Another New Web Site

Congratulations to Amiya Prasad, MD on the launch of his new web site: http://www.draprasad.com.

I love this site because it is glamourous and hits the mark perfectly for NYC cosmetic surgeon. This is a stylish site that has a lot of substance, which is exactly how it should project a cosmetic practice in a major metropolitan area.

I was just having a conversation with our Reach Local rep Jessica Cooper about design yesterday. We were reviewing my client’s progress and statistics and it was very apparent that sites we had designed (like this one) were having higher conversions from site traffic to calls and contacts. I pointed out that this was likely because of our approach to custom design. I also think it has to do with our approach to how visual the site should be. When a client elects to fully leverage our design skills, there seems to be more conversions to calls and email contacts.

This is a very subjective area but you cannot ignore the trend. Sometimes a client wants to be very hands on with their design. However, we are specialists. With more than 20 years in media, I can tell on a first impression if a site or any piece of media is going to be successful. There are some basics that just are known to work. And, when a client allows us to use that know-how and skills, the results are usually really good. When a client is very hands-on and wants us to simply use the programs to manifest their vision, if that vision does not have those design basics, the results will speak for themselves.

You want to appear different and distinctive. Keep in mind that, on the web, a lot of visitors will look at you as part of line-up of competitors. There is no mystery behind web design. The same visual and fine art principles that make advertising on TV, print and other visual mediums work on the web, too. However, it depends on which web designer you are choosing. Someone who approaches the site simply from a web functionality point of view will likely lack the design skills to separate you from your competitors visually. A company that prioritizes the science of the web over the art is likely to lack the same as well. This is why our sites are successful. We blend the art and the science. Our sites optimize well and have high response rates but, when allowed, we can give you something distinctive that is right on point... like this new site.

If you want to upgrade your site and are ready to be more competitive online, please email me today at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Great new web site by Dog Star Media

Congratulations to cosmetic dentist Peter Noto on his new Flash Video web site. You can see his new web site at www.westchesterdental.com.

Dog Star Media specializes in custom design. Each client prefers a specific style in graphics, transitions, animations and content. In this case, dramatic colors, flashes of animation and specifically placed video were all designed to Dr. Noto’s specifications.

In most cases, your web site is the first real impression you make on a potential new patient. It is a place where you can tell your whole story. To make the best first impression, why not lead with your strongest selling point, your personal first impression. This is you, the doctor, speaking to your patients about video. Some others in this field say that video of the doctor speaking on the first page of a web site is a mistake. I completely disagree.

I tell clients to be realistic when evaluating this. The most important part of earning the trust of a patient is the impression the doctor makes. Video helps you make that impression up front, not after a prospective patient has to go through so many steps to meet you. Video has the potential to make an important first impression and stop the shopping.

Some say, however, that video is not worth the loading time on the front page. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you are concerned with loading time, put your video in a small element that is part of the home page. If you are concerned about the volume being turned up on the video and scaring off people surfing at work, then play your video on mute with a mouse rollover or click to play the audio. This gives people the time to adjust their audio. If you are concerned about being too in-your-face, then roll over to play or play on mute as described above.

Really, there is no reason not to have your video on your front page. Do you like to wait? No, well either do others. The real reason they come to your web site is to learn about you. If you are not serving that up at the earliest opportunity on your web site, then you are not being as aggressive as you can be. If you are ready to add video to your web site, either an existing web site or a new web site, please contact me today. It is easy and we introduced this concept to both cosmetic dentistry and cosmetic surgery well before our competitors did it. We are a web design company and a video production company and that makes a difference in helping your make your best performance come out on video on your site. If you are ready to use this important tool on your web site, please contact me today at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Simple communication principle that is often ignored.

This is the time of year that most small business owners are gearing up for their annual plan. They work on the plan, they have their ideas and they budget (generally) for the execution. Then, once the company taxes are filed on March 15, everyone jumps out there and starts.

If this is you, then this is such a critical time to listen to good advice. So, here is some that seems so simple, so practical that it would seem like common sense. However, in my observation, this is the single most ignored principle in marketing a small business.

The principle: Communicate with people in the way they want to accept the information.

Believe it or not, most of the marketing decisions I wind up reversing do not adhere to this principle. To me, it is shocking but the fact is, many people get caught up with what they want to say and don’t consider the listener. This impacts the message and frequently the medium chosen.

Until you train yourself on this principle, you have to assume that everyone of your prospects speaks a different language than you. In fact, they do not all speak the same language. So, you have to modify what you want to say and speak their languages.

In basic cases, this can be as simple as talking about features and benefits. Benefits are what are important to the people in your market. Features are what are important to you. So, at the minimum, you have to speak their language, focusing on benefits. Otherwise, your message is not translating.

Taking it out a level, how you communicate is equally important. In this technological age, we have enough measurement tools available to really understand how people shop and research a given business. There does not need to be a lot of guesswork involved anymore if you are using the right tools. So, if you refuse to look at behavioral trends in your own marketing, you are probably making the classic mistake of communicating the way you think works, or in a way that works for you, or in a way you think should work. All of that would be great if you are communicating with yourself, but the point is to get NEW people interested in what you offer. So, we have to speak their language.

I see some of my clients being very successful on Facebook and some not even trying. One in particular is having excellent success just by being social and active on Facebook. He initiates more than once daily, introducing ideas, questions, comments... and all the posts are not all-business. Some are lighthearted and therefore attractive. A lot of comments and questions gets stirred up and he ushers those offline and into consultations. THAT is an example of communicating in their language, using a medium in which people want to communicate these days.

If you are looking at refining and want to have a really smart, effective effort marketing in 2010, then gearing all your messages and choices for marketing toward how the market wants to accept the information. Learn to speak THEIR language. It requires giving up a little of what you want to do and accepting a lot of what you should be doing. This is what my coaching program is all about. It is inexpensive at $300/month but the guidance can refine tens of thousands of dollars in marketing and advertising that is just off enough to where it is not hitting the mark.

If you are interested in learning how to speak THEIR language, why not try my coaching program out for 6 months? If you are interested, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com or call me to discuss it at 888-321-4004.

This is one example where you can get better easil

Our clients are up a total of 30% in web traffic. How are you doing?

2010 is off to a fast start on the web for Dog Star Media clients. We know this from our centralized reporting process and our coordinated reports that are all scheduled for the first of the month. We pull Google Analytics, SEO reports and audits, Tracking Number reports and paid search reports from our paid search vendors such as Reach Local all on the first of each month. This gives us a regular period of focus for all of our clients. This month, the sum total of our clients improvement in traffic was up 30.59%. Average time on all of our sites is up to 2.06 minutes. Both are climbing.

Why is this important? It is regular, predictable and detailed. So, clients in our coaching, retainer and SEO programs all have this focused, predictable reporting. Our position is that you should not have to ask for a report or go online and run them yourselves. When this happens clients tend to not do it. This leads to months without any reporting and monitoring, which then leads to misunderstandings and disappointments. This is all because you don’t have your finger on the pulse of what is going on. Having the information delivered to you makes a huge difference.

This is one of the reasons why our coaching program really does keep things clear. We bring the information to you and explain it. In our SEO program, with your reports we give you top level summaries of main trends... the trends you care about: New Visitors, Total Traffic, Time on Site... the things that matter to you. These are the things you really are buying when you buy SEO. You may be purchasing optimization but you really wanting results. We help you understand the results you are getting from what you are buying. And, our tracking numbers... these are the most valuable tool of all. Setting aside part of one day each month to look at your incoming call information is an important task in managing a business. With the regular reporting we bring to you, that is a critical behavior we try to encourage through being consistent in our reporting.

So, as you start your new year and look for ways to improve, why not consider the organized rhythms of Dog Star Media for SEO, coaching and tracking numbers. These services are inexpensive but they will give you the infrastructure on which you can build a successful marketing program. Are you ready to understand your marketing functions better? Are you ready to have something predictable and consistent? Are you ready to put a little time in and get a lot of insight out? I encourage you to try. Try a tracking number for a year. It is only an annual payment of $480. Try our SEO program. Prices start at $300/month. Try our coaching program. It has a 60-day opt out and is only $300/month. But, if you do not have the predictable and consistent support you need as a small business owner, try something. If you are ready to try, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

Quadrant 4 and Marketing on Facebook

This connection came to me during a coaching session with Carlos Pou, MD from Puerto Rico. I told him I’d give him the credit for helping this idea come together.

So many marketing companies struggle when explaining why marketing on social networking sites is growing in importance. The stand-by reasons are: 1) the ability to reach a very focused demographic, 2) the volume of users (now that there are more Facebook profiles than US citizens) and 3) the easy ability to connect through others to a wide audience. All of these factors are true about social networking sites but none of these is the most important reason to market on Facebook in my opinion. Those factors describe the nature of the tool. I think the most important reason to market on Facebook is the nature of the user... and how they spend their time.

Facebook users spend leisure time on the site and in the network. And, what is leisure time? In 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey offers a simple time management system. It has two principles: Importance and Urgency. Facebook networking occurs in Quadrant 4, Not Urgent and Not Important. It’s important to know what makes people retreat to Quadrant 4. What makes you want to relax? Stress is a main factor which leads us to Quadrant 4. It is understood that the more time you spend in Quadrant 1, under fire with Urgent and Important things to do, the more you need to unwind in Quadrant 4. Also, many people cannot focus for long periods or are motivated by social interaction or are by nature playful. All of these factors result in more time being spent in Quadrant 4, doing something not important and not urgent.

So, Facebook is quickly becoming a place where a lot of leisure time is spent. With time comes attention and opportunity. That is why this is an important environment to make marketing inroads. What should keep you coming back is knowing that this is a Quadrant 4 outlet and the factors that drive people to Quadrant 4 are not going to ever change. The need to recharge and relax is immediate and frequently needed.

If you think this is just a theory, then look no further than your own television. Broadcast TV rapidly grew from minimal programming in the early 50s. Eventually, it has grown to hundreds of niche stations available on broadcast, cable and satellite. Why? Because it is where we go for some Quadrant 4 time. And the advertisers followed because they wanted to be where people wanted to spend time.. easy time. Facebook is the same way right now. Quadrant 4 has not changed, only the options for touching people in their Quadrant 4 have. If you have any questions about how to do this for your practice, contact me today at donald@dogstarmedia.com

Web Site Advice: Bounce Rate

When it comes to statistics, you manipulate the numbers to support just about any case you want. However, it is important to have a clear understanding of what is happening on your web site. When you design a site, you intend to convey certain information. It’s important to make sure that people are using your site within reasonable expectations. If they are not, you better make changes.

A good place to start is Bounce Rate. Your bounce rate is the percentage of site visitors that visit your home page and then bounce off... or leave. Just like any other piece of marketing media, your web site makes a first impression and you either hook the viewer or you don’t. If you don’t they bounce. They go to other sites, back to their search or somewhere else altogether. Naturally, we want to keep the bounce rate as low as possible.

Depending on what kind of site you have, this statistic can be confusing. If your site is all Flash, chances are you will have a very high bounce rate. This is because many all Flash sites are frequently designed on one page. The Flash file is then loaded into that one page. So, there is only one page for measurable navigation. So, even if someone clicks through an all Flash site, it usually shows up as a bounce. There are ways around this, including measurement tools that are built into the Flash to track users’ navigation. However, if you don’t know this, the ultra-high bounce rate can be scary to look at.

In cases like this, if you are not measuring the internal clicks on the Flash pages, I suggest looking at the average time on site. If you have a high bounce rate and a long average visit duration, then users are clicking through the Flash pages. But, if you have a high bounce rate and a short average visit, your site is repelling visitors. That requires an immediate design intervention.

Low bounce rates are the sign of a site that communciates the way users want to receive information. This is what is called “intuitive design.” That is one of the hallmarks of a Dog Star Media-designed web site. When measured, we have very low bounce rates and high time on site. A corollary statistic on that is average number of pages clicked and our stats are high on that on most sites. Of course, we are measuring those stats on Google Analytics for sites on which we are conducting our SEO program. A factor in all of this is matching the right search visitors to an intuitive site, so who you are attracting makes a difference, too.

So, the take-away advice here is to know what your visitors are doing so you can make your adjustments. And, adjustments should always be a part of your Internet strategy. Are users bouncing away after a short view of your site? Are users staying long enough and clicking through to show us they are getting something out of their visit? Is the right traffic coming to your site via search engines? Measuring and watching these factors helps your site become more effective in generating business.

Remember your web site is your first impression. You have to keep an eye on whether or not you are making a good one. If you have questions about SEO or web redesign or Internet strategies, please email me today at donald@dogstarmedia.com.

SEO advice on backlinking

I was asked the other day about backlinking. We do not offer it as part of our SEO program but it is a legitimate search engine marketing activity. But, then again there are a lot of legitimate search engine marketing activities. The trick, as always, is knowing where the value lies.

I have to start all conversations about SEO and SEM by stating that Dog Star Media ONLY chooses measurable activities for our SEO. Backlinking is a legitimate activity that generally contributes to rankings but it is labor intensive. When other sites link to you, then you are extending the connectivity of the Internet and this improves your rankings somewhat. To achieve this, backlinking activities can be lots of research and emails to other site administrators hoping for link exchanges. The results frequently can be nothing but you have still paid for the efforts to try.

We just prefer to know that the time we spend is having a direct impact that is measurable. But this is not to say that linking can’t drive you plenty of traffic. Here is an example of how to invest in linking and still know you are not wasting on effort:

Let’s say you are going to pay an SEM or SEO service $450/month for the time to do backlinking. It is labor intensive, so you are paying for someone’s time. If they get you some links, depending on those linking sources, it will have an undetermined, yet positive impact on your rankings. (See why we don’t do this? Too many ifs and maybes).

For that same $450, why not pay to be linked to a local media outlet’s web site? This is a very common ad buy and local TV web sites get a lot of traffic typically. We have had many clients do this and drive a lot of traffic. Plus, you are still linking from a highly trafficked site! This improves your rankings and drives traffic all at the same time for the same investment. And... look at that... it’s fully measurable; just how we liked it.

This is the time of year that people like to try things new. After what we all went through last year, don’t you think you owe it to yourself to be smarter in your refinements this time around? If you want to refine your Internet strategy, let me help. Either through my coaching program where I help you learn and make these decisions or through our SEO program itself, we can help you compete better on the web by refining your efforts and cutting waste. If this motivates you to try better this year, why not email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com for help.