I love this ad not just because of how Google search has been responsble for the ‘democratisation’ of the internet (so even the little guys can win)…

But also because of the way that the ad gets to the very heart of what they do: SEARCH.  And what makes them the masters of the universe.

Getting your message out so that visitors to your website immediately understand what it is that you do is overlooked more than you might think!  Check out the video below.

Google and Your Internet Marketing Strategy

We know that Google search is king the number one most visited website in New Zealand.  According to Hitwise, 7.75% of all internet traffic heads to Google.

We also know that Google is becoming an interwoven part of people’s lives.  Like in the video it can influence what we do and how we do it…in very profound ways.

But What Does That Mean if You’re A Business Owner?

If you’re a business owner then it’s easy to just imagine that getting to the top of Google will solve all your problems.  We face this all the time with our clients.  High Google rankings aint the goal!  The goal is an increase in enquiries that leads to an increase in sales – right?

So to achieve that it takes what most web designers can’t provide…Online Strategy.

What is Online Strategy?

Online or Internet Marketing Strategy is the online battleplan or blueprint that takes into account how you will compete with and win against your competitors.

There are a lot of factors that need to be thought about when it comes to internet marketing strategy.  They include:

• What are your overall business goals?
• What are your potential customers looking for online and in what numbers?
• What are your competitors doing online and how can we defeat them?
• How can we improve traffic (visitors) and not just rankings?
• How can we improve ‘conversion’ on the website so that we can measure the return on investment?
• How can we achieve your goals in the best way without wasting time and money?

Plus more.

Winning online is not about SEO, it’s about strategy.  It’s about planning the right things and executing that plan in the right way to achieve your goals so that you can SELL MORE STUFF.

I hope this makes sense.  If you would like to know more about how we can develop an internet marketing strategy for you so you can get your business in front of hungry customers who are using Google and looking for what you can sell, please contact us for a confidential discussion.

Thank you for reading this.

Regards,

Rhys Coffin
Internet Marketing Strategist
CEO, Internet New Zealand Ltd

E: rhys@internetnewzealand.com
M: 021 024 86566

Internet Marketing

Thank your visiting and reading this.

The fact that you have found this article is probably due to one of the tactics that we use when it comes to Online Reputation Management:  search engine optimistion (SEO).

This article explains a little about why there is a growing demaind for Online Reputation Management services for both individuals and companies alike. It also talks about some of the methods we use to influence search engines using search engine optimisation (SEO).

If it’s true that you found this article through a search engine like Google or Yahoo, then you’ll also see why using search engine optimisation forms a critical part (both on and offline) of managing your online reputation.

A New Age

The days when news was spread by only by TV, radio and newspapers is a long gone. Today there is no faster (or better) way of disseminating information than the internet.  Malicious, negative or incorrect information published online by critics can spread quickly and damage your company’s reputation if left uncorrected or un-refuted.

Even if you have operated a business ethically and cleanly for years,  all it can take is one negative event to blemish your public brand image.  This event may affect your business and it can be ongoing…costing you customers, business and money.

Simple things like a negative product review in a blog or forum can have negative effects to your brand or you personally, and can be especially damaging if you operate in a environment where competitors are ready top act against you.

Online Reputation Management is Becoming Important

Google it.  It’s what we do.  If I want to buy a new car, I’ll Google it.  Same thing for plumbers, health insurance and even for researching the best internet market companies to use in New Zealand.

As consumers we also research company brands (as well as individuals), with search engines giving fast and convenient access for performing due diligence.

As broadband internet increases in New Zealand, as more and more people start using search engines to research, the demand for online reputation management will increase.

Social Networking

At the time of writing, Facebook has displaced Trade Me as the number one accessed site in NZ (after Google).  Social networking  then, is becoming a more important internet medium.

While some smart businesses see social networking as a long-term strategy to strengthen their business and interact with their customers, most businesses struggle with it.  But regardless of how business comes to term with social networking, one thing is certain…

Consumers (and competitors) now have a voice for which to share ideas information and contacts.  And that includes negative or even malicious information about any brand and any person.

Reactive and Procative Reputation Management

There are two ways that companies can act when it comes to online reputation management.

• First is the proactive management of your name or brand.  This involves the ongoing monitoring of news, social networks, customer feedback, forums etc.  Often, damage to your reputation may be happening without your knowledge.

   

  Proative reputation management involves the monitoring of customer and market perceptions online from blogs, social networking, forums etc., as well as the creation of blogs, sub-domain websites, websites and other online ‘assets’ that present truthful and positive information.  The setting up of these assets effectively ensures that any damaging information can be relegated further down the search engines…often to page 3 or 4.

• Reactive reputation mangement involves the relegation of harmful information in search engines (using the same methods), once it appears as well as publishing information that refutes negative, malicious or damaging information.

So how do we do this?

There are a number of ways we achieve this.  One way is to use effective keyword analysis and the effective creation of these online assets which contain factual and positive information.  Next we use link-building and other ‘off-page’ SEO techniques to elevate the rankings of these sites.

Online Reputation Services

If you or your organisation would like more information about online reputation management, please go ahead and contact us.  We’ll set up a confidential meeting by phone or skype to discuss your situation.

We’ll also provide you with our ORM Brand Audit at no charge.  It will give you a ’snapshot’ glance at the state of your online reputation including some concepts ideas and strategy to deal with negative information (if any).

Regards,

Rhys Coffin
Online Reputation Management Specialist
CEO, Internet New Zealand Ltd

E: rhys@internetnewzealand.com
M: 021 024 86566

Online Reputation Management – ORM

We’re hiring!  This is an exciting role with a dynamic and fast-growing internet marketing company.  Intermediate/Senior person required for a role that includes a variety of disciplines and work.

• South Auckland, New Zealand.
• Revenue share offerred.

Salary or contract rate depending on experience.

Pse contact:  rhys@internetnewzealand.com

Designation:

Web Guru – Designer/Developer/Webmaster/Administrator/SEO

Reporting to:

Chief Technical Officer

Internet New Zealand Ltd are seeking an experienced Web all-rounder with a positive attitude and the ability to turn their hand to anything Web related in this dynamic, young company. Rapid growth has meant we need an extra pair of hands to assist as needed. Must have the ability to work with minimal supervision and take responsibility for seeing projects through to completion.

Key Tasks:

* Set up multiple websites, mainly WordPress based, install themes and plugins and configure for optimal use across multiple browsers and Operating Systems.
* Edits and changes to existing clients websites in multiple platforms.
* Setup domains on 3rd party ‘holding’ sites.
* Install and configure off-the-shelf scripts and web applications.
* Design themes (and customise off-the-shelf ones) for the appropriate platform.
* Design website logos, header banners, animated gif and Flash banners
* Maintain and update existing websites.
* Set up mailing lists / autoresponders
* Train clients as necessary to manage their own CMS websites.
* Manage and administer multiple web hosting accounts including setting up accounts and taking backups.
* Manage and administer multiple domain registry accounts including domain registration and renewals.
* Keep up to date with industry trends, research potential solutions and make recommendations for adoption.
* Customise ad tweak existing PHP scripts and templates.
* Design, scope and develop low to mid level web based applications using PHP/MySQL.
* Do search engine/directory/articles submissions as required.
* Perform webmaster duties on in-house and clients websites.
* Provide support to clients as necessary
* Design and document business and web processes

Requirements

Advanced skills and experience in the following:

* PC / Windows 7 / Windows XP
* HTML
* CSS
* PHP
* Website design
* Graphic design
* Template and logo design
* WordPress
* Adobe Photoshop
* Attention to detail
* Exceptional customer service skills
* Creative problem-solving
* Excellent written and spoken English
* Ability to work in a team and to communicate in a clear and effective way

Intermediate skills and experience in the following:

* Web Host Manager (WHM) / Cpanel
* MySQL / PhpMyAdmin
* Fantastico
* Flash
* Joomla
* Drupal
* Microsoft Word & Excel

Desirable:

Knowledge and experience of the following an advantage:

* Mac
* JavaScript
* Artisteer
* Illustrator (or similar)
* Google Docs
* Web Audio and Video
* Amazon S3
* Internet marketing
* Search Engine Optimisation
* Google Adsense
* PayPal
* Other Content Management Systems

Contact Rhys Coffin Now with CV and cover letter

Good SEO Copywriting is about out producing copy for websites that serves two purposes at the same time.  These are:

• Skillful writing and manipulation of words to be attractive to search engines to improve rankings
• Producing  succint, effectively persuasive text for a well-written web page

SEO copywriting must be performed as part of the overall search engine optimisation strategy of a website or business. Writing that simply “optimises” for a search, but that offers little useful information or only weak persuasion doesn’t help anyone.  It not only wastes time for potential customers to a website, but it is also ineffective and reduces the overall  value perception of the internet.

SEO Copywriting and Art

Seo copywriting  is not just about technical science and ‘ticking the boxes’ in the right places.  When it’s part of a strategy, obeying Google’s guidelines as well as writing copy that is persuasive and succinct, is the goal.  If you can achieve this,  you’ll win online…eventually.

We provide both aspects (the technical SEO as well as the persuasive and creative) as part of our SEO services.  For a free interview to discuss any questions or to learn about our pricing, please click the button below.

SEO Copywriting

And no-one else.

My name is Rhys Coffin.  I’ve been involved successfully in internet marketing strategy and lead generation for nearly a decade.

I know,…big deal.

But what you should know is that I’m not a geek or an IT Guru [although we employ some of the best!].   Rather, I am regarded as a street-smart entrepreneur and internet marketing strategy specialist. I’m a business owner and have been since I was 12 years old when my Mum used to wait in the car while I sold kiwifruit door-to-door.

I have a passion for Internet Marketing strategy that borders on the unhealthy.  Just like how some alcoholics dribble on about how red wine is good for you because it has heaps of anti-oxidoodads (or whatever), and then in the next 30 minutes proceed to get sh**-faced; I’m a bit like that with the ’net.

I find new developments in Internet Marketing trends fascinating and compelling.  Yes, I know it’s all a bit sad really.  In 2007, I stopped ’sharing’ these incredibly compelling internet developments with my wife, after doing so resulted in a stint in the spare room.

While you may not share my passion either,  it is a fact that I understand the utter joy and puke-inducing pain of growing a company from scratch, because I’ve done it numerous times.

You should also know that some of these enterprises (two of them) have ended up losing me many hundreds of thousands of my own dollars.  Don’t worry, I’m OK.  I don’t need a hug anymore.  But I do like telling people at parties that both of these businesses were not-for-profit organisations…That wasn’t the intention when we started out, but that’s what happened in the end!

And so you might be asking why I would want to share this morsel of information about these ‘failures’ when the thought of sharing it would scare the bejesus out of most people if it were them?

Good question, Here’s why:

I share it because as a business owner who regularly seeks guidance from other successful business owners, I will always try to listen to those who have made mistakes, and who have moved on to greater achievements.  Kudos to them I reckon.

And perhaps by reading on, you may feel the same way.

While my internet background may not qualify me to be an analyst or a software developer, what it does qualify me for is to help.  All you need to do is get in touch.

Geek-free, strategic and holistic help to be successful online is what’s missing today for business owners.

Of course, that’s what we do…But more about that later.

My Web Designer Will Look After Me

Is it me, or does it seem that every web designer who gets spat out of Polytech with a Diploma these days is setting themselves up to be an Internet Marketing or SEO Expert?

Paah-leese. Give me a break.

You’ve probably already got a ‘web guy’ or a web-design company who built your site .  They’ve possibly done a good job of  ‘looking after you’ for I don’t know how long.

If you’re serious about ramping up your business growth, you will already know this:  That the internet – especially search,  social networking and online reputation management – will be an increasingly important part of your success…or failure if you chose to ignore it.  If you agree with this then trying to win without getting strategic help (no, not from your geek) is like trying to fish for marlin at the viaduct without leaving the jetty.  It’s doomed before you start, no matter how many blogs you read or how cool you think Twitter is!

Look, I have nothing against web designers or web developers.  How does that saying go? …Every home should have one, and some of my best friends are web designers (LOL).

While some of them have nice hair and are great executors of strategy, I wouldn’t get one to tell me HOW TO MAKE MONEY.  That would be like getting Michael Laws to  do a Power Point presentation explaining the benefits of Tino Rangatiratanga to the Business Round Table or the Sensible Sentencing Trust.  Even if it happened, it just wouldn’t work.

Yet that’s what we business owners do, eh?  Anything to do with the internet and we immediately get onto the web guy!  Yep, that probably worked OK 5 or 10 years ago.  Back then, lots of business owners thought the interweb thing was a bloody waste of time anyway and besides the whole bloody thing would blow over any bloody minute…

But it bloody didn’t.

Instead, it took off faster than it takes to admit that you slept with Tiger Woods.

Success online is not just about IT.  It’s about strategy, technology, marketing, communication and old fashioned selling skills.

Mainly though, success is about strategy and the execution of that strategy.  It’s not about shortcuts or the latest WordPress Plugin or CMS Platform or whatever…

What is Internet Marketing Strategy?

To me, strategy is about the holistic analysis and examination of important success factors that when executed, will result in business objectives being met.  It’s about principles that were true B.G. (Before Google) and are still true today.  And they’ll be just as relevant into the future, too.

Sadly, I see too many fellow business owners being romanced by (mostly) well-intentioned web designers, web developers and SEO consultants who make dumb recommendations without any application of important strategic principles.

I like this definition of strategy… In their book Exploring Corporate Strategy, Johnson and Scholes define strategy as follows:

“Strategy is the direction and scope of an organisation over the long-term: which achieves advantage for the organisation through its configuration of resources within a challenging environment, to meet the needs of markets and to fulfil stakeholder expectations.”

I’ll keep it brief because sometimes this stuff can make even my eyes glaze over; but in a nutshell, strategy (including Internet Marketing Strategy)  is about these six things:

• Where is your business trying to get to in the long-term (direction) and what part does the internet play in that?
• Which markets - both online and offline - should a business compete in, and what kind of activities are involved in such markets? (markets, online analysis & scope)
• Online, how can the business perform better than the competition in those markets? (analysis & advantage)?
• What resources (skills, assets, finance, relationships, technical competence, facilities) are required in order to be able to compete online? (resources).  And what methodologies and technologies need to be applied (e-commerce, seo, lead generation, online convesion, web platforms)
• What external, environmental factors affect the businesses’ ability to compete? (environment)?
• What are the values and expectations of those who have power in and around the business? (stakeholders, owners)

I could go on about Internet Marketing Strategy, but I won’t.  You will find lots of other articles on this site if you want to want to learn more about this subject.

But Here’s My Point…

Who do you have on your team who has built businesses online and offfline, who understands and lives for the net, who isn’t a ‘technician’ or a Geek, who can prove the claims they make (and not just regurgitate buzz-words or popular thinking)?

If you have no-one, or the person you have isn’t driving a constantly growing stream of funds into your operating account…then call me.

Planning your online strategy is just as important as planning your offline strategy.  It may be even more important depending on your business.

Your online success requires serious online strategic thinking.

While your IT guy or web designer play critical roles in the execution of strategy, there could be serious risks and implications if you don’t treat your internet marketing strategy in a holistic way, and with the importance it deserves.

Some of these implications might be:

• Engaging an SEO consultant to get you ranked higher in search engines only to find that the extra visitors to your site don’t translate into extra turnover or adequate ROI
• Going along with your web company or advertising agency who build you an overpriced website that has all the bells and whistles that you’ll never need,  that looks pretty but makes no money…and then having to pay the price of a new Aston Martin every time you want to make a tweak
• Entering into an arrangement where you are locked into your web company’s proprietary CMS or CRM system that you have to pay for every month…without the perceived extra value

And others…

These implications lead to one thing.  Wasted time and wasted money.

Free Online Strategy Meeting

We have limited resources (my time) to make the following offer, but for now anyway, I’d like to offer you a Free Strategy Meeting.  It’s up to 1 hr of my time and includes some research, ideas and concepts that will give you valueable options for business growth.

Go ahead and click the button below or else call or txt me directly on (021) 024 86566. My promise: no hard-sell, just information you can use.

Thank you for reading this.

Rhys Coffin
Internet Marketing  Specialist
CEO, Internet New Zealand Ltd

E: rhys@internetnewzealand.com
M: 021 024 86566

P.S.  My special offer is valid only while time-resources permit, and I reserve the right to end it at any time.

Internet Marketing Strategy

Dear Business Owner or Manager,

What kind of business do you have?  Do you provide a professional service?  Do you sell stuff online?  Do you make widgets?

If you are in a business where your prospective customers must engage or ‘talk’ to you first before they buy, then online lead generation could be a perfect fit for you.

I imagine that you are probably getting enquiries (leads) coming by email from your website right now.  Or at least you should be.

But are you getting enough?  And did you know, that with a bit of time and by doing the right things, you could literally flood your email inbox with lots more genuine and qualified enquiries? It’s true.  We’ve performed lead generation  and achieved it for other companies and it can be done for you.

Read on and I’ll explain how and what’s involved:

Why Does Online Lead Generation Work?

It is simple. Online lead generation works because every month more and more of your potential customers are searching online for what you promote or sell.  Recent NZ and AUS research shows that 50% shoppers will research a purchase online before purchasing a product or service [1].

But there’s more. A staggering 52% of shoppers researching online only consider 1 – 2 websites when they search [2].  And to top it off, the majority of searchers click on the top 3 results (60 – 80%) [3].

Plus, more and more Kiwis are connecting the web, and broadband internet connectivity now dominates over dial-up.

Here are some facts concerning broadband internet useage from the Dept of Statistcs.

At 30 June 2009:

• The total number of broadband subscribers exceeded 1 million.
• Broadband users made up nearly three-quarters of all Internet subscribers.
• There were 126,000 subscribers with a data cap of at least 20GB, three times as many as 15 months ago.
• The number of subscribers with an Internet connection using mobile data cards, cable, or satellite technology grew by 53 percent to 220,000.

So what does this actually mean?

This highlights the incredible (low-priced) opportunity that smart NZ businesses can take advantage of.  The research also underlines the importance of search engine optimisation and the importance of other ‘conversion’ factors.

Putting Together An Online Lead Generation Campaign

Significant opportunity exists by using organic SEO and the main way to drive traffic, as opposed to paid search using Google Adwords.

The first step in putting together a killer lead-generation campaign using organic or natural SEO is first to answer some basic questions.  They include:

• Is there a requirement for prospective clients to ‘talk’ to you before they buy something from you?  If the answer is yes, then online lead generation will work for you! Note: ‘talk’ could be a phone call, an email, a Skype call or a face-to-face meeting.

• Do you have a website? And if you do, to you have web statistics that tell you important information about your current site visitors and traffic? (If you don’t or don’t know, we can help).

• Do you have a good sales process in place so that enquiries can be handled effectively?  This includes systems to track conversion and other factors.

Research

The next step is to extensively reasearch your market online.  There are lots of things involved here, which I’ll save for other posts.  But the basics involve using tools to identify the keywords and keyphrases that your potential market actually use when searching online, as well as an analysis of what your competitors are doing.  It sounds simple enough, but there often traps and counter-intuitive elements to consider.

Conversion

The ratio of website visitors who actually take an action that you desire is called the conversion ratio.  Creating a conversion plan to maximise the visitor/action ratio is important.  Things to consider are:

• Setting up the architecture of the website so that it works properly
• Considering the aesthetics and design of the site or landing page
• Having clear objectives and priorities relating to the desired action you want visitors to take
• Formatting and laying out the elements on the site based on proven principles
• Writing effective & compelling copy for your audience that is free from platitudes and hype

And more…

Search Engine Optimisation

There’s tons more about SEO on this site (and others) if you want to learn specific techniques, but this is not the  goal of this article.  Having said that, the principles of SEO apply now more than ever.

Our overall objective when working with clients is to create a site that contains quality content that is relevant.  Next,  we use different methodologies to ensure the search engines can ‘understand’ and pick up on the website ‘theme’.  This themeing plays an important part of the relevance of your website compared to your competitor.

Other factors include using the right keywords in the right parts of the website (siloing) as well as building quality backlinks through submissions and article management.

Lead Generation Summary

For the next few years at least, consumer behaviour with online search engines will more and more dominate the way that business gets gone in New Zealand. It’s true.

For some it’s scary and they’ll choose to ignore it.  For some, they’ll embrace it as a new opportunity to gain real competitive advantage before their competitors do.

There’s a lot involved in online lead generation.  Factors involve research, website stucture and design, conversion and SEO…and a whole lot more.

Smart companies do not take a DIY approach to lead generation because they realise the opportunity cost is just too high.  The rate of change occurring online means that as soon as a beginner masters a certain element, other factors will have come in to play that can obviate any gains made.

Fortunately Internet New Zealand Ltd can help!  We work with ambitious, entrepreneurial and growing companies to navigate through the mire of hype, myths and unscrupulous operators…And help them to dominate their industry or niche online.  Really.

If you would like to find out more about how we can help you, (and to provide proof of how we’ve done it for others) please click the button below.  We’ll provide a free online marketing review and provide insight and ideas irrespective of whether we end up working together.

Thank you for reading this.

Rhys Coffin
Lead Generation Specialist
Internet New Zealand Ltd

E: rhys@internetnewzealand.com

[1] Source: Google Monash University AUS, 2009
[2]Source: Google Monash University AUS, 2009
[3] SEO-scientist.com

What the…!

You’ve had you “IT Guy” or your web company build your new website or upgrade your old one but since then, there have been no extra enquiries coming in…

What’s going on?

Well, it could be anything.  But usually it’s to do with not having the right plan or strategy in place at the start.

I’m sorry, but the philosophy of – “If you build it, they will come” – might work fine and dandy for Kevin Costner, but for most businesses this just won’t work when it comes to getting more leads or sales from your website.  Boo hoo.

While success online isn’t ‘rocket surgery’, it still requires careful research, planning, and execution.

Strategic Planning

Strategic Online Planning requires asking some pretty basic but important questions such as:

• How is your website performing now?
• What current traffic are you receiving?
• Who are the customers you are targeting?
• Who are your competitors online?
• What is your curent conversion of site visitors to action?
• What search engine rankings are you achieving now?
• What do you want visitors to do when they land on your website?
• What keywords are your target market using when they search for your products or services in Google?

Plus lots, lots more…

And while these questions sound simple enough, many business owners simply don’t ask them.

Why?

Because learning about how to succeed online takes effort (time) that many businesses don’t perceive to be worthy of investment.  It’s not necessarily their fault…after all, you don’t know what you don’t know, eh?

So, instead of doing things the right way, what do they do? In an effort to at least do something, they end up doing the wrong things by default:

Many just ask their web designer to ‘take care of it’.

Beyond Web Design

Well designed and executed web design is an important part of success online.  But it’s not everything.  Having a beautiful website that works really well…with no visitors,  is like a one legged man in a bottom-kicking contest.  Pointless.

It takes more than looking pretty.  It also takes tactics to rank well, use the right words, increase traffic, and convert those visitors into taking some action.  And all of that needs to be wrapped around a strategy that aligns with what your company objectives are.

If it sounds hard and expensive…it’s not!

Let Us Help You

If you’re still reading this, then we can assume you are part of a business or organisation that wants to grow.  You could be a retailer (offline or online), looking for qualified leads, a professional services company, or an ambitious company wanting to dominate your industry online.

Either way, go ahead and take the first step and request a free interview.