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The Lost Art of Conversion Optimization
Posted Jan 21st, 2011 By Mirna Bard in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Website With | 2 Comments

Commercial websites aren’t cheap to build and maintain, and if you own a business with a website you probably want something to come from that expense. For some businesses that means a sale, for others a lead, and for yet others it’s clicks on paid advertisements.

Regardless of what you want from your website, it seems obvious that more traffic to the site would help with all of the above…right? Yes and no.

Before you drive more traffic to a website, it is important to make sure that your website is doing what you want it to do as efficiently and effectively as possible. There’s no point pouring more water into a leaky funnel. Enter conversion optimization.

If one were to define conversion optimization, the definition would be quite simple: making a website simpler and easier for customers to use.

Have you ever made a purchase online? Filled out an online form for more information? Signed up for an online service? If yes to any of these, how was that experience? Easy? Frustrating? Keep those experiences in mind as you read the following.

Though conversion optimization techniques can range from the ridiculously simple to the incredibly complex, the process can be broken down into 3 steps: Research, Measure and Test.

Research

One of the most beneficial things you can do, both for your business in general as well as your conversion rate is to exactly define and then thoroughly research your target audience. Only when you really know the people you are trying to reach can you craft a compelling message that will get them to do what you want them to do.

Visit successful websites in your industry, as well as successful websites in different industries that cater to the same demographic, and make notes about the site. Go through the following steps on each site:

1. Start at the home page, search for and locate a product you want, and add it to your cart (or start at the home page and find a contact form, if lead generation is your goal.) Make a note of how many steps were in that process, whether it was easy or hard to find the product/form, and anything else that stood out to you.

Also pay attention to how you feel and the colors being used for backgrounds, headers and buttons. Colors can evoke an emotional response, so keep that in mind. (more…)
11 Information Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
Posted Jan 19th, 2011 By Mirna Bard in Business With | 2 Comments

I get approached by many who want to start Internet-based businesses, so I asked one of my favorite marketing mentors, Adam Urbanski, to share a guest post that would help my readers avoid common Internet marketing mistakes. Adam is also gives fantastic tips in his complimentary tutorial videos. Check them out here: http://ht.ly/3FyCn.

Every day I get calls from my clients asking me questions about doing business online. Each time they cite something they just heard from some “Internet Marketing Guru.” Unfortunately, more often that I care to admit, what people are told about building a profitable online business – specifically information marketing business – is little more than a bunch of crap!

If you’ve followed a lot of that crappy advice, tried your hand at building an Internet-based business and haven’t yet reached the success you want, these 11 deadly mistakes and tips how to avoid them are for you.

Mistake #1 – Not Treating What You Do as a Business.

The difference between a hobby and a business is that a hobby doesn’t make you money – it costs you money.

If you’re serious about starting a building a profitable online business approach seriously and focus on generating revenue.

Treat your online business as if you would any regular business.

Mistake #2 – Being Distracted by Too Many Good Ideas.

You can light up a room with a light bulb, but you can cut through steel with a laser beam. The same is true with your effort and ideas.

Too many Internet-Entrepreneur-Wanna-Bes lack the will power to stay focused on one business venture from beginning to end. Chasing too many ideas at the same time often leaves them exhausted, frustrated, and with little results to show for their hard work.

The key to success is to select one business idea and to develop it completely before moving on to another project.

Mistake #3 – Not Selecting a Specific Niche.

Perhaps the biggest mistake of all is trying to be everything to everyone. You can’t – so stop!

It’s very counter-intuitive to focus on a smaller slice of the market and most people are afraid to do it. But when you do, your business will grow faster, and you’ll be more financially successful in less time. (more…)
20 of the Most Favored Social Media Blog Posts of 2010
Posted Dec 20th, 2010 By Mirna Bard in Blogging, Business, Social Media With | 1 Comment
Here are 20 most read and widely-shared social media blog posts of 2010 on MirnaBard.com. It’s a good time to revisit many of these posts, as they are great reminders when planning for 2011. Please let me know what your favorite one was in the comments below.

Thank you for all my supportive readers. I appreciate you more than you know!
Which one of the 20 was your favorite of 2010?
Are Christmas Card Traditions for Business Still Effective?
Posted Dec 7th, 2010 By Mirna Bard in Business With | 2 Comments

For modern business owners, sending out Christmas cards may seem like an old fashioned thing to do. In the past, doing business with customers was something that happened during face to face meetings, and relationships were built up over time.

Today’s business environment is much more fast-paced, and it’s possible to deal with a customer or a supplier over a long time without actually having met that person. Simply because the ways we do business have changed, it doesn’t mean that we should ignore the elements of building and maintaining relationships with the people and companies who have contributed to our success over the past 12 months.

Your business would die without its valued customers – it’s as simple as that. It takes a lot less effort and energy on the part of a business owner to keep a number of existing customers happy with your products and services than to have to find new ones. It’s a lot less expensive as well, and as a business owner you need to keep your eyes firmly on the bottom line when you are making decisions for your company. (more…)
The State of Social Media for Business 2010
Posted Nov 22nd, 2010 By Mirna Bard in Business, Social Media With | 1 Comment
SmartBrief, Inc. has released an extremely valuable tool to add to your social media collection — The State of Social Media for Business 2010. This report is the most comprehensive study I have seen on social media. It is filled with goals, opportunities, threats, and tactics of social media. Approximately 6,500 executives shared everything about how their companies are adopting, integrating and utilizing social media in this benchmarking study.

This excellent survey was designed to provide a benchmark of current trends and ways of tracking the following:
- Who is using social media for business
- What social-media tools and channels are being used
- What goals are being pursued
- What tactics are being deployed
- What obstacles are standing in the way of adoption
- How companies assess their own social-media strategies
Some key insights from the report include:
- 66.5% of businesses have adopted social media in the past 18 months.
- Less than 15% of businesses are measuring the ROI of their social-media efforts.
- Only 14.2% of businesses find their social-media strategies to be “very effective” — and only 7.3% consider them “very revenue generating.”
The data also shows that despite some early innovators, most companies are in the burgeoning stages of social media adoption. The report shows areas that are underleveraged and still have enormous potential for expansion. The following trends highlight how most companies are just scratching the surface of social media potential for business:

1. Many companies are new to social media and have used the channel for a year or less.

2. Companies rely heavily on five major social-media platforms.

3. Awareness of other social-media platforms is low.

4. It takes time for social media to become effective for companies.

5. Most companies use social media to broadcast information to customers and prospective customers.

6. Most companies have not yet cracked the code on how to create an engaging, creative or effective social-media strategy.

7. Most companies do not have an expectation of social-media ROI, and social-media measurement is not yet the norm.

8. There is a big opportunity for companies to distinguish themselves in this arena.

You can download the key takeaways in a FREE topline or purchase the 145-page State of Social Media for Business report. I highly recommend the latter.

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