Are you as frustrated as I am? - National College of Business

A personal message from Jon Mailer?

When the National College of Business decided a few months ago to improve its ?online? presence, I realised that I needed to seriously upgrade my skills and knowledge in this area. I have invested close to 200 hours of my time in educating myself, and have been on a roller coaster ride since, and I have a question for you?

How are finding keeping up to a date with pace of the internet world?

?If you are like me, it is:

• Time consuming
• Challenging to decipher all the ?B.S.? and lingo used
• Changing so quickly and? every one of the ?so called? experts has a different opinion on what to do next!

There appeared to be no structure that linked all of the different strategies, from website development to social media usage, online marketing to managing the content and behind the scenes processes. I also knew that with the pace of change ? it was only going to get more challenging to keep up to date.

By the way?here are interesting statistics on what is happening online.

• 61% of consumers use the Internet even before making a purchase in shops (Verdict Research, May 2011)
• 92% have more confidence in info found online than they do in anything from a salesperson or other source (Wall Street Journal, Jan 2011)
• 70% consult online reviews or ratings before purchasing (BusinessWeek, Oct. 2011)
• 45% say they are influenced a great deal by reviews on social sites from people they follow (Harris Poll, April 2010)
• 34% have turned to social media to air their feelings about a company. 26% to express dissatisfaction, 23% to share companies or products they like. (Harris Poll, April 2010)
• Reviews on a site can boost conversion +20% (Bazaarvoice.com/resources/stats 'Conversion Results')

I realised that as a business owner, the NCB must create a powerful online presence to match our offline activity. I persevered and from the ?sea of information? created our own structure that gave me clarity on what to do and the order in which to do it...and it is now starting to pay off!

?What I also recognised was that if I had a challenge with ?piecing it all together?, many other business owners definitely will as well.

?So?here it is. The 5 step process that we created to get clarity and confidence in the online space, to have a web presence that will produce amazing results in the future.

1. Online Strategy

Start with the ?end in mind?, outline the key ingredients, and execute on a plan that will give you maximum leverage on your investment of time and money. ?Also look at:

• Creating your online brand
• Hosting, security and back up
• Data capture and management

?2. Website Development

Create or modifying your existing website to ensure that it fulfils on its #1 objective. Make sure it is functional and optimised to attract more of your ideal clients. Look at:

• Key Word Research
• Website design and development
• Website platforms ? smartphone and tablet usability

?3. Marketing & Lead Generation

Use the internet and your website to attract, nurture and convert more of your target leads. ?Look at:

• Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
• Online advertising
• Web Analytics
• Content marketing
• Email marketing
• Integration with offline marketing

?4.?Creating Content and Using Social Media?

Understand the fundamentals of social media/networking and how to apply it specifically to your business. Look at:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• You Tube
• Linked In and other social sites

5. ?Measurement, Systems and Automation

Create a systemised process for managing all of your online/internet activities that allows you to upscale or adjust your strategy with ease.? Look at:

• Content Management Systems (CMS)
• Using offshore/external resources
• Online tools such as Skype, Dropbox, Yammer, etc
• Tracking, measuring and reporting

?

This 5 step process has worked exceptionally well for the college. The NCB is creating the opportunity to work with business owners to implement the above processes. If you would like some guidance in this area, just call the NCB and we would love to help you out.

Have a strong end to 2012 and may 2013 be your best year ever!

Jon?

Source: http://www.collegeofbusiness.com.au/blog-view/are-you-as-frustrated-as-i-am-176

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