Tuesday, January 31  

Sometimes The Little Guys Are Best

Sometimes The Little Guys Are Best

Mmmmm. Sometimes the little guys are best.

On Sunday night I emailed Dell support to ask how quickly their 'Express Delivery' service was. That's where you pay a premium and get the computer you ordered sent to you quicker than the standard 10 days.

I received an answer late on Monday morning (I've deleted the email, but this was essentiallly it):

"Normal delivery takes 10 days. You can order via 'Express Delivery' and get the product sooner. Thanks for contacting Dell."

That didn't actually tell me anything I didn't already know.

I ordered via another company online and we went and picked up the machine about 2 hours later.

Being small has its advantages - one of them being you can respond faster to customer demands.

Time pressures are felt by all of us in business. We often need stuff now (if not yesterday). Is there anyway you can speed up your service? It could mean more customers.

Regards

Brendon

Monday, January 30  

The Proper 'English' Suits

The Proper 'English' Suits

As you'd probably guess, I'm a big fan of a blog being used by a business web site. It's really helpful, like this blog is, in giving visitors a sense of the people behind the company and in helping to share information.

Sure, it's not the be all and end all of web marketing. But having a blog carries a lot more positives than negatives.

One Of The Best

One of the best blogs I send people too is The English Cut.

It's been written by Thomas Mahon, a BespokeTailor in England. Thomas uses his blog probably better than anyone I've seen and is a fantastic example on how to craft your image and message via the written word on the Internet.

Apparently Thomas developed the branding awareness and structure of how he would develop the blog in partnership with a web expert (whose name escapes me for now).

It's beautifully done.

Take A Moment

Take a moment and read the blog and look at how Thomas develops himself as the brand and provides a great sense of authenticity for his business.

Like I said, probably the best example of a business blog I've read.

Regards

Brendon

Saturday, January 28  

A Little Motivation - The Latest Team Member

A Little Motivation - The Latest Team Member

We have a new team member here at Tailored. She's a beautiful 14 yo girl called Laura Sinclair (see below) and she's now the weekend cleaner. She works 2 - 3 hours vacuuming, washing windows, dusting and generally tidying.

Laura got the job because of her wonderful resume, hard work ethic and terrific school results ...... and she's my daughter.

Her enthusiasm to be the weekend cleaner here at Tailored increased by about 1000% when she found out that she could spend 3 months at the end of the year as an Exchange Student in her favourite place in the world (Japan) if she saved up $2,000 by September of this year.


She's now a highly motivated young lady working feverishly to earn that $2,000.

So, welcome Laura.

One Of My Pet Hates

One of my pet hates is when a boss makes a speech and says, "I'd like to thank everyone in the company, from the people at the top all the way down to the cleaners." I dunno, but that seems wrong saying it like that. Cleaners are as important as anyone else I'd say.

(Disclosure re the pet hate: my first job as a kid was helping my dad in his cleaning job every night. I'd work for 3-4 hours and earn 20 cents. I may be biased!).

Regards

Brendon

Thursday, January 26  

Does Sex Really Sell?

Does Sex Really Sell?

In these enlightened times you could probably develop a good argument that sex doesn't sell any more. That we're now too 'civilised', too aware of sensitivities related to using sex to sell or just plain over-exposed to pretty women or men being used to sell something.

But all that would be wrong. Sex sells. And as politically incorrect as that may be, it's true.

3 Unscientific Studies

1. My local hotel runs a promotion on Friday afternoons from 4.30-6.30 pm where bikini-clad girls serve the drinks. The busiest time at the hotel is, you guessed it, Friday afternoon from 4.30 to 6.30 pm. As soon as the girls cover up the guy patrons leave.

2. The most clicked on link ever from one of my newsletters was the Dec, 2005 issue with the words "Anna-Nicole Smith".

3. The current affair type TV shows here in Australia will go out of their way to show sexy footage if in any way, shape or form it relates to the story they are showing.

Should You Use Sex To Promote Your Product Or Service?

Should you use sex to promote your business? Maybe, maybe not. If it 'fits' then probably. By that I mean it would probably be appropriate and effective to use the above image of the bikini-clad body to market your tanning lotion.

But the image might not be such a good fit if your product is bike helmets.

But then again, if you use the image in a way that connects with your target audience - whether that's cheeky, fun, whatever - and is consistent with your brand it would probably work. And then we could touch on marketers who use sex in their advertising to create controversy to generate attention for their product or brand (that links leads to an article that talks about a shoe brand using sexual imagery - it includes this: "The National Women's Media Centre called on women offended by the billboards not to have sex with men wearing the shoes." Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.).


To Ensure I'm Not Seen As Favouring One Sex Over Another........Here's One For the Girls!

Cheers

Brendon

Wednesday, January 25  

How To Get Quality Links To Your Web Site (& Increase Your Search Engine Ranking)

How To Get Quality Links To Your Web Site (& Increase Your Search Engine Ranking)

Getting links to your web site increases the search engine ranking of your web site. If lots of other web sites link to your web site, the search engines basically look at it and say: "Wow, lots of people link to this web site. It must be good - if it's good we'll put it higher up in our rankings."

That's the basics of it. (I've written about the hows and whys of getting links previously here.)

Using The Right Lure Means You Can Get Lots Of Links Quickly & Easily

Matt Cutts, Google Search Engine Engineer, has just detailed the ways he sees as being effective for what he calls "link baiting" - developing aspects of your site so other web sites link to you.

Well worth a read if increasing your search engine ranking is important to you.

Cheers

Brendon

Monday, January 23  

The Story Makes The Difference

The Story Makes The Difference

I read in today's paper that the Aston Martin used in the James Bond films Thunderball and Goldfinger has sold at auction for more than $2.8 million (AUD) - just under $2.1 million.

It's a 1965 Aston Martin DB which, under normal circumstances, would sell for a lot, lot less than $2.8 million.

But, you see, it's not about the car. It's about the story. It's the fact that James Bond himself (aka actor Sean Connery) drove the car. The fact that it featured in a James Bond movie. The fact is it has a story.

The car is no longer just a Aston Martin. It is the Aston Martin driven by James Bond. That's makes it unique, newsworthy and of interest to people.

Get A Story Behind Your Product

A story behind your product, service or business makes your product, service or business more attractive to customers, buyers, the media.....everyone really. And, thus, you'll sell more (and/or at a higher price).

What story can you use in your marketing? (Because you need a story.)

By the way, for a great example of using stories to promote products check out this media release from RM Auctions (the people who sold the Aston Martin).

Cheers

Brendon

Saturday, January 21  

How Can You Piggy Back Others Credibility To Help Your Own Business

How Can You Piggy Back Others Credibility To Help Your Own Business

We've all seen businesses use testimonials in their marketing. It aids the credibility of the business to have someone say something good about them.

And if the person providing the testimonial is credible to the reader/buyer/viewer/whoever then you are a long way along the road to a sale.

One of the best users of a testimonial is Aaron Wall of SEO Book. I wrote about Aaron a little while ago when he used my testimonial on his own web site.

I'll show you how Aaron takes full advantage of a testimonial.

Pat Carroll Sends Us A Signed Singlet

Pat Carroll is one of our clients and has been for a few years. Pat was one of Australia's best every marathon runners (PB of 2:09:39) and is a legend within the industry.

Pat's web site continues to grow and Pat has developed a fantastic resource for runners and members of his online runner coaching community. I've been trying to talk Pat into a redesign for a good while now but he loves that site!

Anyway, Pat and I talk fairly regularly on web strategy and he's always appreciative of our feedback. Pat has seen our 'Brag Wall' a number of times and was kind enough to contribute with the fantastic signed singlet you see here.


The message says:

Brendon & Team

Thanks for everything

Pat Carroll

So thanks Pat for the great gift.

What I've Done There

What I've done there is mentioned Pat's testimonial like Aaron Wall does with my testimonial.

Aaron mentions my testimonial to not only thank me and give me some recognition, but he does it to make himself look even better by saying "He look here! An authorartive figure thinks my SEO Book is great."

(Not suggesting for one minute Aaron's not great - he is! He's one of the most professional guys I've dealt with online and he's a true search engine optimisation expert.)

That's a great use of a testimonial.

How To Leverage What You Have

And, as a final bit, do you see how I've leverage Pat's great testimonial/gift to us? Because Pat's so well known here in Queensland (where we live) I can use him as a very authorative figure for my business. So not only does Pat's gift hang proudly in the office, but I've just mentioned the testimonial on this blog and I'll mention it in my online and offline newsletters.

Because if people don't know about someone's great testimonial, then it's as if we never received it.

Hope that's been of some interest.

Regards

Brendon

Flash Person Wanted

Flash Person Wanted

One of our clients is one of Queensland's most worthwhile charitable organisations - a helicopter rescue service. They do a fantastic job for the local community and save lives across the state.

They've asked us to develop a Flash game for the children's section of their web site. (Similar to this one - see games 2, 3 & 4).

If you are a Flash developer and would like to help out a great charity then this could prove to be a great opportunity to:

• show your work to a wide audience
• get some fantastic recognition

Here's part of the brief:

Using a drawing of a character helicopter as the actual chopper in the game
Have the helicopter flying to three different types of landscapes as part of the game
ie beach/coast, country areas, mountains.
each area will involve a different type of rescue
- beach/coast Â? injured surfer
- Country Â? tractor on its side with an injured farmer
- Mountains Â? injured bushwalker

Have the helicopter leave the hangar when he is tasked on a mission with an engineer waving him goodbye Â? comical cartoon character with his oil rag and overalls etc.

The helicopter has to fly to one of the areas Â? as depicted above and rescue the injured patient but before he gets there he has to land and pickup the necessary equipment which are scattered around the place i.e. in trees or caves etc and all need to be collected before the patient is found?

These could be:

o Bandages
o Spinal board
o Back pack
o Ventilator
o Blankets
o Water
o Torch
o rope

Once a certain number of items are collected (which are worth different points) the helicopter can then proceed onto finding the patient

Once patient is found (which is more points) the helicopter then has to take the patient to hospital dodging lightning and dark clouds - points are lost for every time the chopper runs into the lightning or dark clouds. (light clouds will also be moving across the screen Â? but no points are lost for touching these).

Once patient has been dropped off at the hospital the helicopter returns to base where a score is revealed.

If that sounds like the sort of job you would be interested in completing, please let me know at brendon@tailored.com.au. As a charity they would certainly appreciate the job completed as cheaply as possible or for free.

Let me know if you're interested. Thanks.

Brendon

Friday, January 20  

Guerilla Marketing At Its Best

Guerilla Marketing At Its Best

Alex Tew is a college guy in the UK who set up the fantastically successful Million Dollar Home Page. I first mentioned Alex's site back in September 2005 when he had raised about $67,300.

With huge PR buzz generated, Alex quickly achieved his goal of the magic million. He sold the last batch of pixels via an auction for $38,100.

Unfortunately for Alex, it was about this time that hackers decided to attack his web site. Their attack quickly shut down Alex's web site and it's taken 6 days to get the site back up.

The person who bid on the last block of pixels on the page had to wait 6 days for his ad to go up.

Now He's Going To Sue

Now he's going to sue. Or so he says. Click here for the full story.

Is he really going to sue, or is it a neat little stunt to attract even more PR for his company?

A genuinely upset customer......or brilliant guerilla marketing by the customer to maximise his investment?

Let's just say that if he didn't mean to use brilliant guerilla marketing to maximise his investment he's stumbled upon an excellent way to do it!

Cheers

Brendon

Thursday, January 19  

2 Days - 1 Title - Great Rankings: Here's What We Did

2 Days - 1 Title - Great Rankings: Here's What We Did

Yesterday morning I started a little experiment (I wrote about it a few blogs down "How Do Web Page Rankings Work?").

A huge part of achieving good rankings is developing a web page that is informative, useful and relevant for the searcher. And part of that is ensuring good titles for the page.

In my little experiment I created a new article. I took the wording from an old post on this web site (the post was over 2 1/2 years old). I gave the article the title of the key phrase I was targeting - I was trying to get ranked for "up the creek".

Less Than 48 Hours Later This Is The Result

Less than 48 hours later these are the rankings:

On Google.com.au

up the creek restaurant ------ Position # 1 & 2
up the creek ------ Position # 8

On Google.com

up the creek restaurant ------ Position # 5
up the creek ------ Position # 48


If you do a search for my rankings for those terms don't be surprised if they're a little different. The results will shuffle around for a little while.

Links Are A Factor Too

The other main factor that comes into play here is the value of the links over to the "up the creek" page. I linked to the page from this Home Page - but the relevance of that will drop quickly as this post gets pushed into the archives). That link will no doubt be part of the reason for the high rankings so quickly achieved.

And then, of course, there are 2 links to the article from the Articles page. They'll stay consistent and should help the page keep a decent ranking for our key phrase "up the creek".

Conclusion

Whilst it's impossible to rate the importance of each of the factors mentioned (links and page titles) it's obvious that page title plays a large role in the ranking of your web page.

So, make your page title include the key word or phrase you are targeting. ik.e. if you want to rank high for the term "up the creek" have the phrase "up the creek" in your page title.

Cheers

Brendon

Wednesday, January 18  

Our Podcast Kitchen Is Hotting Up

Our Podcast Kitchen Is Hotting Up

Howdy.

My podcast is going great guns with tons of listeners and people shooting me through feedback. Our podcast efforts have really bumped up a notch - we now have a very professional set up and I've been tweaking away here in the office today with the new podcast rig.

A few clients have asked us to produce audio for them and we'll be offering audio and podcast show production services here in Australia in the next little while. Everything from conception to scripting to providing voice-over talent, to recording to editing to uploading.

The other thing people ask me is "Where do I get the player you use on the Brendon Sinclair Business Mix?"

Easy - it's called Wimpy Player and is available here.

Cheers

Brendon

How Do Web Page Rankings Work?

How Do Web Page Rankings Work?

Regular readers to this site will know I always try and back up what I say with examples. After all, it's much easier to make my point if I can give you a solid example.

In this post below I talked about the importance of a good title on your web page to help your search engine rankings and to increase the number of people who do click on your site from search engines.

With some of our clients making $5,000 per sale, an extra visitor or 2 can have a huge impact on the bottom line.

How I've Gone So Far

It has been 24 hours since I made the change to the title of the home page and the blogs that link from it. Here's how I've gone so far:

• 1. We've had one of our highest ever visitor days and our income from the Google Adsense ads has doubled. Yep, doubled.

What's happening is that more people are finding this site through search engines simply because they like the heading (Want to learn from a true web expert - welcome to Tailored Consulting).

My Next Test

What happens when I post a blog on this web site is that the page ranks well whilst it's on the home page, but as soon as it slides off after a week or so, the search engine rankings also die off.

This has to do with a multitude of factors - one of the big ones being that the post doesn't have a relevant title.

So my next test is this:

• Select a page from with the blog archives from a few years ago that no longer achieves a search engine ranking.
• Make that blog into a htm page.
• Give it a title tag.
• Call the page the phrase I want to be ranked well in Google.com for.
• Link to the page from the Articles page.
• Wait 3 days and see if the site achieves a top 20 ranking for the selected key phrase.

Okay, it's done:

1. I have chosen an article from the blog (it was from Thursday May 15, 2003 and was originally called "Best Value Dinner I've Ever Had").
2. The blog is now a htm page called up-the-creek-restaurant.
3. The title of the page is "Up The Creek Restaurant - Great Place, No Customers".
4. I selected the phrase from the blog/now page to be "up the creek" - I figure that it is competitive enough to make a top spot a little tricky. This phrase has quite a bit of competition.
5. I've linked to the page from my Articles page.

I have deleted the post from the blog - there is a risk of the new page being seen as duplicate content.

Now I'll just sit back and see if the title makes a big difference (the only other difference between the blog and the page is the page has the link from the Article page to it and the link from this post.)

Cheers

Brendon

Example for Ian

Hello Ian

Still editing player size, etc.

Quick example of the player.

Get Flash to see this player.

Cheers

Brendon

Tuesday, January 17  

In The Blink Of The Eye - How People Judge Web Sites

In The Blink Of The Eye - How People Judge Web Sites

I've talked before about the importance of a great first impression with your web site design (and everything else really - I must have made a great first impression on the gal who became my wife because she's still here almost 17 years of wedded bliss later).

Visitors to your site will take a look and make a quick judgement. Just how quick?

Well, the lastest study reports visitors make snap decisions about the quality of a web page and these decisions have a lasting impact on their opinions.

Made in 50 Milliseconds

And that snap decision is made in 50 milliseconds - yep, 1/20th of a second.

Read the full article here.

Brendon

Monday, January 16  

Why I've Changed The Title Of My Web Pages

Why I've Changed The Title Of My Web Pages

Take a look at the top of this page - that's where it says "Want to learn from a true expert - Welcome to Tailored Consulting".


I've just changed the title to that - previously it was "web marketing media from Tailored Consulting".

I changed the title so I could test something - you see, a lot of people find this web site via search engines. And the first line they see is the title.

I'm thinking that if I start with a question "Want to learn from a true expert" then I'll get more people identifying with that and more clicks. Same amount of people see the title, more click on it and visit.

And if it works on this web site it will work on our client's web sites. Which will mean more visitors, more sales and more profit.

No Question (Mark) About It!

And you might have noticed I didn't put a question mark at the end of my question.

I did that on purpose too. I did that because a search engine guy I respect told me you'll get more clicks without a "?" in the title. Crazy, but true.

That might mean 5 extra clicks per day on a web site. Which might mean one extra sale. Which, if you are like any of our resort clients, might mean a $5,000 sale.

And we're about results, not about looking good (that's what us ugly guys say anyway!).

I'll let you know how we get on.

Cheers

Brendon

Why Podcasts Can be So Effective

Why Podcasts Can be So Effective

Our podcast over at TailoredPodcast.com has proven one of our most successful in terms of downloads and listeners (and emails to me).

The wonderful publicist Chelsea McLean will be a guest on a future show (we're just finalising details now) and Chelsea has just sent me through an article related to how people learn.

Click here for the article.

If you have been thinking about doing a podcast, the article might demonstrate the benefits to move you forward a little.

Cheers

Brendon

Want A Job? Here's Tip # 1

Want A Job? Here's Tip # 1

We're advertising a job here in the office (if you have web skills, video editing skills and audio editing skills then take a look).

Of the 24 applications so far, just 4 written to "Brendon Sinclair". All the rest either don't write a letter (the majority simply attach their resume and send) or don't bother to find out my name.

Which I kind of figure, and I could be wrong, is probably an excellent first test of someone's initiative and focus.

Tip # 1: Find out about the company you want to apply to. After all, they might suck and you might hate working with them.

Cheers

Brendon

Is Google AdWords As Good As It Is Cracked Up To Be?

Is Google AdWords As Good As It Is Cracked Up To Be?

We all hear of multiple opportunities on the web. And, without question, the hardest thing to do is separate the good from the bad.

Here's an email I received from a guy back in November, 2005 (He'd just read this page about a Google AdWords e-book):

Hi,
I've just been reading your testimonial on "The Definitive Guide To Google Adwords" and also the information on the site actually selling the book.
I hate feeling like I've been cheated by someone doing the hard sell on me. You're pitch is ok... Perry Marshall's pitch feels and looks just like those Get rich quick scheme websites. That makes me less prepared to purchase.
Here's what I want to know - what increase did you see after applying the knowledge you learnt from The Definitive Guide to Google Adwords?

I Recommended The Book...With This Rider

I recommended the book 100%......with this stipulation.

You actually have to implement the things the author suggests. And that's the hard bit. That's the bit the majority of people don't do. (And, even then, they're surprised that the e-book hasn't helped them!)

If I had a web site there are 2 things I'd learn how to do above all else:

1. Search engine optimisation - how to get my web site to the top of the search engines
2. Google AdWords - I'd learn everything I could about AdWords

I do have web sites and I have learnt those 2 things. And the impact has been huge.

My Google AdWords Case Study Site

Here is a site I developed that illustrates as best I can the impact that Google AdWords, done right, can have. It's amazing.

And the guy who wrote the email above? I asked him just last week if he was happy with his purchase of the e-book. He was thrilled and very happy he purchased it.

Cheers.

Brendon

Saturday, January 14  

Umm, Bidding To Design Your Own Site....That's Already Designed

Umm, Bidding To Design Your Own Site....That's Already Designed

I've always liked the style of Jim Boykin over at www.webuildpages.com. Jim's a quality performer in the search engine world and is always willing to share his experiences to help
others.

Jim recently came across a request on a web site asking for a bid to ".....create a replica of www.webuildpages.com..."

Jim's An Entrepreneur

He went straight on over and made a bid to design his own web site for this sneaky little person! (Jim also mentioned this in his bid: "And, FYI, please don't publish any copies of my webpage to any URL - that would be a copyright violation.")

Nice work Jim!

Brendon

Friday, January 13  

My Wife Is An Amusing Woman

My Wife Is An Amusing Woman

We've just launched show # 6 of my podcast Brendon Sinclair's Business Mix over at TailoredPodcast.com (that's a screenshot of the TailoredPodcast.com site on the left).

You can listen to it by hitting the play button via the very cool player on the site, or download it.

Anyway, a couple of minutes into the show I was having a bit of fun and mentioned my wife in a joke (not in a bad way, I swear!). I thought I was being highly amusing. Anthony didn't think so. My wife didn't know about the jokes I was making (that's the way I like it!).

To give you an idea of who runs the show here, when we sat around to listen to the final edit of the podcast Anthony & Mel were having a little chuckle to themselves. Unbeknown to me they'd inserted in their own little comeback to my joke.

Yes, I suppose it's quite amusing .................. for them. It's at the 2 minute 50 sec mark (but listen earlier to get the full info).

Have a good weekend.

Brendon

Thursday, January 12  

Inaction - How A Thief Got Away & A Guy Almost Drowned

Inaction - How A Thief Got Away & A Guy Almost Drowned

I called into the office last night at about 8.15 pm to do a few things. As I pulled into a car park I say a young guy over by a couple of cars in the corner of the car park.

There was nothing unusual in that - a pizza restaurant is below our offices and the guys park their cars at the restaurant's back door so they can quickly jump in and drive to deliveries. There is often a few young guys hanging around waiting for orders.

...This Guy Caught My Eye

But this guy caught my eye for some reason. As my lights went over him he seemed to look up startled and then walked away. He walked over to a rubbish bin, put something in there and walked off.
I walked into my office and called the pizza restaurant to let them know there was a guy lurking around the cars outside. I was on hold for a few minutes, got sick of waiting, thought I was just being paranoid about the guy and hung up. I went back outside and couldn't see him.

Locksmith, Cops & A Guilty Feeling Me

When I left the office a couple of hours later there was a locksmith replacing broken locks on the 2 cars in the corner. A cop was taking a statement.

A very guilty feeling me wandered over and told them it was a young guy in a white T-shirt, short blond hair who did it at about 8.15 pm! And he'd panicked when he saw me and dumped his loot in the rubbish bin - sure enough it was all there.

My Brother Was Just About To Go Under For The Last Time

One of my brothers is a very fit 46 yo. He's an ex-lifesaver, owns a fitness business (and gym) and keep generally fit.

He was out having a swim here in Queensland where he's just moved to a few months back and got swept out a little by a rip. There were people and lifesavers on the beach, but being an ex-lifesaver himself, he didn't want to unduly waste their time. So he didn't call for help.

He Knew What To Do

He knew what to do in a rip and implemented his training from years ago.

After a while he started to struggle. He was exhausted from the waves crashing down on him. He was in a bit of trouble.

But he still didn't want to call attention to himself because:

• he was a bit embarrassed
• he didn't want to hassle the lifesavers

Happily Drowning

My brother told me he was sitting there in the ocean, exhausted, just about to go under for the last time when it occurred to him how stupid he was being. He didn't want to be any trouble to anyone so he'd happily drown!

He was just about to put his hand up for rescue when his feet finally touched the bottom - he'd been washed in far enough to get back to shore.



These 2 Stories Illustrate This...

Probably the first thing they illustrate is that the Sinclair boys ain't that smart!

The second thing it illustrates that, like a lot of people, we don't take action until it's too late. We don't want to inconvenience people. We don't want to be confrontational. We don't want to upset anyone.

But taking action gets results. It removes the doubt of indecision. Doing the wrong thing, whether it's the wrong business decision or doing something that embarrasses you, at least removes the doubt of "Should I or shouldn't I."

I always say to marketing clients that practically any marketing plan will work ....provided you implement it. Because it's been my experience that people will often create a marketing plan and then just not do it.

Any nothing gets done. And no results follow (or don't follow!).

Take action today and make a difference.

Regards

Brendon

Google Launch Video Sales

Google Launch Video Sales

Google Video has just been launched - it's a store where people can upload and sell access to their videos. Google takes a piece of the pie (sale) - as the seller you get access to Google Video's viewers and the buyer gets to download and view your video.

Google's video viewing software stops the video from being shared.

Check it out here: www.google.com/video. You can currently buy an old episode (to download and view) of I Love Lucy for $1.99. Get to it you Lucy fans!

Cheers

Brendon

Wednesday, January 11  

The Worst Web Site In The World

The Worst Web Site In The World

I've tested this site on 3 different computers with 3 different browsers and I have to say it is the worst site in the world.

Go on ...............try and buy something. I dare you!

They've even got hidden text on the page to try and fool the search engines, along with a bunch of hidden links to other sites.

I have no idea what this web site owner is thinking.

Brendon

Tuesday, January 10  

Broadband Growing In Australia

Broadband Growing in Australia

Broadband internet connections in homes and small businesses have doubled in the past 12 months, with more than 1.2 million new customers signed up for high-speed internet services last year, with a 20 per cent increase in the September quarter, according to a survey released by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

What this means for the web is that online sales will increase (people with broadband stay online longer. One of the strongest indicators in likelihood of purchase is the length of time you stay online.), as will the online use of video and audio (broadband means easier access for viewers/listeners).

Regards

Brendon

It's All Part Of Business

It's All Part Of Business

In this post I talked through how we established an e-commerce site (for portable hammocks). I wrote at length about the process of finding the right product that is a good fit for us in a number of ways.

I wrote that on December 22. Here are 2 things that have happened that will more than likely stop this site in it's tracks.

1. On December 26 the supplier wrote to me to tell me he was increasing the wholesale price by 20%. That would mean that, based on our current business model, we would make a loss of $7.90 per sale.

2. I ordered a heap of hammocks on December 19. The salesperson promised me they would arrive here before Christmas. I received those hammocks yesterday - January 9.

Placating Angry Customers

I've spent probably 2 hours placating waiting customers as well as spent a lot more on express postage because I needed to get the hammocks out to those waiting customers.

End result:

• Angry customers
• Customers who won't refer friends to the web site
• Turned profitable sales into losses
• Wasted 2 hours+ of my time

The major part of developing a business is working with the right people. The early indications are that the suppliers of the hammocks are not the right people to work with. And that comes from experiences like I've mentioned above.

Options:

So now I have 2 options:

1. Stop selling the hammocks
2. Keep selling the hammocks

I'm reluctant to stop selling the hammocks because we've invested a lot of time and a bit of money in establishing the web site. And that sometimes clouds peoples judgment - "If I hang in there, things might change."

That's Always The Mistake

And that is, in my experience, always the mistake.

So we'll stop advertising and marketing this e-commerce site now. I'll sell the final stock we're carrying and then we'll change the web site to something else.

And that's disappointing. But that's business. And this has given us a bit more experience on which to draw in future business dealings.

Regards

Brendon

Monday, January 9  

Video, AV & Web Skills

Video, AV & Web Skills?

• Can you shoot and edit video?
• Are you familiar with the buttons and sliders of a mixer?
• Are you a whiz at editing audio?
• Do you have web editing skills?

If so, we just might have the perfect job for you!

One day you might be producing a podcast, shooting a video interview or developing a web site.
The next might be spent adding content to a web site, making sales via a web site or helping to develop an online marketing campaign.

If you'd like to joing our fast growing team here at Tailored, drop me a line at brendon@tailored.com.au or give me a call on 5598 4898.

Cheers

Brendon

Friday, January 6  

Why This Site Gets x10 More Visitors From Google Than MSN & Yahoo

Why This Site Gets x10 More Visitors From Google Than MSN Or Yahoo

Yep, this web site gets x10 more visitors from Google than MSN & Yahoo combined. And, I think, there is a logical enough reason for this.

On this site, mostly on the Articles, I am running Google Adsense ads.

That is, if someone reads an article they see ads from Google within the page. If they click on them, Google gets revenue and splits it with me (because I provide them with the space for the ads).

Now, my thinking is MSN and Yahoo see that my site runs Google ads and says:

"Okay, let's drop Tailored.com.au in the rankings. We don't want to have them near the top of the rankings because all that will do is provide Google with more income from people clicking on the ads.

That's Google making money because people find the Tailored site through us. That ain't happening!"

The Question Is

So, the question is, will having Google Adsense on a web page increase a site's ranking within Google? It's a good question.

Google are obviously committed to ensuring the best possible results in their search results - after all, that's what has made them so successful.

But with ever-increasing pressure from search engines, will there be a move to increase AdWords revenue by increasing the rankings of those sites displaying Google ads?

It will be interesting to see how online advertising pans out.

Cheers.

Brendon

Thursday, January 5  

Google Adwords Book Reviewed Too

Google Adwords Book Reviewed Too

In the past I've reviewed Perry Marshall's e-book "The Definitive Guide To Google Adwords".

If reading the review is too dull, I've also just completed a video review of the book that includes a Case Study of how we went from $0 to $20,000 per day in sales for a site last year.

It's not always as easy as it sounds - AdWords has some nuances, and some people have a rough time at first. Well my colleague Perry Marshall has written a very helpful e-course called "5 days to success with Google AdWords".

Check out the review for more information.

Hope that is of some interest.

Regards

Brendon

Search Engine Optimization Book Review

Search Engine Optimization Book Review

I've just created a site called SEO Book Review.com and have launched a 17 minute video review of a search engine book I've used with great success.

I think, with the increase in broadband penetration, that this is a fantastic way to get a message across.

Could you use this sort of message to promote your product or service?

Regards

Brendon

Wednesday, January 4  

Online Shoppers Come Through Again

Online Shoppers Come Through Again

Online shopping was up a staggering 30% this year, with shoppers handing over $30.1 billion in the weeks leading up to Christmas, according to the weekly eSpending report produced by Goldman Sachs, Nielsen//NetRatings and Harris Interactive.

Cut prices and free shipping helped to entice the buyers.

with our extensive e-commerce interests we're always advising clients that to succeed in online commerce you need one thing:

A reason why customers should buy your product online.

That reason can be:

• cheaper
• can't find it anywhere else
• free shipping
• more convenient
• etc

But you need one great reason. Find that reason and enmjoy e-commerce success.

Read the fuill article 'Online Shoppers Came Through For Holidays' here.

Cheers

Brendon Sinclair

Tuesday, January 3  

The One Thing That Worries Me About Online Advertising

The One Thing That Worries Me About Online Advertising

Online advertising has proven incredibnly successful for a lot of online advertisers (including us) but I still get worried about the extent of online click fraud - that is, where competitors click your ads to cost you money for absolulety no return.

Read this article on online advertising to keep yourself aware of the dangers:

How Click Fraud Could Swallow the Internet

Cheers

Brendon

Expert Information For Google Adsense Secrets

Expert Information For Google Adsense Secrets

I've been reviewing our business model for the coming year and I'll be placing more emphasis on affiliate sales, Adsense and our own e-commerce sites.

One of the Internet experts I read is Andrew Johnson's Web Publishing Blog.

Chris Beasely over at at Webpublisher asked Andrew to write an article concerning the best way to increase your Google Adsense revenues. If you have anything to do with Adsense you could do worse than read Andrew's article Google Adsense Optimization Secrets.

Regards

Brendon

I Think It's About Authenticity

I Think It's About Authenticity

I've been thinking about business and I've been thinking about marketing. I think that the essence of running a good business is about authenticity.

My definition of a 'good' business is a business that contributes to the community. A business that doesn't try and deceive in any way their customers or clients. A business that is honest in what they're about.

I don't have all the answers (of course). I have a little experience and expertise I'm okay at articulating. And, very importantly, I have this: perspective.

You see, years ago I was a registered Nurse/Nursing Sister/Clinical Nurse Manager/Whatever it's called where you are. I looked after the sick and the dying.

It was a great job (it's not really a job. It's so beyond the bounds of a 'job', but I don't know what else to call it.). After about 12 years of it I changed career direction and moved on. But the experiences don't leave you.

With experiences of life and death, of sickness and of pain, you have a little perspective.

My Perspective

And my perspective is, especially for this new year, is relaxed. I'm chillin' out!

I think clients appreciate that - a little calmness, a little less serious.

As long as we're authentic in that we care for our clients and suppliers like good people should.

That's enough philopshy for one day I think!

All the best for the New Year to you and yours.

Regards

Brendon