No business can survive without marketing. Not my business. Not your business. Marketing brings in clients. And clients bring in the money that keeps your business alive.
As Webmasters, we sharpen our design skills constantly and try to keep up with new developments in the field -- trends, new tools, etc. However, for many of us, our understanding of marketing theory is less refined.
What is the core meaning of marketing?There are sales and marketing professionals who do nothing but discuss and debate what marketing really means. They hold seminars and write books and articles on the subject. In my opinion, these people have too much time on their hands.
As far as you and I are concerned (as Webmasters), marketing means promoting your own business and your client’s business. Anything you do to attract potential customers and encourage potential sales (or whatever action creates income) is marketing.
You may not realize it yet, but Web site design is all about marketing. For the most part, your clients will want to promote their products/services (i.e., their business) online and they will pay for your Webmaster services through their advertising budgets.
Very few clients will pay thousands of dollars for a Web site just for the sake of having a Web site. They expect a return on their investment, whether that ROI is more customers (leads), or increased sales, or cost savings due to a reduction in customer interface time (or whatever else contributes to their bottom line).
Your job is to build Web sites that will achieve the kind of results your clients want and expect. And in order to do that, you must build sites that attract ongoing targeted traffic, pull these interested prospects to the money-making Web page (s) and close the deal (i.e., get the order/contract/lead/etc.)
The ability to meet client expectations is the reason why Site Build It! is an excellent system for Webmasters. It will help you produce impressive traffic results for your clients, no matter what kind of business they own. See what I mean by results… http://results.sitesell.com/
Your clients’ business growth directly influences your own business growth. We both know that satisfied clients create repeat contracts and/or enthusiastic referrals.
SBI! provides you with the ideal working package for all but the most complicated projects… design flexibility (use your own HTML editor and graphic software), integrated into traffic-generating backend automation/functionality (like page optimization, SE submission/resubmission and reporting and click-in/clickthrough traffic analysis). You get to concentrate your efforts on the creative parts of your business (designing and copywriting), while SBI! automates the more tedious parts of traffic-building.
For more information about SBI!, visit http://webmaster.sitesell.com/
In this chapter, you will learn how to define your target market by narrowing possibilities to a specific group of consumers. You will also hear about three marketing secrets that reinforce why Web sites are more than just eye candy.
Actually, the most important secret of successful Web site design has already been alluded to in the opening paragraphs.In case you missed it, here it is…
Web sites are marketing tools.
Most new designers don’t recognize this reality immediately. And a surprising number of experienced designers don’t know this either. They design sites that are beautiful looking. Unfortunately, their client sites don’t rank well with Search Engines and as a result, there is no traffic generated. The content on these sites is not focused on the needs of customers so that when visitors do stop by, they “click out” instead of clicking on the client’s money-making links -- those links that lead to sales/service contracts/leads/referrals/contact.
These sites may be beautiful… but they are failures all the same.They are failures because they don’t get results. Your clients need successful Web sites in order to develop successful online businesses. They need sites that do the following (these are just a few examples to spark the discussion) …
• Rank well with the Search Engines
• Attract interested targeted visitors
• Are focused on the needs of their visitors
• Keep visitors on site (and encourage repeat visits)
• Get the desired response (contact, buy, etc.)
In your work as a Web designer, these needs must drive your actions. As I said earlier, your ability to create successful business sites for your clients will directly determine the growth of your own Webmaster business. They win… you win.
Designing for success is a much bigger job than just putting up some content, adding some photos, using multi-media, etc. and because of that, you can charge hundreds or thousands of dollars for your services (more on this in Chapter 5). Your design efforts must produce results… traffic and sales.
Secret #1 is so obvious that we often miss it (i.e., Web sites are marketing tools). However, it’s a secret you and your business can’t afford to miss.
Secret #2 involves “targeting” and its role in the marketing equation.How would you complete the following sentence?…
“I am planning to sell my services to….”
If you say “anyone,” you are mistaken.
“Anyone” is not your market. It is unlikely that you will sell Web sites services to any of the following groups…
• Children
• Retired couples who want to do extensive travelling
• People who don't want Web sites
• Businesses with no advertising budgets
You can’t be all things to all people. Cost-effective marketing (in both time and money) requires focus. It matches the needs/desires of the most appropriate target group with your “solution” (i.e., services).
So how do you identify your best niche? Begin by asking yourself the following questions…
• Who hires Webmasters?
• Why do they hire?
• What do they want?
• What do they need?
• What solutions do I offer that meets these needs?
• What makes my solutions unique?
Jot down your answers. Add some of your own questions. The goal of this exercise is to find the ideal balance. You want to identify a target group/niche that is neither too general (too much competition) nor too narrow (not enough potential clients).
You will do this same exercise many times in the future -- not for you but for your clients. “Narrowing the focus” can sometimes be a challenge for small business owners. However, most can’t afford trial and error testing before they identify the right niche for their type of business.
Some of your future clients will require your assistance to find their niche. Unless you are knowledgeable about their business, you will have to get up to speed by surfing for information. Or you can save time with Site Build It!.
SBI! uses a proven process for identifying the most profitable niche markets. Its brainstorming tool will research related keywords/keyword phrases and provide their profitability ratio at the click of a button.
You don’t have to be an expert in marketing theory with Site Build It!. And your clients will never know how easy your research was. They will just see resultsproducing marketing in action.
Back to your own niche-identifying exercise…Your “specific” answers and niche will be unique to your own situation. However, for the purpose of this Course, we’ll keep your niche more neutral …
Your target group is small business owners without a Web site who recognize that they need one. Now go one step further…
Your target group is small business owners without a Web site who recognize that they need one and have money available for advertising.
Narrow your focus again… Your target group is small business owners without a Web site who recognize that they need one, have money available for advertising, and have a budget big enough to hire an independent professional Web designer.
Not a surprising conclusion when you think about it. However, you would be surprised at the number of Web site designers that try to market to the entire world!
So when you start looking for contracts, focus your design and marketing efforts on your particular niche. Why?Simple economics…
That’s where the work is.
At this point in the “narrowing down” process, it’s important to determine the price range for your services -- low, mid and high-end-- and exactly what type of services are available at each price level. This framework will direct your future marketing efforts. So what’s the connection?
Economic factors come into play once again. For the most part, the advertising budgets of the different segments within your target market will mirror your price range. In other words, some small business owners will have more money to spend on your services than others do. You need to decide which type of clients you want to attract… those who demand high-end, or those who want mid-range, or those who seek low-end services.
A rough pricing framework might look like this…Low End ($100 to $200 per page) = simple pre-designed template, a 2-page brochure-style Web site, client provides content, basic Web presence, etc.
Mid Range ($2000-$3000 per site) = some customization, content editorial assistance, graphic design, traffic generation, marketing advice, etc.
High End ($4000-$5000 per site) = more customization, content development, graphic design, traffic generation, traffic stats collection and reporting, ongoing site maintenance, marketing, etc.
Realistically, in the start-up phase of your business, most of your work will come from clients looking for low to mid-range priced services. So here are a few things to consider with these two particular groups…
Low-end service has some distinct advantages. Simple construction and predesigned templates allow you to produce several Web sites very quickly. Even though the profit per job is low, you can make it up in volume. A decent income is achievable as long as you can establish a steady flow of work.
Like any business decision, there are pluses and minuses to consider. On the plus side, it is much easier to find work in this price range. Many small business owners have no idea what is involved in designing a Web site. The low-end price range fits with their preconceived price notions and more importantly, their advertising budgets.
On the minus side, any design job requires client interface. The more time you spend working directly with individual clients, the lower your hourly income is and the fewer jobs you can do.
The key is to clearly define what the client gets for the price… and stick with it. Maintain a balance between good client service and reasonable support. If you don't, the job can easily take two or three times longer than you initially expected. When that happens, you are moving from low-end to “zero-end” territory -- a huge waste of time and money for you.
At the mid-range price level, work is harder to find, but it pays better. These clients expect more than “just a Web site.” They expect you to be able to talk to them about Search Engines/traffic generation, Internet marketing, and what a Web site can/should do to promote their businesses.
Usually, fees for these designs are quoted by the job, with an hourly rate for unscheduled labor, changes, and support. The jobs tend to be bigger than the lower-priced work, and they require much more time investment in dealing with clients.
If you are new to Web site design and marketing, your best option is to start with low-priced designs while you develop your skills. Once you have assembled a decent portfolio, secured some testimonials, and honed your skills, you can then move on to mid-range, custom design work.
You may, of course, decide to stick to making lower-cost Web sites because you enjoy that type of work and you find the income level satisfactory. Or you could go for the combo. It’s up to you. It’s your business (literally) as to which segment of your niche market you want to target.
The SBI! system will increase your profit margin for every contract, regardless of which price range it fits into. With SBI!, you will be more productive. It will help you build sites faster and make more money per site. (SBI! looks after the timeconsuming, tedious tasks involved in traffic generation.) You can have more happy clients with less effort on your part! (http://webmaster.sitesell.com/)
And now it’s time for the final marketing secret for your Webmaster business to be revealed. It’s short and sweet.Always write content directed at your primary clients. This applies to all your promotional efforts -- Web site, direct mail, phone calls, print advertising,
You might be tempted to make your copy appeal to other groups that you think may want to hire you. Don’t. When you identify other potential markets, run a separate advertising effort for them.
The most profitable marketing is specific to a clearly identified market. If you try to make it appeal to everyone, it will appeal to no one. And your site will be in the Search Engine hinterland, far away from those traffic-producing first-page search results positions.
For the best ROI, don’t dilute your marketing efforts. Keep your focus on people who already want/need your services -- your niche. It’s a good time to note that sometimes you will attract prospects within your niche that are definitely not your ideal clients. People will contact you who want very complex Web sites for a cheap price like $200 or $300, or by people who believe that everything on the Internet is free, and/or by people who do not realize the distinction between a Web site and an effective Web site.
Your first response will be to try to sell the value of your services to these people. You will spend precious time sending/answering e-mails and writing proposals. Then, without any warning, there is a break in communication and you don’t hear from them again. What a waste! These people were not your target market in the first place.
After you have done this a few times, you will realize that people with unrealistic expectations almost never become paying clients, even if they appear to be part of your target market. What’s the solution?
In this case, respond to their e-mail (or follow-up phone messages) with a standard e-mail (customize the template as required). Clearly outline your services and price ranges. Then wait for a response. The ball is in their court.
It’s important to educate potential clients, but for the most part, be very selective with your time. You will almost never get certain prospects to sign on the dotted line. Try not to show impatience or frustration. Treat all prospects with courtesy and professionalism. Even if they don’t hire you, they may pass your name to others.
“Word of mouth” promotion can go either way… positive or negative. The latter is preventable.
If you walk away from this Course and forget everything else, remember these three important marketing concepts or secrets. They will make the difference between the success and failure of your business...
• Web sites are marketing tools.
• Identify your most profitable niche (including a particular segment within that target group). Find the balance between being too broad or too narrow.
• For the best ROI, don’t dilute your marketing efforts. Keep the focus on your niche.
The next chapter, “Designing for Success,” crosses the line between design and marketing…
