughest critic, when I was invited to be the speaker at a Pink morning tea in the financial district, I was a little bit ... terrified. Oh no ... I'm going to be one of them.

My first question was, how am I going to make it interesting enough not just to get my message through but to be at least a little entertaining? With my story, there were no special fundraisers, kids doing heroic things or flying off to exotic countries for trial treatment. My story is pretty simple, I got cancer, went through chemo and radiation, had surgery, then went back to work.

My next concern was, am I ready to talk about my journey without getting all emotional. At this point I'd had 3 years clear of cancer, and sure I've chatted to people about what I've been through, but not as an actual presentation.

It was time to think about what I would be interested in hearing? What would make me sit up and listen? What would grab my attention?

And so evolved my first speech, filled with humor, tears, silliness and pure honesty. I kept it tight but raw and chose to keep my natural way of speaking. Just like I was in a conversation with any one person in the audience. With the mirror setup in my office, I practiced and practiced and practiced until I really couldn't stand the sound of my own voice anymore.

Then it was the day I'd been dreading and looking forward to all mixed up in one big emotion. Sweating so much that I was glad I had waterproof makeup, and a blouse that wouldn't show how nervous I was.

Now this is the point when I should probably explain that as a hobby I like to drag race. And as a part of being the driver of a pretty fast car, I needed to learn how to be calm in a very not calm situation. So when I lost control of my race car at 250km/hr and started heading directly for the concrete wall, I calmly went through the whole process of shutting off fuel and bracing myself for impact like I'd been taught.

Unfortunately, that crash was nothing compared to standing up in front of 50 office workers during their tea break and telling them how I felt when I was told I had breast cancer. I was expecting everyone to just sit, listen, politely applaud and head back to their office. What I didn't expect was to hear my voice catch half way through my story as I saw my hubby's face in my mind. I paused and took a long wavering breath willing the tears to stay back, then looked up from my notes to actually see the audience properly for the first time.

They were crying. Tissue boxes were being passed up and down the rows of quietly sniffling men and women. But in their eyes I could see them willing me to find the strength and courage to continue.

So I grabbed up one of the tissues, removed my glasses and dabbed my eyes. I apologised and explained it was my first time sharing, and it all suddenly felt so real again. I put my glasses back on, took a deep breath and continued. They deserved to know the ending. They'd earned it.

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Thankfully I don't break down in tears at all my speeches which is probably a good idea, since not all my talks are about breast cancer. If you'd like to invite me to your next morning tea, then drop by my page for further details. [ andyk.com.au ]

But if you'd like to know more about my marketing ideas then my business page is probably more suited. [ www.askewvision.com.au ]

Andy Kahle
Speaker - https://www.facebook.com/andykahle
Digital Marketing - https://www.facebook.com/PokenOzEvent

What does your Avatar Photo REALLY say about you?

By Anonymous 13:02:00

You receive an invitation to connect on LinkedIn, but when you look at their photo you pause. What is it about this person that made you stop and think? Can you really be that vain that you judge a person on their appearance?

Of course you are, because you're in business, and first impressions count for a lot.

So now we have confirmed you're just like everyone else, and will probably still click on accept, albeit a little warily, let's have a look at your photo.

The Bathroom Selfie
While there's nothing wrong with taking a reflected selfie, if you're using the mirror in the bathroom, please pay attention to what is in the background. Also the lighting is probably going to be pretty harsh. The bathroom is great for singing, but not for taking photos.
Under or Overdressed for Success
Unless you are managing the coolest nightclub in the city, the shoulders back, puckered up look might just attract you the wrong type of business. The same goes for a fitness instructor in a 3 piece suit. Look at who you are targeting, and make sure you look appropriate for the job and position you hold.
Watch where you Crop
Please be careful about where you crop your image, as you want people to look at your face and not get distracted. Digital Camera World have kindly provided a guide to cropping [Pictured].

What's in the Background?
The 'at the desk' or 'on-site' picture is great for the non-executive. It shows you are passionate about your career. But keep the background simple, or if you can't, then use a photo editor to blur out the background so it doesn't distract from your face.
Group photo
Save these for your company page, and please save the picture of your dog and kids for Facebook. Your LinkedIn profile is about YOU and what YOU are about.
Surprise Snap
Are you smiling with your eyes, or do you look like a deer in the headlights? Try to pull the same facial expression as you would meeting a new client at a coffee shop.
No Photo
If you feel better about not off showing your face, maybe just use your company logo or a product photo, then think again. Your LinkedIn profile is about YOU, so it's YOU we want to see. Save the rest for your company page and showcase page.

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Andy Kahle

Askew Digital Marketing

Need a little help with your Marketing?
Please feel free to drop by Askew

Andy is also available as a Keynote Speaker.

Real Blokes don't do Coupons

By Anonymous 11:52:00

Case Study: SCM Open Day

Given the predicament of trying to quickly get the word out about a client newly into an industry that grows predominately by word of mouth and reputation, we decided that an Open Day was the best option.

Firstly we had to look at who we were targeting.
Target Audience: predominately male, aged 30-50, well financed, with a muscle car.
Target Location: within 5-10km radius of client's location in High Wycombe, Western Australia

Then, what type of marketing does this audience respond to?
Testing ideas out on who else, but the hubby, it was decided that this type of bloke won't respond to coupons in the letterbox, or discounts in the paper. But what about an invitation to come and bend the ear of your local high performance mechanic, and check out some pretty nice cars at the same time? Perhaps with a sausage in a bun? Well, that's quite different!

So the date was co-ordinated with other car events so there would be minimal conflicts, invitations were designed and sent out via a letter drop to the local house holds. Posters were put up on community notice boards and invitations were placed on business counters across Perth.

A booking page was setup using EventBrite for the earlybirds, and a facebook event created to help get the word out.

Gradually over the couple of weeks prior to the actual event, details of the day were shared out to local car clubs. The event page was updated regularly with information about who would be on display on the day. Then wow, with only a little encouragement word started to travel with the event facebook page reaching 25K. Not bad for a local business event.

But we didn't stop there, as a mail drop invitation was sent out to all the letterboxes within the area and also within the client's budget, (so we had to be a little choosy). Posters were put up on community notice boards at local shopping centers as well, to catch the eye of the bored motoring enthusiast.

So the day of the event finally arrived, and with so much interaction on the web were were flying high, although still worried if all those people would actually turn up on the day. Tables were setup, the BBQ fired up, eskies filled with soft drink and the coffee machine ready.
Workshop cleaned, Products on display, and trophies ready for the Dyno winners.
We even had a volunteer face painter to keep the kids entertained.
The show cars started to show up, and phew, what a relief, there were more than promised, and a really nice variety to tickle anyone's fancy.

Finally, a few spectators wander through the gates, followed by a few more, and a few more. By the time the first car was backed into the dyno room the BBQ operators run off their feet, kids were running about everywhere with butterflies and SCM Chillies on their faces, and the crowd was jostling to be able to get a good view into the dyno room.

I made a point of chatting to as many of the visitors as I could, doing a general survey to see how they found out about the event. There were a lot of people who had never heard of SCM, and just came along for a look, finding out through car clubs and the internet, but having the event confirmed via their mailbox.

By the time the last dyno was run at the end of the day, the eskies were empty, sausages nearly all gone, and the SCM mechanics were exhausted.

It was declared a great success in getting the name of SCM Race Engines & Performance recognised not just in the racing fraternity, but also within the local suburbs.

Andy Kahle

Askew Digital Marketing

Need a little help with your Marketing?
Please feel free to drop by Askew

Andy is also available as a Keynote Speaker.

Given the predicament of trying to quickly get the word out about a client newly into an industry that grows predominately by word of mouth and reputation, we decided that an Open Day was the best option.
Posted by Askew Digital Marketing on Tuesday, 12 May 2015

Weekly Client Showcase: SCM Race Engines

By Unknown 13:32:00

Wondering what range of services we offer?

We have been dealing with this family business for over 4 years. SCM encompasses Race Engines, general Mechanical Services and an Earth Moving division.

We have provided them with an extensive range of services to date including:

Website design, hosting, domain and SEO
Graphic design
Fliers and business cards
Newspaper and Magazine advertisements
Online Advertising
Digital Marketing Plan
Photography
Social Media Management

Download our FREE ebook - Easy Digital Marketing Strategies To Help Your Business Grow

Need a little help with your Marketing?

Please feel free to drop by Askew

Mobile friendly sites to rank higher in Google!

By Unknown 07:53:00

Google has confirmed that Mobile friendly websites will rank higher as of 21st of April!

Why is this big news? With more than half of web browsing now conducted on a mobile device, you could be missing out on half the traffic. The trend to mobile is only onwards and upwards from here.

Design a website without a Web Designer

By Anonymous 09:49:00

Once upon a time in the good old days of websites you needed a degree in computer science to make a website. Then some great programs were introduced to allow people with a creative flair to make their own website, albeit rather simple in functionality.

The really cool features still had to be implemented or at least setup by a geek.