I'm thinking about using WordPress... What are your thoughts?

There are many tech professional and business owners who use and/or are fans of WordPress. I am NOT one of them. I'd like to address my concerns as a tech professional AND a business owner.

TECH PERSPECTIVE:

1. It is COMPLEX. Mind you, I am not adverse to complex. I was coding computer programs in the 70's so believe me I started pretty early on in the tech field. I've seen SO MANY advances where it does not have to be that hard anymore. It takes longer to develop a W/P site than by using a website builder with a better interface. So I can charge less for a website by using better tools.
2. It is COMPLEX because it is RETROFITED. It started out as a blogging platform and can be retrofitted to include all sorts of functionality. However, I prefer to start with a platform that has 90% of the functionality I need and add widgets and plug-ins as needed for the missing 10% (not the other way around). 
3. SUPPORT is sporatic. Because the plug-ins often come from several different sources, support is inconsistent and fingers can get pointing... Also, much time is needed to ensure you have the latest WordPress version, plug-in and theme versions which can have a adverse effect on your website that might take hours to unravel.

USER PERSPECTIVE:

1. It is often HACKED. This often requires more tech involvement: to upgrade versions, monitor issues, etc. I've helped with 5 WordPress sites in my career and three were hacked. The estimate to fix (and maintain) was more than to rebuild on a different platform.
2. It is COMPLEX. When I train a user on updating their website, I want to feel confident they can manage (most of) the changes themselves. I find it daunting and again, I've been "techy" for 40 years... Even if they want me to maintain it, it takes less time in a better (less complex) platform.
3. It can be COSTLY. Hacked websites can cost you business as well as the time to fix the problem.

CLICK HERE to read an article by an industry expert (and the developer of my go-to platform... it address many of my concerns above.

CLICK HERE to see a side-by-side comparison of the two options. (Frankly, I think they are being generous about WordPress)

I offer a FREE Digital Diagnostic so if you want a personalized side-by-side comparison, CLICK HERE. Happy to see how we can "Get YOUR 'net in Gear!"

Is Invoicing YOUR Achilles Heal? (it was mine!)

I love my business of helping businesses and organizations create an effective web presence with websites and expanding their digital footprint. I offer FREE initial consultations, flat-rate projects as well as hourly billing. Tracking all this AND sending out detailed invoices in a timely manner was a challenge/nightmare! It was the weakest link of my business... AND vital!

I found one software company that was pretty comprehensive in what it could do to help me manage clients but what it was AWFUL at generating invoices for hourly billing. After investing hours of training and hundreds of dollars in fees I googled "Alternatives to ____".I

I found Freshbooks. I have determined it to be:

1. EASY to track my time: with a timer I can turn on and off as I go from task to task. I assign it to a client and it logs the time and my notes.
2. QUICK to generate an invoice as all I have to do is click GENERATE and it puts detailed information about the tasks I logged, the time I spent and the billing rate (if applicable) for me. Calculations are done and client details included. It's usually a one-minute process!
3. TIME-SAVING to use. I can create an ESTIMATE or PROPOSAL that can be converted to an invoice once the doc is signed (all included)
4. FLEXIBLE in billing: I can set up a payment schedules for my clients and they can pay by credit card or I log a check when it arrives.
5. MINDFUL of to-dos. It takes care of recurring billing for me AND sends reminders to clients when payment is not received within a specified period of time.

I still have to REMEMBER to check my unbilled hours report but I have now set up a task in my task management system to remind me of that so I am well on my way of working smarter and staying on top of my cash flow.

If this is something you need, please use this link to check it out. NOTE: you can try it FREE for 30 days...



Affiliate disclosure: This product has served me so well these past few years, I decided to become an affiliate (which means if you decide to sign up through my link, they we pay me a stipend as a referral "thank you") I am an affilate for several software solutions that you can find at https://www.getyournetingear.com/resources. But know that I ONLY recommend tools that I use myself. 

Do YOU have a "Back Pocket Topic"?

Let's say you are given time to speak at some event, unexpectedly and with no prep time!!

This doesn't happen a LOT but CAN happen. Everyone should have a "Back Pocket Topic" or maybe even 2 or 3. This should be something:

1. You are passionate about 
2. That you have something of value or unique to share 
3. That you know backwards and forwards so you can expand or compress the presentation into the allocated time

Understand and utilize the M.A.G.I.C. Marketing formula:

1. Think about who will be at the event (the A.udience) so that you can finetune the M.essage. 
2. Asking a question at the beginning is a great and quick way to G.rab their Attention. Asking for that show of hands will also engage them.
3. Know the emotional "hot button" of your A.udience means you can know what question to ask that might I.nvolve their Emotions
4. What's your C.all to Action? Give them something to do or think about after you are done talking...
5. "Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them."(Best advice I got from Toastmasters). Nothing is more frustrating than listening to someone without an hints on the purpose of the presentation. Hard to do in 30 seconds but this is where the M.A.G.I.C. formula and the tips below REALLY comes in handy!

Practice, practice, practice... 

1. The more you do, the easier it becomes! (No one EVER gets worse with practice!)
2. Master communicator Jim Rohn says it well:
   "Take advantage of every opportunity to practice your communication skills so that when important occasions arise, you will have the gift, the style, the sharpness, the clarity, and the emotions to affect other people."

Other tips:

1. Memorize some good, relevant quotes. It demonstrate you are well-versed in your topic AND connects with people in ways your own words cannot... (Quoting yourself doesn't work as well..)
2. Use analogies. You don't have to explain much for people to "get it" because we already understand the story behind the analogy you use. I'll post some videos of examples.
3. Have a printed introduction with you or have it on your phone. No more than 3 sentences or so. Comes in handy if you are to be introduced.

In summary, having that "Back Pocket Topic" will take Planning, Preparation, and Practice but boy, howdy will you be glad you did when you are put on the spot!

Blogging can Change your LIFE!

What's more, it can change the lives of others... Will it? No telling for sure BUT it's always a POSSIBILITY! There are many benefits to your business (and your prospective clients)*.

However there are many personal benefits as well. Let's examine how:

1. It can be a part of our journaling process. Documenting our thoughts, opinions and perspectives is one way we can leave a "paper trail" of our journey through life to understand where we were back "when" and gauge where we are going.
2. It can be part of your personal brand. We all have a totally unique perspective and therefore our "voice" is unique, valuable, and rare. Keeping that voice hidden is like keeping our light under that bushel basket. Plus that voice (and light) will surely outlast us as long as the Internet lasts.
3. It helps keep us accountable. The more people that know about our goals and ambitions, the more likely we are to do what it takes to achieve it. 

Did you see the 2009 movie "Julie & Julie"? According to Wikipedia: "The film contrasts the life of chef Julia Child in the early years of her culinary career with the life of young New Yorker Julie Powell, who aspires to cook all 524 recipes in Child's cookbook in 365 days, a challenge she described on her blog that made her a published author" and was the source of the screenplay for the movie. It was nominated for and won dozens of awards. I enjoyed it because it describes the journey we are capable of if we make a decision. 

Here are some decisions for you to consider:

1. Watch (or re-watch) "Julie & Julie"
2. Write something that you think might be of value or interest to yourself and/or others
3. Post it
4. Share it to your family & friends in Facebook or other social platforms
5. Schedule a time and repeat 
6. See what happens (you might want to write about THAT sometime!)
7. Enjoy the experience... it is as UNIQUE as you are!

*Check out blogging benefits for your business:

• To Blog or NOT To BLOG (that is the question...)
• I Blog, Therefore I Am
• CLICK to access my webinar "To Blog or Not to Blog" recorded Aug. 17, 2018. $5 fee.

EXPAND your on-line Presence so Searches can FIND you!

To be found you need to be seen. REALLY TRUE on the internet where finding information about you and your business definitely falls into the "needle in a haystack" scenario.

So how do you increase the size of your "digital footprint" to improve your chances of being seen? Here are just a few suggestions:

1. PLEASE-PLEASE claim your "Google My Business" account. Since Google still commands the majority of searches, claiming and updating the information about your business is imperative to maximizing your exposure on this platform.
2. Expand your listings on other search engines and directories. There are dozens of places where you can list you information to increase the likelihood that searches will display your information. Besides Google, there is Bing, Yahoo, and social media platforms to consider.
3. Correct the misinformation about your business. Some of these search engines and directories have garnered your information and posted what it found. Unfortunately, often this information may be incorrect if you move, change a phone number, or even may be incorrect from the start. Also, anyone can "suggest" a change which means your business can get shanghaied by your competition!

To accomplish all this can take hours and hours to login, claim and update all the information.

GOOD NEWS! We can provide your business a "Digital Dashboard" that will allow you to update your information simultaneously in over 70 search engines and directories including:

• Your NAP (Name, Address and Phone number) 
• Business descriptions of your products and/or services
• Your business categories
• Your business hours
• Menus for restaurants
• Special events
• Photos & videos
• Staff bios
• and SO MUCH MORE

Now you can have an easy, affordable way to manage and update much of the content about your business throughout the internet. Never have we seen a tool that allows you to claim and manage your BUSINESS BRAND on the largest marketing platform available: the World Wide Web! And the investment starts at only $197.

CLICK to request a FREE Digital Report on how your business is listed and to get more information about our services.

PS - Stay turned for our next post on how voice-controlled virtual assistants like Siri and Cortana should affect your strategy of achieving digital visibility.

On the Internet, Being Brief may not be Best

It can be said than when you post text on your website or blog, you are writing for TWO audiences: your potential customers and the search engines.

• Readers want you to be BRIEF and to the POINT
• Search Engines want to measure you on the relevancy of a keyword search and therefore, MORE matches is BETTER 

Seems like a "catch-22", yes?

Addressing what the potential customer wants.

• In Google, there are two kinds of searches: shopper searches and buyer searches. 
• Shopper searches are by people just looking around. They use generally use 3 words or less in the search. Example: “folsom chiropractor”
• Buyer searches are 3 words or more and are more specific. Example: “folsom sports chiropractor”. A person doing a buyer search is far more likely to be a buyer than the first
• Include keywords within your text that are likely included in searches by your target market
• Start the page with a 350-ish word summary of a longer article to follow (they can then choose to read the lengthy article or not)
• Have a "call to action" just below the summary or in a column to the right so they know what to do if they are interested in your products or services

Addressing what the search engines want:

• The truth is Google is that they don't score pages well with less than 350 to 500 words. 
• If you look at the first page results on Google for 3+ key word searches for many keyword types and averaged across the country, they come out on average at just under 1900 words of text as measured by Google on the page. Might as well aim a little high – 2000+ ish words.

What you need to do:

• Write a good (educational, relevant) article of 1200 to 1400 words around a keyword phrase topic. It is far more effective when you write this even if  you hire someone to do all the rest. 
• Don't be too broad in the topic as it will "water down" the relevancy of the page. Stick to the point in the article, but elaborate.
• Use headers / titles (header tags are best structurally) for the parts of the article
• Find pictures that illustrate your article (use you own images whenever possible as it put a "face to your name"). Rename the images using keywords and include descriptions in their meta info.
• Rewrite the text replacing pronouns with keywords wherever possible. You may need to rewrite the text to flow smoothly once you've changed the words.

Things you need to know:

• Decide what your goals are in writing for the Internet. Do you want to attract customers, searches or both
• Good writers are generally available for a nickle to a dime a word depending on how good the initial article is and how technical the subject. Make sure they understand your goals.
• You need to understand the current criteria for search results if that's your goal or hire someone who does. Google changes the rules all the time and each search engine has a different formula. 
• Be aware that THEY do NOT control the ranking results (Google does)  so be sure to track your return-on-investment.

Is your Website Leaking Business??

They do, you know... Most websites have holes where potential business and customers fall between the gaps and cracks. No website is leak-proof but there are a few things that will do the most to minimize the lost potential.

1. Be Phone-Friendly. At least 20-25% of website traffic is mobile (maybe more depending your industry). And if you have every visited a website that is hard to see or confusing to use on your phone, you most likely left it, possibly never to return.  The solution is to DESIGN a phone-friendly website that is concise (likely a subset of your main website) and clear (with prominent CLICK-TO-CALL, CLICK-FOR-MAP or other buttons that will make it easy for them to connect with you).
2. Be People-Friendly. Websites have evolved from simple on-line brochures. With slideshows, videos, on-line chat, and links to social networks, websites can now be designed to ENGAGE your audience which will keep them on your website longer. What's more, you want to look different (and better) than your competition. You want your visitors to say "Holy Cow", not "Ho-Hum".
3. Be Business-Friendly. The CLICK buttons on a mobile website is just one example of making it EASY to do business with you. Create a simple (and prominent) button to buy, register, schedule, book, call, email... You can make it even more compelling by providing a sense of urgency (limited time offer). You can also personalize how your website appears depending on the time of day (is it Happy Hour yet?), location of the visitor (where is your office nearest to them?) or time of year (are you open late for the Holidays?)

These are just a few of the myriad of strategies to get you more business from your website. We offer a FREE Digital Diagnostic (limited time offer!) where we will look at your website and make suggestions based on your business. There is no obligation and to buy anything and we GUARANTEE we will find a hole (or two) you can patch and will offer suggestions on how to patch it/them!

CLICK to schedule today!

Susan, Web Ninja

When website changes don't appear as expected

In order to speed up web browsing, web browsers are designed to download web pages and store them locally on your computer's hard drive in an area called "cache". Browser cache (also know as Internet cache) contains records of every item you have viewed or downloaded while Internet surfing. So when you visit the same page for a second time, the browser speeds up display time by loading the page locally from cache instead of downloading everything again. (from http://refreshyourcache.com/en/cache/)

Hitting the refresh button on your browser will cause the page from the internet, therefore showing any recent changes. Each browser (Chrome, Firefox, Explorer) has the button near the URL bar and it looks like a "recycle" icon. 

PICK the Video to SUIT your Purpose!

Videos are a great way to share information on the WWW. And each type of video has its strengths based on the purpose of the video.

Here are just a few examples...

ASK a Question... GET RESULTS!

Mark Victor Hansen, co-creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul, said that the simplest way to get results is to ASK: ask for the sale, a referral, the contract... And if you are not there yet, you can start by asking a question!

I have often used this analogy:

The adage is "If you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door". Not true!! First they have to know you have a better mousetrap and second, sometimes you have to educate them that they have mice!"

A survey is a great way to ask the right question to demonstrate they have a "mice problem". And it's far more effective when the prospect has the "aha" moment of "I have a problem!" than if you were to tell them that...

The question is not "Do you need a new (widget)?" 

The questions are:

1. Does your (widget) do A, B, and C? 
2. No? Might that be costing you time, money, customers, or all of the above?
3. Would you like a demo, consultation, or more information about this potential problem?

Before a sale, a survey serves several purposes:

1. It ENGAGES the prospect. It lets them feel like they are involved in the process instead of simply reading a marketing message. 
2. The best survey will RESPOND to their answers: display information or the next question based on their response. This intensifies engagement because it is personalized.
3. The CALL TO ACTION at the end of the survey will be customized based on their feedback. 

After a sale, a survey:

1. Lets our new customer know that their opinion is important and that their feedback has value. People like to be HEARD. It gives them an opportunity to vent if they had an issue (better to you than directly to Yelp) AND reminds them to post a review on Yelp, Google+, etc. if they like you!
2. Gives you  a chance to FIX a problem: whether for that specific customer or in your business process. 
3. If the feedback was positive: now you can ADD a positive testimonial or success story to your website.
4. Provides an(other) opportunity to ask for a REFERRAL, reminds them of additional SERVICES you provide, and INTRODUCES* them to other businesses that might be of service to them: "Oh, by the way..." (OBTW)
5. Occasional NEWSLETTERS or FOLLOWUPS will keep you top-of-mind for future referrals, repeat business and OBTW opportunities. 

NOTE: Business introductions demonstrates your "value-add" to services beyond your scope of expertise. PLUS, the marketing benefit to you is that YOU are introduced to prospects you don't know yet in the other business' surveys, followups, and newsletters.

Intrigued? (good cause to be). CLICK HERE to take OUR survey for a demonstration of just what a well-crafted survey can accomplish. It's the GET (answers) that keeps on GIVING! 

How to set up a Google account and why it's a good idea

If you have a Gmail account, you already have a Google account but many of you might not be using Google features that might serve useful in building your on-line presence. A few of these I use are:

• Google Apps that syncs my domain name with my Google email, calendar, and contacts. Seemless synchronization between my smartphone, desktop and the "cloud" so I can access anywhere
• YouTube to post video introductions, how to guides, and more. (example below!)
• Blogger to post blogs about tips, what's new, testimonials, FAQ's and more. 
• Picasaweb and Photos to upload photos to my account directly from my phone or desktop. Widget let me share updated images directly on my website (example bbrn.biz
• Google Drive and Docs to share files with my team and clients. 
• goo.gl shortens your URL for a simpler QR code and tracks how often it is scanned
• Google Analytics give you traffic stats for your website 
• Google Keywords tells what keyword traffic is

Here's a short video on how to set it up and some examples of the above reasons. 

Building & Leveraging your Network

"I'd rather have 1 percent of the efforts of 100 people, than 100 percent of my own efforts."
- By J. Paul Getty (also attributed to John D. Rockefeller - either way, good reliable sources!)

Right-On-Target Marketing Done RIGHT!

Imagine if someone invited you to enter a darts tournament. There was BIG prize money available so this piqued your interest, even though you don't consider yourself a darts expert. You would certainly ask these questions:

1. What's the target?
2. What do I get if I hit it?
3. What does it cost to enter?

No brainer questions, right? 

Well I know many businesses that invest LOTS of money NOT knowing the answers to these basic questions which also apply to marketing. If done RIGHT, you will know the answers before you even get started.

1. What's the target? Knowing exactly what your target looks like helps you know what you are aiming at and your chances of hitting it. Also knowing the odds of hitting a bullseye, how many attempts you will need to make before you get a hit, and if there are any wins beside a bullseye.
2. What do I get if I hit it? Here's a definition of a bullseye in marketing: you acquire a new "ideal client". What's an "ideal client"? Well, it depends on your business but would be one that you can provide the maximum amount of service for with the most profit. You will want to know the "average lifetime value" of that client: how much they spend (on average) each year, how long (on average) they remain a client, how many new clients (on average) they refer. All clients might not be a "bullseye" but at least you will know what each "ideal client" will put in your pocket.
3. What does it cost to enter? Once you evaluate the return-on-investment, you know how much you might be willing to spend to enter the marketing game. We don't engage in marketing for the sport, we engage for the WIN. So know the RETURN so you will know how much to INVEST.

So let's look at an example and "do the math".

Let's say a bullseye is worth $1000. It costs $100 to get 10 darts. You are pretty good and can usually hit two bullseyes for every 10 tries. If you enter and do your "average" you would profit $2000+ for a $100 investment. Would you enter?

Here's the politically correct response: "Duh!" 

Truth be told, you could hit one out of 30 and still do well enough to justify the investment. 

Marketing works the SAME WAY. Understand your target, evaluate your odds, and do the math! If you need help for YOUR business, contact us at GetYourNetInGear.com for a FREE Digital Diagnostic (we focus on the Internet but will explore ALL forms for marketing options).

What is a Responsive Website and Why do I NEED one?

It is 2015 and most businesses understand the importance of a website in their marketing strategy and how cost effective is it in acquiring new customers. However, many have not yet converted to the mobilized platform. Right now, 25-30% of traffic to your website is likely mobile and most small business websites have not yet addressed this need.

On top of that, Google changed its search algorithm to "demote" website searched for on mobile devices because Google deems them less relevant. Watch this 6-minute video on what the difference is and why it is important.

In summary, here are the top 5 reasons to mobilize your website:

1. Your website visitors will like you better. They can now read your site more easily and find the information they are seeking. And stats generally indicate one out of four of your visitors are on a mobile device. 25% is a large amount of traffic to lose if you are not mobile-friendly.
2. You will like it better. The conversion rates (click to call, click to map, and page views) are higher than for the average "old school" website. I think because the action is so easy and so immediate: instant gratification!
3. You can exponentialize all your marketing material. Add a QR code to your signage, business cards, brochures, flyers, etc. It's the best use of a square inch in marketing and will direct visitors to your mobile-friendly website with a simple click!
4. It likely puts you ahead of your competition. Check out to see if their site is responsive. Likely not. Woody Allen said that to succeed you don't have to be light years ahead of your competition, only 43 seconds!
5. Google will like you better. Your ranking will not suffer because you've addressed Google's criteria that responsiveness is relevant!

To determine if your website is mobile-friendly:

1. Visit your website on your smartphone 
2. Visit this website to see your website on mobile: www.mobilephoneemulator.com
3. CLICK HERE to schedule your FREE Digital Diagnostic. 

We recommend #3 because we can provide you a solution! Conversion start at $350 for current clients and $550 for new clients. How many new clients out of the 25%+ that you salvage with a mobile friendly website would it take to have this conversion pay for itself? Let's do the math!!

Systems that can DRIVE your BUSINESS (so you don't have to!)

A Driving Force Coming to a Future Near You

Auto makers are building and testing cars that drive themselves. When they are perfected, IMAGINE how that would FREE up our* TIME!! It would be like having a personal chauffeur to take us where we need to go so we focus on other tasks (no texting and driving problems!)

Automaters are building SYSTEMS that can drive your BUSINESS!! IMAGINE how that would FREE up our* TIME!! It would be like having a personal assistant that would do all the humdrum tasks so we can focus on what is important and profitable!!

Size DOES Matter (for digital images at least!)

If you have ever waiting for images to render on a website or in an email, you know that can be frustrating (and frustration is NOT good for business). So make sure the visitors to YOUR website don't have that experience.

Where There's a Will, There's a Widget

I have been involved with computer technology for 40 years now (yikes!). As you can imagine, it has been both EXCITING to see how things have advanced and CHALLENGING to stay on top of things. I started my career as an Information Systems Specialist which simply means, I figure out how to get computers to do things so people can save time, make sales, and be more productive.

The Lowdown on Followup Systems

We used Google Hangouts for our webinar on Follow-Up Systems today. Google has made some changes that you want want to check it out for YOUR business. 

Using blog feeds to post FRESH content for your website visitors

There are many benefits for posting a blog and the good news is that it helps you address the needs of your two target audiences: your potential clients AND search engines. 

Building a Better Blog Feed

Blog posts are a great way to create content for your website, your e-newsletters, social media posts and more. It also saves you a LOT of time by addressing things like Frequently Asked Questions, information about your products or services, testimonials and success stories and much more.

A blog feed is a widget that you can add to your website that controls the source of the feed and the content. A BETTER BLOG FEED will you the flexibility to have feeds from multiple blogs, control what shows up (amount of text, images, dates, etc). and other custom features. 

The best blog feed generator I have found is feed.informer.com. I have used this feed to create feeds of:

• What's New on my HOME page
• Feeds filtered based on keywords (tags) on interior pages
• FAQ's for my FAQ page
• Testimonials and success stories for pages based on services provided

Unless you have a lot of needs, an account is FREE. Because it does require some coding (and techy-know-how), you might find it more time/cost-effective to have us set up the account and feeds for you.