Is all your rain making keeping your sales funnel full?

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Evolve Systems

A full sales funnel does not happen by accident.  Creating momentum and engaging prospects each step of the way is key to your company’s success.

Sounds easy – but just how does it happen?  Inbound marketing automation – is the answer.

Sales Funnel

Your website and web presence should be driving leads to conversion.  Let’s define conversion: we’re not talking a sale each time, but movement toward a sale to be sure.  Movement down the funnel.  Each movement provides an opportunity to capture data and measure the positive, neutral or negative reaction to the conversion activity.

Example, a landing page on your site invites the visitor to complete a form for a downloadable whitepaper with valuable information.  Clicking a button to register for a webinar that promises the mastery of a new skill. –Or, offering a couple of hyperlinks within the text that brings the visitors more information on the topic they are researching.  Each of these activities is measureable.  Each of these activities excites the visitor at a different point in their research, decision making and purchase process.  Best of all, all of these opportunities are elected by the visitor.  They are not push techniques but invitations to bring the web visitor closer into the fold.

Inbound invitations will not be successful if you don’t understand your visitors, their needs and the words the use in their search for information.  So the science of inbound marketing really becomes part art and part science.  A process that needs to monitored, tweaked and measured regularly.  This is not for the faint hearted, but it is for the serious marketer driving for new sales.

Your inbound marketing strategy and implementation plan should have these essentials components:

  • Clarifying your ideal targets and building personas
  • Creating attractive campaigns for those audiences
  • Determine content strategy by channel
  • Keyword analysis and optimization plan
  • Offers for each part of your funnel

It should go without saying but your plan is not complete without SMART goals and a reporting plan.

Has your online marketing strategy matured to include inbound marketing techniques?  Jumping on  board now will still get you ahead of most of your competitors.  Having trouble knowing where to start or the resources to carry it out?  We’ve got you covered.  Make sure you attend our next webinar on May 21st to figure how Email Marketing is in an important part of your inbound plan.

 

 

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Posted in Content Marketing, Online Marketing, Strategy | Tagged , | Comments Off

Making a Local Impact – Don Raleigh Speaks on Giving Back to the Community

Posted on April 30, 2013 by don

Almost 10 years ago Marnie and I started Evolve Systems. It has been a hard path, but one very familiar to every entrepreneur. Long days, much longer nights, and the joys and pains of seeing a concept take shape, then take form, and then take flight. It is as exhilarating as it is terrifying.

When we opened our doors we made a decision that this company was not going to be just about “us.” It was going to be about Us, All of Us – the community – the culture and the concept of doing more than just being another company here in Minnesota. It was important to Marnie and I that we not just give back “someday” but from day one. We knew in our souls that this was not just the right thing to do, it was the only way we would do it.

Evolve Systems is active in the community

Community Impact Award and Evolve Systems employees in action

A start-up is a hard thing to do and requires a near manic devotion to the concept of creation and nurturing. This same focus gave Evolve Systems a way to be better than just sales numbers and quarterly goals. It gave the company a compass by which we could chart our course and measure our success in terms of impact not profits.

The concept was quite simple: Donate 5% of corporate profits via cash or in-kind services to local non-profits and 8 hours of community service per quarter. What this means is that we close our doors once a quarter and go out into the community and perform random acts of kindness. The concept of staying local was important to us. We did not want to do volunteer work for the “National This”, or the “International That” – large companies in our community can take on those roles far better than we.

What we did was found hyper local non-profits where our volunteer service would be felt and be most impactful. We worked with the Community Emergency Assistance Program (CEAP) and raked leaves for their elderly clients. We helped the Alexandra House organize their storage. We worked with the Ramsey County School Safety Patrol Foundation during their annual fundraiser. Hyper local, highly impactful. Since 2003 we have logged over 5000 hours of work with local charities.

Those hours started with the first event, raking leaves for the elderly. That cold October day in 2003 was eye-opening for more reasons than just the bluster of a late fall day in Minnesota. It brought us out into the community were we could make a difference. We had been open at that time for just 6 weeks. Taking a full day off of trying to make money so that we could volunteer was humbling. I still had to make payroll. I still had to meet my other obligations.

I can tell you, nearly 10 years later, it was and is worth it. It is not just about doing business; it is about leaving a legacy. I cannot remember what code I worked on last year, or some of the systems I built 5 years ago, but I still remember clearly the day I fixed a bird bath for a woman whose husband had died years earlier and she did not have the strength to lift the heavy bowl back into place. She looked at the simple act we performed, righting a bird bath that had tipped over, and told us that the last time she saw it like that was when her husband had made it so. It touched me deeply in ways that a paycheck or a promotion never will.

Every day we choose how we will impact those around us. We can nurture the spirit of volunteer service above self, or we can simply serve that same self. It is up to us to set that path. Evolve Systems has chosen to be more than about the bottom line. It is not an easy path, but it is the only one we will ever take.

Would you like to know more about our random act of kindness?  Perhaps you’d like to join us for our next event – we’d love that!  Visit the link shown above to find out more.

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Posted in About Evolve, Awards, President's Perspective | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off

Your Website May Be Failing You – A 6 Point Checklist

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Evolve Systems

We came across a blog post from MarketingProfs.com, a great resource for practical internet advice, recently that sums up reasons why your business’ website is not seeing the results you are hoping for and wanted to share it with you.

The post gives several reasons for poor performing websites:

    • Lack of mobile access
    • No Social Media Follow Links
    • Failure to provide easy to find contact information; email address and phone number
    • No contact form for 24/7 information requests
    • SEO inadequacy

It is a bit bewildering when the internet has become such an important part of most business’ marketing plan that many, many businesses are not giving their website and online presence the attention it requires.  While many businesses are modifying their own websites – making sure you pay attention to trends, search engine optimization and opportunities to capture inbound marketing leads can make the task of a quick modification here and there into a part-time webmaster job.  This is a good time to remind you, Evolve Systems can help you with your online presence and web maintenance when it grows too big for your schedule and capabilities.

Simple goals for your website include getting found, ranking higher on the search results page than your competitors and engaging visitors once they arrive.

Goals for your business website

But remember your website is only one place where you can be found online.  A great online marketing plan layers SEO, Content Marketing and Social Media to encourage both prospects and customers to visit and follow the platforms they prefer and engage with your brand.   So while your website used to be the ‘only’ destination you now need to consider several connected or integrated platforms to provide your prospects and customers choices and encourage those fans to click through links that lead back to your website.

It’s time to refresh or buff up your website appearance.  Provide a user experience that will keep your visitor engaged and coming back.  If a prospect or customer has taken the time to visit your website reward them with content and appropriate activities and your must capture their contact information so you can continue to nurture their interest after they have gone.

We’ve talked about several of these issues in our own blog in recent months.

Did you find a tip or two to use for the spring cleaning on your website?  We’d love to hear what you think of this post and happy to address some questions.

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Posted in Analytics, Online Marketing, SEO, Social Media, Website Maintenance Plan | Tagged | Comments Off

Driving new business with ‘Deals’ – Here’s an Option

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Evolve Systems

Small businesses across the country are increasingly looking to daily deal coupon companies like Groupon, Living Social and Bloomspot to help them reach a wider customer base online. However, getting new customers in the door on a deeply discounted item or service doesn’t always translate to repeat business from those new customers. The wide net cast by these companies has the capacity to introduce your business to a broad range of potential customers. But will those deal seekers return and pay full price?

Consumers love a bargain!

How many times have you considered purchasing an item or service you have never been interested in before simply because it is 1/2 off. “I have never tried Indian food, now’s a good time – it’s practically free.” Business owners are betting on the chance that after I get my discounted Curry and Naan, I will be won over and become a repeat customer. But more likely I will move on to the next deal of the day because unless it is a ridiculous bargain I would never opt for something outside my comfort zone, like Indian food. So now this coupon has provided a 50% off deal for the one time customer and a 40% to 50% commission to the coupon company, what is left for the business owner?

Online Coupons small businessWill high volume sales make the coupons worth it?

Despite the one-timers and the fees and cost of the deep discounts, the volume of business brought in will make the coupon a success, right? Maybe, if you can handle the volume. Often redeemers will trickle in over the length of the deal and as the expiration date approaches the business is flooded. Chaos ensues leaving new and existing customers disgruntled while the staff struggles to keep up and the business owner wonders, “what the heck was I thinking?”

Consider a more targeted approach to winning new customers…

Constant Contact launched a new model for online coupons called SaveLocal. This new approach offers solutions to the problems of traditional couponing deals for business owners like lack of control over price, duration and redemption restrictions. The fee percentages are also much lower then Groupon, but the most significant difference is outreach.

Instead of emailing a coupon to every deal seeker on line, SaveLocal relies on your company’s existing database of email addresses to send out deals. Customers can earn additional discounts by sharing the coupons via social networking sites. This is a more targeted and incentives based approach that may be better suited to small businesses with a sizable customer database. The deals are being offered to a smaller number of consumers initially, however, the possibility for exponential outreach in the form of personal referrals is powerful. Referral based deals are far more effective at creating loyal customers than random email blasts. SaveLocal also provides better tracking of coupon redemption and subsequent repeat sales then their traditional counterparts. SaveLocal offers webinars on how to get the most out of your deals.

Make your online marketing work for you and your business.

Online coupons can work well for some businesses but it is important to choose the right one and under terms you can meet.

• Make sure you can handle the volume of potential customers throughout the duration of the deal.

• Be sure the deal your offering allows you to cover costs, breaking even is OK if there is another benefit like new customers becoming repeat customers, otherwise you are just spinning your wheels.

• Be able to track your deal seekers to see how many return to pay full price.

• Consider what effects a coupon or daily deal scheme will have on your reputation for quality and potentially devaluing your products or services.

Are you a small business owner with a coupon tale to tell? Was it a boom or bust? Would you do it again and if so what would you do differently? Share your comments below or post on our Facebook page.

 

 

 

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Posted in Content Marketing, E-commerce, Marketing, Online Marketing | Tagged , , , | Comments Off

What’s Your Mobile Plan of Action

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Evolve Systems

Just because your website loads on a mobile device does not mean it is mobile friendly.  Paying close attention to your prospects on the go and delivering an optimal mobile experience is a customer service win-win.

Here are some of the numbers you need to be aware of:

  • 90% of people remain within 3 feet of their cell phone 24/7 – even when sleeping
  • 98% of SMS text messages sent are opened
  • 90% of MOLO (mobile local) search results in action
  • ½ of all Americans will access the internet this year via mobile only
  • A negative experience means about 57-61% of visitors never return

2013 is all about ‘Social Mobile Local’ – SOMOLO is the ‘in’ term

 Social Local Mobile Integration

Integrating your mobile options and marketing in terms of SOMOLO will help you to reach those 90% of folks with their phones at arm’s length.

There are many options within the mobile arena and a learning curve to be sure.  You may wish to start with our one of our latest blogs, Mobile Options – Here’s the Skinny.

Your plan should look like this:

    • Do your research — look at your analytics for mobile traffic and mobile devices accessing your website.  If 10% or more of your visitors are accessing your site via a mobile device you need to understand download times, streamlining their experience and removing frustrating user experiences.  If you don’t, your competitor will.
    • Minimize information and reduce content — Mobile users tend to use the internet a bit different than desktop users.  They want to click to call, access maps and menus quickly, check-in via social platforms and have 1 click checkouts, sharing and viewing options.
    • Prioritize important and most used content – use Google Analytics page and content analysis filter by mobile users.  An awesome user experience (UX) comes from understanding your visitors need for information.
    • Keep your branding and important features consistent across all your experiences.
    • Use calls-to-action to lead visitors through site – user testing, flow analytics and conversion rates will let you know if you are getting it right.
    • Include a search function if needed.
    • Have a clickable phone number,  social media follow buttons, maps, etc

Best practices for your mobile strategy should consider:

    • Remember keep it quick – users are on the go
    • Simplify navigation – get to know what your visitors want
    • Design for easy thumb access – no pinching
    • Make it readable – no zooming
    • Create call-to-actions – measure conversion
    • Optimize for local search – mobile users are mobile
    • Measure and tweak for optimal UX

Start with fresh quarterly goals and objectives, 2-3 customer personas, knowledge of where they hang out online and create a UX to delight – it bears repeating; measure, optimize and go again.

We would be happy to help you look at your best options for mobile and getting involved in SOMOLO!

 

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Posted in Mobile, Website Design | Tagged | Comments Off