by Scott Howard | Nov 7, 2014 | ScLoHo's Web World
This is inspired by a lunch meeting I had last month. As you may/may not know, I work for Federated Media in Fort Wayne Indiana. Primarily for WOWO Radio however we have a digital division that is top notch too and I offer a whole collection of new media solutions along with radio advertising solutions.
Website development is in our wheelhouse.
I’ve developed websites on my own and I have worked for a website development firm in the past, so I know a few things that the average business owner doesn’t know about the web.
I don’t build websites anymore except maintaining my own.
I trust my team at Federated Digital Solutions to be the best and have seen the successes they have created for clients of all types.
So last week at my lunch meeting, I knew the value of what I could offer.
The gentleman I was meeting with did not understand the value however.
My introductory price for a basic website is currently $1200. This is a website that allows a business to have an online identity with a few appropriate pages and start building credibility. After all, if you are a business and don’t have a website, people will question your legitimacy.
After the meeting, I got a message from a mutual friend who was at the lunch meeting that instead of using Federated Digital Solutions, he was going to try and find someone who would build him a website for $100. Yes, I said, one hundred dollars.
The problem was not my price, the problem was the gentleman did not understand the value of what he was going to be selling.
For years he has been creating custom art as a hobby, and he hasn’t developed the mindset of transforming his art into a profession.
When we talked about how much he would be selling his custom art for, he was talking about $100. And he was nervous about asking that amount.
He can easily charge between $1000 and $5000. But he doesn’t believe it yet.
He is still treating his art as a hobby and not a profession. That’s too bad, because I see his value more than he sees it himself.
I don’t care if you buys a website from me or not. It’s a small amount in my world. But I do care that he is not giving himself the proper value for his work.
Food for thought: Are you treating your work as a hobby or as a profession?
by Scott Howard | Oct 28, 2014 | ScLoHo's Web World
I come across lots of businesses with crummy websites.
They are:
- old and dated
- not completed
- hard to navigate
- not mobile friendly
Pick any one of the above and you are losing business because:
- customers can’t reach you
- your old site casts a negative image on your company
- customers will find a site that works for their needs and wants
Last week I read an article from Mediapost regarding the mobile shopping experience.
Mobile, in case you don’t know is the term used to describe accessing the web on a device besides a desktop or laptop computer. It could be a smart phone, a tablet, or any devise that a customer can use while walking.
I’m here to help you stop losing those customers.
I work for Federated Media in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Specifically for WOWO Radio, the most listened to station in this city. But I also have under my belt, another division called Federated Digital Solutions. This team has been growing and growing and growing over the years by scooping up the most talented folks from other firms along with the brightest graduates and recruiting a few of us who have experience in both traditional media and new media.
Federated Digital Solutions began as a supplemental service offered exclusively to our radio clients but we have expanded and now also offer our services to anyone, anywhere in the U.S.A.
Contact me and we’ll see how to help you… but hang on a second.
The solution to those old clunky websites that are not mobile friendly?
We have that too and it’s pretty simple and has legs. Ask me about it.
Still not convinced you need to update your online presence? Read the Mediapost article that caught my eye:
Mobile Shoppers Need Better Customer Care Or They’re Out
According to new research from Contact Solutions, 30% of shoppers chose physical stores for less than half of their everyday shopping, while 52% do more than half their online shopping with online retailers, and 30% shop on mobile at least as much as they do on a computer.
Consumers are shifting a significant portion of their purchases from retail stores to the web at an ever- increasing pace. According to Forrester Research, U.S. online sales will top $400 billion in 2018, and nearly $1 trillion worldwide, says the report.
Consumers have high expectations for retail care when shopping via a mobile device, says the report, and if those expectations aren’t met, 71% say they’ll abandon the experience entirely. But 75% of shoppers say the ability to get “customer care” impacts their shopping experience, says the report.
However, 55% of respondents struggle at least 20% of the time when using a mobile app to shop. Separately, 43% say they have come to expect no customer service at all from mobile apps.
| Mobile Owner Response to In-App Shopping Difficulties (Share of Respondents) |
| Response |
% of Respondents
|
| Close app and abandon cart |
51.3%
|
| Go to web using desktop or laptop |
36.9
|
| Go to store and shop |
11.5
|
| Call customer service |
8.2
|
| Source: Contact Solutions, October 2014 |
In fact, 77% will be more likely to return to the app, and 95% say “great customer experience” will make them more likely to do business again. The study found that 92% of shoppers say it would be helpful to have customer care automatically provided within an app to help complete a task.
Consumers have less time, are more price conscious, and have access to more information than ever before, and that’s changing buying behavior, says the report. As a result, consumers are shifting a healthy portion of their online purchases from the web to smartphones and tablets. Mobile shopping has arrived.
Some key findings from the study include:
- 3 out of 4 shoppers shop online, and 30% of shoppers shop on a mobile device at least as much as they shop on a computer
- 1 out of 10 shoppers already prefer mobile apps exclusively for their online shopping
- 16% consumers say they struggle with mobile shopping apps at least half the time, and 38% of respondents said they are disappointed with the inability to get help within a mobile app
- 51% abandon the cart and close the app (lost purchase) when they struggle in a retail app, and 20% stop using the app entirely
- 55% of consumers say they struggle at least once every five visits
John Hibel, Director of Marketing, Contact Solutions,says “… customers using apps more frequently for shopping… when they encounter problems… cannot get the help they need… results are disastrous for retailers…
For more information from Contact Solutions, please visit here.
by Scott Howard | Oct 9, 2014 | ScLoHo's Web World
I was reviewing some of my online activity this week and discovered this presentation on social media and marketing that I gave October 9th, 2009 to a standing room only audience. At the time I was working full time in radio and the social media side of my life was only a sideline, but due to the lack of experts and given that I was an early adopter, I was asked to share my insight. We’ll use this as a #TBT or #ThrowbackThursday post.
As you flip through the slides, you’ll discover:
- The numbers today have grown significantly
- Certain Social Media Channels that are big today didn’t even exist 5 years ago
- General principles have not changed.
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What significant changes have you seen over the past 5 years?
by Scott Howard | Sep 18, 2014 | ScLoHo's Web World
It’s a question I’ve been asked over the years, “Scott, why are you active on social media?” is the summary of the questions I’m often asked:
- Why do you tweet?
- Should I be on Linked In?
- Do you really see a return on your investment with all those blog posts?
- Nobody uses Facebook any more, right?
- Etc, etc, etc.
I am active on Social Media because I enjoy it.
It is a passion.
It is fun.
It is challenging.
It is a communication tool.
I am active on Social Media because the people I want to stay in touch with are on Social Media.
I write to gain exposure. Not to build a big following, but so when people want to know about me, they’ll find stuff that I have shared.
But what about the money?
Sure there are plenty out there that are using social media as a money making tool. But that’s a pretty poor measuring stick for most. Even those that are trying to generate $$ with their social media accounts are struggling. Sure there are a few who do it, but it’s like the golf world. Every weekend there are golf courses full of guys and gals with their clubs and balls but only a handful earn any significant dough whacking the dimpled ball.
We don’t measure the value of a game of golf by the money the typical weekend golfer earns. They usually play at a financial loss, when you count greens fees, cart rental, and add in the equipment. But for decades golf has had another value. It could be relationship building when you play with friends or clients. It could be a diversion if you are playing for fun. It could simply be an alternative to some bad habit.
So back to the question, Why am I active on Social Media? I know, do you?
by Scott Howard | Aug 28, 2014 | ScLoHo's Web World
Time for a quick Twitter Tip…
If you want to build a bigger Twitter Following or Twitter Community, share your Twitter conversations.
There is a very simple way to do this and most folks are unaware that some of their tweets have a limited reach.
If you were to reply to me or tweet to me, you probably would simply start with @ScLoHo . This limits the audience to the person you are tweeting to and other tweeps that both of you are connected to.
A common way to overcome this limitation is to put a . before the @ at the beginning of the tweet like this: .@ScLoHo .
But that’s sort of cold and uninviting.
Instead of just a period, use a word or two like, I agree @ScLoHo but what about the red one?
The key is to know the limitations of Twitter replies and overcome them with a human element to be more conversational and interesting.
by Scott Howard | Aug 14, 2014 | ScLoHo's Web World
Is the one that works for you.
Before you can declare your efforts a success or failure, you need to know what you want to measure and why.
What I do for myself is different from what I was doing when I worked for a multi-million dollar internet retailer.
When I worked for them, I saw that they had lazy and inappropriate goals for their social media efforts.
So in 3 weeks in April 2013, I met the goal they set for the rest of the year and then started doing work that really mattered.
My own work, for myself is what you are reading right now. I don’t have a goal of hundreds or thousands of readers, followers, friends, likes or whatever.
Yes, I have those, but that is as a result of my efforts over time, not because a big following was my goal.
For nearly every unbreakable rule, I can find someone who is breaking it and still is happy with their success.
The first step in doing anything is knowing your “why”. Then do it.
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