You see, Terry loves his soccer (football) with a passion.
Terry took his wife and 2 sons on the trip of a lifetime to the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. Since then Terry has been on another overseas trip to follow the Socceroos, the Australian football team. Terry's In The Know
Here's the thing - Terry knows everything, and I mean everything, about how to get:
great (almost impossible to get) tickets,
cheap flights
great value accommodation and
much, much more when he follows his beloved team.
Hobnobbing with Billionaires!
Good seats? Try Terry, Veronica and the boys hobnobbing in a Skybox with Lachlan Murdoch, media mogul!
So Terry is turning his obsession - yes Terry, I said obsession - into a hobby. The plan is for Terry to make a few bucks down the track with some ads or affiliate programs.
The thing about Terry is he is so passionate and sincere about what he is doing, he can't help but succeed. He loves it and will happily put in the hard work it takes to succeed.
Just Ask Terry
If you want to know anything about following the Socceroos around, just ask Terry. He's a knockabout, funny, passionate and great bloke who will happily help you out.
And it's because of that, rather than having an expensive web site, that will make his hobby a success.
Without doubt the most common request we get is for work in helping people achieve top search engine rankings for their sites.
They often have lovely sites that they have spent good money on, only to see the site do nothing in terms of sales or lead generation simply because it gets no visitors.
That can be a waste of an awful lot of money.....especially when the site may be so close to success.
You don't want all that money flushed down the toilet.
Tips For Rankings Success
Whilst we don't disclose absolutely everything we do to help clients achieve top ranking (that would put us out of business and that would be stupid!), we do disclose almost everything.
Over the past few weeks we have achieved # 1 rankings for the following terms:
An Even Better Example - "Web Design Belfast" Ranking
This detailed case study (with video and tons of examples) is a very solid example of how we achieved a terrific ranking for a competitive term that is very valuable.
Gary Brinkman is a fellow I first met late last year when Team Sinclair (that's me, my 15 yo son and 16 yo daughter) challenged an older mate of mine (he's 48) and a couple of his friends to beat us at the Noosa Triathlon.
That's a 1.5 km swim, 40 km bike ride and 10 km run.
I met my mate Dave's friends the night before the race at dinner.
A bloke called Gary was doing their swim leg.
I had a chat to try and psych him out ;o)
Gary was about 46 and looked fit enough..........I thought I was half a chance to beat him. Then I found out Gary's swimming history:
Ranked 2nd In The World
"A former South African 200, 400, 800 and 1500 metre freestyle record holder, Gary received a sporting scholarship to attend Southern Illinois University in the United States, graduating with a BSC in Business Administration.
Ranked 2nd in the World
Gary became four times USA National Swimming Champion in the 400m freestyle in 1984 and in the 400, 800 and 1500m freestyle in 1986.
During this time Gary was ranked as high as second in the world.
His nationality at the time prevented him from competing in the Olympic Games although he swam against, often beating, swimmers who placed in the top three at the 1984 Olympics."
Mmmmm. I was in a bit of trouble!
Gary Smashed Me!
Of course Gary smashed me.
In fact his time was one of the very fastest on the day - he would have gotten out of the water with the leading pros! Gary's Also A Swim Coach
Gary is also a swim coach here on the Gold Coast and we've just launched his new web site.
You see, the kit is dedicated to Mrs Pearce my Grade 2, 3 and 4 teacher. I never told Mrs Pearce I'd dedicated the book to her - in fact I haven't spoken with her 30 years.
Mrs Pearce Made A Huge Impression
But Mrs Pearce made a huge impression on me when I was a kid and instilled in me a love of learning.
A few weeks back I thought I should call and say "Thanks" for her being a wonderful teacher and mention that I'd dedicated the kit to her.
So we hunted down the number and called.
Mrs Pearce seemed quite chuffed that I called and I said my Thank You.
I'm going to send Mrs Pearce the framed covers of both the original and updated version of the Kit.......... except I don't have the previous edition cover.
Because the publishers sold out of the original Kit I can't get it from them.
Do You Have The Cover Of The Original Web Design Business Kit?
So I'm hoping that one of the readers of this blog has purchased the original Kit and would be so kind as to slip the cover out of the main manual and post it to me.
If you have the Kit and would like to help out, that would be great. Please just pop a comment on this blog to let me know you'll send it through so I receive just the one cover.
(Please post it in flat.)
And yes, I'll reimburse you postage, give a surprise in return, etc - no idea what the surprise will be, so it will even surprise me!
Don't Leave It Too Late - When To Do Your Search Engine Work
In the month before Christmas we receive our most requests to help people achieve high search engine rankings.
It's because as Christmas approaches many companies suddenly remember the Christmas rush and want to be found at the top of the search engines for their key search term.
Here's a typical trend of search volume for a product one of our client's sell:
As you can see, there's a huge peak at Christmas time each year.
But here's the thing - a lead time of just a couple of weeks usually isn't enough to ensure your site achieves high search engine rankings.
You need to start your search engine strategy months and months before Christmas - i.e. now - to get the absolute best results.
Don't leave your search engine work to the last minute. If you do you could miss out on literally thousands of sales.
I'm just about to tidy up our 'Case Studies' page with some new information and have taken a look at our recent search engine optimization efforts lately.
We've had some terrific successes and I'll mention those on the page in the next day or 2.
Hammocks Site Success
One of the successes is the hammocks site of Alicia and Paul.
Alicia and Paul designed and have built the site up over a couple of years to sell authentic Mexican hammocks.
Their search engine rankings for the term "hammocks" was always pretty low (i.e. almost no one found them in the search engines) and they asked us to take a look.
To get to number 1 we did what we do for every site we work on - we just worked hard to let Google know what the site is about so they could assess it a bit easier.
Kind Words From Alicia & Paul ================================ Hi Brendon
We are emailing to let you know that we are #1 in Google!!
The word Hammocks is the most expensive in our business to pay per click in Google AdWords and you got us there for a reasonable price.
You made a fantastic work, with lots of communication, this is why we chose your company because you were very clear in what you were going to do to get us in #1 in Google.
Thanks so much.
Alicia and Paul
================================
Like I always say, getting high search engine rankings is mostly about helping Google figure out what your site is about. Only then can it rank you properly.
But be warned - they are funny, a little offensive and addictive.
But as they say themselves, "Someecards.com is possibly to probably the best site on the Web for free, funny ecards. We have greeting cards for every occasion - from important to utterly pointless."
One of the more common questions I get asked is "Who should I get to host my site?"
It's a good question - there are a ton of hosts out there all promising the world. Some hosts are great, some are absolute rubbish and it's sometimes hard to tell them apart.
A poor host can cost your business a ton of money in a variety of ways:
no backups = big trouble if the server crashes
no support = big trouble when you need something fixed
slow support = big trouble because you need your site up and working now....not in 3 days
Over the years I've used probably 50 different web hosting companies and in that time you get to learn a few tricks of the trade.
Let's take a look at the tricks and a couple of recommendations for terrific hosts.
The Inside Information
Let's start off with a bit of insider information.
Two main things you need to be aware of:
1. There are what I call "Ignorance Hosts"
These are the type of hosts who charge absolute top dollar for not much space, not much bandwidth and not much service.
These guys simply rely on their customers not understanding what options are really available to them.
2. Many 'hosting companies' are simply hosting resellers
That is, they buy a big chunk of space and bandwidth at wholesale prices and sell off the space and bandwidth in little bits at retail prices and pocket the difference.
There's nothing wrong with that of course.
Many web developers, including us, do this.
It equates to terrific control and ease of work for us as the web developers, makes us a little extra profit to keep our businesses going and the customer gets a great service because we take care of all the technical issues that arise.
With the above in mind, I'd like to recommend 2 hosting services for you:
Number 1 Cheap Web Host Recommendation Blue Host has what I consider the 3 essentials of a great host:
Great hosting - tons of space, tons of bandwidth and heaps of features
Great support - super quick, reliable and effective. This is critical
Great price - in my experience you simply won't get better value for money
These are the ones we recommend if you have a good web site and currently have a lot of visitors or expect a lot of web visitors in the future.
At a measly $6.95 per m onth you get unbelievable value for money.
We use Blue Host for sites that we expect will use a ton of multimedia - video, audio and the like.
You see, with Hostgator we sign up for a Reseller Plan starting from $24.95 US per month.
For that we get an amazing amount of space, bandwidth and features including:
24 gb of disk space
250 gb of bandwidth
Unlimited domains on the account
Much, much more
Perfect For Web Developers Reselling Hosting
I highly recommend Hostgator for those with absolutely massive sites or for web developers looking to provide hosting services for their clients.
We host up to 60 clients (you can host more if you want) on a Hostgator Reseller Account - the $24.95 per month deal - and the speed and service is exceptional.
Web Hosting - Superb Value
Whilst both of the above are cheap web hosting services, the great price in no way means lower service. The service we've received from both has been exceptional.
That's not just once or twice - that's with hundreds of sites over a number of years.
Hope that helps you find a solid cheap web hosting service - like I said, we use these 2 and they're absolutely exceptional.
Cheers
Brendon
P.S: Check out a couple of other product reviews here. P.P.S: If you'd like us to host your site it is $220 + GST (Australian clients pay this) pa. For that we take care of the set up, configuring and getting your site going.
Firstly, apologies for the awful pun! ;o) Gaby Cool is a refrigerated transport business here on the Gold Coast near our offices that have a refreshingly unique take on marketing.
That's one of their drivers on the right!
Basically what they do is transport frozen and cold foods all around the place is specially regulated refrigerated trucks.
Now it doesn't sound that exciting - but Michelle and her team have developed some wonderfully refreshing and innovative ways to market the business.....and it's all simple stuff that anyone can learn from.
A Simple Funny On Hold Message
They have an hilarious on hold message that is simply brilliant - completely unexpected and different.
And that's the thing - because it's so different it really positions this refrigerated transport business in a different place from there competitors.
Discount glasses have been a hot topic here in Australia lately after A Current Affair - the leading current affairs show - did a story on the huge markup some optometrists charge.
This creates tremendous awareness and can lead to terrific sales for the businesses seen as the alternative.
Yahoo!Buzz Turns On Torrent of Traffic
Yahoo! Buzz has recently launched and has the ability to very rapidly increase your number of visitors.
I've read reports of 1,000,000+ visitors to a web site after being featured on the home page of the site.
What Gets Featured on the Buzz?
As Yahoo! says "The buzz can be about anything - a great story on a major news site, an extraordinary bit from an obscure site, an intriguing video, or a fantastic blog that shouldn't be missed.
Instead of editors, people like you determine the top-rated stories>"
Imagine little ol' you getting your site featured on the Buzz? What could you do with 1 million visitors?
Thomas has just been featured on a documentary screened nationwide in England - this will, I feel sure, further boost his business and make his blog success pale into insignificance.
Forget Trump, 8 Business Lessons From The Governor’s Hooker
I’m all for benchmarking my (and client’s) business against other industry – after all, McDonalds’ “Do you want fries with that?” has spawned not only a billion fat people, but also the upsell.
As you might know, the Governor of New York just resigned after it came to light he was using the services of Ashley Alexandra Dupré, a hooker with a hefty price tag.
So just what can we learn from a hooker? Plenty I say and none of the lessons are to do with kinky sex tricks only the industry pros know.
1. Raise your perception of quality, raise your price – what’s the difference between a $5,000 a night hooker and a $20 street walker? A shower, a nicer dress and nice shoes. Also helps if you have most of your teeth.
2. Target your customer/john with laser like precision – I don’t know about you, but I don’t find my $5,000 a night hookers from a flyer on the bathroom wall at my gym. Networking, word of mouth and online would work for the kind of customers they target.
3. The customer doesn’t always pay for what you think they’re paying for – that $5,000 a night isn’t all for the sex. A big portion is for a discrete service.
4. Cashflow is king – Ashley wasn’t doing anything until she had the money. The Governor was apparently “relieved” when the money arrived – I’m guessing he’s not so thrilled now.
5. Supply and demand rules – betcha you can’t get Ashley to spend the night with you now for less than $100,000.
(One of the guys in the office just read that and said “She's a good looking bird, but I dunno if it’s worth that much to follow in this guys footstep.” Eeeerr, I don’t think it’s his footsteps you’d be following.)
6. Sometimes the client will ask for what you’re not prepared/can’t give - No sex without a condom can be a deal breaker. Learn to deal with objections and negotiate. But don’t get yourself a nasty rash.
7. Controversy works at getting attention – sure, sleeping with the Governor and having the whole world find out is one way to do it. There are a few other ways to create controversy - yes Janet Jackson, I'm talking about you.
8. It’s not always bad to be screwed by your customer.
It’s no surprise really that you can learn so much from a prostitute – after all, it’s the world’s oldest profession and they’ve developed a few tricks in that time.
When I lecture at the local University on modern communication and web based reputation management, one aspect I always push is that you mustn't do anything online that could possibly come back to haunt you 5, 10 or 20 years down the track.
You know that job you're about to go for?
Yep, the one where you're down to the last 2 for a $70,000 gig.
That guy who interviewed you will almost certainly Google you to see what he can find.
That MySpace Profile (It's Funny Now) Could Cost You Later
If what he finds is your MySpace page full of profanity, offensive remarks and more, then I'm afraid you won't be getting that job. And you'll never know why.
As you might know, the now ex-Governor of New York was caught - how shall I say this nicely - enjoying an afternoon's entertainment with a personable young woman.
Okay, okay - he got himself caught with a hooker!
The first thing all the newshounds did when they got her name was checked the social networking sites, found her MySpace page and helped themselves to images.
Escort Reviews
Here's the other thing I didn't realise - I swear!
Speaking Without Moving Your Lips - Ventriloquists of the 21st Centruy
I spend probably an hour a morning checking out the latest in technology and how it applies to the web.
In this video, the guy demonstrates technology where neckband translates thought into speech by picking up nerve signals; “with careful training a person can send nerve signals to their vocal cords without making a sound.
These signals are picked up by the neckband and relayed wirelessly to a computer that converts them into words spoken by a computerized voice.”
That's great - using his profile to help a good cause.
But here's the thing - Glenn drives a Hummer.
Yep, a Hummer. The gas guzzling, planet destroying monstrosity of a car.
Glenn has no credibility to promote carbon offset programs.
He doesn't fit the program.
He's not authentic or credible in any way when he talks about carbon offsets because of this.
He's not 'keeping it real'.
And it's all because of perception - the Hummer is perceived as a gas guzzling, planet destroying car by many. I'm not sure if that's entirely true, but that's the perception.
Firstly, there really aren't any 'tricks'......but you do have to give a bit of strategic thought to what you're doing and why.
Whilst what I'm about to say might appear a bit sneaky or contrived, it's not.
It's just simple, solid actions to help get your message across as well as possible.
8 Steps To Great Media Stories
1. We had a newsworthy story - that's the most important bit by far.
Here's the first sentence of our media release that went out - you can see we've told all the important information up front.
"Starting September 11, 2008 Gold Coast boy Jack Sinclair (15 yo) will be setting out from Perth, WA to ride the holy grail of Australian endurance cycling - 4,500 kms across Australia to Surfers Paradise in just 30 days."
A 15 yo boy riding across Australia is newsworthy. So 15 yo Jack is our focus.
A 41 yo bloke (me) riding across Australia is boring. So we don't focus on me.
2. Our 'conference' was for 10am - the media want their stories nice and early. They're busy people on tight deadlines so 10 am is a good time. Midday is too late. 3 pm is way, way too late.
3. Our 'conference' was on a Friday. The main reason for this is because the biggest readership of the local newspaper is on the Saturday, so we were hoping for that (we got Wednesday - which is the 2nd biggest readership day).
4. Our 'conference' was the presentation of a new bike (and we mentioned Jack would be there in his bike gear).
5. The presentation was made on the boardwalk in front of the Pacific Ocean.
6. The presentation location was central for the media with easy access and parking.
Jack & Roger wait for the "Action" call
4, 5 and 6 are all very important - the TV crew and newspaper photographer both wanted great vision and presenting a new bike gives some good photo opportunities.
We chose a boardwalk because I knew Jack could ride up and down it 100 times (like he did) with perfect access for the cameramen without the hassle of cars spoiling the shot.
We chose the beach because it's relevant in that Jack is riding from Coast to Coast.
The location has the backdrop of the iconic buildings that represent the Gold Coast, as well as the ocean which could be used - the newspaper photographer used the one of Jack on the beach in front of the surf lifesaving flags (the absolute iconic Australian beach image) with the buildings in the background.
7. What Jack is wearing - our bike sponsor is the wonderful Roger at Palm Beach Supercycle. So Jack wears Roger's jersey.
His nicks (shorts) are plain (he has tons of branded with other people's sponsor logo so he didn't wear those).
Tuff Gloves (through GKA Sports Distribution) sponsor Jack with gloves - so he wears them the whole time.
And he wears Tuff socks too - because they're very comfortable and to support the glove sponsorship.
As you can see from the newspaper story, the Tuff Gloves can't really be seen too well - but at least we tried!
Also, Roger from the bike shop came along to present the bike - he was also wearing Palm Beach Supercycle gear.
I was kitted out in the gear of Hammer Nutrition - our nutrition sponsor.
Roger was featured on the TV story, as was I a bit - so both brands got a run.
8. Jack's helmet - Jack is wearing Roger's helmet in the TV story and newspaper photo. It's a MET helmet and, although we're not sponsored by MET, we're about to approach them.
So we thought we'd do the nice thing and try and give them some value.
When Jack and I are sitting down being interviewed for TV we wear our Perth to Paradise caps.
The radio interview was simply set up by ringing with the story and shooting the email through. You can hear that here:
Provide An Interesting Story As Easy As Possible
All pretty simple stuff when you think about it. Basically what we're trying to do is give the reporters what they want - an interesting story.
If we can do that so it's as easy as possible for them to get what they need (footage, backdrops, good quotes, etc) then all the better.
The use of our sponsors gear wasn't pushy or in your face - it's just all just good gear is all. And it's gear we'd normally wear whilst bike riding anyway.
As you probably know, all bike riding gear is heavily plastered with logos anyway, so what we were wearing probably appeared a little underdressed!
After last week's media interviews when launching the Perth to Paradise bike ride, we made the local newspaper today (I've just popped the article below).
Incredibly (!!) they decide to run just the picture of Jack by himself. Not the shot of Jack and I together.
I can't imagine why. After all, take a look at us both below:
Pretty Boy Jack
And here's a pic of me:
Gorgeous Brendon
It's been my experience in marketing stuff over the years that people are more likely to look at better looking people in advertisements and the like.
So that wouldn't be the reason they didn't show me......would it??
David Simpson is a mate of mine who runs a TV commercial production business here on the Gold Coast. He produces commercials for agencies all over Australia (and beyond) and we were talking today on how the Internet has revolutionised his industry.
You see, now you can get a TV commercial produced (and aired) for a ton less than you ever have before. It's because the competition is so hot and outsourcing so easy that costs have had to drop.
Range Of Factors = Lower Costs
The combination of a (cheaper than big city) Gold Coast location, reduced production costs, budget air fares, lower Queensland wages, advances in camera and post technology over the last number of years has given rise to a reductions in overall costs which means savings for agencies and their clients.
It's the same in any business - you have to figure out ways to get your product or service better/faster/cheaper/whatever else influences the buying decision.
Your Point of Difference Has To Be Relevant
With technology companies like mine, it can be pretty obvious.
With your business it might be something else.
But whatever it is, you need a point of difference. And that point of difference has to be relevant to your potential customers.
One of my clients sends a monthly (or so) newsletter.
In most newsletters (70%) he includes some sort of special offer on his products.
His sales always increase immediately.
But here's the thing - the special offer usually comprises only 20% of the sales made.
The vast majority of sales are at full price.
It's all about keeping top of mind with your customer.
It's about reminding them you're still about.
It's about contacting them on a regular basis to keep the relationship going.
Send a regular newsletter - you'll make more sales.
I've used Constant Contact (above) for years and they are the best I've ever used - simple, easy, cheap, brilliant tracking (i.e you know how many opened the email and lots more) - Very highly recommended.
"Ever since I bought the Web Site Design Business Kit (second edition), I've been trying to figure out how much money I could have made if I bought the kit when it first came out in 2004.
Your advice about outsourcing is right on the money;
The biggest hurdle to jump as a freelance designer is how to get more work done.
The second biggest challenge is valuing yourself as an expert in your field and charging accordingly.
The third is tapping into the right market.
I doubled my rate, have figured out a system to outsource my site builds and have joined the local chamber of commerce.
All of that, and a little bit of intention in my occasional meditation, has quadrupled my business in just the first quarter of 08."
A client of mine has received what can only be described as the worst publicity ever for someone in his industry.....or so you'd think.
A disgruntled customer has made allegations and started a lawsuit against his parent company alleging very significant harm from the products he sells.
They're the sort of claims that you'd think, very reasonably, would have a very significant negative impact on the business. Sink it, most likely.
Record Sales
But here's the thing - sales have been at record levels ever since the allegations were made.
The more coverage given to to allegations, the better the sales.
I don't quite understand it, other than maybe the old cliche that any publicity is good publicity.
I never used to believe that until I saw this in action.
I'm not sure of the point of this post, other than to say that when it seems like the end of the world, its usually isn't.
The Only Thing You Need To Get More Media Coverage Than Paris Hilton!
I'm no media specialist by any stretch of the imagination but on Thursday I sent out a media release to the local major newspaper, TV News channel and radio show.
This resulted in:
a great story on the local news,
a live talk back radio interview (7 minutes 36 secs) and
a long interview with a ton of photos for an article in the newspaper.
That we managed to achieve all that is confirmation that you really only need 1 thing to achieve some terrific media coverage.
And that 1 thing is a newsworthy story (about my son and I cycling across Australia).
Here's Jack doing the interviews:
Jack being interviewed for TV News story
Jack about to be interviewed on talk back radio
Jack working the camera for the local newspaper
Remember, media coverage is easy to get if you have an interesting story to tell.
We're doing a banner for the local Palm Beach Scouts (I'm the Prez).
Aside from the typo, there is an aspect that a few people who have looked at the sign have commented on.
It's the lack of a phone number.
"Shouldn't we have someone's phone number on the sign?"
There's a good reason there isn't a phone number on the sign. It's because a phone number can make the sign outdated very quickly and be a waste of money.
Making The Sign Obsolete
You see, if we have the Group Leader's phone number, what happens when he leaves....or changes his phone number. Makes the sign obsolete.
Means we've wasted our money.
When you're doing signage or brochures or whatever for your business, be sure to know what would make your advertising obsolete.
It might not be the phone number, but it could be:
prices
manager names
address
seasonal offer
Keep that in mind next time you get your advertising or brochures printed up.
Then we have some Skype numbers, including (315) 876 9945 for US clients.
The first 3 lines cost me about $40 per month each in line rentals alone, not to mention (although I just have!) $6 per month each for message bank for the first 2 lines.
From the Tailored line we made 51 calls to mobiles last month for a cost of $75.
From the VOIP phone we made 19 calls for $6.74.
Matching up calls of the exact same same duration
Tailored line: 50 second call = 53 cents VOIP line: 50 second call = 27 cents
If I can use Engin for all my outgoing calls (it's merely a different line on the phone) then I can save close on $600 in call costs and another $500+ in line rental and voicemail costs.
I don't know what you think, but I reckon that $1,100 is better in my pocket (or yours) than in the giant multinational phone company's pocket.
The Downside:
The downside of Engin is that every now and again, usually when we're downloading tons of stuff here in the office, the voice quality isn't fantastic. No biggie. That's about 1 in 40 calls.
If no one is downloading/uploading stuff to the web then the voice quality is the same as a 'normal' phone line.
Anyway, if you want to save $1,000 + pa on your home and/or office phone do either of these:
Sign up and use Engin (Australia).
Sign up and use Skype (worldwide).
You'll need a broadband connection for both - if you already have that the savings are worth it.
Cheers
Brendon
P.S: Another service Anthony here in the office likes is PennyTel. I haven't used these guys.
I've spent probably 15 minutes on the phone today with a guy buying one of our eczema products.
Mel (left), my wife, usually runs the eczema site but she is away at a Health Retreat for the week soaking it up with massages, Salsa lessons, Tai Chi and....wait for it......Belly Dancing!
Anyway, the customer spent just $19.95. We'd only make a couple of dollars profit on that.
So it hardly makes it worthwhile to spend that much time with him, right?
Well, actually no. If the customer finds the eczema cream useful he could come back again and again and again. He could tell his friends.
That couple of $ profit could become 10 new customers quite easily all spending $200 per year.
That adds a lot of value to the business and makes my 15 minutes of chatting most worthwhile.
Remember, it's not always about making that one and only sale. It's about providing the customer with as much value as possible to build your business.
I’m all for benchmarking my (and client’s) business against other industry – after all, McDonalds’ “Do you want fries with that?” has spawned not only a billion fat people, but also the upsell.
