Consultancy
There can be no doubt that the way businesses communicate and engage on-line is changing at the fastest pace in history thanks to the evolution of the web.
I would argue that the web’s current evolution and development is having as significant a change on society and business as the Industrial Revolution.
To date most companies view their required presence on the web as they did 10-15 years ago – as a “static” site that was necessary to create once and then forget about. Short of spending money on it in the shape of SEO or Pay-per-Click, it tended to be regarded as a “calling card” that was only up-dated occasionally. It was intended to be passively viewed by the client, and had no interactivity.
In today’s evolution of the web, on-line identity has to be treated with a different mindset as there is now a huge degree of interactivity, connectedness, and dialogue, thanks to the advent of tools that allow self-publication on-line. The days of people “taking” from the web (downloading) are long gone. People and companies can now “give” to the web (self-publication). This is achieved by publishing text, video, audio, or images. This creates the opportunity to build visibility and credibility of your product and service, and to create conversations around your company’s area of expertise. As everything in business starts with a conversation, social media engagement allows the building of relationships that lead to trust. Where there is trust, business happens.
In the network economy that the world is now entering, a firm’s primary focus needs to shift from maximizing the firm’s value to maximizing the network’s value.
So while there is still a place for your company’s website, gone are the days of static sites being a company’s sole web presence. The “social media” revolution has dictated a different method of interacting with the web and its traffic. In essence, this is a shift from “broadcasting” to engaging and interacting.
tells us there are 31 billion searches done every month. Up until the beginning of October 2009 these searches were done via RSS feeds from blogs etc and generic web pages (that have strong SEO packs in the background). However, Google has recognized that more conversation is being done via “social media” and “social networks” and this is a treasure chest of user-generated and organic information that consumers and society in general are using to find people, products, services, peer reviews/recommendations and information.
For maximizing prosperity, companies must understand that they need to “feed” the web first. If they do, the web will then “feed” them in the years to come.
Today consumers are already using web sites where “the product finds them” much like a “special interest” magazine. This method of consumers finding product this way is already growing, and at exponential speed.
To “be found” you will need to adjust your engagement with the web.
As a business, this means you need to manage your content building, “find ability”, and time accordingly.
- Social media
- Social networking
- Social bookmarking
- Real time site/s
- Static web-sites
- Blog/s
- Input data
- Site aggregators
- Conversation trackers
All the above are just the tip of the ice-berg when it comes to the web in its present format.
To succeed we recommend that you “map” your web profile, decide on your message, create a daily timetable and structure, measure the results and make changes accordingly to ensure you maximize your investment on-line. As most of the web tools are free to use, it is mainly your time that you are investing.
The benefits are untold. The web dictates the laws of increasing returns as, once you have posted something, either via blog’s or even “twitter”, it will stay there in perpetuity and help build your on-line visibility. This is good. However, as this new style of web interaction is still in its infancy, your company needs guidelines and this cannot happen without a thorough understanding of what is needed to achieve “find ability” and a compelling and credible on-line presence.
Before starting your “web strategy” we/you need to understand what you want to achieve, what message you want to put out, predict possible problems, gear up your on-line brand and then create an on-going strategy. That will then dictate a routine.
We have to do this before anything else.
We then create a map of “your web” and how to interact with it. Most sites are simple enough. However, some site “cross-pollinate” in their usage. Facebook, for example, can be used as a social network, information aggregator, real time conversation and social bookmarking to name but a few.
Having a map of the web and its different sites/tools can help to make sense of the change and paradigm shift you need to understand to grow your web presence successfully.
Each site will need to be broken down and the relevance explained.
There are over 600 (and growing) sites on the web that may have relevance to you and your business. It’s my business to make sure you use the right ones from day one.
Your “find ability” must be important to you as a business. Making sure this is not achieved at the cost of profitability is equally as important – that is why introducing the correct management from day one is so vital.
We will:
Depending on the size of the company 1-2 days per month will be sufficient to enable the successful deployment of your company onto the web. Think of us as your “outsourced” web management department.
It will take a minimum of 6 months to “create” your company on the web, this will include:
Initial setup:
- Site implementation : (as many as your company’s needs dictate).
- Site settings: so they aggregate between each other if possible (this will save any duplication in effort).
- Site identity: In conjunction with your company’s brand we will oversee the correct branding on the new sites. All sites will need branding, some more than others.
- Training on the various sites: This will include Basic Web 2.0 computer skills – how to create a hyperlink, how to use a rich text editor, how to embed photos, video, and how to create categories, tags, and metadata.
After setup:
- Guide to social networks and which ones are relevant to your business and will deliver results. Social networks such as Facebook and LinkedIn can “zap time”. However, they must be used as they are existing “databases” of potential clients. These networks can be potential minefields in time management unless appropriate training is given.
- Content delivery system/s (this is important as it creates an “inbox” of information that is delivered to you. By using this information it assists you in dominating “key words” in search patterns on the web).
- Development of a blog that allows your company to demonstrate expertise, knowledge, thought leadership, news aggregation, customer service and create a “human” and interactive interface on the web.
- Connected-ness – How to make it easy for your customers to connect with your company using their preferred method of contact.
- Blog coaching – strategic planning, tone and brand, copywriting.
- Blog monitoring – I will show you how to scour the blogosphere for online conversations around your brand or product, making you aware of real-time issues and advising on how to respond.
- Development of “real time” conversations that, again, allows your company to demonstrate expertise, knowledge, thought leadership, news aggregation, customer service and create a human and interactive interface on the web.
- Twitter strategy – I will assist you in setting up your Twitter account and show you how to use it to spread your messages, link to other social media output like your blog, engage with your customers, and start conversations that lead to increased business transactions through advocacy and direct sales. I will explain the importance of using hashtags and how to search on Twitter.
- Link measurement. All URL links can be measured to see what people are clicking on. This will help dictate what conversations are needed to drive traffic.
- Social networks strategy – Establish which networks are relevant to the company and help find/build community, using the most appropriate tools (video, photos, audio.boo, podcasts, forums etc)
- Newsgathering/aggregation – I will show you how to collect and filter information relevant to your area of expertise, and how to make RSS feeds do a lot of the hard work for you.
- Content creation – the saying that ‘content is king’ has never been more true in a social media context. I will advise you on creating original and engaging content that will give value and therefore be well received by your online network.
- Collaboration – how to identify key connections and to understand why and how to maximize the opportunities of others. In every aspect of your business, develop ways to allow others to build their success around your success. Rather than viewing their dependency on your success as a form of parasitism, or worse, as a rip-off, understand this tight coupling as sustenance. You want to entice others to create services centered around the customer attention you have won, or to supply add-ons to your product/service. This is a counter-intuitive stance at first, but it works in the logic of the net. A small piece of an expanding pie is the biggest piece of all.
- Time efficiency – I will show you how to link all your social media platforms so that when you self-publish, your message is published across your entire social media output, thus saving time and effort.
- Buzz and conversation monitoring – who is talking about your brand or the products and services you supply across social media networks, and what are they saying? Knowing where to look is key, and being able to converse back using the correct language is crucial to your brand positioning.
- From “network” to “contacts” – I will show you how to farm your data, and manage your conversations to move customers from prospects to clients.
All the above will be delivered within the first 6 months*, with monthly reports.
Conclusion: At this point we would have handed over a completed move onto the web for your business. All sites branded and finished, complete training on all sites. Measuring tools in place with monthly reports which record your reach.
However, we can take it into the next 6 months with even more advanced understanding.
The second 6 months of our programme will focus on building credibility and trust on-line, as this is what ultimately leads to profitability and leverage of other people’s networks through advocacy.
The keys to this are: Leadership, authenticity, and consistency.
Leadership can be in the form of thought leadership, news aggregation, opinion, supporting and advocating others, standing for certain values and ethics.
Authenticity is achieved through transparency, honest, open and random conversation, and personal responsibility.
Consistency is achieved through having a consistent presence on the web, a consistent message, and a consistent on-line brand. Untended accounts are like gardens full of weeds and give a bad impression to the web user. There must be a consistent up-dating of all your company’s sites, including conversations, comments, and contribution in shared interest communities. Again, a one-way broadcasting of your company’s sales message will be perceived as nothing more than spam, so there is little point in wasting time posting messages that will be ignored.
There are many “web tools” available to “see” conversation and where it’s taking place. By doing this, it allows us to join in these conversations and dominate “key words” and “search terms’. These conversations are measurable and can be reported on.
We will help you:
- Measure “real time” conversation.
- Measure “search terms”.
- Develop products and services to match.
- Measure the effect this has upon the on-line market.
By doing this we can guide user time and placement.
After one year:
After 12 months we can hand over a fully functional web strategy. In the space of one year your company can go from having one web site and a blog to dominating your key areas of business. Moreover, you will have an understanding of what your clients are in most need of and, therefore, adjust your products to suit.
We will have taken you and your company onto the web in a fully integrated strategy that is commensurate with your brand, reputation, and customer services. We will have essentially future-proofed your business, as the younger generation move from social networking to social business networking. They are your customers of the future, as well as today.
Package 1 for 6 months - 1 day a month
£3600.00 +VAT
Package 1 for 6 months – 2 days a month 20% discount
£5760.00 + VAT
Package 2 for 12 months -1 day a month
£6000.00 + VAT
Package 2 for 12 months – 2 days a month 20% discount
£9600.00 + VAT
Please note: Anything outside of 100 miles from our base in Guildford will be added expenditure** including hotel accommodation if required.
** 40p per mile.
