Categories
Facebook Tips

The proof is in your numbers

Quite often, people ask me how they can get more phone calls or booked appointments.

The answer is simple.  Get more visitors to your website.  Ideally, the RIGHT visitors. People who really want or need what you offer.

More website visitors = more more calls and booked appointments.

But, not all visitors are ready call or book an appointment with you today.  So you need to be bringing more and more visitors back to your website every day.

This brings me to “the proof is in your numbers”.  From your historical numbers you should know how many people visit your website AND how many of those resulted in phone calls or appointments.   Google Analytics gives you your visitor counts.  You just need to track and count the calls and the bookings.

If you have an online calendar, visitors can book an appointment with you. People really do love handling their scheduling themselves.  Then it’s easy to count your bookings.

For the phone calls, if you have a different number on your website (different from your normal office number) then you can count those too.

Now you are set.  You can see how many visitors it takes to get a certain number of calls and booked appointments.

The numbers don’t stop there.  You always need to be increasing your visits.  Where are you telling people about your services or your offer online?  Where are people coming from to visit your website?

Google Analytics can help here too.  You can see how many people are coming from popular sites to learn more about you, your offer, or your services.   So look at your data.  How many visitors did you have during the past 30 days from …

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Youtube
  • Google Search (organic searches)
  • Google Maps
  • Bing Search
  • Yahoo Search
  • Emails you sent
  • Yelp
  • Google ADs
  • Bing ADs

I like to see where most visitors are coming from.  Then I do more on that platform since there is already lots of interest there.

Did you know Google Analytics can email your numbers to you? Would you like them weekly or monthly?  You get to choose when it’s setup.

Often, people are only thinking about Google.   How can I get more people finding me on Google?

Yes, it’s great to get clicks from Google.  Google is watching your numbers too.  Here are some more numbers to watch, to help improve your Google results.

How many words are on your website?  It takes strong, well-researched, helpful, and BETTER content on your website to squeeze out someone else, to make room for you in one of the exclusive spots on page 1 of google. It’s unlikely that you can provide a better answer or solution with less words than what is already there. In most cases, your page will need 1000 or more words. Simply check the word count of the website in position 10 of your search. Then create YOUR better content with more words.
This will count the words on a webpage => https://wordcount.weglot.com

Can google see your page is MOBILE FRIENDLY?  The scoring here is either yes or no.  If it’s no, then you want to fix it.  Check your page => https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly

Lastly, is your page fast? Does it display within 3 seconds?
You can find out here => https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/
If your score is colored red or orange, it needs to be faster. You want to see a green score.

Is it even possible to get a green score? Yes it is… put this site into page speed to see it => https://YourWebGeeks.com

There is one additional “speed” site I like.  To see how a website is performing at 12 locations around the world.  This is great if your clients or buyers are international.  If you are only interested in US visitors, 5 of the 12 locations are in the US.  This gives lots of numbers.  “First Meaningful Paint” is the best number to look at.

First Meaningful Paint, often called FMP, is the time it takes for a page’s primary content to appear on the screen. Coined by Google, FMP is often used as a primary measurement for user-perceived loading experience. Paint refers to the time at which the browser displays web page content onto a user’s screen. A first meaningful paint suggests that the content of the page, versus a header or navigation, is shown to the user.  This is the site to see your speed for all 12 locations => https://www.fastorslow.com

Can you see the proof in your numbers?  Are your numbers showing you where to fix things and where to focus more effort to improve your results?  If you want help improving your numbers or want help getting your numbers from Google Analytics, let us know.

 

Categories
Facebook Tips

3 Ways to Expand Your Business When You’re Ready for the Next Level

How do you choose your next move to expand your business? You could take what is already working for you and expand your reach, go deeper to saturate your local market, or even add a new revenue stream altogether. Don’t stress, there is help for you. Read on to learn three ways that you can expand your business that you may not have thought of.

Dive into eCommerce

E-commerce is mandatory. No matter what type of business you have, if you do not have an online presence then you are missing out on opportunities. Even if you are in a service business or have a brick-and mortar-store, get creative and offer on-brand, coinciding physical products via an online store. Drop shipping is a simple way to sell products online with no inventory and minimal upfront investment. You can literally reach a whole new world with e-commerce, selling products and using drop shipping for order fulfillment.

Become a Media Company

Does becoming a media company sound extreme? In our modern culture, every business needs to be a media company first and foremost. Use content marketing to offer free value through education. You will build trust, create a more robust targeted audience and leverage this relationship to present paid offerings. Remember, the key to being successful in this realm is authenticity. Transparency is key, or your media outreach efforts can backfire. 

Become a Franchise

If your business meets certain markers for franchise success, then franchising might be the smartest way for you to hit that next level. Franchising is perfect for a business that has been designed from inception with systems that can be replicated and a streamlined business model. Keep in mind that franchising comes hand in hand with following and implementing many rules and regulations, so if you are OK with this and enjoy managing the operational aspects of business, then exploring the world of franchising is a logical idea that can take your business to the next level.

 

Growing to the next level is an exciting time for any business. However, one of the top reasons businesses fail is because they try to expand too fast. Anytime you add an element to your business, keep the end in mind. Create systems that can be replicated and grow them slowly for the best chance of success.

Are you a business owner itching to hit that next level, ready to claim your fair share of the market? Flash Forward Sites has experience in creating websites, social media management, and more services that can help your business grow!

Categories
Facebook Tips

4 Ways to Grow Your Business with Elasticsearch

One of the most critical decisions that you will have to make for your business data is getting the right storage and search tool. There are tools which are much better than others when it comes to the creation of relationships between data. At the same time, there are other tools which excel at assessing vast amounts of data and making sense of it for later retrieval and use. Elasticsearch is one of the latest and most efficient data storage and search tools. Here are four ways which you can use Elasticsearch to grow and develop your business into what you always wanted.

Getting Critical Business Intelligence Data

One of the reasons why you will need elastic search is to gather vast amounts of data connected to your business, analyze it, and store it for later use. The type of information that is assessed by the tool includes customer search queries, their shopping habits, and other important data which will come in handy when you are trying the make marketing decisions. By analyzing the data on Elasticsearch, you will create a winning marketing strategy for higher rates of lead conversion and success of your marketing campaigns.

Have an Easier Time with Fuzzy Searching

There are times when customers or anyone else that visits your site could totally miss an item that you have on sale because they did not type in the keyword properly. When you install Elasticsearch, simple spelling errors will be overlooked by the search engine, and you will not have to worry about losing customers because of such small errors.

Know How to Nurture Existing Customers

In addition to getting other critical marketing data which you might need for your business, it is also important to invest in Kibana. It helps you learn more about the changing needs of your current customers. Kibana provides a graphical interface to analyze the data, allowing you to built scatter plots or bar graphs. When you understand the needs of your current consumers, you are able to refine your products and retain business.

Faster Search Processes

Another characteristic of people who are searching for things online, and on your site, is that they will tend to lean towards the search tools that have an autocomplete feature. Elasticsearch has the ability to make educated guesses about the searches which the customers are making. When the customer is happy about the ease of access and use, they will stay on your site longer and possibly make a purchase.

With the right installation and fine-tuning, Elasticsearch can help you manage and grow your business.

Flash Forward Sites does exactly what the name implies. The technology plan for your company, service and/or products can go from unknown to KNOWN in a FLASH with David’s skills and guidance.

Categories
Facebook Tips

Take Your Business to the Next Level with ERP Software

There are various processes such as purchasing, sales, inventory, etc. that are involved in the running of a business. Enterprise Resource Planning is the use of software and technology to integrate core functions into a single system to streamline processes. The main feature of the ERP system is the centralization of information that is shared by multiple functions. This means that employees from different departments retrieve data from the same database.

The system functions like the human central nervous system such that it receives information from different sources and link it to other parts of the business. It was first developed in 1972 by SAP, a German software company.

Read more: Webopedia

Benefits of ERP To Small Business

Reduces Operational Cost

One of the most significant benefits of ERP systems is the reduction of operational cost. Every industry is looking into lean business, trying to cut costs, and reduce waste. The industries that ERP can have the greatest impact though are the industries of manufacturing, construction, healthcare, and financial services. For a long time departments within a business required independent systems to operate. However, ERP helps to cut down on operational cost by coordinating all the aspects of the business into a centralized system. Apart from the operational cost, the ERP system also helps to reduce other costs such as inventory cost, marketing cost, etc.

Read more: Contract ERP

Increased Visibility

The centralization of information helps to identify all the processes involved in running the business. This can help you make quick and informed decisions. For instance, you can track the inventory process on a daily basis. The information about inventory will help you control the working capital and other precise processes that determine the success of your business. Also, having a central database facilitates collaboration between employees within the company.

Read more: SelectHub

Improved Reporting and Planning

Due to increased competition in the business world, analytics has become an integral part of running businesses. ERP promotes a single unified reporting system that makes it easy to generate analytics. Additionally, it eliminates the hassle of using multiple spreadsheets and emails when preparing reports. In fact, some common financial reports such as income and cash flow statements are simplified and can be retrieved without the help of a professional.

What Industries Can Benefit from ERP?

  • Healthcare– The processes involved in the healthcare industry plays a crucial role in saving lives. Therefore, ERP is suited in this industry to streamline operations and improve the delivery of services.
  • Hospitality– ERP can be used in the hospitality industry to streamline processes and offer the customer the best service. Automated ERP systems can help reduce operational cost and significantly improve profits.
  • Construction – ERP software greatly assists construction companies in regards to managing schedules and establishing new margins as projects change and adapt over time. Setbacks are inevitable, it’s how you react to and plan ahead of those setbacks that make the critical difference. ERP can assist with CRM, cost estimation, bid management, project scheduling, inventory management, reporting, productivity/performance monitoring and more.  
  • Manufacturing and distribution– In the manufacturing industry, ERP systems can be used to organize operations and minimize wastage. Also, it enables distributors to keep the supply chain under control.

If you need some help deciphering your Google analytics, and are trying to figure out what your next step is, make sure to see how we can help! Our Google analytics reporting can easily get you in the information you need, and give you some guidance on what sounds like the best course of action given the data. Start making sense of your analytics today!

Categories
Facebook Tips

Is Your Business Booming? 4 Ways to Keep Up With the Demand

Although many business owners and managers are prepared for slower times during the year, they may not be sure of what to do when business is booming. When you’re making more sales than you anticipated, the workplace can become overwhelming if you’re struggling to keep up with demand. Once your business begins to snowball, there are a few important ways to handle the situation.

Hire the Right Team

Expanding your team is necessary to ensure that you can delegate tasks and tackle the rapid growth of the business with ease. You’ll want to avoid putting a strain on your employees by hiring more people who have experience in the industry and can share their ideas to increase the quality of the business. Cross-training and promoting within the company can allow you to tackle the high demand of your customers without experiencing any interruptions.

Take care of your employees to ensure that they take care of you because they’re the ones who are responsible for productivity. Offer good benefits, competitive salaries, and excellent company culture to reduce the turnover rate, which can make the workplace stressful in busy seasons.

Find a Mentor

Gaining all the know-how for keeping up with the growth of your business as your business grows is difficult. Find someone who has been through it before who can answer your questions and guide you through the crucial time in your company. Daymond John’s Success Formula suggests you find someone in management, someone from an executive team or a seasoned co-worker who can teach you a thing or two, or answer your questions.

Address Inefficiencies

You’ll need to take a close look at your team and identify any issues that may be present to ensure that they can be solved to boost the productivity of your team. Check to see if your employees have the right tools to continue succeeding and maintaining their workload. You can also inspect the equipment in a factory to ensure that it’s working correctly. Keep in mind that a conveyor belt will need to fit the size, weight, and type of product you produce when upgrading your equipment. 

Additionally, you want to make sure that you inspect your business processes to make sure that there isn’t any sort of security issues that might cause your business some trouble later on. For example, one type of way that your business could be put into trouble is if your customers have access to a program (whether accidental or not) you have only licensed for your employees. This could be the case in a web-based storefront or in handheld mobile devices. This doesn’t seem like a huge problem when at first, but it can you into tough legal situations, as will most seemingly small security issues your business may have now that you have overlooked.

Develop a Growth Strategy

Although you may be trying to get by each day when business is booming, it’s important to take the time to look towards the future to ensure that you can sustain the growth. Prepare for opportunities that you have to maximize cash flow to ensure that you can continue to thrive as a business. Determine which areas of your business are declining and prepare your employees to react quickly to increased demand when it occurs.

Knowing how to keep up with demands when business is booming will allow the company to thrive instead of suffering when your productivity needs to increase. Understanding the different ways to keep up with the demand can lead to future success and monetary gain.

Need a website to keep up with the demand for your small business?

Check out my 3 Day Express Website package!

Categories
Facebook Tips General Tips Search Engine Tips

What Are You Doing to Improve Your Brand’s Recognition?

What Are You Doing to Improve Your Brand's Recognition

Brand recognition is one of the most important marketing strategies you can undertake. Brand recognition is worth more than product quality in terms of your marketing ROI and profit margin. What are you doing to improve your brand’s recognition? Let’s take a look at some of the best strategies.

Establish Yourself as an Expert

If you are the premier intellectual talent in your industry, people will trip over themselves to buy from you. You can do this by becoming a staple in your industry’s blogosphere, and you can also write how to e-books to give away as loss leaders. Do not worry about giving away too much information. People do not want to take on solutions themselves – they simply want to know that you are actually an expert before they give their money to your company. Having a clean, well-presented website can go a long way in making yourself look like an expert to your audience.

Be Everywhere

There is a reason that companies spend so much time on search engine optimization. The more visible your company is, the more people trust you. The more people trust you, the more that you can charge for your branded items. Search engine optimization gets you in front of a potential audience of millions. These are people who would otherwise not see you, because you would not have the ability to market to them through traditional means of advertising.

Get Involved in Your Community

One of the best ways that you can improve your brand recognition is to start with your local community. If your brand gets involved with local charity events and business initiatives, you will find that people will spread the word about you in a positive way. If there are any business associations that you can join in the local area, do so. Participate in the meetings and expand your brand by going to local and regional business conventions.

The tactics above are only a few of the ways in which you can improve your brand recognition. You may be doing some of them already, and others you may not be participating in. Brand recognition involves a holistic strategy, so make sure that you are involved in as many of the above activities as possible. You should also try to increase your product quality so that as you draw people in, you do not turn them away with the actual performance of your solutions. Keep all of this in mind, and you will certainly find improved profit margins in your future.

Categories
Facebook Tips

Manage your Facebook page free for 7 days


 

So often, business owners will tell me that they can do their facebook page themselves. But what really happens, is they never get around to it. Or they do it a tiny bit and don’t get any results from facebook.

Does that sound like you?

I want to take over and get you some REAL results from Facebook. Not just a few LIKEs. But some Comments and Shares too.

How would you like it, if I PROVE to you, that I can get you some results? You give me the chance to do it for 7 days, FREE. Then if you want me to continue, you purchase one of my 3 packages.

This offer isn’t for everyone, We need to talk first to see if you are the right type of business that I can help.

So what do you get when I’m doing your Facebook page for 7 days, free?

– Optimize Your FB Page where needed. Including the areas that google can see.
– 3 Posts for Engagement (to get you LIKES, COMMENTS, and SHARES)
– Monitor Reviews and what people are asking. If I know the answer I will reply or ask you to answer.
– Thank people when they share from your page
– When LIKEs happen, I will invite them to come back and LIKE your page
– Boost some posts to reach people you don’t know yet
– A report of the results when the week is over.

Interested in a free 7 day takeover? You can see my availability for a call to discuss more details: http://BookThis.Today

Categories
Facebook Tips Featured

Schedule your posts on Facebook

I have previously discussed that there better days and times to post on Facebook to maximize your views and conversations.

Now Facebook helps with allowing you to schedule your posts in advance. Which can also help to maximize your views and conversations.

Here is a great article that explains how to schedule on Facebook, along with some other tips.

Categories
Facebook Tips Featured

Are you building trust?

Social Media is one of the important ways  to find new Customers for your products and services.  It involves building a relationship with your connections. And the first step is building trust.

Your profile picture is your first impression.  And a necessary item in building trust. Consider how your Profile picture looks today.

Is it missing? Or is it the generic shadow, like you see on Facebook?  That could make potential customers think:
– you are lazy
– you arent this real person
– you dont want people to see you

All of these hurt your ability to build trust.

Lots of people like to use a picture of a pet or other animal. That is better than no picture.  But its still not the best if you are serious about finding customers and building trust.

Your best option is to use a real picture of yourself.  You dont need to be a model or have a glamour shot.  A simple picture is all you need.  Have fun with it if you want.  This will get you on the right track to building trust, and help with you with  that first impression. 

Categories
Facebook Tips

Your call to action with Facebook timeline

Now that all Facebook pages are on the Timeline layout, you need to think about your Call to Action.

Remember, Facebook has made it clear that the cover image is NOT the place for a call to action. See the previous cover image tip.

So where do we put the call to action? On the App images. They are also called App thumbnails.

Do you want to use words? Or a picture? Facebook doesnt care. So use your imagination to create something that will grab the attention of your Fan. Something that will get your Fan to CLICK on it.

We each get 12 App locations and 4 of them show under the Cover image. The other 8 App locations will appear when you click on the down arrow, on the right side of your displayed Apps.

You can add custom images, as well as change the label that shows below the image. You simply click on the down arrow, on the right side of your displayed Apps, then hover with your mouse pointer over the app you want to change. A pencil will appear in the upper right corner. Click it then choose edit settings.There you can change both the text label as well as the image.

All your Apps can be moved around too. All but the photos App. The photos App shows the latest image that you uploaded. Although you cant move the App, you can control what shows there. Just make sure your call to action image is uploaded last, and it will show.

Have fun with creating and choosing your App images.

© 2024 Flash Forward Sites
623-252-5541
15875 N Greenway Hayden Loop, STE 113
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
Hours: Monday - Friday 9AM-5PM
Privacy Policy
Terms Of Service

Call Us Text Us Secured By miniOrange