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| Sep 10, 2007 2:40 pm |
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re: re: re: Marketing help |
Laura Wheeler
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Tracy, if you add affiliate links to your site, remember the "single page focus" rule. Make sure the revenue generation focus for each page is focused on a single primary method of earning. That means, don't scatter affiliate adds on pages that are designed to sell a service, or which are designed to sell your own products. Instead, create separate pages for your affiliate links, where the primary focus is on those items. Affiliate links are, by and large, HARDER to make money with than services. So you don't want to compromise the sales of your services for a less successful earnings model.
As to the topic of guarantees, I do give guarantees. I always offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee on web work - I refund if they are not satisfied. But I also control the delivery process (and thereby, the risk) - I break the design work into phases, and a payment is due for each phase (paid as a retainer, in advance). If the client is not satisfied with the work, we either get it right, or revert and refund. They don't get to keep anything that is not paid for. I control the size of the phases so the risks are containable. One of the major fears in this market that a client has is that they'll get into a work relationship with someone, and it won't quite work - that something will go wrong, and they'll be stuck with a bad job, that they won't be able to develop a rapport with the designer, etc. So offering that guarantee gives them the understanding that we really DO make sure they are satisfied with the design and the work. I've never had to refund. I have had to take extra time with a client to make sure that they loved the result. But I'd have done that even if I did not offer a guarantee.
I guarantee delivery dates on some contracts - but the guarantee is written for each contract, with the specification that they must deliver content and graphics for specific parts of the site by specific dates, and if they do not, the guaranteed delivery date is void. Consequences for failure to deliver are also spelled out. Most of my clients don't ask for delivery date guarantees though, so typically I just state in a contract that delivery times are flexible, and dependent upon the ability of the site owner to deliver content and graphics in a timely manner, as well as the schedule of the designer.
I guaranteed SEO and marketing, but the terms stipulate that the results are long term, not short term. With SEO, they will see significant improvements within a 6 month period (you can GET results much faster, within days, but the full impact can take 6 months to show, depending on how fast PR is indexed) - I will specify what the minimum expected results are in percentage, traffic, etc. With marketing, I mostly do link building, ad placements, article marketing, and other simple stuff. I don't do full ad campaigns, and I don't do anything other than brainstorm with my clients (a free service that comes with site services) or provide training materials for other types of marketing (if they need more, I refer them to specialists - though most of my clients can't afford specialists until after their site begins to pay). So, I can offer a guarantee on results for a link building campaign, article marketing service, etc. Generally, I CAN offer an ROI guarantee on that - I've seen the statistical returns often enough that I know that if I do it right, their profits will increase by a minimum of a certain percentage within a period of one year (based on the age of the site, the degree of improvement needed, and the traffic history, I can generally assess an accurate potential - I know that if I can see that a 400% ROI is realistically achievable, I can guarantee a 300% ROI, or if 200% is achievable, I can guarantee 150%, taking into account how vulnerable their business might be to market, social, political, or other factors beyond our control). And I ONLY give guarantees on one year contracts for those services, because especially with low budget startups, it takes time to get a website noticed and performing well. But you also have to understand, when someone comes to me and wants to improve their site, it is often a site that was badly built, with no SEO, poor copy, bad design, and no marketing of any kind ever done with the site (not even put onto their business cards!), OR, they are a brand new startup with a very limited budget. So offering a satisfaction guarantee on improved results or initial ROI is easy, and realizing it doesn't take anything more than routine effort. This part really just comes down to knowing the statistics for my particular market, and knowing how to provide something that will perform, for their business.
Most businesses CAN give guarantees. The trick is to control the parameters of the guarantee, and the terms of it in a way that provides genuine benefit to the client, but which also protects your interests and keeps you from being taken advantage of by users, or harmed by flakes. I know a lot of business owners that get real squirrelly at the idea of offering a guarantee, but really, you just have to think about it carefully and define it well. It isn't about assuming ALL the risk - it is about fair division of risk, and clients really do understand that.
Maybe you can't say, "Every customer will be happy with the results". But you can say, "If you do your part, I will do my part, and I guarantee you will be satisfied with my part." Then you plan in ways to limit your risks - my method is to design in phases, so that I never risk more than one phase at a time. If they approve a phase, then it is closed, and we move on to the next phase, and the prior phase is no longer refundable. You also don't have to give refund guarantees. You can offer something else that is meaningful - something they know you won't like to do, so you'll work hard to avoid it, but also something which they feel offers either some compensation to them, OR, which ensures that the situation is rectified if they are not satisfied. The concern of the customer is generally that they have some assurance of quality, and a consequence to you, and compensation to them, if quality is not delivered. There are TONS of creative ways to meet that objective. It is just a way of saying, "We really mean it, and to prove it, here is what we are willing to back it with." An example would be, if the objectives are not met within the time frame we state, we'll work for free until they are met. There are lots of other ways to do it too.
Hope everybody's weekend was good!
Laura
Mom to Eight
Firelight Business Enterprises, Inc.
http://www.firelightwebstudio.com
http://www.westernhillsinstitute.com
Private Reply to Laura Wheeler (new win) |
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