One of the biggest news stories over the past few weeks has been Facebook’s acquisition of the photo-sharing social network Instagram for a billion dollars. And while there’s been much speculation as to why Facebook would spend so much on a two-year-old, ten-employee business with less than a tenth of the user size (many of whom are already on Facebook), there is one thing that’s been made abundantly clear: Instagram fills a need that Facebook cannot meet.

In this piece by Geekwire (http://www.geekwire.com/2012/battle-train-market-instagram-facebook-telling-guys-year/), writer Sasha Pasulka suggests that Facebook has trapped itself in a text-based layout, while younger users (which it can no longer cater to exclusively, as it did in its early, college-only days) are becoming more image-oriented. Changes that the social media giant has made to its layouts to become more photo-oriented have been met with resistance, so it has opted to instead buy out the company that does what it can’t.

Besides the obvious implications of capitalizing on a need and a void in the market (Instagram was built on being a better alternative to photo sharing site Flickr, much like Foursquare gained widespread use by improving on the functionality of location-sharing site Dodgeball), there’s another lesson that business owners can learn from this buyout: images are key to online success.

Though sites like Wikipedia, Twitter, CNN, and other text-based pages dominate in web traffic, the newer titans of the web are using fewer and fewer words to tell their stories. Pinterest, Tumblr, and Instagram all use far more visual elements in their interfaces (as well as user input and output) than text elements. In an age where every phone has a camera and Web access, the Internet is moving away from telling and towards showing.
There’s a popular phrase on message boards, “TL; DR,” or “Too Long; Didn’t Read” – whenever confronted by long stretches of uninterrupted text, people will often tune out. Even breaking up the content with pictures can lead to the impression of a daunting information overload, a turn-off to visitors. If your landing page looks more like the Magna Carta than a pleasant greeting, you might be in trouble.

Facebook bought Instagram because it can’t change its word-based setup into a visual one, but that doesn’t mean that you have to spend a billion dollars to do it yourself. If you want to draw in and keep visitor interest with your page, it needs to have a more clear-cut approach, with a simple message that can be explained visually. Whether that means that you create infographics, instructional videos, or simply trim down the writing and add useful images, it can help to express your website more clearly to people who would be bored with mountains of text.

So if you’re concerned with page views, customer retention, and overall presentation of your business on the web, remember that less can be more. All that you need are a few visuals.

Remember when social media services like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn first hit the scene? It was an innovative and reasonably simple way to chat with friends and family, share photos and instantly invite them to events and gatherings.

Flash-forward to today, a time when social media sites not only help individuals keep in touch with one another, but also help businesses drive and keep customers. They’ve become as important as a business’s main Web site, but still are oftentimes overlooked by today’s business owners and operators. Ignoring or downplaying the role social media can play in a business’s operations can have a negative impact on a business’s sales and prevent the potential growth often associated with a social media presence. This is especially true when you consider the emphasis younger customers place on social media sites; many of them are more likely to visit a business’s social media site than their main Web site.

Just look at the statistics. As of March 2012, there were over 835 million Facebook users worldwide. Twitter currently has around 140 million active users, while approximately 150 individuals utilize LinkedIn.

Still not convinced? Consider the following benefits of developing and maintaining social media sites for your business.

· It can instantly generate sales. This is especially true if you include a link back to your Web site where customers can purchase your products or schedule service. If you make it easy for them to conduct a sales transaction—and this means not requiring them to call in or shop in person—you can quickly see an increase in sales attributed directly to your social media sites. Social media sites are also the perfect spots to place specials, promotions, discounts and deals available only to those customers who visit them. This gives them a great reason to keep checking out your social media sites….and turn them into repeat customers!

· It keeps you connected with your customers. Retaining customers is just as important as attracting them, if not more so. One way to build a loyal following of repeat customers is to engage them through your social media sites. Whether it’s an announcement on your Facebook page or a Tweet about a new promotion at your store, regular communication with your customers keeps your business in view and on their minds. Additionally, social media also provides a forum for customers to instantly communicate with you and other customers.

· It’s cheap advertising. Why spend on money on traditional advertising that’s becoming less and less effective and requires considerable time and attention, when your best bet is to utilize social media sites. Some, like Facebook, even have their own affordable advertising options and puts your business in front of millions of potential customers. Face the facts: Your customers and prospective customers are searching for your business online, not in a newspaper, magazine or billboard sign.

· It keeps your business open 24 hours a day. Just like your business Web site, social media sites keep your business open round-the-clock. Regardless of the time of the day, current and prospective customers can check out your weekly specials, post a message or purchase a good or service.

Social media is not just for personal communication. It’s now the perfect way to get a little social with your customers!

Unless you’re still running your business in the 20th Century, chances are you have a Web site designed with the expectation that it will draw in new business and keep existing customers informed and engaged.
Some business owners believe that just having some type of Web presence is all that’s needed. You know the ones. Their Web sites are bland, static and not interactive. While this approach may have been sufficient back in the 90s, it’s certainly not the case in the present. Today’s tech-savvy individuals—your customers—are becoming more and more accustomed to Web sites that utilize the most modern and cutting-edge technology. They want to do more than just read an “About Us” page or look at photos. They want to conduct transactions, interact with other customers and visitors, and take advantage of Web site benefits available only to those we visit a business online.

The drawing power of a Web site translates into loyal and returning customers. Here are a few considerations to determine if your Web site is effective into drawing and engaging customer traffic.

• Online purchasing or scheduling. A visitor lands on your site, checks out your products or services, is interested in making a purchase, and then……has to pick up the phone and call?? Giving customers the ability to easily make a purchase or schedule an appointment not only is 100 times more convenient for them, it also equates into more sales for you. Not only that, these types of online transactions also keep your business open 24 hours a day, which translate into sales even during non-business hours.

• Instant recognition of the products or services you offer. Today’s Internet-connected consumers want to know immediately the types of products or services you offer, an especially important consideration for prospective customers who are learning about your business for the first time through an online search. Make them stand out, preferably at the top of the page and above the “fold”. If they have to dig deep to find out about your business, there’s less of a chance they’ll stick around to make a purchase.

• Specials, discounts and promotions for online customers. Giving your customers a reason to keep visiting your site can turn them instantly into repeat customers. And chances are, they’ll tell their family, friends and colleagues about these online incentives as well. Create specials, discounts and promotions that are applicable only to online visitors, and you’ll soon see an increase in online traffic and sales.

• Search rankings. Your current customers may be able to find your business online, but what about prospective customers who are searching for services by key terms and not the name of your business? A high search ranking is important in today’s Internet-connected society where people are more apt to conduct an online search instead of looking through a phone book. You can ensure that your Web site makes it on the first page of search rankings by implementing a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) campaign, which focuses on you’re the keywords prospective customers use to find your business. (A future blog will delve into this topic.)

While it would be tough to pinpoint all the areas of you should examine on your Web site without an overall site analysis, the above list should give you a head-start in developing a site that attracts (and keeps) customers and grows your business!

Be different. Why send a long email to a prospect or client when you can send a YouTube video explaining what you do. It will probably take you just as long to type up a well crafted email as it would be to script out a video and you will be able to get a whole lot more feeling (of truly aiming to help the customer) with the video.

I believe we are so tipped out with advice, I’m letting you know there is only one tip in this post on purpose. Before you try 10 different tactics, use one strategy and execute on it.

“I don’t fear the man that practices 10,000 punches once. I fear the man that practices 1 punch 10,000 times.” :: Bruce Lee
Utilize video and differentiate from everyone else who is emailing business owners long emails or cold calling or sending letters. This is your own commercial to say exactly what you want to say to a client through email. Say the same thing you were going to type but say it in 90 seconds or less (ideally under 1 minute). If you aren’t comfortable on video, record yourself explaining how you can help address a current business challenge.

You can record (video or audio) and include more sincerity in your email than any tone a written email, a Facebook post, or a tweet can carry. Business owners are often overwhelmed with long emails so sending them an easy-to-listen-to email video that addresses them personally can help to distinguish you from the crowd. Recording video helps you work on your presentation skills; additionally, it re-humanizes the world of business.

You can take business owner issues and begin to create a video campaign for some of the biggest ones you are faced with. As a great way to serve, like conscious capitalism will encourage in years to come. Your video can address any one of the following:

1. Collaboration among departments
2. Improving company culture
3. Operational issues
4. Developing Relationships
5. Creativity among staff
6. Growth
7. Hiring/Managing Sales
8. Explaining to customers the value of their product
9. Funding/Cash Flow
10. Marketing
11. How to resolve communicatory issues
12. Employee Morale
13. Finding the business Unique Selling Point (USP)
14. Market is constantly changing
15. Your competition – what they do right, what they do wrong, and how you’ve adapted your business to be better

Sign up for Momentum Monday emails to give you a fun way to start off the week. It includes mindless humor, quotes, blogs, videos to view as well as a connection corner that highlights a Momentum Monday subscriber’s business.

As we come to the close of another productive week, I’d like to take a moment to share some fun, thought provoking links with all of you…

Ten cool tech concepts, explained in detail.

The art of selling a business on Facebook…

…and Pinterest!

A good thing to remember in the middle of any quarrel.

Struggling with social media? This tool might help.

Have a great weekend!

Practically everyone in the world with an Internet connection is plugged into a social network. There are over 800 million active Facebook users. Twitter has over 50 million. And this is before we get into smaller and niche-related sites. It seems like a no-brainer that you should have a business presence on every social network possible so you can maximize your potential customer base.

Actually, it might be in your best interests to stay away.

While it’s true that optimizing your website for search engines, buying ad space and adwords, building customer loyalty programs, subscription options, FAQs, and support systems can only help your business on the Web, it’s also true that all of these activities are passive. You control the flow of information, and when you deal with customers, it’s done privately, as a one-on-one endeavor.

Social networks are different. For every Facebook fan or Twitter follower, that’s another person who can see all of your messages, as well as those of your customers. Anything you say will be out in the open, so you will have to be constantly vigilant about your presence on those sites. The web is riddled with stories about poor customer relations on different social networking sites, which get passed around to potential customers, giving bad press to those who were previously unaware of the companies in the first place. Additionally, you will need to continually create new content on your accounts to continue keeping users invested in your brand. If your business is large enough, keeping up with your social networking accounts could become a full-time job. And as it’s dependent on your generating new messages and responses, it can distract from your core business.

If you focus on consumers on a personal level, though, a social network presence could be a huge boon. Discounts, contests, referral bonuses and other special features for followers can reap large dividends and deepen customer loyalty. Similarly, speaking with groups of people who use your product or service online can help to determine which features you may want to add or subtract to your offerings. Additionally, it’s a great way to put a personal voice to what you do, increasing the connection that consumers have to your brand.

Before you go running off to make (or delete) that social networking profile you’ve set up for your business, consider the pros and cons, and ask yourself a few questions – Do you have the time to devote to connecting with your customers? Can you develop enough content to keep them interested? Do you know how to keep your business’ “voice” professional and relatable? And can you afford the potential missteps that could occur with a large-scale audience?

Remember that social networking is a powerful tool in your business development kit. But understanding how to use it is crucial, if you decide to use it at all.

What’s the best way to motivate yourself in sales?

Setting goals works the same way as setting an end destination in a navigation system in your car or on your smart phone. The system gives you clear turn-by-turn directions from the starting point towards the end destination. While you are driving, you don’t see the whole route but you see what is immediately in front of you. You follow those directions until you successfully arrive at the end destination. By setting goals, you give clear instructions on where you want to successfully arrive. You don’t need to know each and every twist and turn along the way; you just need to notice when you are off track and not headed in the direction of your goals.

Success psychologists say that 95% – 98% of the people in the world do NOT have written goals and fail, while 2-5% have written goals and succeed. Setting goals offers your brain an end destination of success you want to achieve. Your brain offers you suggestions and feedback as you move towards and successfully arrive at your goal. Psycho Cybernetics by Maxwell Martz discusses the concept of your brain acting like a goal-achieving machine. When there are no goals set, your brain will wonder around aimlessly until it is given a goal. It is important to set yourself up for success by setting goals.

The best way to motivate yourself is to know where you are going and to do so you must pick an end destination and commit to accomplish it. Go on and set some goals, or if you already are…continue on the road to success!

Sign up for Momentum Monday emails to give you a fun way to start off the week. It includes mindless humor, quotes, blogs, videos to view as well as a connection corner that highlights a Momentum Monday subscriber’s business.

One of the most important questions that e-businesses are asking their
customers right now boils down to this: Would you rather have a piece
of cake, or a buffet with cake, pie, cookies, and other goodies?

The successes of subscription-based services like Spotify, Pandora,
Netflix, and Hulu Plus, have led to a new type of sales model where
customers sign up more for the options that they will have than for a
single piece of content. Running in opposition to traditional
one-purchase models from sites like iTunes and Amazon,
subscription-based companies offer their customers continued access to
their libraries of content, creating longer-running and deeper
relationships between businesses and buyers. Think about it: would
you rather have a customer come to your business and make a one-time,
$50 purchase, or sign up for an indefinite membership at $20 per
month?

Offering your customers a wide array of products for one price is
something that’s typically existed only for media sites. But by
applying this model to your business, you are actually sidestepping
the two main issues that people have with subscription sites: content
retention and client appeasement. After all, if you’re generating the
new content, you don’t need to worry about getting new stuff (and if
you do get additional products from partners, that will only
supplement what you already have), and you don’t need to hold off on
giving your customers the latest and greatest stuff as soon as you
have it.

Creating a subsctiption-based business model doesn’t mean you have to
abandon your previous, buffet-style options for customers. You can
let them pay a membership fee and have monthly access to all of your
products, or allow them to pick and choose for a full purchase of just
one (or a few bundled) item(s). But if you offer a specific product
or service, you might be confused as to if a subscription site will
work for you. If you offer any of the following, chances are that it
can, and could bring you greater long-run dividends than a
single-purchase model:

· – Software

· – Ebooks

· – Web utilities (like Member Desk)

· – Instructional audio/video products

Basically, if you offer something that can be sent in digital form, a
subscription model can work for you! And if you’re still building up
an archive of your own content, remember that you can buffer it with
related DRM-free offerings that you can find all over the Web.

If you’re looking for bigger profits and better long-term
relationships with your customers, try using a subscription model in
addition to your individual sales options – it’s the best way to let
them have their cake and eat it, too.

Today, we’ll be talking about one of our most successful clients – Twins Antenatal.

Twins Antenatal is a website based out of the UK, run by two sisters. It is made to prepare moms-to-be with more than one on the way for what’s to come, during and after pregnancy. Questions are answered in accessible, comforting ways and are based on the latest information from clinics around the UK. The website has hundreds of satisfied subscribers that have implemented and enjoyed their resources. So…what are some of the secrets to the success of these two entrepreneurial sisters?

- Twins Antenatal offers different membership levels. The more you pay, the more content becomes available to you. This is effective because it does not limit the client base. Anyone from just about any economic background can join and gain access to specific content.

- The FAQs page is comprehensive. It includes information about the topics covered by videos, whether or not content is downloadable, and why Twins Antenatal is the best source for information on twin pregnancies.

- Sample articles customized for the multiple stages of pregnancy are made public. This provides a generous preview of what to expect alongside the courses offered. The juxtaposition of free content with paid content draws customers in, inspiring them to learn more.

- The courses, though filled with useful information, are not time consuming. Each video runs about 10-15 minutes long. Twins Antenatal realizes that modern women are busy and desire nothing but the facts.

Overall, Twins Antenatal’s vast array of options makes it stand out among other pregnancy resources. The website caters to its clients in a personable, yet professional way – a balance that is hard to strike.

How do YOU personalize your business? Let me know in the comments below.

As we come to the close of another productive week, I’d like to take a moment to share some fun, thought provoking links with all of you…

Are you really as busy as you think you are? A few tips on prioritizing, courtesy of Laura Vanderkam.

Don’t feel so guilty about your coffee fix! As it turns out, coffee’s benefits far outweigh its downsides.

It’s all about perspective.

Why distractions can be surprisingly good for creative thinking.

A workplace survival guide, inclusive of all the office archetypes.

MIT, an institution infamous for its super-smart culture, is now offering a set of courses made to hone social skills. Is this discriminatory to nerd stereotypes or could everyone use a refresher on these topics? You decide.

Next week: a case study detailing the successes of one of our clients. Have a great weekend!