Increase Your Website Credibility in the Age of Content Marketing

As content marketing increasingly becomes the standard avenue for building trust and gaining credibility with customers, your website is going to have to keep up with the trend. Heavy-handed and ‘salesy’ strategies that may have worked a few years ago in order to get email opt-ins or conversions just aren’t going to cut it anymore.

Consumers are looking for someone they can trust - period. And trust isn’t something you can fake.

So for business owners and marketers looking to succeed in this age of inbound marketing, having a website that conveys trustworthiness, credibility and authenticity is going to be paramount.

So how do you do this? How do you make sure your website stand out among less credible resources online?

1) Show Who’s Behind Your Business

Let’s face it, your business’s biggest asset is you. Don’t hide behind your logo or business name. Let your website visitors know there are real people behind your business and/or brand.

You can do this in a variety of ways, including:

• Place your photo on your “About” page.

• Prominently display your contact information (refrain from using general email addresses like info@your-company.com when possible).

• Display photos of your business and location (if you have a brick and mortar storefront, public office space, etc.).

• Profile employees (if you’re more than a “one man band” in business).

2) Show Who’s Writing Your Content

This is, I believe, going to be a make it or break it proposition for businesses in the content marketing age.

Don’t assume that your audience demands your personal involvement in all areas of your content marketing such as emails, blog posts and social media updates. Most will understand that you simply don’t have time to do it all.

If you have staff to perform these functions for you, be transparent by having them include their names and credentials.

3) Show That Others Like You

Offering social proof on your website is a not-so-subtle way of saying, ‘Hey, others like me, why don’t you?’ Help alleviate fears your website visitors may have about connecting with you by showing that others have done it before.

You can include social proof on your site by using social media counters, showing the number of email subscribers you have or by displaying verifiable testimonials.

4) Show That Your Content is Current

There are obviously some sites and types of content that are, by their very nature, timely and up-to-date (think news sites, travel booking sites, shopping sites, etc.). But if it’s not immediately obvious that your content is fresh and timely, you may be losing credibility without even realizing it.

Make sure your blog posts are dated, and that any ‘newsy’ type content is clearly labeled as current. Of course, if you’re not regularly updating your website, this is going to hurt your credibility, so be aware of this up front.

5) Be Clear About Your Biases

Whether you have an eCommerce site, a content-based site or a site that simply represents your online and/or brick and mortar business, be clear and transparent about the purpose of your site and any potential conflicts of interest that could arise.

For instance, if the ultimate goal of your website is to sell your web design services, don’t masquerade your site as something else. Be up front about what you do, why you’re doing it and if or how your content may be affected.

In a time where content needs to be reliable and authentic in order to stand out from the pack, content marketers are going to need to be diligent about conveying this credibility to their website visitors.

By following the general rule of being clear and transparent about all aspects of your site and business, you’ll be well on your way to gaining the trust and respect of your website visitors both now, and in the future.

What tactics do you use to establish trust and increase your website credibility?

Suspiscious Photo via Shutterstock

Increase Your Website Credibility in the Age of Content Marketing

As content marketing increasingly becomes the standard avenue for building trust and gaining credibility with customers, your website is going to have to keep up with the trend. Heavy-handed and ‘salesy’ strategies that may have worked a few years ago in order to get email opt-ins or conversions just aren’t going to cut it anymore.

Consumers are looking for someone they can trust - period. And trust isn’t something you can fake.

So for business owners and marketers looking to succeed in this age of inbound marketing, having a website that conveys trustworthiness, credibility and authenticity is going to be paramount.

So how do you do this? How do you make sure your website stand out among less credible resources online?

1) Show Who’s Behind Your Business

Let’s face it, your business’s biggest asset is you. Don’t hide behind your logo or business name. Let your website visitors know there are real people behind your business and/or brand.

You can do this in a variety of ways, including:

• Place your photo on your “About” page.

• Prominently display your contact information (refrain from using general email addresses like info@your-company.com when possible).

• Display photos of your business and location (if you have a brick and mortar storefront, public office space, etc.).

• Profile employees (if you’re more than a “one man band” in business).

2) Show Who’s Writing Your Content

This is, I believe, going to be a make it or break it proposition for businesses in the content marketing age.

Don’t assume that your audience demands your personal involvement in all areas of your content marketing such as emails, blog posts and social media updates. Most will understand that you simply don’t have time to do it all.

If you have staff to perform these functions for you, be transparent by having them include their names and credentials.

3) Show That Others Like You

Offering social proof on your website is a not-so-subtle way of saying, ‘Hey, others like me, why don’t you?’ Help alleviate fears your website visitors may have about connecting with you by showing that others have done it before.

You can include social proof on your site by using social media counters, showing the number of email subscribers you have or by displaying verifiable testimonials.

4) Show That Your Content is Current

There are obviously some sites and types of content that are, by their very nature, timely and up-to-date (think news sites, travel booking sites, shopping sites, etc.). But if it’s not immediately obvious that your content is fresh and timely, you may be losing credibility without even realizing it.

Make sure your blog posts are dated, and that any ‘newsy’ type content is clearly labeled as current. Of course, if you’re not regularly updating your website, this is going to hurt your credibility, so be aware of this up front.

5) Be Clear About Your Biases

Whether you have an eCommerce site, a content-based site or a site that simply represents your online and/or brick and mortar business, be clear and transparent about the purpose of your site and any potential conflicts of interest that could arise.

For instance, if the ultimate goal of your website is to sell your web design services, don’t masquerade your site as something else. Be up front about what you do, why you’re doing it and if or how your content may be affected.

In a time where content needs to be reliable and authentic in order to stand out from the pack, content marketers are going to need to be diligent about conveying this credibility to their website visitors.

By following the general rule of being clear and transparent about all aspects of your site and business, you’ll be well on your way to gaining the trust and respect of your website visitors both now, and in the future.

What tactics do you use to establish trust and increase your website credibility?

Suspiscious Photo via Shutterstock

Having A Mobile Website is Crucial: Wix Develops New Product To Make That Simple

Every business is looking for a way to build a better mousetrap. Wix.com, a company that allows users to create dynamic DIY websites, is trying to do just that with building a mobile website. As I’ve covered before, formatting websites to fit a mobile platform is an increasingly important in this age of smartphones and tablets, and Wix now allows its 38 million users to fine tune the mobile experience of their website.

Wix has been an increasingly viable option over the past few years for building a website. From its drag-and-drop ease to its ever evolving tool set, including Shopify and Google Apps, it continues to work to provide a straightforward experience for making a website. Hundreds of templates and the ability to create an e-commerce website are just a few more of the features that Wix offers. But, like any business that’s still growing, its mobile presence was lacking.

“There are many responsive design solutions out there that work in blocks, scaling and rearranging components based on screen size. Wix, however, is built on flexible layers so we set out to create an infinitely flexible and customizable mobile offering to match and augment the Wix platform,” said Avishai Abrahami, Wix co-founder and CEO. “Our goal has always been to put the power of the web into the hands of our users by providing tools to create and manage a professional and comprehensive online presence. The new mobile solution is the latest addition to the Wix suite, allowing SMBs, entrepreneurs and creative professionals to compete effectively however the market evolves.” 

In the U.S. alone roughly 56% of adults own a smartphone, and 35% of Americans over the age of 16 own a tablet computer. With these staggering markets, it’s safe to say that mobile experiences are a large cut of a website’s audience. For many, that means converting a desktop optimized website, but sometimes the end result can fall flat.

Wix converts the desktop website to the mobile platform, and then allows users to fine tune the experience exactly to their liking. Want to change the design around a bit? Wix lets you do that. Want to hide content you feel your audience won’t make use of through a mobile platform? Wix lets you do that, too. The Wix mobile offering adheres to critical web and mobile best practices including a single URL structure across versions, a single source code, and a single source of content. Not only are these best practices great for SEO, they also make it easy for Wix users to maintain and manage their web presence, desktop to mobile, from a single location.

Short of hiring a web designer for your business to painstakingly (and in all likelihood, expensively!) create your mobile experience, Wix can be a handy alternative to creating both an online and mobile experience to fit the needs of your business. Have you optimized your website for the mobile user? If not, what are you waiting for?!

Having A Mobile Website is Crucial: Wix Develops New Product To Make That Simple

Every business is looking for a way to build a better mousetrap. Wix.com, a company that allows users to create dynamic DIY websites, is trying to do just that with building a mobile website. As I’ve covered before, formatting websites to fit a mobile platform is an increasingly important in this age of smartphones and tablets, and Wix now allows its 38 million users to fine tune the mobile experience of their website.

Wix has been an increasingly viable option over the past few years for building a website. From its drag-and-drop ease to its ever evolving tool set, including Shopify and Google Apps, it continues to work to provide a straightforward experience for making a website. Hundreds of templates and the ability to create an e-commerce website are just a few more of the features that Wix offers. But, like any business that’s still growing, its mobile presence was lacking.

“There are many responsive design solutions out there that work in blocks, scaling and rearranging components based on screen size. Wix, however, is built on flexible layers so we set out to create an infinitely flexible and customizable mobile offering to match and augment the Wix platform,” said Avishai Abrahami, Wix co-founder and CEO. “Our goal has always been to put the power of the web into the hands of our users by providing tools to create and manage a professional and comprehensive online presence. The new mobile solution is the latest addition to the Wix suite, allowing SMBs, entrepreneurs and creative professionals to compete effectively however the market evolves.” 

In the U.S. alone roughly 56% of adults own a smartphone, and 35% of Americans over the age of 16 own a tablet computer. With these staggering markets, it’s safe to say that mobile experiences are a large cut of a website’s audience. For many, that means converting a desktop optimized website, but sometimes the end result can fall flat.

Wix converts the desktop website to the mobile platform, and then allows users to fine tune the experience exactly to their liking. Want to change the design around a bit? Wix lets you do that. Want to hide content you feel your audience won’t make use of through a mobile platform? Wix lets you do that, too. The Wix mobile offering adheres to critical web and mobile best practices including a single URL structure across versions, a single source code, and a single source of content. Not only are these best practices great for SEO, they also make it easy for Wix users to maintain and manage their web presence, desktop to mobile, from a single location.

Short of hiring a web designer for your business to painstakingly (and in all likelihood, expensively!) create your mobile experience, Wix can be a handy alternative to creating both an online and mobile experience to fit the needs of your business. Have you optimized your website for the mobile user? If not, what are you waiting for?!

Six Unique Ways to Boost Web Traffic Without Marketing

Building a website is one thing, but getting website traffic and converting it into money is another. Steady growth should be your constant business objective. Have you planned a strategy to boost Web traffic without the use of marketing?

If you focus on conventional link building process for traffic generation, then tell me inform that you are missing out on lots of potential customers.

Although marketing is important for business success, there are a few secrets that help you double your website traffic without having to do any marketing. Without wasting too much of your time, below are a few tricks to implement to boost Web traffic to your site without marketing.

Work on Rich Snippets

Snippets add significant value to an organic listing in search engine results and can dramatically enhance website traffic. A rich snippet is a summary of the data that a user sees on a Web page. The data includes information regarding your product’s price, review count and product availability. They are useful for gaining an insight about a particular product or site at a glance without having to visit the site.

It is a painless task that can boost Web traffic and the number of clicks to your page by 33%. It improves the appearance of listings, increases real estate on the page for better visibility and provides more information to readers. Snippets help to verify what exactly the user is looking for, so when they click through your pages, they stick around.

The entire process minimizes bounce rate and maximizes time spent on the site.

Start Influencing Internal Links

Getting links from other Web pages is crucial. Optimizing internal links helps search engines recognize which pages on your website are the most important and the most valuable. Internal links help your visitors flow through your website. Through internal links, you get website visitors from point A to point Z in an efficient way without losing them midway through navigation.

Here are a few tips:

• Prepare a list of high-value pages you want to rank better for.
• Identify those pages on your website that have the maximum authority.
• Add a link from the authority page to the target page.
• Incorporate links to the authority page by using anchor text related to the keyword you want the target page to rank for.

Once you implement the above steps, search engines begin to associate the critical pages with your keywords and list those pages higher in search rankings.

Explore the Long-Tail Variation

Stop focusing on generic keywords and emphasize long-tail keywords which are easier to rank for and convert at a much higher rate than short generic terms. So how do you enhance the exposure to long-tail variations to boost Web traffic?

Identify the long-tail modifier and make use of the Google Keyword Planner to make a note of all long-tail variation. Then work these modifiers into your page copy.

Once a particular page is optimized, you no longer need to insert each long-tail search phrase verbatim into the page. Instead work on the unique variation.

Write Compelling Meta Titles and Descriptions that People Cannot Ignore

Meta title and Meta descriptions are attributes that determine how your Web page appears in search results. Unique titles and a short, crisp product descriptions can drastically boost Web traffic. The description, which is the short bit of text that shows underneath the title in search results, should be informative, clear and straightforward. If they are boring, they will never offer any compelling reason to click through to your page.

Highlight the primary keywords at least once in the title and description and ensure they flow naturally with the rest of the content.

The best thing to keep in mind while writing the title and description is the way an advertisement is written. This is because through your title and Meta description, you are highlighting your unique selling proposition, your expertise and the reason why customers should shop with you.

Apply Authorship Markup and Video Thumbnail

Having Google authorship benefits makes your search engine listing more inviting. The authorship allows you to associate your content with your Google+ profile. It then takes your Google+ profile image together with other profile information into search engine results for the content you author. Listings with author images and profile information attached will benefit from the perception of credibility and prevent fear of spammy content.

Similarly, video thumbnails are a page’s embedded videos that appear along a page listing. To get a video thumbnail, you need to create a video sitemap for Google. Just like product-based snippet, video thumbnail vividly upsurges the click through rate of the associated pages.

The Power of Search Engine Optimization

The most effective way to boost Web traffic to your site is through optimizing your website for search engines because it does not cost a thing. If your website holds a top ranking for even a mildly popular search term, it can obtain many visitors per month.

Are you surprised to see how traffic can be generated without marketing?

Implementing these six ways to boost Web traffic can deliver the maximum traffic required to accomplish your business goals.

Surprised Photo via Shutterstock

NYC Event: From Marketing to Management - Finding the Right Customers and Keeping Them for Life!

New market realities have businesses changing faster than ever. The post-recession consumer dominated climate has created new opportunities and new obstacles for small business owners. How do you maneuver your way through while gaining market share and build a great customer base? Come and find out in our exciting and engaging NYC event:

From Marketing to Management: Finding the Right Customers and Keeping Them for Life!

       Date: Thursday, November 14, 2014

       Time: 6 pm to 9 pm

Location: CUNY Graduate Center

              365 5th Ave., New York, NY

Presented by Ramon Ray of Infusionsoft and

Lisa Hendrickson of FutureLAB Media

   

In this workshop you will learn the “8 Special Steps” to boost revenue along with the “5 Customer Stages” that predictably and reliably will increase profits at every step.

Using a customer-centric approach, we’ll show you how to use today’s best strategies to build a great customer experience that will increase your revenues and your profits by providing an amazing customer experience throughout the lifecycle of the customer.

Inspirational Thought Leaders Ramon Ray and Lisa Hendrickson will share with you the secrets to boosting revenue, reducing customer acquisition costs and increasing profits while turning customers into advocates.

Ramon Ray will share with you:

• How to convert leads into customers
• Use 8 special steps to boost revenue
• Attract traffic with lead magnets

Lisa Hendrickson will share with you:

• The 5 stages of customer lifecycle including their profit points
• Where companies win and where they “blow it” with customers
• How to avoid the pitfalls of generally accepted customer service practices that reward bad customer behavior
• Turning customers into advocates

So ask yourself: “Do I have a solid strategy that translates into getting new customers and maximizing the profits of the ones that I have?” If the answer is no or you’re not doing enough to win and keep business, this workshop is a must for you.

NYC Event: From Marketing to Management - Finding the Right Customers and Keeping Them for Life!

New market realities have businesses changing faster than ever. The post-recession consumer dominated climate has created new opportunities and new obstacles for small business owners. How do you maneuver your way through while gaining market share and build a great customer base? Come and find out in our exciting and engaging NYC event:

From Marketing to Management: Finding the Right Customers and Keeping Them for Life!

       Date: Thursday, November 14, 2014

       Time: 6 pm to 9 pm

Location: CUNY Graduate Center

              365 5th Ave., New York, NY

Presented by Ramon Ray of Infusionsoft and

Lisa Hendrickson of FutureLAB Media

   

In this workshop you will learn the “8 Special Steps” to boost revenue along with the “5 Customer Stages” that predictably and reliably will increase profits at every step.

Using a customer-centric approach, we’ll show you how to use today’s best strategies to build a great customer experience that will increase your revenues and your profits by providing an amazing customer experience throughout the lifecycle of the customer.

Inspirational Thought Leaders Ramon Ray and Lisa Hendrickson will share with you the secrets to boosting revenue, reducing customer acquisition costs and increasing profits while turning customers into advocates.

Ramon Ray will share with you:

• How to convert leads into customers
• Use 8 special steps to boost revenue
• Attract traffic with lead magnets

Lisa Hendrickson will share with you:

• The 5 stages of customer lifecycle including their profit points
• Where companies win and where they “blow it” with customers
• How to avoid the pitfalls of generally accepted customer service practices that reward bad customer behavior
• Turning customers into advocates

So ask yourself: “Do I have a solid strategy that translates into getting new customers and maximizing the profits of the ones that I have?” If the answer is no or you’re not doing enough to win and keep business, this workshop is a must for you.

clearString: A Web Content Management System Developed For and Catering To Small Business

When it comes to open-source, free to use content management systems, the first thing that pops into every tech-savvy’s mind would either be WordPress or Joomla. Though, they’re best at what they promise, but when we measure the quality and compatibility of their features and add-ons (plug-ins to be precise), some of us might feel a bit reluctant to use these systems - or at least the add-ons/plug-ins. The reason is quite evident - security loopholes, lack of trust on third party add-ons, synchronized updates of the system and add-ons, compatibility with the current system and the list goes on. [Please read ths article by Tom Ewer to know more about the vulnerabilities of WordPress plug-ins.]

The problem is that there is no guarantee of the plug-in’s/add-on’s compatibility with the system version you’re using for your site. Whether they’ll work out for you or not totally depends on the developers’ constant updates to keep up with the system and the end user’s feedback on every product and its update.

Keeping this in mind, many companies have come up with their own free (limited functionality) or paid content management systems. These companies would develop everything for their systems in-house or at least monitor the development by third party suppliers; thereby, eliminating the fear of compatibility and security issues. Sitecore is one of the few names that has been dominating the paid CMS industry for a while but a new competition has emerged by the name clearString. The company recently announced in a press release that they have made available the newest release of the company’s integrated web CMS designed for small businesses.

So what differentiates clearString from the open-source CMS giant WordPress and a paid CMS like Sitecore?

It incorporates the best of both worlds and brings a product that has the functionality and versatility of both open-source and paid systems. For a broader understanding, let me give you a brief overview of the capability and advantages of clearString.

The Background

Built on the neatComponentsâ„¢ engine, clearString is a web content management and web application development software. What makes it unique is that it is the only CMS that is built exclusively to cater the small businesses and budget centric enterprises. Building this system on the neatComponent platform has empowered clearString with commendable traits such as easy installation, creation, management and distribution of data driven web content and applications.

The Features

• Easy one click installation.
• Automated database installation and management.
• Social Media integration.
• Optimization for SEO.
• Full integration of public (internet) and private (intranet) sites.
• WYSIWYG controls.
• Highly secure.
• Easy Google Analytics integration.
• Unlimited user-generated micro-sites.
• Drag and Drop page and section building.
• Intelligent searching and reporting.
• Marketing campaign creation with integrated email.
• Unlimited customizable forms to collect and display data.
• Powerful Themes system to change appearances for all media devices.
• Dynamic site map and automatic navigation.
• eCommerce with a fully integrated engine that includes multiple currencies, multi-part product bundles, stock control, shopping cart, shipping and tax calculations, payment gateway integration and more.
• Role-based Administration with multi-level access.

For a complete list of features including details for developers and end-users, please use this link.

clearString is built on a Windows foundation for ease of maintenance in a business environment and has multiple hosting options from high security Intranet through to the unlimited capacity of Amazon Cloud Services. Robust, affordable training is available direct from clearString in the USA and UK.

The software can be controlled and implemented by a small set of employees. Creating landing pages or micro sites is a breeze and can then be utilized by the marketing teams to quickly implement new marketing ideas to the benefit of the company.

clearString is not dependent on .NET or customized coding but instead uses the best of the best current technologies to integrate web design, data integration, user management and security into a proprietary licensed software suite designed for one-click install onto Windows platforms. clearString is very competitively priced with an Enterprise license for the Content Management System with an unlimited number of concurrent users, unlimited records and unlimited public access at under $10,000 per server.

clearString web development software makes it effortless to build highly functional websites and apps and still have full control over style, design and appearance. clearString dynamically writes the code to automatically build the site or application around the content. The sites and applications run on any Windows machines or a bare bones Cloud or Hosted server. There is no additional web development software to buy - use any standard web browser to perform all the tasks. Also, there are no additional license costs for an unlimited number of developers and system users.

With so much to offer, do you think clearString can become the next big thing for your business?

clearString: A Web Content Management System Developed For and Catering To Small Business

When it comes to open-source, free to use content management systems, the first thing that pops into every tech-savvy’s mind would either be WordPress or Joomla. Though, they’re best at what they promise, but when we measure the quality and compatibility of their features and add-ons (plug-ins to be precise), some of us might feel a bit reluctant to use these systems - or at least the add-ons/plug-ins. The reason is quite evident - security loopholes, lack of trust on third party add-ons, synchronized updates of the system and add-ons, compatibility with the current system and the list goes on. [Please read ths article by Tom Ewer to know more about the vulnerabilities of WordPress plug-ins.]

The problem is that there is no guarantee of the plug-in’s/add-on’s compatibility with the system version you’re using for your site. Whether they’ll work out for you or not totally depends on the developers’ constant updates to keep up with the system and the end user’s feedback on every product and its update.

Keeping this in mind, many companies have come up with their own free (limited functionality) or paid content management systems. These companies would develop everything for their systems in-house or at least monitor the development by third party suppliers; thereby, eliminating the fear of compatibility and security issues. Sitecore is one of the few names that has been dominating the paid CMS industry for a while but a new competition has emerged by the name clearString. The company recently announced in a press release that they have made available the newest release of the company’s integrated web CMS designed for small businesses.

So what differentiates clearString from the open-source CMS giant WordPress and a paid CMS like Sitecore?

It incorporates the best of both worlds and brings a product that has the functionality and versatility of both open-source and paid systems. For a broader understanding, let me give you a brief overview of the capability and advantages of clearString.

The Background

Built on the neatComponentsâ„¢ engine, clearString is a web content management and web application development software. What makes it unique is that it is the only CMS that is built exclusively to cater the small businesses and budget centric enterprises. Building this system on the neatComponent platform has empowered clearString with commendable traits such as easy installation, creation, management and distribution of data driven web content and applications.

The Features

• Easy one click installation.
• Automated database installation and management.
• Social Media integration.
• Optimization for SEO.
• Full integration of public (internet) and private (intranet) sites.
• WYSIWYG controls.
• Highly secure.
• Easy Google Analytics integration.
• Unlimited user-generated micro-sites.
• Drag and Drop page and section building.
• Intelligent searching and reporting.
• Marketing campaign creation with integrated email.
• Unlimited customizable forms to collect and display data.
• Powerful Themes system to change appearances for all media devices.
• Dynamic site map and automatic navigation.
• eCommerce with a fully integrated engine that includes multiple currencies, multi-part product bundles, stock control, shopping cart, shipping and tax calculations, payment gateway integration and more.
• Role-based Administration with multi-level access.

For a complete list of features including details for developers and end-users, please use this link.

clearString is built on a Windows foundation for ease of maintenance in a business environment and has multiple hosting options from high security Intranet through to the unlimited capacity of Amazon Cloud Services. Robust, affordable training is available direct from clearString in the USA and UK.

The software can be controlled and implemented by a small set of employees. Creating landing pages or micro sites is a breeze and can then be utilized by the marketing teams to quickly implement new marketing ideas to the benefit of the company.

clearString is not dependent on .NET or customized coding but instead uses the best of the best current technologies to integrate web design, data integration, user management and security into a proprietary licensed software suite designed for one-click install onto Windows platforms. clearString is very competitively priced with an Enterprise license for the Content Management System with an unlimited number of concurrent users, unlimited records and unlimited public access at under $10,000 per server.

clearString web development software makes it effortless to build highly functional websites and apps and still have full control over style, design and appearance. clearString dynamically writes the code to automatically build the site or application around the content. The sites and applications run on any Windows machines or a bare bones Cloud or Hosted server. There is no additional web development software to buy - use any standard web browser to perform all the tasks. Also, there are no additional license costs for an unlimited number of developers and system users.

With so much to offer, do you think clearString can become the next big thing for your business?

How to Monetize Your Knowledge

According to statistics, most small businesses today are service providers. They may be financial advisors, lawyers, personal trainers, accountants, dentists, pool cleaners, consultants, engineers or in similar occupations. Essentially businesses like these sell time, not a product.

Time is a finite resource. We each only have so many hours in a day.

That means it is harder to scale a service business where you sell your time. Typically you have to hire more employees or outsource certain activities. And labor, especially for knowledge workers, is expensive.

So the question remains: How do you grow when you’ve started and run a service business?

That’s where the power of your knowledge and today’s trend of content marketing work to your advantage.

Evolving to a Subscription Based Business Model

According to Greg Head, Chief Marketing Officer of Infusionsoft, a marketing automation software provider, one of the ways to scale a service-based business is to turn your knowledge into a subscription-based model. “With a subscription-based model, you can automate educational services online â€" and even the services you provide through in-person interactions,” he noted. By incorporating self-service access to their expertise, small businesses can expand and transform their operating models beyond in-person engagements, he added.

Infusionsoft and research firm Audience Audit teamed up on a study earlier this year of more than 1,100 small businesses that showed a growing interest in subscription-based delivery models. Those small business owners focused on growth spent more of their time and budget on marketing and sales, and they also used technology to gain a competitive advantage. All the businesses in the study had annual revenues of more than $250,000. Head told us:

In the new education economy, knowledge is becoming a prized and valuable tool to get attention and attract new customers.

Small businesses that embrace online content marketing typically attract and convert new leads through educational materials such as blogs, ebooks, videos and tutorials. Once they start using knowledge for their marketing, they convert their followers’ interest into recurring revenue streams through a membership site. Head added:

An increasing number recognize that they have a revenue-generating opportunity once the demand for their content is established. They start giving away less free content and move their premium educational services to subscription-based membership sites.

Membership sites are websites that provide gated, permission-based access to educational content, including ebooks, videos, tutorials, articles and more. They allow subscribers to access services on demand or participate in online communities with other members. The membership site’s owner controls access to the content, which might entail a one-time, monthly or annual membership fee and free content.

Monetize Your Knowledge Using a Membership Site

With that in mind, we asked Head for his advice when it comes to membership site best practices. He recommends these six essential elements of a successful membership site:

1. Monthly Recurring Income

Small businesses with special expertise can generate recurring revenue by charging a monthly or annual subscription fee for access to valuable educational content. Simply load the information chosen to be shared with members, set the membership level pricing structure, and update the site according to the content model.

Billing occurs at the frequency that’s been defined, which helps in predicting future cash flow. As long as the content is valuable to customers, they’ll continue to pay for their subscription.

2. Lead Capture

Provide free access to some content behind the registration wall captures contact information that can be used in subsequent marketing.

3. Prospect Nurture

Once the prospect’s contact information is captured, nurturing can continue on the membership site by sending the individual more content and previews of premium content that encourages an upgrade in membership.

4. Customer Service

Updates and training can be provided as new products and services are released. This allows customers to gain access to common customer service questions without having to contact the company directly.

5. Product Introductions and Upsells

Increasing average revenue per customer is critical to business growth, and current customers are the best targets for additional sales. A membership site simplifies the introduction of new products and services and provides a low effort, low friction opportunity to recommend complementary offerings.

6. Modernizing Your Small Businesses

Jermaine Griggs, founder of Hear & Play Music, an online music learning center, uses membership sites to deliver training and tutorials to his growing community of music students. Using a membership site has allowed him to not only build a loyal fan base, but it has resulted in repeat sales increasing by 90 percent. His lifetime customer value also went from $90 to $375 and he reduced his work week by 60 percent.

“He’s a prime example of someone that’s succeeding in this new education economy by using membership sites,” Infusionsoft’s Head told us.

A Matter of Successful Growth

Small business success has always been a matter of making the most out of limited time and resources. With an online membership site and other Web based tools, small businesses with educational based products and services can elevate their unique value propositions and transform their operations.

Intelligence Photo via Shutterstock

How to Monetize Your Knowledge

According to statistics, most small businesses today are service providers. They may be financial advisors, lawyers, personal trainers, accountants, dentists, pool cleaners, consultants, engineers or in similar occupations. Essentially businesses like these sell time, not a product.

Time is a finite resource. We each only have so many hours in a day.

That means it is harder to scale a service business where you sell your time. Typically you have to hire more employees or outsource certain activities. And labor, especially for knowledge workers, is expensive.

So the question remains: How do you grow when you’ve started and run a service business?

That’s where the power of your knowledge and today’s trend of content marketing work to your advantage.

Evolving to a Subscription Based Business Model

According to Greg Head, Chief Marketing Officer of Infusionsoft, a marketing automation software provider, one of the ways to scale a service-based business is to turn your knowledge into a subscription-based model. “With a subscription-based model, you can automate educational services online â€" and even the services you provide through in-person interactions,” he noted. By incorporating self-service access to their expertise, small businesses can expand and transform their operating models beyond in-person engagements, he added.

Infusionsoft and research firm Audience Audit teamed up on a study earlier this year of more than 1,100 small businesses that showed a growing interest in subscription-based delivery models. Those small business owners focused on growth spent more of their time and budget on marketing and sales, and they also used technology to gain a competitive advantage. All the businesses in the study had annual revenues of more than $250,000. Head told us:

In the new education economy, knowledge is becoming a prized and valuable tool to get attention and attract new customers.

Small businesses that embrace online content marketing typically attract and convert new leads through educational materials such as blogs, ebooks, videos and tutorials. Once they start using knowledge for their marketing, they convert their followers’ interest into recurring revenue streams through a membership site. Head added:

An increasing number recognize that they have a revenue-generating opportunity once the demand for their content is established. They start giving away less free content and move their premium educational services to subscription-based membership sites.

Membership sites are websites that provide gated, permission-based access to educational content, including ebooks, videos, tutorials, articles and more. They allow subscribers to access services on demand or participate in online communities with other members. The membership site’s owner controls access to the content, which might entail a one-time, monthly or annual membership fee and free content.

Monetize Your Knowledge Using a Membership Site

With that in mind, we asked Head for his advice when it comes to membership site best practices. He recommends these six essential elements of a successful membership site:

1. Monthly Recurring Income

Small businesses with special expertise can generate recurring revenue by charging a monthly or annual subscription fee for access to valuable educational content. Simply load the information chosen to be shared with members, set the membership level pricing structure, and update the site according to the content model.

Billing occurs at the frequency that’s been defined, which helps in predicting future cash flow. As long as the content is valuable to customers, they’ll continue to pay for their subscription.

2. Lead Capture

Provide free access to some content behind the registration wall captures contact information that can be used in subsequent marketing.

3. Prospect Nurture

Once the prospect’s contact information is captured, nurturing can continue on the membership site by sending the individual more content and previews of premium content that encourages an upgrade in membership.

4. Customer Service

Updates and training can be provided as new products and services are released. This allows customers to gain access to common customer service questions without having to contact the company directly.

5. Product Introductions and Upsells

Increasing average revenue per customer is critical to business growth, and current customers are the best targets for additional sales. A membership site simplifies the introduction of new products and services and provides a low effort, low friction opportunity to recommend complementary offerings.

6. Modernizing Your Small Businesses

Jermaine Griggs, founder of Hear & Play Music, an online music learning center, uses membership sites to deliver training and tutorials to his growing community of music students. Using a membership site has allowed him to not only build a loyal fan base, but it has resulted in repeat sales increasing by 90 percent. His lifetime customer value also went from $90 to $375 and he reduced his work week by 60 percent.

“He’s a prime example of someone that’s succeeding in this new education economy by using membership sites,” Infusionsoft’s Head told us.

A Matter of Successful Growth

Small business success has always been a matter of making the most out of limited time and resources. With an online membership site and other Web based tools, small businesses with educational based products and services can elevate their unique value propositions and transform their operations.

Intelligence Photo via Shutterstock