5 Sure Fire Ways To Generate More Website Leads. – Snapco Design Agency

In this day and age, everyone knows that a good website is an absolute necessity for growing your business. But it isn’t enough to simply build a website and wait for it to attract new customers. With that in mind, here are five simple changes you can make to turn your website into a lead generating machine.

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1. Use responsive design (it’s a must).

Your website needs to adapt to your potential customers’ needs regardless of what device they might be using. In other words, you need a website that’s responsive. Ask your web developer if your current website is responsive, or if you’re building a new website, you can use a responsive website design platform like Web Weaver.

For many sites, responsive design means finding a balance between scaling the page down to fit on a smaller screen while maintaining all of the features that your customers need. Your website should look clean – not cluttered – so customers can easily find the relevant information without getting bogged down by ads and unnecessary content.

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2. Provide clear calls to action

To generate more leads, you need to tell your users exactly what you want them to do by including clear calls to action on every page of your site. That means using your content to encourage visitors to take action, whether it’s by signing up for a mailing list or a newsletter, requesting a quote, or purchasing a product.

People tend to take action during their first visit to a website, so it’s important to be sure that you capitalise on the initial visit. You’ll give your website a much better chance of capturing leads by including clear calls to action.

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3. Produce great content

There is no better method of generating leads through your blog or website than to simply generate great content regularly, whether it’s blog posts, videos, infographics, ebooks, or whitepapers. By creating engaging content, you can get visitors excited about your product.

However, that only scratches the surface of what great content can do for you. The better your content is, the more likely it is to get shared on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media, which can put your product in front of a lot more eyes.

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4. Remember ease of navigation.

Your website should be designed with your visitors’ needs in mind. Consider what your potential customers might want from your website, then do your best to make sure that the information they want is easily accessible. When laying out your page, always be sure to distinguish your site’s most important content. The best way to accomplish this is prominent, simple, and clear navigation.

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5. Expand your mailing list.

One of the most effective (and often overlooked) tools for generating leads through a website is a mailing list. By using a lightbox form like the one offered by Snapco Design to entice readers into subscribing, you can dramatically increase the size of your mailing list and ensure future visits to your website.

This is particularly true if you take advantage of the option to create a customised welcome email for all new subscribers. Welcome emails are significantly more effective than your average marketing message. In fact, subscribers are about four times more likely to open a welcome email than other bulk messages.

Snapco Design Agency

http://www.snapcodesign.com.au

Creativity Battery Dying? Here is 10 Snapco Tips To Recharge It.

Creativity can strike randomly. Sometimes, we find an overabundance of it. Other times, we can go for weeks, even months stuck on a project and unable to move forward to something new. But sometimes you can help give it a nudge…

When I’m not doing marketing or web stuff, I’m writing music. I was pondering today all the things I do in between composing music, or when inspiration just won’t strike and thought I’d share a few tips I find help recharge my creativity.

Hope you find some of these useful (in no particular order):

1) Exercise – Get up from your computer, music studio, art easel, whatever your craft and have a jog or a swim…this is a fantastic way to clear your mind. Get away from traffic, go to the beach, the park or some type of green space and connect a bit with natural surroundings. Your personal studio may be a creative space (although some prefer them stark) but undoubtedly some time in natural surroundings, especially stretching your muscles is a wonderful way to clear your mind. In removing excess energy, you will in turn remove excess baggage from your mind. The mind always follows the body.

2) Hit up the local coffee shop – Get a double espresso, but don’t just head right back to work. Stick around for a bit and interact with some of the people hanging around. I’m just as guilty as you are at ignoring the world and spending weekends in a row for months at a time locked away in the studio experimenting with sounds or perfecting that new track. But even if you plan to work for a whole weekend, when you’re going to get your coffee at least put aside 15-20 minutes to interact with other people, then return to your work. The right people are extremely inspirational. Starbucks is good to grab your coffee and go, but try to find a unique/local place to get good conversation.

3) Try a new genre – If you’re way into industrial rock and listen to it 24/7, undoubtedly your going to end up following a bit of a stylistic pattern and formula with your music. But you may be pleasantly surprised by what’s out there. Seek out an artist who is not the obvious choice in a genre you don’t normally listen to. You may pick up on stylistic cues which you never thought of incorporating into your music, and a unique crossover sound may emerge in your mind. You could even fall in love with that synergy. As my musical mentors taught me, unlikely combinations can sometimes yield the most inspired results. This is true with any form of creative work.

4) Seek out a mentor … or an apprentice – If you’re just delving into a new artistic form and are hitting roadblocks or barriers, a mentor is the best thing to move you forward. I’m a huge fan of the master/apprentice relationship, and believe it is worthwhile for both sides. If you’re an apprentice, you’re getting the obvious benefit of working with someone who has years of experience. If you’re the master, working with a bright-eyed aspiring artist will prove a breath of fresh air for you, and you will not only be giving something back to your art form but your apprentice may one day come back to truly inspire you. I have worked to assist two aspiring artists and I believe both of them are already far greater than I will ever be. All they needed was a bit of a push with the technical side of things and then their creativity has soared. It is as rewarding of an experience as making art itself.

5) Add something new to your repertoire – If you’re a music producer, try out a new synth. If you’re a visual artist, check out some new adobe plug-ins. If you’re a writer and stuck on a desktop, splurge on that new ultra-portable laptop so you can work anywhere. These are all just fun ways of mixing things up and perhaps stirring up new creative juices. Sometimes you’ve been working with the same tools so long you may have tapped them completely…at least for new ideas. I’m not saying give up your favorite tools, but sometimes adding something small, but new will spark your creativity in a whole new direction altogether.

6) Share your work with someone new – Let someone new experience your work. Just one person – don’t create a new marketing campaign for yourself, actually seek out one of your friends or acquaintances who you have never personally shared your art with and ask them if they would like to see or hear or even taste (if you’re a culinary artist) something new you have created (or perhaps something old). Get their feedback. You may find that they the most unlikely person is moved by your work and turns into a big supporter for you – perhaps even inspiring you to something new. Take an interest in their art or interest as well.

7) If you’re a musician read, if you’re a writer listen to music – Experience an art form completely outside of your specific craft. When I’m not making music, I personally find sociological studies, music literature, (reading about your craft is acceptable) and philosophy infinitely compelling – but it doesn’t matter really – just read something that moves you. The style you read may subconsciously influence your creativity in music. Alternatively, if you’re a writer or a painter, listen to music. Try something without vocals as to not direct your thoughts in any specific direction, but direct your emotions which in turn will provoke your own, original, unique thoughts.

8) Break your routine – This is an easy one. Take a weekend off from making music – but don’t do what you normally would do in your free time. Try going to the local planetarium for a laser-light show, or visit the botanical gardens near you. If you can, get away for a weekend from your house and visit a friend you haven’t seen – somewhere far enough that it’s at least a 2 hour drive or plane-flight. The drive in itself may prove inspirational (I find long car-trips to be a fantastic time for introspection). Whatever your journey, you should come back with a fresh perspective.

9) Go to a show, art gallery, etc. – Seeing art come alive in action at a concert or taking the time to visit someone’s gallery is not only a fun and wonderful way to only inspire your own creativity, but it also inspire theirs. Artists of all types should support each other, and it is reciprocal for us all to work to encourage each other. These are also the best places to find like-minded individuals and artists and really connect with them. Generally, you’ll come back from any social gathering of artists and have more ideas to work with in-studio than you know what to do with – e which is never a problem.

10) Find a new form of art – I’m well aware of the importance of keeping your focus on your specific craft, but the benefits of having another form of art to nurture as well may surprise you. I find writing words and music to be mutually enjoyable and have engaged in both practices for years. I even find the two inspire each other. I do find that many of my peers in audio production are fantastic visual artists as well. I could never draw, but I find that those friends of mine seem to get a wonderful synergy out of their visual works. Many creative souls easily find a niche within more than one form of expression without spreading themselves too thin.

Guess What Start-Ups…. Nothing is original, depends how you sell it….

Inspiration is hard to come by. An artistic or creative influence is often heralded as a starting point for an idea, but however you acquire your direction, it’s hard to argue that you’re creating something that’s never been done before.

In an age of copyright laws and patents, where companies defend the originality of concepts so vehemently, it’s easy to come to the conclusion that innovation is a high-value exercise that’s driven by unique creative genius. But the famous french fashion designer put it best:

“Only those with no memory insist on their originality.”
― Coco Chanel

Even the seemingly most disruptive ideas are a combination, reimagining or remix of another idea or ideas. We place a lot of value on the originality and uniqueness of an idea and because of this I’ve heard people try and turn themselves away from great ideas. “Someone else had already done this”, “Its just a different way of doing this”, or “It’s too similar to X”. Whatever the reason, don’t let yourself be turned away from an idea just because it lacks originality. Your idea only has to be different enough not to ruffle any feathers and undoubtedly as most ideas that do end up pivoting and changing, the unifying concepts can be what end up holding a new brand together.

That’s not to say that striving for originality isn’t a noble goal, but once you recognize that nothing is truly original you can start to be more open to bringing in the best aspects of concepts that are already out there.

I think this way of thinking is something that’s been more commonplace since the advent of the sharing economy. People and organisations are begining to understand that there’s more value added between people than between only businesses and organisations. Our need to maximise value from all the spaces in between has lead to products and services that are shaped not just by the businesses that create them, but also by the people who use them.

In this way, by borrowing even more ideas and rolling them into something else, the end result is a product or service that by its very nature is much more unique than the sum of all its parts. The originality, or in business-speak, the ‘unique selling point’ is amplified and enhanced by the understanding that not much of anything created is actually an owned concept.

It can be a pretty liberating perspective and allows a concept or established idea to grow in ways that might not have previously been considered.

“Originality is nothing but judicious imitation. The most original writers borrowed one from another.” — Voltaire

07 5390 8136

Snapco’s “Insight Before Website” Approach To Web Design

Before we jump into the subject of website development, you must first understand that an effective business website is not a product, but a service. If you approach website development from the consumer’s point of view you will be on target and the actual website design process will go a lot more smoothly. Let’s look at some important aspects of website development that will allow the design phase to focus more on function than fashion.

Website development must begin with a clear purpose

The only way to design an effective business website and have the ability to measure its success is to have a clearly defined goal before website development begins. By having a well-defined goal for your website, the design process can include elements that reinforce your purpose. The website development process will be more effective and you will eliminate any confusion from the very beginning.

Design phase of website development must be user-friendly

One major error in web design is improper or inadequate site navigation. Your visitors should never have to wonder where they are or how they can get to the information they need. All website content must be comfortable for the user and offer valuable information before they know they really need it. Your visitors really want to know what you can do for them and really aren’t concerned about how you do it. Your content must be simple, an easy read, and tailored to your target audience.

Website development must include elements that work together

If there are elements of your web page that really stand out, it should be intentional, not because they just don’t fit in with the rest of the page. To be effective, your website must present unity of design. Many web designers seem to feel that every square inch of a web page should be filled with something, but white space is essential for your site to breathe. Without sufficient white space your web design can become cramped and the different design elements will just run together.

Website development with a cluttered design is annoying

Don’t make the mistake of using excessive graphics, flash, pop-ups or any other design elements that don’t promote your site’s purpose. Anything that is a total distraction to your visitors is clutter and must be avoided. Design clutter causes your site to load more slowly and you only have a few seconds to grab a potential customer’s attention. People come to your site looking for information and anything that tries to direct their attention to things that don’t interest them is just an annoyance.

There are many visually appealing websites that are totally ineffective. Your business can have the best looking website on the Internet, but if people must go to the 15th page of Google to find it, it’s not really worth the time and effort in took in website development. There’s nothing wrong with a website looking good, but gaining visibility should be your ultimate goal and your website design must focus more on function and less on fashion.

At Snapco Design, our website design service offers custom small business website development that takes your thoughts and ideas and our design expertise to create small business websites that not only look good, but are easy for search engines and potential customers to find and enjoy. Contact us and let us help your business stand out above the crowd.

Insight Before Website; enables us to create purpose built sites that have predetermined objectives and the capability to serve it’s market as such.

Snapco Design

07 5390 8136

• Matt Jarryd

Successful Sales Professionals Must Have a Human Touch

Contrary to popular belief, good sales professionals are heartfelt individuals that genuinely care about people. A lot of people associate sales with a negative stigma, the used car salesman who will try to sell you everything you don’t need to achieve his own agenda. Don’t get me wrong – those types of sales people do exist, but they are not your most successful sales people. Successful sales professionals are relatable, outwardly revealing to their prospects their human side.

Problem Solver: A good sales professional is focused on learning about their prospect so that they can help them solve a problem they have. They are good investigators, learning as much as they can about their prospect so that they can be a helpful resource. A really good sales professional may even go beyond what their company can offer and provide their prospect or customer with additional resources to solve problems outside their scope.

Empathy: Because good sales professionals solve problems, they are also empathetic to the problems their prospects experience. They care. It is difficult to build relationships and connect with your prospects or customers if you are cold hearted. Prospects can sense when a sales person is genuinely interested in what they have to say and when they are just giving lip service to try and land the sale.

Build Rapport: A good sales professional cares about more than just making the sale. They value the relationship. In order to start this process, they need to break the ice with topics outside the scope of the sale itself. They make an effort to learn more about their prospect, their children and their hobbies. Clues to guide this initial conversation can often be found in your prospect’s office when you meet with them for the first time. Take some time to get to know them and let them know that you are interested in more than just closing a sale with them. Once you take the time to build this relationship, it will follow you for years to come.

Personable: A good sales professional needs to have a personality. Don’t get into a career where you have to deal with people if you are not a people person. Sales requires great people skills because you have to interface with customers, prospects and your internal office staff on a regular basis. You are often the liaison between the client and the company once you establish an account; therefore, it’s important that you know how to handle different personalities and learn how to relate to each. Good sales professionals can also manage conflict with a customer or prospect just as easily as they handle praise.

Adaptable: Sales professionals have to navigate change on a regular basis. Each customer or prospect has different needs and none of them fit nicely into a little box. As a sales professional, you have to learn to adapt to the different needs of the customers you serve. No one day is alike because no customer is alike. They all have different needs and you must be ready and willing to rise to the occasion to meet those needs.

Fearless: Sales professionals face rejection on daily basis. It’s not always easy to pick up the phone and make another cold call after receiving that rejection, but it is a necessary step to get that one person who will say yes and take a meeting. It’s a numbers game and the sooner you learn not to take anything personal and just move forward, the easier it will become.

Goal-oriented: Successful sales professionals know how to set a target and go after it. But, the difference between a good sales person and a bad sales person is a good sales person puts the pressure of their goals on themselves; a bad sales person places all of the pressure on the prospect. And, we know that a prospect under pressure will not buy. Focused, goal-oriented sales professionals are effective at building relationships and closing more sales.

The bottom line is good sales professionals are human just like you. They care about people and simply want to work with their customers to make their lives easier. While many make great income, they are not all about the dollar bill. Good sale professionals genuinely care about people.

Click here to book to a time to chat with me >>

Snapco Design – Digital Marketing Agency With a Human Touch 🙂