Phil Spratt - the exceptionally talented caricature artist who has a great personalized gift site - has started giving away free cartoons for you to use on your web site.
The one above is the first - you can use it on your site as long as you provide Phil a link back to his web site (and host the image on your server).
Kieron Donoghue is a UK affiliate marketer (that is he develops sites that attract visitors searching for product A - his site links to Site B that sells product A. If the visitor buys from site B then Kieron gets a small commission).
Kieron uses real life example to demonstrate what he does - pretty rare, because most people want to kept the secrets of success to themselves. And people will just rip your sites off.
In business you need to be creative, different, fast, bold......not just rip someone else's ideas and sites off. That's not a good sign that you are going to succeed.
Paul Bliss from Ennect contacted me today after reading that we use Constant Contact as our newsletter program.
Ennect is marketing software, including email marketing, online surveys, event registration and online sweepstakes functionality.
Paul started his email with "I know it can be time-consuming to try a new product......."
And that right there is why most of us don't try new products.
I've been using Constant Contact for years and love it. It's a brilliantly simple way to send emails to our lists, and it's cheap ($15 US per month for under 500 subscribers).
Is Ennect Better Whilst Ennect might be even better, for many people the time it takes to set up and review the new product just isn't worth it.
3. Optimise your web site so it shows up high in search engines when someone types in something about what you sell. For example, if you sell discount perfume then you'd want to rank high in Google for "discount perfume".
That could bring a tasty 50,000 people looking to buy discount perfume to your door each month.
4. Take Pay Per Click Ads (like Google AdWords) - gives instant search engine exposure and attracts visitors.
5. Add regular content to your web site - add a blog, do some video, add an audio file. Visitors want information - so gives them as much as they need.
Take these 5 steps and your web site will be a far greater asset than it is now.
Look, I don't mean to be harsh, but a constant I get when I help people with their marketing is "Oh, that stuff might work with others, but it doesn't influence me."
Finding The Perfect Keyword For Your Site Can Take Hours - And Make You A Ton Of Sales
I've been doing what's called keyword research - that is, trying to figure out the keyword or phrase most people would search on to find the web site I'm working on.
The only other thing I use is a spreadsheet (see below - click it for the larger image).
What's The Keyword?
The keyword is, for example, if I'm selling ugg boots, then "ugg boots" would be obvious. That term gets a ton of searches and it's relevant to the site.
It's not so obvious for sites that sell more generic things.
For example, with a site like Spratti Art - the caricature site that provides brilliant personalized gifts (screenshot below).
What should we try and get the site found for there (I'm talking the main keyword - there will be lots of terms we'll try and get the site found for)?
Some Possibles
Maybe "caricartures"
Nope. 35,000 searches per month (good), but not really specific enough. The word isn't a great indicator of commercial intent - that is, the person probably won't buy.
"unique gifts"
Better. More descriptive of what Spratti Art does and does convey a commercial intent (i.e. this may well be someone looking to buy). 18,000 searches per month.
What about "gift ideas"?
Not bad - 76,000 searches per month. Not really descriptive of what Phil does. But people searching on this might be likely to buy.
None Of The Above
Whilst we'll try and get the site found when someone searches the above term, none of the above are the big one for us.
Remember, we want:
a great descriptive term for what Phil provides,
a term that lots of people search on, and
a term that has strong commercial intent
And we want those 3 terms to be one and the same if at all possible. Because then we'd get a lot of targeted, motivated buyers looking to buy what Phil sells.
Someone asked me the other day which one of our sites is my favourite.
It is, surprisingly enough, a site that makes us very little money (less than $30 per month).
It's a site I popped up in a couple of hours 3 years ago. I've hardly even looked at it since. But it stays there and contributes a little to the bank account each and every day.
It's the site that made me understand that, with just a little knowledge, anyone can make money with an Internet business.
It's ugly and out of date (I'll edit the headline that says "Ugg boots reviews for Christmas 2006" a little later). Site Took Just 3 Hours To Create
Because if it takes just 3 hours to create a web site that makes $250 or so a year (with running costs of $10 pa), then if you can do 2-3 of those a day you will have a nice little bit of extra income.
The site is a boots information site and I originally developed it to test out some search engine ideas.
Could you do the same thing? Could you supplement your income by working from home a few hours per week.
As regular readers know (and love!), every now and then I'll plug this fabulous Web Design Business Kit.
Apparently the author is absolutely gorgeous, charming and a really funny guy. Heh, it's just what I hear!
Here's a wonderful testimonial I received on the weekend.
"...my business has taken off like crazy."
"First off, I’d like to say a million thank-you’s to you for the Web Design Business Kit. It is my bible!
In the last 8 months since its purchase, my business has taken off like crazy. I’ve got 11 contractors signed with me, I’ve hired a bookkeeper, and a part time project manager/marketing person.
I’ve just gotten my first global web project through an incredible referral.
I have to admit, I never would’ve gotten this without all the professional letter templates, forms, client needs analysis, and all the other invaluable documentation the kit gives.
Much appreciation!!! I owe my business success to you and your web design business kit -- also a lot of hard work ;-D"
=====================
Leaving my massive ego aside for a minute (!), it's fantastic to get such positive feedback like that. Really makes my day.
After launching Phil's great personalized gift site yesterday a couple of people have emailed me asking for reasons behind various decisions.
Why Charge In Australian $?
Good question - this is one of the first things we'll change, but Phil's market has always been Australian so we thought we'd update the site and then educate them as to what we are doing.
i.e. send a newsletter out saying "We'll change the site to US $ next week because we've been getting enquiries from the US." (Which he has already)
This change will impact enormously on his sales.
Why The 100% Guarantee?
Another good one - it's unheard of for an artist to provide a 100% guarantee on a caricature. But Phil is so brilliant at what he does that he can do this.
Phil has had lots of feedback over the years that people's biggest concern is that the caricature won't be good.
Phil's never are. They're great. And every client is absolutely delighted.
To help people along and make them feel safer when ordering, Phil can offer this 100% guarantee.
Sure, it's bold. But when you're one of the world's best caricaturists, then you can do it.
The most common question I get about search engine optimization is "How long before my site ranks high?"
It's a good question because we all want results.
The answer is this:
if your web site has been around for years and we're trying to get a high search engine ranking on a word that gets searched for a fair bit (i.e. about 10,000 per month) - roughly 7 days before we see movement and another 3-6 weeks before we get some terrific gains
if your web site is fairly new and we're trying to get a high search engine ranking for that same term - allow 6-8 weeks
If your site is new and you want a high ranking for a term that gets 200,000 searches a month - that will take 12+ weeks (probably longer)
The above isn't set in stone - we've had faster and longer timeframes, but the above is a solid guide.
Having high search engine rankings can be a great thing - there''s nothing better than having people who are searching for your product or service find you easily.
It can result in hundreds more visitors to your site and many more sales.
We sent out the Tailored News yesterday and mentioned some terrific successes we're having with search engines at the moment. I've had a few people ask me what we'd charge to do the same for them.
The Best Value Search Engine Optimisation Pricing
I believe that our search engine services are the best value around - we know what we're doing and our results speak for themselves.
If it's a price you're after, basic quality search engine optimization packages - that's where we work at getting your web site high in the search engine rankings (something we do everyday for a variety of sites) - range in price dramatically.
Full Review & Analysis Of Your Site
Essentially, we charge $495 to review your site and provide a comprehensive report on what needs to be done to generate great rankings.
Implementing the recommendations is the hard bit. And it is dependent, to a very large degree on your budget.
That's because a significant portion of your ranking success will come from getting links from other web sites to your web site - if you're serious about search engine optimisation, then you need to budget $500 per month for a minimum of 3 months.
Otherwise you simply won't get the results you're looking for. Spending just $100 is a false economy - it's too little to make a difference.
The Higher Your Budget The Higher Your Rankings
Basically the higher your budget, the higher your search engine rankings - that's because we can devote more time to getting other sites to link to you (and many of these links, like Directory listings, cost money).
For more information simply contact the team at admin@tailored.com.au or call direct on 61 7 5598 4898.
Richard Ellender is a guy who visits this blog a bit and he also developed a million dollar home page script that was very successful for him.
Richard is a very smart guy - or so he tells me ;o) - and he's just launched isellim - a service that allows experts to sell them services by the minute via instant messaging.
We've just launched the new site for brilliant caricature artist Phil Spratt.
Phil is a very talented guy who I've had do a couple of caricatures before (that's my beautiful wife on the left) and they are always very, very popular.
The main changes to the site (aside from the design) has been:
ability to take credit card payments via PayPal
addition of a blog for easy updates
the entire site can now be simply managed and updated by Phil
new sales copy added to the site
started targeting US & UK customers
Announced Site Revamp Via Constant Contact
When we launched Phil's site we announced it via a newsletter to previous customers. We did that using Constant Contact - the best email marketing solution I've used (been using it for years). It's the same software I use to send our 'Tailored News'.
Check out Constant Contact if you're looking for an email marketing newsletter solution.
(Edit: Within 10 minutes we've had 10 responses already to a survey from people - with feedback like, "no - I wouldn't dream of getting anyone else to do a caricature other than Spratti and have saved website into favourites. You did an outstanding job in a terrific timeframe and everyone was completely wrapped (sic) about the present.")
The net result of all this will be increased sales and much easier ways for customers to pay.
The Funniest Story Ever?
Phil's site features a blog down the bottom of the home page - click here for his first story. It's true and could well be the funniest story I've ever heard!
And no, I didn't mention The Fuglies because Anthony sponsored me - don't get me wrong: I can be easily bought!
Anthony actually donated last week and used an old email account (that bounced) and I had no idea who the donation was from.
Anthony donated $30 US to the ride.
Brendon
P.S: All my donations have to be given to the Rotary Club by this Friday. I've already deposited the money but are more than happy to go to the bank and make another deposit if you'd still like to donate!
Queensland celebrity and frequent Tailored.com.au commenter Anthony Dever today shocked no-one when he announced to national media that, "I get into Big Brother as much as it pains me to admit it, I get sucked in by it".
Oh my goodness Anthony. I think it would have been cooler to say you still wet your pants!
Anthony is the brains behind The Fuglies - Australia's biggest and most loved anti-crap TV Shows Awards.
The Fuglies Picked Up By National Media
As usual he's generated national media coverage with most outlets picking his announcement of this year's Awards up - here's the release from News.com.au (it's featured on the Home Page at the moment!).
Vote For The Fuglies
Don't be shy. Jump on over to The Fuglies web site and cast your vote for the worst, and best, of Australian TV.
I notice he's also got a 'Most Spankable Female TV Personality' category.
Anyhoo, I'm getting visitors from people searching for information about the wedding - which tells me that any celebrity wedding would attract the same or more searches.
So every celebrity that gets married could result in a ton of extra visitors - it's just a matter now of coming up with a way to make money out of those visitors.
Mmmmmm - I'd suspect they'd mostly be young women. Maybe I should put a link to an affiliate site for shoes (like ugg boots)??
To beat the official Gold Coast Airport Marathon site is a fair old effort especially considering I have only 1 page about the event on my site, whereas they are the official site with hundreds of pages.
My old mate Cameron Hart, who is the CEO of the Marathon, will be getting a call tomorrow with the very mature me saying, "Nah, nah, nah, nah - I beat you, I beat you, I beat you."
The Point(s) Of All This
The points of all this are:
Take a look at this page
Take a look at the official site
Point # 1: I beat the official site because my 1 page is better set upfor the search engines than them.
Point # 2:
But the really important thing is that the Marathon should be beating me. It's all about reputation management - what if I was a competitor and did some nasty stuff?.
That can very easily damage the event's brand.
I'm getting a lot of visitors because of that # 1 rank. The official race site should be getting them.
Thanks so much to everyone who reads this blog and helped out with my fundraising for the Sydney to Surfers charity ride I did at the end of last month.
We're just finalising the total now and it comes up at a fantastic $2,748.40.
l to r: Alf, Brendon (me) & Aneek at the end of the ride
Brilliant stuff with that money going to the very worthwhile Youth Off The Streets charity (via the ride organisers at the Rotary Club of Engadine).
I'll also be receiving a very generous donation from Hammer Nutrition - David (the boss there) very kindly donated 10% of his Internet sales (between March 16 and April 16).
I'm afraid I can't tell you how much that is as it's commercially confidential information for David - but it is a terrific donation to the fundraising. Thanks David.
There's Still Time To Donate
Mel trotted off to the bank this morning and deposited the funds. But never fear - the Rotary Club of Engadine have a deadline of April 20 for donations so there's still time! :o)
If you've been meaning to donate simply click on the PayPal 'Donate Now' button on the left or on this page.
Thanks again to everyone for their wonderful support.
Apparently one of the characters (Boris, she said) idolised Joshua Bell.
Off To The Music Store A great thing the article below does is shows Joshua in action. And you get a sense of him from the writing - he seems like a good guy.
Which all impacts very positively on his brand.
So Laura and I thought we'd buy one of his CDs and have a listen. Off to the music store and ordered one (they didn't have any in stock).
than almost any one other strategy he (or his publicist) has ever done......even more than the mentions in Meg Cabot's fabulous books!
For any business, a public relations strategy can be a huge, huge boost for a whole range of reasons. If you have a business, large or small, then PR helps.
You can do it yourself, of course (the only thing you really need is a newsworthy story), or you can employ a PR agency to helps (they're generally great at thinking up newsworthy angles).
I employed a great friend of ours for a few months on a $1,200 retainer. The work we received from the added exposure was enormous.
I can't really think of a business that wouldn't benefit from a regular PR strategy.
Simple Example - My Newspaper Article This Week
Today a local newspaper is doing an interview with my family and I. You see, in 10 weeks I'm running the Gold Coast Marathon. My 12 and 14 yo sons (that's Jack doing a 10 km run last year) are running the 10 km on the day.
My wife Mel and my 16 yo daughter Laura are part of the wonderful group of hundreds of volunteers on the day.
The event wants that story run because it shows how a typical family can get involved, whether it's running the marathon or the 10 km or volunteering.
I'm quite keen for the story to run because it lifts my profile a bit.
The kids are keen because they get their photo in the paper!
And who knows - maybe, just maybe, someone will read the article and think "Yep, I could do that run. I've been meaning to enter. I'll do it."
Anyhoo, better go as we have the photo on at midday and I need to make myself look beautiful :o)
"WHY ARE YOU ALL STILL TALKING ABOUT THIS?? And why were there a multitude of photographers trying to take a pic for free? Let the girl make her own decisions and keep up her end of the contract she made. Would you not have done the same?"
The Libby Lenton wedding photos issue is a great example of marketing. Here's what I wrote back:
Why Libby Bought It All On Herself
Thanks for the comments - although Anon # 2 does sound like an angry little ant!
We're talking about this because it's an excellent example of marketing in action - trying to maintain the scarcity of a product to increase demand.
It's an age-old marketing technique and the women's magazine call it an "exclusive".
Plus it's funny too!
"Does my bum look big.....IN THIS TENT?!"
The Honeymoon Suite
"And why were there a multitude of photographers trying to take a pic for free?"
They're there because she's a figure of public interest and also because they knew there was money to be made. They also know that the crazy lengths people go to to avoid being photographed is a story in itself.
As Soon As Celebrities Accept Payment It's Open Season
As soon as a celebrity accepts any sort of payment for having any sort of profile, not Libby specifically here, then it's open season.
They, and by default their mates (that's you Anon # 2!), should stop whining about it when it happens.
Because as soon as they make that deal they understand that to maintain the integrity of the contract they have to do stupid, annoying and inconvenient things
Things like have choppers and paparazzi annoy them on their wedding day - don't blame them.
That was Libby's decision: she knew - evidenced by having a handy tent on hand - that sort of thing would happen because of the deal she'd made.
She swapped that annoyance for the cash.
No, I Wouldn't Have Done The Same
And no, I wouldn't have done the same thing.
I'd have gotten Anaconda to sponsor the tent and Shelta to sponsor the umbrellas the security guys used :o)
But from a branding/marketing/PR I think a very strong argument could be put forward that it was a terrible decision to accept $ for the pics.
Sure, it raises her profile in the magazines (a free pic would have done that though), but the tent incident dilutes her long term value in the eyes of fans and potential sponsors.
On the other hand, the tent story attracts comment and public interest and that's generally a good thing.
Cheers
Brendon
P.S: That heading is terrible - but "peg" was the only pun I could come up with!
I've had a good look at it and it's a terrific book well worth a look by any web designer (or developer) who wants a bit of a leg up from a design star.
Here in Australia we have a good swimmer called Libby Lenton. Lenton is a 22 yo sprinter who won a few medals at the recent FINA World Championships.
Sure, Australia is about the only country that takes swimming as a sport seriously, but we'll take those medals when we can!
Anyhow, Libby got married on Saturday to some guy.
Selling Your Most Precious Day.....Did I Say She Wore A Tent??!
She signed a contract with a women's magazine to provide exclusive pictures of the event. You see, she's a bit (not much) of a public figure here in Australia and there was a bit of media interest.
She apparently got paid $100,000 for the photos and story, but I'm not sure it was a wise move. You see, Libby had to have her day ruined (and make an idiot out of herself) in the process to ensure the magazine got their exclsuive shots.
Libby & Husband Walked In A Tent
On the way to the Reception Libby and her new husband walked underneath a tent. Please note, the photo below is not actually Libby - it's an artist's (me) impression!
Libby Lenton's Wedding Dress
Yep, a tent. Quite a large tent. This tent was then carried slowly along the pathway as Libby and hubby slowly shuffled underneath in a ridiculous attempt to stop non-paid-for photos being taken.
I thought your wedding day was supposed to be a day for joy, fun, love, showing off proudly on what should be an incredible celebration.
Not shuffling along under a tent like an idiot.
I'm not sure $100,000 is enough to ruin the best day of a young woman's life.
But For $5 Million You Can Alienate An Entire Family
But then again, for $5 million you may as well alientate your husband from his dad.
Yep, media whore Liz Hurley (what has she ever actually done except been Hugh Grant's girlfriend - she's like an older version of Paris Hilton!) managed to stitch up a $5 million deal with Hello! magazine and protected their investment by humiliating her husband's father.
Sounds like the hubby annoyed his dad himself and the dad has spoken out to essentially say "You rude idiot. Up yours!"
Should You Sell Everything?
I guess the question is, "Should you sell everything that's precious?"
I understand that people like Lenton only have a limited time to generate a solid income, but I think the negatives of making a fool of yourself on your wedding day (not just spoiling your special day, but by devaluing you as a brand) just isn't worth it.
And surely, from a PR perspective, whoever is advising Lenton would have realised the "wearing a tent" story would have been the focus of any media. Clowns!
One thing I'll often recommend to people in business is to go after a particular niche. Because clients love it if you specialise in whatever it is they want.
And because we've done quite a few exercise related sites - like the page on the Gold Coast Marathon and the Sydney to Surfers site - then potential clients see us as experts in health, nutrition and exercise sites.
Able To Provide More Value
Which is true to an extent.
Because we have that industry knowledge and background we're more likely to know unique characteristics in each field and are thus able to provide clients with a bit more value than someone coming in cold.
A Solid Marketing Strategy So a solid marketing strategy is often to specialise in one area - you'll soon find that a bit of expertise in a specific area makes you a much more valuable proposition for potential clients.
And, of course, if you have a specific niche in mind you can target them with your marketing campaign very effectively and, usually, very easily.
And your efforts are usually better rewarded, because the offer you make is specifically tailored to them.
Getting links to your web site is a critical part of getting high search engine rankings. But many people struggle with getting links to their web site.
The absolute best way to get links to your web site is this:
Develop a fantastic web site that is a brilliant resource for whatever it is you do.
Then people will link over without even being asked (think Wikipedia).
Other ways to get links are:
Directory listings
Online media releases
Buy links from a link broker
Swap links with others
Submit articles to article sites
That's a start.
But be aware that getting links to your site can be hard, slow and tedious work.
I just had a telemarketer from Australian domain name seller Melbourne IT on the phone trying to get me to register the .com version of a client's domain name.
"We have a special on - $138.60 AUD for 2 years registration."
Yes, I suppose that is a special price - for Melbourne IT!
One of the great things about doing a huge charity ride like the Sydney to Surfers is, like I mentioned in the Highlights Of The Ride post, that you get to meet interesting and positive people.
A guy called Ramon Maurice is such a person.
Ramon is a terrific fellow who did the ride - not only was he one of the best riders, but he's one of the world's absolute gentle souls and gentlemen.
Ramon was always the first to help others and was the Go To man for bike repairs - one of the guys in my Pack had the very real prospect of sitting out half the ride with bike damage until Ramon turned up with his trusty tools to get the bike right.
In Robbie McEwen's Ear
Before the ride Ramon was out on the Gold Coast cycling beside world-class cyclist Robbie McEwen - Robbie is one of the world's best sprinters and has 9 stage wins in the Tour De France to back that up with.
Ramon told Robbie about the charity ride and Robbie happily signed and donated a jersey he used in the 2006 Tour De France to the ride.
Ramon then, at his own expense, tracked down the official photo of Robbie's Stage 4 win in the 2006 Tour De France and also had a special plaque made up.
He then had the whole lot professionally framed. Again, all at his own expense.
Signed Robbie McEwen Jersey
Ramon then handed this over to Race Organisers for auction at the Presentation Night.
Then he set off and rode 1,000 km from Sydney to Surfers Paradise.
At the Presentation Night last Friday (a few hours after finishing the ride) the jersey raised another $10,100 for the charity.
As If That Wasn't Enough
On Sunday, Ramon was first on the scene when a motorist crashed her car down a 100 metre mountainous ravine. Not knowing what was down there, Ramon tied a 50 metre rope to a tree and then to himself and went down after her through thick scrub.
He found the injured lady dazed and confused laying some distance from the vehicle, on the edge of a 15 metre sheer drop.
Once he'd made sure the lady was safe and secure, Ramon then guided rescuers to her.
All that after cycling close on 1,000 km.
Funny when you do stuff like a charity ride. You meet great people.
A mate just emailed me to ask me what the highlights of the ride were:
1. Working as part of a team to help each other through the day.
2. Meeting interesting and positive people.
3. Being joined by a giant red kangaroo hopping leisurely beside us along the highway (we were doing 40 km/hr at the time) for about 200 metres.
4. Our Pack having most of our falls (all except 1) when we were either stopped or going at about 2 km/hr.
5. Talking with John - a roof tiler from Sydney who purchased a bike 4 weeks ago. He'd never ridden before. John saw the flyer for the ride and decided, on the spot, to do it.
John rode with a cigarette in his mouth and beer in his water bottle. He soon stopped that because "the beer goes flat".
6. Listening to the Irish ballads sung by our Irish Pack Captain as we cycled along.
7. Cycling into Currumbin (about 20 km from the finish) and seeing my beautiful wife beside a big "Well Done Sydney to Surfers Riders".
Mel was videotaping each Pack as they went past - I checked the video yesterday......she forgot to press the record button. :o)
Jacqui Oatley (left) will be the first woman commentator in the 43 year history of the show.
Ennect is marketing software, including email marketing, online surveys, event registration and online sweepstakes functionality.
Site Took Just 3 Hours To Create
"First off, I’d like to say a million thank-you’s to you for the Web Design Business Kit. It is my bible!
After launching Phil's great personalized gift site yesterday a couple of people have emailed me asking for reasons behind various decisions.
Another good one - it's unheard of for an artist to provide a 100% guarantee on a caricature. But Phil is so brilliant at what he does that he can do this.
Richard is a very smart guy - or so he tells me ;o) - and he's just launched isellim - a service that allows experts to sell them services by the minute via instant messaging.
l to r: Alf, Brendon (me) & Aneek
Today a local newspaper is doing an interview with my family and I. You see, in 10 weeks I'm running the Gold Coast Marathon. My 12 and 14 yo sons (that's Jack doing a 10 km run last year) are running the 10 km on the day.
One of the world's greatest musicians
The Honeymoon Suite
His first book - The Principles of Beautiful Web Design - has exploded onto the design world selling an amazing 10,000 copies in the first month.
Signed Robbie McEwen Jersey
1. Working as part of a team to help each other through the day.