So How Long Do You Have To Fill Out a Form?

We've all seen them before.  "Contact us by filling out this form."  Sounds easy enough, right?  

Sometimes companies go overboard on their forms and try to obtain every bit of information possible.  The problem is that you don't need every bit of information to contact a customer.  

Remember, the key to any good form is keeping it simple.   The average Internet visitor gives a webpage five seconds.  Think about the purpose of the form, it's not to gather every bit of information, but to make initial contact with the potential customer.  So remember, keep it simple and gather only the information you need!

How Much Should I Spend on a Website?

This is a great question. But to answer it, you have to ask yourself another question.

How much energy am I going to put towards it?

"Well, if I'm hiring someone else to do it, I don't want to spend any time on it." If this is the answer you're thinking of, I'm guessing you should spend only a couple hundred dollars at most.

The point of this question and this post is that a website is a living and breathing thing. If you do not have the time to review the site, send information to developers to update it, learn to update it yourself and make it a part of your company, why bother to invest a ton of money into it?

Let's put it another way. If you were going to buy a truck for your company and weren't going to change the oil, rotate the tires, clean it, service it or keep it in shape; would you spend $20,000 on it only to have it be worth nothing in a few years?

You Tube, Blogs, and other Multi-Media

You Tube has millions of hits a day. One out of ten internet users have a Blog. Nine out of every ten internet users log on to view video or listen to something.

What's the point of that statement?

You and your business can use that to help promote your company! Think outside the box when it comes to your website. Offer tips, videos, podcasts, or even start a blog! People are looking for Multi-Media information. Do you have what they're looking for?

You Have a Remarkable Story... So Tell It!

I'm sure that you're in the business for some reason. Probably because you can do something that no one else can. Something that makes you unique. Seth Godin calls it "your free prize inside," meaning that it's the little reason that makes people buy.

Soon as you start concentrating on the thing that makes you different, promote the heck out of it! The biggest mistake is that you try to be everything to everybody. Your different and people need to hire you based upon that.

So in your marketing make sure you concentrate on what makes you different!

Websites: They're not just for Large companies...

Websites. Every one seems to have them, so now is the time to jump on board! Gone are the days where landscapers carry a large portfolio book with pictures of past jobs.

Websites are a great way to post pictures of previous jobs, company information, services offerred, and even gather payment from customers.

But beware, many web developers do not know how to create a website for our industry. Most webdevelopers take websites to the "extreme" and develope a site that is high-priced and non-rellavent to what you are trying to accomplish.

Here are some tips to give a web developer that is building your website:

1. Keep it 5 pages or less. Most people don't want a lot of text to read with a "landscaping" website. Concentrate on your work!
2. Payment sites like paypal can offer you a way to let your customers pay you using your website without the cost of having someone design a payment center for you.
3. Remember, make sure all of your services are represented.
4. Keep your photos up to date!
5. A contact page or form is a must for customers to contact you about your services.

For more tips, simply email me at skanary@hotmail.com!

Yellow Page Advertising... Don't Waste Your Money!

Here's the thought around the yellow pages:

So you open up a landscaping company and you take out an add in the Yellow Pages. But you find out that there is more than one. So you spend $5000 placing a text add in several Yellow Page listings around the county and just wait for the business to pile in...

But let me ask you this: When was the last time you used the Yellow Pages to find something? Well, my answer to that (and probably your customer's answer) is, not in a very long time.

So what gives then? You have to advertise your business, right?

Of course you do. But take a look at your customers first. Most are professionals, who have a moderate to significant income. Most use the internet to look for things. So why would you not be there!

So try to do the following:

• Open up an AdWords or Yahoo Search Marketing account. Internet Pay-Per-Click can deliver customers LOOKING for you and your services.
• Improve your site and keep the content relevent and current. This will help you climb the "organic" search engine charts.
• Never forget that customer word of mouth is the best form of advertising. Do a good job and ask for referrals!!! If you do a good job, the neighbors WILL notice.