SANTA CRUZ, Calif., Jan. 10, 2011 — Business and nonprofit owners and executives could benefit from some contrarian thinking when creating their web strategies for 2012, according to Philippa Gamse, author of the newly published book 42 Rules for a Web Presence That Wins.
Philippa has reviewed over 5,000 websites since 1995, and found that more than 95% were leaving money on the table. “Either they’re missing out on leads and opportunities that they should be making, or they’re spending resources for poor results,” she says.
The solution is to think more deeply – and sometimes in different ways – about your web presence and social media strategy. Philippa offers these suggestions for contrarian resolutions, based on seven of the rules in her book:
1. Avoid Industry Best Practices: unless you’re sure that you’re using valid comparisons, these can give you a false impression of your specific situation.
2. Counter the Competition: many businesses are wary of giving away their “secrets” online – but not showing your expertise and track record can hamper your growth.
3. Stop Taking “One Size Fits All” Advice: many “experts” hype their online marketing results – yet there are few really effective shortcuts. Make sure that their tactics apply to your online markets and goals.
4. Ignore your Search Engine Rankings: – until you’ve figured out which of your keywords really pay off in leads and quality traffic, and then focus on those.
5. Attract Invisible Buyers: think about your behind-the-scenes influencers and decision makers, and create copy that engages them too.
6. Beware of “Feel-Good” Numbers: “dashboard” summaries of web analytics reports are convenient for busy managers, but rarely tell the whole story – and can be quite misleading.
7. Feed the HiPPO: sometimes the “Highest Paid Person’s Opinion” (which can be both wrong and strongly held) should be overcome with proven web metrics data.
42 Rules for a Web Presence That Wins is a fast, but thought-provoking, guide to effective web strategy and online business success. Based on Philippa’s 20-plus years of experience of Internet marketing and social networking, it also includes interviews with over 30 outside experts.
Get a free sampler of five sections, plus the introduction and table of contents at http://www.websitesthatwin.com/book-preview.html
About Philippa Gamse
Philippa Gamse is an Internet strategy consultant and business speaker, and an Adjunct Faculty member at Hult International Business School, where she teaches digital marketing. Her clients report significant improvements in their numbers of online sales, leads, and customer satisfaction rates within 30 days of implementing her recommendations. Philippa is a Certified Management Consultant – an ISO-accredited designation recognized in over 60 countries.
Contact
Philippa Gamse
(831) 325-3307
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