Just having a site doesn’t mean that it is going to be successful! In fact, if you “just have a website”, it is more likely to be unsuccessful!

A website that is achieving the results that you want it to is a result of planning, strategy, intuition and expertise. It is a result of great and effective design, not just a design that looks good. It is a result of complete planning and targeting toward the market that will be reading it.

Here are 3 of the most common mistakes that occur with a Business Website and how to solve ...]]> Almost every start up business that has a website has at some point looked at the results that their website is achieving and wondered what was going wrong. The traffic is low, conversions are low, bounce rates are high, sales are non existent.

Just having a site doesn’t mean that it is going to be successful! In fact, if you “just have a website”, it is more likely to be unsuccessful!

A website that is achieving the results that you want it to is a result of planning, strategy, intuition and expertise. It is a result of great and effective design, not just a design that looks good. It is a result of complete planning and targeting toward the market that will be reading it.

Here are 3 of the most common mistakes that occur with a Business Website and how to solve them!

Not Knowing What the Real Target Market is, or Not Designing for the Real Target Market

What is the real target market? I ask this of every client.

Most people come back with “women”, or “successful women”. How can you target a market that is half the people in the world? How can you appeal to 2 billion people with the exact same design?

The smaller your target market is, the more easily you can target them!

Figure out who your Targate Market is. Who will buy your product and who will be interested in what you have to say? (See Who Is Your Target Market?)

Now take this further to a point most never do. Ask this question:

If I could only target 10% of my market, who would I target to?

For example, if you target successful women… your new target could be “Successful Women that Have Changed Careers in the Last 12 Months”.

Now let’s take this one step further! If I could only target 10% of my NEW market, who would I target to?

For example, the new target could be “20-30 year Old Successful Women that Have Changed Career to a Law Based Field in the Last 6 Months”.

Why would I do this? Now I can figure out exactly what this market would do. What magazines do they read? Where do they go? What are their habits? What are their dreams and their fears? Once you know these things, you can effectively market them!

Now, how does that affect your website?

The design of your website should reflect the market that you are targeting.

Let me say that again:

The Design of Your Website Should Reflect the Market You Are Targeting.

It is not about reflecting you, it is about reflecting your market. Obviously you want a combination between your business personality and your market’s personality. But the most important of these is your market. Let your market determine the look and feel of your site. Let your market determine the content of your site. What does your market want to see the moment they open your site? That is where the gold is!!!

Not Giving Your Visitors a Reason to Venture Further Into Your Website

When someone visits your website and they are interacting with the home page of your website, what is the very next thing you want them to do? If they could then visit one more page of your website, what would that page be?

Most websites do not drive people further in. They give a nice Home Page, then expect people to start going further. Unless you have something that will intrigue people, they will not go further.

So how do you solve that?

First thing. Decide exactly the next step you want people to take in your website story. They visit your Home Page and get enticed, now what do you want them to do?

This is where a call to action comes in. That’s right, that overused Marketing Ploy. When we think of call to actions we think of a bright red starburst that says “Buy Now!”. It doesn’t need to be this way.

Call to actions are exactly that, they drive people to an action. They tell people what they are expected to do next. They don’t have to be loud and garish, they can be soft and subtle, but without that call to action, you can’t direct people where you want them to go.

Whether it is a “Learn More about Judith”, or “Enter Your Email for Your Free Article”, or even a beautiful graphic about the next page of the website. Get people thinking about and wanting to venture in. Saying “Learn More About Judith” will often increase page visits to that next page by 100% straight away.

Remember that subtle call to actions are just as (sometimes even more) effective. If you can subtly get people wanting to visit a certain page, without literally telling them to go there, that is the absolute perfect achievement. Because then people think that they are creating their own experience without your direction and they will be even more willing to accept your direction once it is given.

Remember that your website is a reflection of your Business Story. Make sure people are reading it the way you want them to!

Many people I know do not do resolutions. They don’t believe in them, don’t see the point of them and therefore don’t have them. For me, they are just goals, that happen to be made for a brand new year. I think it is the perfect time for them because you are in a state of new beginnings, so why not look forward and upwards?

I read the following on achieving goals somewhere and I think it is relevant:

Firstly if you ...]]> It is that time of year again, time to look back over the year that was and look forward in anticipation to the year that will be. Having just celebrated New Years here in Australia, and New Years about to happen around the world, it is the perfect time to start talking about our goals for the coming year.

Many people I know do not do resolutions. They don’t believe in them, don’t see the point of them and therefore don’t have them. For me, they are just goals, that happen to be made for a brand new year. I think it is the perfect time for them because you are in a state of new beginnings, so why not look forward and upwards?

I read the following on achieving goals somewhere and I think it is relevant:

Firstly if you make a resolution you will be 10 times more likely to attain it than people who don’t! (That one seems pretty obvious… it is hard to achieve a goal you don’t have).

And having said it, it is the energy you put behind it that will have the results.

If you say “that’s a good idea”, you will have only a 10% chance of making a change.

If you commit to “I’ll do it,” your chances increase to 25%.

If you then give it a deadline, chances will go to 40%.

Creating a specific plan of how to do it, will move it up to 50%.

When you share it with someone else thats another 10% to 60% odds.

If you want your odds of permanent change to go to 95% you must set a specific time to share your progress with someone.

Reading that, it really seems that once you make the decision on your goal, the best way is to commit yourself to it by making yourself accountable to others for your progress.

So with that in mind, here is mine for my business in the new year:

RESOLUTION #1

I want to achieve a 500% increase in business for one of my clients as a result of my work. It’s gotten pretty close this past year, hitting over 300%, but 500% is the mark I’m shooting for. That will happen by June 30th this year.

That’s it. One and only. I figure if I can achieve that one goal, anything else I want will have fallen into place. Sure, when I look on my fridge I have about 30 listed (I write down all my goals with timeframes and action plans), but that is my biggest business goal for this year.

What are your resolutions?

Bad design.

What does this mean for you, the business owner and online advertiser? It means that it is almost certain that your advertising money is being wasted, and your business is missing out on the most lucrative market in the world. There was a time when you could put a simple sales page up on the internet and expect it to convert well. That time is gone. With the internet being flooded by everything from Elephant Back Scratchers to Cactus Pants, your product is lost in the noise.

With people becoming more educated and more wary, good design has become your most important tool in selling your products and achieving ...]]> We all know that the overwhelming majority of all ads and websites on the internet go unnoticed and unclicked. ComScore tells us that only 16% of display ads ever get clicked! Why?

Bad design.

What does this mean for you, the business owner and online advertiser? It means that it is almost certain that your advertising money is being wasted, and your business is missing out on the most lucrative market in the world. There was a time when you could put a simple sales page up on the internet and expect it to convert well. That time is gone. With the internet being flooded by everything from Elephant Back Scratchers to Cactus Pants, your product is lost in the noise.

With people becoming more educated and more wary, good design has become your most important tool in selling your products and achieving your goals.

Any time we critique a website or consult with a business on their websites performance, we have a list of over 40 keys that transform a poor performing website into one that converts. Here, we are giving you 5 of those keys to start getting your online business into shape.

Key #1 – The Connection & The Story

People are tired of being sold. They want a connection. They want to form a relationship with you. Nobody wants to land on a website and be told that they should buy something, without even really knowing that much about it, or about you. Tell them a story. Never view every visitor as a potential sale, view them as a potential relationship with some kind of opportunity that may arise from it.

Key #2 – The Next Step

You have someone on your website, fantastic! They have a quick look, then disappear back into the virtual world. You need to give someone a clear path to what you want them to do next. Not just a “Recent News” list, get them going where you want them to go. Every step you take someone into your step is another step to developing a great relationship with them. Don’t expect people to land on your site and then explore everything.

Key #3 – Further Contact

One great thing about a website is the ability to collect a list / database that you can then use to distribute information and get potential sales and customers. That’s right, the subscription form. They key with this is to not hide it down in the footer. You want people to connect with you! If you know you need it to make a list, actually make a feature out of it! We have found, on average, that if you place a subscription form “above the fold” (visible without having to scroll down) the opt-in rate increases 10% without a single other change.

Key #4 – The Visual Experience

Here it is. Design. The biggest key to making a website a success. Content is not enough anymore – the design of it is integral. You can double your sales overnight by simply changing the look of the website. So many of our clients have come to us with a website they have made themselves, or gotten made for as little as possible, asking why it is they are not working. Then with a redesign they start to experience online success, without changing any content. You want to be professional? Look the part.

Key #5 – Credibility

People want to trust you and trust your products. One of the best way to do that is show them testimonials, logos, partners, etc who have experienced your work in the past. Testimonials are huge! Reviews on Amazon can make or break a product. The same goes for you! Get good reviews and testimonials and publish them on your site. Even better: have them as videos.

Remember that your first impression with a website visitor is the most important. Having a bad experience may mean they never come back. Give them a great experience.

Good luck and I hope you experience the success you deserve!

Something very common is how long these speeches can be. If it took me 15 minutes to accurately describe my business I don’t think I could ever really be a success. What we want to be able to do is break down our business into a couple of inspiring phrases that ...]]> There is nothing that excites me more in my business than to talk to someone that is genuinely excited and passionate about their business, their ideas and their goals and taking the step of making them happen. One thing that these people will always have in common is a love of speaking about their idea. Some do it brilliantly with Schwarzenegger voices and demonstrations, some do it calmly a succinctly, yet others tell the entire history of their business from the first thought that happened in their Grandmothers living room.

Something very common is how long these speeches can be. If it took me 15 minutes to accurately describe my business I don’t think I could ever really be a success. What we want to be able to do is break down our business into a couple of inspiring phrases that capture attention and communicate exactly what we are about.

It’s the elevator speech.

If you met someone in an elevator and had to describe your business, how would you do it? Or even better, if someone was jumping into a taxi and you had to tell them what your business was about before they left, how could you get them to be interested?

There are a few questions you can ask yourself to start building your Business Story.

1. What Do I Do?
2. What is the Problem That I Solve?
3. How am I Different?
4. Why Should You Be Interested?

You can develop an effective and impressive Business Story just by succinctly answering these questions in a sentence each.

I am very proud of my business story and I think it communicates exactly what I do. I create brands and websites that serve a purpose. Then if they want to hear more I can tell them that most websites and brands, although functional or beautiful, may not actually serve the purpose that they are there for, if they even have one. I can say that what separates me from the pack is that I have an instinct for finding, creating and guiding purpose and reflecting it through design that I have not seen anywhere else.

My business story will usually only go as far as the first sentence, then people get it. You want them to immediately know what you do and how it benefits them.

If you can create a compelling Business Story, people will always want to know more!

When Matt first started designing invitations as a freelancer, he did everything he could to get the word out there. He featured his work in design showcases, he advertised on all the design sites, he used FaceBook ads, LinkedIn ads, Twitter campaigns, he called companies, everything. But there was one fundamental flaw in his entire advertising campaign.

He was advertising to the wrong person. His work, while beautiful, was being seen by all the designers in the world and while they loved it, they certainly were not buying from him. They were using his work ...]]> When you think of your business, what customer do you see walking through your doors? Are they 75 year old married women with millions to burn? Are they stressed out 28 year old stockbrokers? Finding your ideal client is the key to finding your true business opportunities.

When Matt first started designing invitations as a freelancer, he did everything he could to get the word out there. He featured his work in design showcases, he advertised on all the design sites, he used FaceBook ads, LinkedIn ads, Twitter campaigns, he called companies, everything. But there was one fundamental flaw in his entire advertising campaign.

He was advertising to the wrong person. His work, while beautiful, was being seen by all the designers in the world and while they loved it, they certainly were not buying from him. They were using his work as inspiration for their own.

So, what had to change?

He figured out exactly who it was that his customer was, where they visit and what do. Who buys invitations? People that are organizing events. Weddings, birthdays, corporate functions. The people that organize these are the people he needed to contact.

As soon as he changed the direction of his marketing business took off. His work was already amazing, he just needed to show it to the right people.

How can you figure out exactly who your market is?

The biggest question to ask is: Who would buy my product? Who do I want to buy my product? Figure that out first, and everything else will follow. You can’t sell your product or your services to anyone except the people that would buy it. Sounds simple, but it is crucial.

Next up is figuring out how to market to them. What do my buyers do? Where do they go? What do they do as hobbies? What magazines do they read? What websites do they visit? See any marketing opportunities in here?

One of the first questions I ask my clients is “Who is Your Customer?” And half of them have no idea. The magic is in the answer.

A great and unique name truly is the beginning of a great brand. We use a unique 5 Step System to creating a great business name, combined with an instinct for business success that can steer the direction of thought to the ideal name. Business name creation truly is an art.

Anyone wanting to create a great name needs to remember who it is their brand is appealing to. If you can successfully and thoroughly answer the questions below, you are on your way to creating an amazing and successful business name!

What is the base ...]]> What’s in a Business Name? It is your very first chance to create an emotion in your customer. It is the first impression they get and the last one they walk away with. Make sure that your Business Name reflects you and your business the right way.

A great and unique name truly is the beginning of a great brand. We use a unique 5 Step System to creating a great business name, combined with an instinct for business success that can steer the direction of thought to the ideal name. Business name creation truly is an art.

Anyone wanting to create a great name needs to remember who it is their brand is appealing to. If you can successfully and thoroughly answer the questions below, you are on your way to creating an amazing and successful business name!

What is the base emotion or experience behind your business?

Is it happy? Sad? Excited? A travel business I consulted with had a name and a website that was nice, but plain dull. It didn’t inspire and it didn’t excite. Travelers travel because of the excitement of seeing new places and meeting new friends. It isn’t a scientific process. Figure out the emotion that your customers want, then give them that.

Who is going to be interested in your business?

Personality is one thing. But who is going to be attracted to that personality? Figure out exactly who your customer is. What do they do? How old are they? What do they read? If your ideal customer loves dogs, foreign cinema and goes to museums, you probably aren’t going to name your business the same way as a brewery. Figure out who you are targeting.

What is the personality of your business?

Every brand has a personality. Do you want it to be fun and friendly? Serious? Solemn? Once you know your customers, you can figure out the personality they are attracted to. Zazzle probably isn’t going to be the best name for a law office, but it could be great for a kids brand. Find the personality who want reflected by your brand.

Remember that your business is yours, so let your business name reflect you!

A lot of companies put this down to the fact that the 2 type of industries are basically from completely different world. One is focused on results, market awareness and penetration, corporate style, etc; the other is focused in innovation, impact and creativity. It is almost as though these 2 worlds can’t exist together!

But they can!

Often a corporate client just wants a brochure and they get back a work of abstract art. Other times the designer wants to make it look “corporate” so makes it boring and lacking in personality – when the client hired the designer to make it more creative!

How do you make sure that both sides are ...]]> It is a common frustration – you are from the Corporate world, your designer is from the Creative. You want corporate design, they want creative. You want blue, they want orange.

A lot of companies put this down to the fact that the 2 type of industries are basically from completely different world. One is focused on results, market awareness and penetration, corporate style, etc; the other is focused in innovation, impact and creativity. It is almost as though these 2 worlds can’t exist together!

But they can!

Often a corporate client just wants a brochure and they get back a work of abstract art. Other times the designer wants to make it look “corporate” so makes it boring and lacking in personality – when the client hired the designer to make it more creative!

How do you make sure that both sides are able to express themselves completely, whilst still giving each other exactly what the other is after?

All it takes is learning how to optimise the briefing process so that your designer knows exactly what you want from them, sometimes even why. Why the why? Because they may even have a better solution for you.

First let me say it is almost ALWAYS the designers job to ask the relevant questions to make sure their design is on the mark. Always. As a designer, my job is to create art that fulfills my clients objectives. As my client, their job is to let me know what those objectives are. I always make sure I am 100% clear on exactly what my client is after before I even start – that way so much time is saved in revisions and alterations later.

As a client, the way you can get the best result from your designer is to simply answer the following questions in your brief:

• What is the objective for this art? Should it make sales, create awareness, drive people to a website, etc.
• What is the target market for this art? Most corporate clients know exactly who their market is, but the designer may not have any clue. Make sure they know!
• If the main message could be summarised in 5 words, what would they be? Let the designer find the most elegant solution to your problem.
• What are the secondary objectives/messages?
• If you have a style-guide, what are the relevant sections of the guide for this piece of art?
• If there is no style-guide, what are examples of art that you like? And dislike? This lets the designer know visually what you are after.

Obviously you will have all the copy, etc to supply the designer as well; these questions give your designer the complete picture – they let them know exactly what the purpose behind the art is that needs to be communicated. It is almost impossible to create effective art without knowing the purpose.

Remember, the best way to get what you want, is to let the designer know what that is.

Unfortunately one of the biggest caveats of such an industry is the processes behind fulfilling orders. Either you pay a fulfillment house to take over the entire back end of the business, or you need to sit waiting for orders, then get the DVDs manufactured and stored, then personally ship them out to each customer that buys.

What if there was an easier way?

Here at Scott Creative Design we have been making use of an incredible technology to handle this for us. An automatic fulfillment house that takes the orders that have been placed, then manufactures each individual disc complete with printing, wrapping; then finally shipping to ...]]> So many industries have the opportunity to make extra money (or even a complete income) through the sale of DVDs. Fitness DVDs, Instructional, Presentation, Entertainment; they all can make use of a DVD Sales System.

Unfortunately one of the biggest caveats of such an industry is the processes behind fulfilling orders. Either you pay a fulfillment house to take over the entire back end of the business, or you need to sit waiting for orders, then get the DVDs manufactured and stored, then personally ship them out to each customer that buys.

What if there was an easier way?

Here at Scott Creative Design we have been making use of an incredible technology to handle this for us. An automatic fulfillment house that takes the orders that have been placed, then manufactures each individual disc complete with printing, wrapping; then finally shipping to the customer. The business owner doesn’t need to do a thing.

Now to make it even easier, we have now developed a unique technology that can take the orders direct from the website, and send them straight to the fulfillment house. What does this mean for you, the Business Owner? It means that the only job that you have is to count the money coming in.

It’s as easy as that.

Contact us today to discuss how you can start making a Passive Income Stream in the form of an online DVD business that couldn’t be easier.

Presenting a completely hand-drawn logo, plus if you manage to get one of her business cards, you’ll find a very nice surprise!