So you have a website for your business, or you know you should have a website for your business, but what do you actually do with it?
Every business should have website, a social media presence, and be blogging or be regularly posting new content to the web, but this requires careful consideration and planning.
This workshop will help you plan your digital business approach to ensure you are making the most of your online business opportunities.
3. Session Overview
• Why is now a good time to be working on your
website?
• You have a website
• Now what?
• What will you investigate further?
• Workshop evaluation
4. Why is now a good time
to be working on your
website?
5. Better infrastructure /
access
• 79% of Australian homes have
the internet
• Good e-practice guidelines
for disadvantaged learners
in VET (2013)
• 85% of Australians have a
smartphone
• AIMIA Mobile Phone Survey
(2012)
Image: Telecommunications - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunication
6. Internet is already a game changer
Source: Deloitte Access Economics Pty Ltd (2013) –
http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_AU/au/services/financial-advisory/deloitte-access-economics/05660fd56ab1e310VgnVCM1000003256f70aRCRD.htm
16. You have a website – now what? - Overview:
• Determine/Review
• Target market
• Purpose
• Design fit for purpose
• Original content
• SEO / SMO
• ROI / Tracking / Benchmarking
• Feedback / Input
• Review / Revise / Plan
Image: “Designing Learning in the Digital Age - Melbourne, March 2013” by Vanguard Visions Consulting - www.flickr.com/photos/77018488@N03/8569658553/
20. Want to know more?
More info: digitalcapability.com.au
Register for eUpdates: bit.ly/digitalcapability
Follow on:
Twitter - twitter.com/digitalcapabili
Facebook - facebook.com/digitalcapability
LinkedIn - bit.ly/DCLinkedIN
Google+ - bit.ly/DCGoogleplus
Pinterest - pinterest.com/vanguardvisions
21. Allison Miller
0400 732 270
allison@vanguardvisions.com.au
vanguardvisionsconsulting.com.au
vanguardvisionsconsulting.com.au
Editor's Notes
Introduce yourself– Elearningebusiness eportfolio consultancyWork with prominent business development programs/leaders like the City of Salisbury and City of Marion, as well as universities, VET providers and schoolsE-business Workshops / Webinars for national organisations such as ACPET, VELG Training, TDC, Wendy Perry & AssociatesEncourage questions / discussion
So why is now a good time to be working on your website?
The internet is a game changer, with a number of industries significantly changing or being ‘broken’, for example :Music industry being changed by ‘peer to peer’ file sharing which significantly impacted the number of retail musiceBooks means that we are seeing less and less bookstoresMurdoch can’t dump his newspaper shares quick enough as it’s a dying industryPlaces like Harvey Norman, Myer etc are feeling the impact of online shoppingDeloitte Access Economics (NBN Business Readiness Survey) is predicting that:One third of business are significantly being impacted by the internet now, with nearly 5 out of 10 businesses feeling some impact (32% + 17%) on the short fuseWhere does your business sit on this chart?
How many people have a website?Who is your target market and what is it’s purpose?Do you manage it or do you outsource this?
How many people have a website?Who is your target market and where are they?what is it’s purpose?Do you manage it or do you outsource this?In August 2012, less than half of Australian businesses (43.1 per cent) had an online presence, such as a website, eBay store or social media page. The gap between micro and big businesses remains quite large, with just 33.2 per cent of micro businesses having a web presence compared to 97.3 per cent of big businesses. Businesses in the agriculture, forestry and fishing (13.0 per cent), transport, postal and warehousing (21.6 per cent) and construction (31.9 per cent) industries were the least likely to have an online presence.Source: Digital Business (August, 2012) - http://www.digitalbusiness.gov.au/2012/08/02/more-australian-businesses-getting-online-latest-abs-statistics/ Stats from the annual Summary of IT Use and Innovation in Australia Businesses , reported by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
So you have a website (or you’re planning on getting a website), now what?What other things should you be thinking about with your website?
Search Engine OptimisationWhat keywords or ‘search terms’ / mega-data are you using and why?Use them a lot in the content of the pageUse the SEO wizard / plug-in in the back-end of your websiteThematic words – ‘telecommunications’ – also use: mobile phone, telephone, etc (Use a thesaurus or Google Adwords) Google.com/trendsKey features?Page titles Landing page should have a call to action … Call us now on …….Images – use ‘alt’ tags which are a “call to action” … book now, call usEncourage ping backs or hyperlinking from credible websitesPrivacy page – to build trust around your website … states what you do with people’s information who register with your site … “We only use your contact details for processing your purchases; sending you our blog / e-newsletter. We do not pass on or sell …. “Other advertising (ie Google Ads) on your website?How often are you updating your website?Talk about Content on next slide
Content is King when it comes to websites so:What types of content do you use on your website?What makes it unique / original?How can you enhance it? – Images (Alt tag), Hyperlinks, Comments, Voting, Give aways, InfographicsBlog or web page? – User EngagementLearn some HTML - http://www.w3schools.com/html/default.aspSource: 21 Ways to Create Compelling Content When You Don’t Have a Clue - http://www.copyblogger.com/create-content-ideas/ Steal content and ideasGet it from somebody else — either content, or ideas, or both. “borrowing with the author’s blessing”.Done right, this can produce some valuable content that the authors you “stole” from will thank you for using!Curate content. Find your ten favorite websites, and then find your favorite post on each of them. Publish a post listing these top ten posts, and explain why you like them. Ask friends for ideas. If you’re tapped for ideas, then reach out to your friends and colleagues, and ask them what they’d like you to write about. Ask your audience. You can kick the last strategy up a notch by reaching out to your audience. Do an interview.Solicit guest posts.Create content without creating contentIf you have to create your own content, then there are a whole bunch of ways to do it without “creating content”.Create a best-case study. Think about your favorite blog, company, or product, and write a post about why you like them so much. Explain what you think they’re doing right, and what others can learn from their example.Create a worst-case study. Same thing, but focus on a blog, company or product that you hate. Explain your frustrations with it, explain why it is successful anyway, and explain what you would do differently.Write a review. Think about a product that you like, and are happy to endorse, and write a review about it. Explain your success. Think about a time when something went really right for you, and write a post explaining how you got it to happen. Explain all of the steps that you took to get there. Draw out the lessons that you learned, the lessons others can learn as well. Explain your failure.A post about your most challenging experiences is likely to be powerful just by virtue of how intense the original experience was for you, explain what you learned from the process.Link to old favorites. Go through your archives, and make a short list of your old favorite posts that newer readers probably haven’t read. Do a quick deconstruction, and explain what you were thinking when you wrote the posts, what worked, and what didn’t.Find out what’s trending. Visit google.com/trends, click on the “More Hot Searches” link, and pick something from the list.Get inspiredThe last thing you can do when you’re fresh out of ideas is to recharge and get inspired.Go for a walk.Go to the theater.Explore new cultures.Tell your story.
Online Store or other eCommerceDo you do any e-commerce?Online Stores?eBayIntermediaries ieEventbrite, Others?What design, functionality and security do you use?Source: Nina Cross - How to Create an Online Store and Shopping Cart With Thesis - http://diythemes.com/thesis/create-online-store/ Retail – Make it a visual experience:Image Gallery Landing Page - products arranged in a grid, with products spanning horizontally and verticallyStandard Landing Page - your products will be listed vertically with product details right on the homepageMake it easy to search:Categories / ProductsMake it easy to buy:User friendly shopping cart … minimum number of steps
Getting people to your website – other than SEOWhat social media sites do you use to ‘encourage’ people to go to your websiteFacebook Page – Facebook boost of posts; Facebook AdsLinkedIn Company Page – LinkedIn GroupsGoogle Plus Company Page – Google Plus GroupsPinterest / InstagramTumblrOthers?Google Adwords? – Pay per click eLists / eNewsletters – Lots of hyperlinks to your website – Email marketing service to track which links people are engaging withSMS Messaging – include call to action – phone no and URL - egLaubman and PankOthers?
ROI – Return on Investment or Realization of InfluenceHow do you know if your efforts are getting you anywhere?:Google AnalyticsWebsite AnalyticsFacebook AnalyticsConversion to sales / referrals / Benchmarking and evaluating
Spend a few moments planning your marketing and comms
What will you investigate further and why?
Ask participants to complete the online workshop evaluation