A Lesson in Conversion from Disney World

January 26, 2010 by Dave

My family and I spent part of the last week in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and Epcot. As we made our way through each ride at the theme parks I began to realize a pattern:

Disney -
Photo by Express Monorail

1) Lines are setup to build up anticipation for the ride itself
2) The rides themselves are awesome, but only last mere moments, in most cases a fraction of what is spent waiting in line.
3) After every ride you are let off into a shop with themed items based around what you just experienced. The kids then go ape shit over stuffed dolls going for $50 a pop.

I began to see a pattern that can be utilized easily on the web

Conversion = Marketing + Branding + Quality Content

Use this as a layover for the web:

1) Create a great piece of content that appeals to the direct demographic of your products consumer. As an example this infographic by Billshrink.com is a great way for the company to draw interest from gadget types and phone consumers in general, then notice the ad on the right hand side.

2) Market this content in a way the builds your brand presence as well as traffic to your site. A holistic marketing campaign mashing search and social media. Zappos has done an amazing job of this, as well as .

3) Match products and offerings to people enjoying your content. Tripadvisor does an amazing job of this. People use the platform to scope out travel need sand reviews, and Tripadvisor then gives them the option to book. The content is the crux of the conversion experience.

Think about your website now, and your conversion rate. What are you missing from this equation? We work with a lot of site owners who have great products and we can build them traffic, but they are not willing to shape their site for the consumer experience. A simple change like adding reviews to your sites products can have a tremendous impact. Beyond that, brand building can turn customer acquisition into customer retention, and this is where real growth begins to compound.

Marketing Tools: Why Most of Them are Hot Garbage

January 12, 2010 by Dave

As an Internet Marketer I use a ton of tools on a daily basis, and our staff uses even more. It is part of the game, and weeding through the crap can take a ton of time.

What takes even longer is training a staffer how to properly use the tool.

This is the disconnect that happens with tools related to Internet Marketing. People think if they buy a great tool, automatically it is going to create a change in the way they approach and succeed on the Internet. That’s a bunch of hot garbage.

Photo by Jchetan

A hammer, in and of itself, is simply a mixture of wood and steel. However, in the right hands a hammer can build a home. No matter what the hammer is comprised of in terms materials, in the end it is just a tool, and without expertise it is worthless on how to use it, it is simply a way to hang a picture.

This is a problem I see with a lot of Software as a Service.

That is part of the reason that when we designed the tools for Second Step Search we built them with labor as a major component. Think of it as “Service as Software”. The tools allow us to find links, qualify them, and the labor builds them. On a massive scale. The same with our content offering. We can produce more content, in more languages, at higher levels and lower prices due to the software we have built to manage the writers and editors who create the copy.

Imagine a tool, that doesn’t leave the heavy lifting up to you. It is a restaurant, where all other marketing tools are a grocery store.

The Japanese Grocery Store
Photo by buck82

That’s what makes me so excited about this project. We are giving people tools to get actual production they need, regardless of their personal skill set. I know personally I have tried almost every SEO or social media tool on the market, and probably have found 5% to be useful for my daily work. The issue is that most of these products were created for the developers themselves to use in conjunction with their skill set and knowledge base, leaving them almost useless in anyone elses hands.

On that note, there are tons of great tools, and SEJ Tools offers a version of one of them. What I will say is that if you are purchasing tools to equip your staff, you should also equip them with training on how to leverage those tools effectively.

Tools for Entrepreneurs: My Top 7

January 11, 2010 by Dave

2009 was a big year for me, and that meant having to streamline my work, and figure out ways to be more productive with my time. Rolling into 2010 I have 7 key tools that I use on a daily basis that make my business life tick.

Evernote

Photo by Patrick Haney

From Evernote.com

Our goal at Evernote is to give everyone the ability to easily capture any moment, idea, inspiration, or experience whenever they want using whichever device or platform they find most convenient, and then to make all of that information easy to find.

And we’ve done just that. From creating text and ink notes, to snapshots of whiteboards and wine labels, to clips of webpages, Evernote users can capture anything from their real and digital lives and find it all anytime.

Basically Evernote allows me to sync notes and files between my work desktop, laptop, and mobile device. This means regardless of where I am, I can work. I highly suggest the Windows desktop application and android application, despite the fact that the web based versions work very well.

Droid

From Engadget.com

So, is the DROID a good smartphone? Yes, the DROID is an excellent smartphone with many (if not all) of the features that a modern user would expect, and if you’re a Verizon customer, there probably isn’t a more action packed device on the network. That’s not to say the device doesn’t have its faults; the camera was unpleasant to use, the application selection feels thin in both quantity and quality (despite the claim of 10,000 options), and the phone has bits of basic, non-intuitive functionality that might chafe on some users after a while. But even still, it’s hard not to recommend the DROID to potential buyers eager to do more with their devices. It’s easily the best Android phone to date, and when you couple the revamped OS, Verizon’s killer network, and an industrial design straight from a gadget enthusiast’s fever-dream, it makes for a powerful concoction.

I owned the G1 and traded up for the Droid. I have never been happier with a mobile device purchase. The android market offers all of the apps I use daily, including Evernote, Meebo, and the built in integration with GDocs. The speed, screen, and Qwerty are all features I love, and are only made better by the addition of a kick ass camera and Verizon’s data service.

This thing has kicked my mobile production into a whole new gear, and probably made me an Android user for the long haul.

MiFi

vzw-mifi-review-03
Photo by nDevilTV

From CNET.com

the Verizon Wireless MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot, which is manufactured by Novatel, is an excellent product. It’s a tiny device that offers instant Internet access to up to five Wi-Fi devices, virtually anywhere in the United States. This is the first of its kind that we’ve reviewed and we really liked it. If you travel for business in a group of five or less, this superportable router will come in handy.

This thing has changed the way I work. No longer is the business world tethered to physical locations, and with 90 days of travel in 2009 I can speak to that about as good as anyone. This device allows me, and any staff traveling with me to stay connected to our work at all times. No longer are we tied to the usability of conference WiFi, or searching for Hotspots. In fact, in our cross country move from Utah to Florida this year, this device allowed me to work all 5 days as though I were in an office. Add the stability of running on Verizon into the mix, and you have a winner.

If you don’t have one of these yet, run, don’t walk to get one now.

Moleskin Notebook

Moleskin
Photo by sendusout

So despite having all of my business ventures tied to the web, I am still the creative writing major, and love a good notebook I can hold and jot down ideas. For me, a moleskin notebook I can throw in my laptop bag is an asset. I use it for meetings and brainstorming sessions, when utilizing computers becomes an inconvenience.

Zoho

zinvoice
Photo by zolierdos

Search & Social and Second Step Search both run and thrive off of Zoho products. The software and apps they have put out can really streamline a lot of a service based businesses needs. We mostly utilize the invoicing, project management, and CRM solution. Without these web applications we would still be emailing excel sheet likely. The best part is the cross integration Zoho brings to the table between products. So whatever business we sign using the CRM, we can port directly into the invoice system for billing purposes.

Exchange Server/Outlook

This one may seem like a no brainer, but it was new to me this year. Exchange server allows you to sync your Outlook based life across mobile devices and multiple PCs. With the addition of VOIP, Fax, shared contacts, and share calendars this is a must have for any business.

Long Battery Life Laptop

So I had a decision to make in October. I was looking for a solid laptop, after having my second laptop in a year crap out on me. Should I make the leap to Apple? Should I search for a more stable PC? Windows 7 helped making the decision to stick with a PC easier. The OS is way more stable than Vista, and so with that in mind I looked for a new laptop.

I decided on a Toshiba Satellite , which isn’t overtly sexy, but with the addition of a 7 hour battery, it has made my work life amazingly more efficient. No longer is computing something I worry about. Having a long life battery means I can plugin my MiFi anywhere, open Evernote, login to Outlook/Exchange Server, and Zoho, and have a mobile office ready to run.

Snydey Sense

Dave Snyder – Internet and Startup Enthusiast

Monthly Archives: January 2010