Market My Holistic Biz

Web Statistics 101: The 3 Things You Really Ought to Know

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Any marketing guru worth their salt will say you need to understand web statistics.  Raise your hand if this instantly
makes you feel inadequate.  You’re not alone!  Web analytics can be confusing and misleading so why should you even care about them?

 Here are 3 important reasons why understanding even a little bit about web stats should matter to you:

1.  They can save you money

2.  They can make you money

3.  They can help you impact more people 

You won’t become an expert by reading what follows but you will learn a few things to help you make more informed decisions about your own web site and where to direct online advertising dollars. 

Statistical Legerdemain (It's a good vocabulary word and worth looking up :)

First of all, Hits are useless as a measure of web site traffic and here’s why

A single click on a single web page can generate a couple of hits or a couple dozen hits, depending on the design of the page. 

That’s because a web page is comprised of words and pictures. Pictures include photos, navigation menu graphics, advertising banners and things like “submit” buttons.  As each one of these things loads onto a computer screen it counts as a hit. 

The next time someone tries to sell you advertising based on boasts of billions of hits, you’ll know they are either uneducated or unethical and you’ll want to get some additional info before opening your wallet.

If hits don’t help as a measure of web traffic, then what does?  Good question.  And the answer has 2 parts:

1.  There is no single, perfect measure of web site traffic

2.  Some stats are more useful than others for gauging web site traffic

 

For layman purposes, the two most valuable statistics are Pages or Page Views and Unique Visitors.  Purists may disagree with me and tell you that there’s a lot more stuff you should evaluate and consider and they’d be right.  For starters, I say, “keep it simple!”          

What are Pages or Page Views?

This statistic tells you every time a page on a web site is loaded.  It only counts the page once, unlike hits which count lots of stuff on the page. It’s usually a much more realistic indicator of website activity.  

What about Unique Visitors? 

You’ve probably heard of cookies (web cookies not the Nabisco version.)  Cookies help analytic programs tell if someone is visiting a site for the first time or has been there before.  Through the use of cookies, the unique visitor stat can give you a pretty good idea of how much fresh traffic a site is attracting.

Analyzing is as much art as it is science.  Paying attention to the indicators discussed here can arm you with some basic information to help you make important marketing and advertising decisions with confidence. 

Is It Just Me?

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This may seem like a bit of departure from what you're used to seeing from me (though you haven't seen anything from me in quite some time) and yet. I feel compelled to talk about it, so here goes.

Something is up in the Universe.  Something is most definitely up! 

As I write this, I cannot think of single person that I have regular contact with in both my personal and professional life who isn't experiencing some sort of existential event. And I'm wondering if others are noticing it too.  Here are a few examples of what I mean:

• There's the client who, until 2 years ago, was the  picture of physical, emotional and spiritual health and is being plagued by one physical challenge after another. 

• Another who is experiencing uncharacteristic and relentless ambivalence around implementing the really great program she's spent more than a year painstakingly developing.

• Then there are the 2 folks who seem to be sharing a challenge: each held executive positions before going into business for themselves and both are facing financial crisis because of their inability to dismount the debilitating roller coaster of self-doubt - despite cognitive recognition of their abilities and the stellar results they've had with the clients they've "practiced" on.

• Can't forget the friend who holds a prestigious position with one of the most stable Fortune 500s - a recipient of numerous outstanding performance awards -  who is considering ditching the career and industry altogether  because of a confidence-crushing perceived failure.

• Then there's my personal bout of epic and nearly comical technological challenges in the process of launching my most recent venture, MyHolisticVillage. 

There's more but I'm sure you've got the picture.

The common denominator for these people and their scenarios is that none of this is "typical" for any of them!  These are not folks whose lives are furnished with "victim" seats. All of them are articulate, personally powerful, energetically aware, positive thinking humans.  THAT is what makes me say that something is most definitely up!

I'm not sure what it is but I have a hunch it has something to do with the Mayan Calendar and predictions about 2012 being the end of the world.  Not in some Hollywood-apocalyptic kind of way, more like an energetic-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it kind of way.  Truthfully, I'm not even all that interested in what the issue is.  I just want to know if I'm the only one seeing it!

Help me out here. Please  let me know if it's not just me?  Are things like this going on around you too - in your life or with people you know?   Drop me an email if you'd rather not post a comment but either way, wouldn't it be nice to know neither of us is alone on the SS What The Bleep!

A "Win-Win" Flash of Brilliance

 

 

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I don't know about you but I just love win-win situations and this morning I woke up with a win-win trifecta running through my head.

How'd ya like to:

• learn how to use social networking for business, in less than 60 minutes a week
• put a few less tax dollars in Uncle Sam's pocket and
• make a lasting impact on an impovished family all in one swoop?

Usually when something sounds too good to be true it is.  Not this time!

It started with a piece of "junk mail" from Heiffer International. You can get their full story here but in a nutshell:

Heiffer works to end hunger and poverty through gifts of livestock and training, helping families improve their nutrition and generate income in sustainable ways. The animals are actually  "living loans" because in exchange for the livestock and training they recieve, families agree to give one of its animal's offspring to another family in need so every gift multiplies for years to come!

This is a really great organization which I've personally supported for many years.  So here's my win-win idea:

Part 1:  I teach a class (at a super savings!) on how to use social media to attract clients in less than 60 mintues a week.

Part 2:  You sign up and I donate $100 of your tuition to Heiffer so they can help a family in need.

Part 3:  You get a tax deduction for your CPA to work her magic with and help you keep a little more of the money you worked so hard to earn this year, PLUS get a bunch of new clients from the social media magic you learn!

Even though I love what I do, it's not everyday that I get to feel this good about it!  

My goal is to donate an Ark - that's 15 pairs of animals that will begin the cycle of empowering hundreds of families for years to come.  The donation for an Ark is $5000.   

This is a simple way to make a real difference. Let's team up so  you can reach your business goals and I can reach my giving goal!  

Click here to get the details about the class  and check out the quickie video I whipped up for you :)

 

The Top 3 Ways to Deliver A Free Taste That Gets You Hired

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This is the last in a serise of three articles about pink spooning - which is marketing lingo for the delicious sample you offer to prospective clients that makes hiring you irresistible! (Click here to read the 1st and here for the 2nd.)

Sometimes it works like a magic wand and you get hired immediately.  Other times it takes longer for the credit card to  appear.  Either way, it's the first way for folks to get a 'taste' of what you are an expert at delivering.  

Since you never get a second chance to make a first impression, I'm sure you can see why developing your free taste - or pink spoon - deserves some careful thought.

There are tons of ways to deliver your free taste but mostly they fall into three main categories (especially when the delivery method is utilizing the internet):

1. Something to read.  This could be valuable written information in the form of a Special Report or checklist.  IMPORTANT: whatever form you choose, the information needs to be perceived as valuable by your potential client.  Keep in mind, that what you know they need may not be the same thing they want.  Be sure to deliver what they want here so they'll eventually be hungry for what they need to!

2. Something to listen to.  This works well if you need your sample to be experiential - like a guided meditation, visualization or breathing exercise.  Or if you hate to write!  Just make sure that when you deliver an audio message, you practice so you can get really good at filtering the "um"s and "ya know"s our of your speech pattern.

3. Something to watch.  Video is hot and getting hotter and is a super powerful marketing tool.  Because it lets people "read" your body language and get a "feel" for your energy while your delivering useful information to them, it can shave scads of time off the usual relationship building process.  People do business with folks they know, like and trust.  Video can slice through the "know, like, trust" barrier like butter through a hot knife!

If you aren't comfortable with it yet, you are going to want to do whatever it takes to become comfortable with it because eventually it will cost you clients if you don't.

A word about the "free" part

I know I've been calling it a free taste but it isn't reeeeeally free.  In keeping with the spirit of maintaining the energetic balance between giving and receiving, if you are giving something of value, the receiving party ought to do the same in return.  And the thing you want to receive in exchange for your valuble information is contact information - an email address at the bare minimum  - so that you can continue the conversation.

Wrapping it all up

In these 3 articles, I've covered a lot about creating an irresistible free taste that will entice clients to hire you fast.  You can see an example of two different ways to implement the pink spoon method when you:

a. glance at the upper right hand corner of this page or

b. visit my website

If you're still feeling a bit overwhelmed about the best way to put the pink spoon into effect for your business, I'm just a phone call or email away.  All you have to do is ask to receive my help.

How to Over Deliver without Overwhelming

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As promised in the previous post, today I'll tell you how to take the pink spoon concept and use it effectively in your business - because there is a difference between using it and using it well.  A good pink spoon (a.k.a. a sample of your brand of brilliance) will do the following:

1. Showcase your knowledge and expertise, thereby positioning you as the "go to" gal for results in your field
2. Provide valuable information that can have an immediate impact on the recipient BUT
3. Limit that valuable information to the "what to do" category, steering clear of the "how to do it" realm

 Now let's disect these. 

1.  Showcasing your knowledge and expertise is not the same as being boastful or egotistical (unless you happen to be an arrogant bugger in general, in which case, I doubt you'd be reading this because I just don't attract such folks!)  This is about educating.  Everyone knows stuff.  But none of us knows everything.  If you know stuff that I don't know but could help me solve a problem, then I want to know that cuz I want my problems solved ASAP! 

Even if I'm not currently suffering from the kind of problem that you solve, I may be someday.  How will I know to call you when that happens unless you've made it clear to me that you are the expert?  Don't make me call someone else!

2. Provide valuable information that delivers immediate impact, just like I'm doing here.  I'm explaining an important marketing concept, why it is important and the parts that make it work.  If you apply what you are learning, it can have an immediate impact on getting new clients and making more money.

3. Confine your free taste to "what to do" and leave out the specifics of "how to do it."   The idea is to whet the appetite for more.  I know you reeeeeeally want to help people.  We all do.  But it took you a long time to become the expert that you are.  It doesn't help to overwhelm people.  Please refrain from unloading everything you know in the first encounter! 

Applying the performing arts philosopy of always leave your audience wanting more works well here.  That's why they created encores - known in entrepreneur speak as repeat business!

It is possible to over deliver with a well-crafted free taste without overwhelming.  Next time I'll talk to you about the different forms you can choose for your free taste and how to know which one is right for your business.