Ben shares how to improve landing page SEO by optimising a specific page of your website to rank higher on Google.

Notes

Improve landing page SEO

Optimising a specific page of your website to rank higher on Google 

What is On page SEO?

Work on your site to improve SERP (Search Engine Ranking Position)
All in your control (website platform dependant) Watch session #6 for general SEO Strategy.

Selmach Case Study
Sell high value metal working machinery a Competitor was starting to win business and their Laser landing page was not ranking in Google results.

The Method

Competitor Analysis | Make Changes to Page | Measure Result 

Step 1: Competitor analysis

Compare the Competition’s SEO to our page Keyword Correlation Report and interpret the findings into action.

Process 

• Group call – Client, SEO, Web dev
• Review the report – Needed interpreting
• Decide on easy wins
• Basecamp to assign actions 

Observations 

• Category Landing Page (LP) not in 100 SERPs
• Title tag not using optimised keyword
• Poor/few internal links
• No external links to landing page 
• Increase word count to over 1400 per page
• Add keyword or variations into content more 
• Use variety of content: Lists, images, tables 
• Use schema markup
• Page not in index. Yoast issue 

Step 2: Make Changes  

•  Made observation changes to the landing page. 
•  Add links from other pages.
•  Create the ultimate guide 

What we did 

•  Add keyword to heading: CNC Fibre Laser 
•  Optimise meta description. Not too long and include keywords 
•  Added product info, testimonials, FAQs, images, comparisons 
•  Add keyword variations into content 
•  Added FAQ schema markup 
•  Add links from related news articles back to LP 
•  Another review to check progress 

Step 3: Measure & Tweak 

• Measure SERP (Search Engine Ranking Position) Content update took one month
• After two months jumped to #3
• Then to #1 one month later 

What is a Keyword correlation report?

Comparison of your page against competitor pages based on keywords you want to rank for.

On page SEO tips 

• Title, Meta Description and Heading must include keyword 
• Great the ultimate guide. 10x better than competitors 
• Use variety of content such as headings, lists, images, tables 
• Include keyword variations in the content 
• Make sure all related blog, product and supporting pages link to LP 
• Build external links from other websites to the LP 
• Use FAQ and other schema markup 
• Check in GSC that page is indexed!!! 
  

Helpful Links

• Why Use Schema, Duane Forrester shares some helpful insights on a previous podcast interview.
• Mark up your FAQs with structured data
• Comprehensive website SEO report to improve your search position and ranking against competitors.
• Book your Super-Correlation Keyword SEO Report for focused optimisation on your landing pages

Insight from an interview with Google’s John Mueller on Search Engine Journal.

‘Google doesn’t necessarily treat longer or shorter anchor text any different when it comes to rankings.

However, using more words in anchor text provides more context to Google about the page being linked to. And more context can indirectly impact rankings.

The more context Google has about a page, the more effectively it can rank said page for relevant queries.’

Subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts or Android.

For the next six episodes I’ll be walking you through the foundation level of my Business Marketing Strategy. I’m going give you ideas, advice and guidelines in a simple, step by step process that will work for any startup or business new to marketing.

The episodes cover Planning, Stats and Analytics, Website Development, Search Engine Optimisation, Social Media and Business tasks that you need to do to give you marketing strategy a great foundation.

If you want to jump ahead, everything I’m talking about is available online now at ratherinventive.com/marketing-strategy

For now here’s part one and it’s about planning. Enjoy

👋 If you found this podcast interesting you might like my Marketing Club. Join to receive regular tips and advice on marketing, video and the web and Pro Members get access to my live marketing webinars every month, exclusive discounts and other perks. Find out more here https://ratherinventive.com/club/

Ben shares everything we do to create our Rather Inventive podcast, including lessons learnt, stats and helpful tools.

Notes

What is a podcast?

• On-demand radio show
• Daily, weekly, monthly
• In a series
• Generally audio only

• Over 550,000 on Apple Podcasts in more than 100 languages (June 2018)
• 49% people listen at home
• Podcast listeners are loyal and affluent
• 81% of people take action as a result of listening to a podcast

Sources
https://www.podcastinsights.com/podcast-statistics/
https://rainnews.com/spotify-shares-podcast-stats-and-advertising-examples/

Why did we start a podcast?

• Used to record radio shows on tape recorder
• Chatted with Al regularly, good to share
• Great opportunity to meet people
• Wanted to learn

If you’ve not subscribed to the podcast please do at https://ratherinventive.com/podcast/

• April 1st 2014 First show with Nick Van der Walle
• November 2018 – First video podcast
• December 2018 – Moved entire podcast to video
• October 2019 – Interview with Nick again!
• March 2020 – Latest podcast with a magician

Over 90 recordings!

Format

‘Two guys chatting’
Interview show
Reporter / NPR
One voice

Our process

Prep

Structure has evolved
Show notes
List out questions
Practice your start and ending
Script for Podcast running order (template)

Guests

It started with an interview
Interview people that inspire you or youraudiencee
Scheduling – Doodle, Calendly
Script for Inviting a guest onto your podcast/vlog (template)

Recording

Audacity, Quicktime
Zoom, Demio
iPhone (front and back cameras)
External microphone – reducing echo (I use Shure MV5)

Editing

We edit for audio consistency
Audio only – Fission, Quicktime, Audacity
Video – iMovie, Final Cut, Adobe Premier, Shotcut
Music – Intro, background music, Envato Elements (£13/mo, Free account 12 free files/month)

Publishing

Titles – Informative / funny
Graphics – Find the smile
YouTube (free), SoundCloud (£125/yr) / Libsyn (£52/yr)

Sharing

Share on Twitter and LinkedIn. I prefer LinkedIn
Better to share direct link to video/media or teaser clip
Tag in any guests. Share link by email

Sponsorship

How to ask. Pitch an idea Insert or live read Industry standard CPM £10-20
Charge what you think it is worth
Script for Asking for sponsorship (template)
Starting something newTakes a lot of effort and planning
Want to focus on RI, not just guests
Build up IMC
Marketing currently too diverse
Re-use current material

Need some Video help?

IMC Club Member Jenny Jarvis from PortlandHouse shares her thoughts and feedback on how the Inventive Marketing Club has impacted and helped improve their business marketing.

👋 If you found this testimonial inspiring join my Marketing Club to receive regular tips and advice on marketing, video and the web. Pro Members get access to my live marketing webinars every month, exclusive discounts and other perks. Find out more here https://ratherinventive.com/club/

Subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts or Android.

This is the second episode focused on growing a community of like minded people online, why you might do it, how to start and keep it going.
This episode features a clip from a conversation I had with Alex Galviz who, along with a few others, started the ‘LinkedIn local’ events that grew into a global movement. More recently LinkedIn has taken on these events officially.
Alex shares how it all started and snowballed to cover 80 countries and 600 cities.

👋 If you found this podcast interesting you might like my Marketing Club. Join to receive regular tips and advice on marketing, video and the web and Pro Members get access to my live marketing webinars every month, exclusive discounts and other perks. Find out more here https://ratherinventive.com/club/

Episode Notes

Fiona Scott from totalswindon.com asking me about our future. N.B. Original post removed so I’m pasting the full original here.

What does Christmas 2020 mean for you in your business? I usually have a rush of project enquiries as we move into December. It seems to be a convenient deadline as people get everything squared away before they break for the holidays, but it’s not a crucial sales time for us.
Personally, I look forward to the Christmas break. I relish the peace from email in the week before and after Christmas. I often use the time to clear the decks to prepare for the new year.

January to March is a crucial time for us as people are buzzing with new ideas and enthusiasm for marketing their business after the Christmas holidays. So I have to be ready to manage the enquiries and work at that time. 

I’m not concerned about COVID-19 restrictions and potential lockdowns as we work online exclusively and have done for the last ten years. However, I have been adapting to Zoom networking online, so this will be an area I need to improve on.

Outside of my Marketing Club’s monthly webinars, I’m looking to run online Website SEO and Website planning events. These topics work well with live demonstrations where I can have fun with the audience. No dates are planned yet but keep an eye on my website for details.

Rather Inventive Marketing is actually 11 on the first of December. I really cannot believe we’ve been running for some long!
At the start of the first lockdown, we offered free membership of our Marketing Club to any charity forever. Next year I’d like to support charities directly with free consultancy and am looking for charities in the Cotswolds that would like help with their website or marketing.

The biggest challenge has been to not to be complacent about the future. I’ve been fortunate to get through this year in a financially stable position, but things could have been drastically different. 
I’m also very much aware that 2020 has been a metaphorical kick to not wait for good things to happen. I just have to put in the hard work.

I feel positive for Rather Inventive but I know that charities and shops will have many challenges over this Christmas.
I can only hope that through this adversity, we’ll see innovation and be able to move beyond this world-changing year in better shape and working together.

Watch out for this scam targeted at web developers. Something I experienced recently but identified early on, phew.

‘The fake web developer scam can take many forms, but regardless of the shape the scam takes, the result is always the same. Sadly, we have received dozens of complaints detail similar stories with small business owners reporting loses from $2,500 to as much as $50,000. While the web development scam can be devastating, there are steps you can take to ensure that your small business starts off on the right foot.’

In lockdown, an offer of new project work is a gift. A gift you’d bite someone’s hand off for. Back in April I received the following email.

IMC Club Member Heidi Chamberlain-Jones from Eat Sleep Herefordshire shares her thoughts and feedback on how the Inventive Marketing Club has impacted and helped improve their business marketing.

👋 If you found this testimonial inspiring join my Marketing Club to receive regular tips and advice on marketing, video and the web. Pro Members get access to my live marketing webinars every month, exclusive discounts and other perks. Find out more here https://ratherinventive.com/club/

Learn why you should start asking for video testimonials. I share my tips on filming & editing including my recommendations on which software to use.

Notes

Why you should start asking for video testimonials

• Helping people make a decision
• Adding value
• Educating potential customer

Stats

• 92% of customers read online reviews before buying
• 70% of people trust reviews from strangers
• Customer reviews create 74% increase in product conversion.
• Videos trigger emotions. We mirror people
• Video has a higher retention rate compared to text Videos are easier to share

How to ask for a video testimonial

‘Can you do me a favour’
Opportunity for customers to get involved

View full list of email templates

Interview formats

Formal Interview

• Traditional / professional
• Interviewer behind camera or facing each other
• Considered response
• Take longer to organise and film

Quick ‘Vox Pop’

• Casual, more authentic
• Capture opinion and emotion
• Quick to film and request
• Risky for live broadcasts, if unplanned

Video Conference

• Easier to schedule, less travel
• People feel more comfortable in own environment
• Difficult to control audio/visual quality – Internet speed!
• Limited camera angles

Selfie

• Authentic / intimate
• Easy to request and schedule
• Mostly concise. Ask one question
• Rely on technical ability of customer
• Easier for people to say no. Incentivise?

Questions to ask

• Impart trust and proof of your service
• Get a testimonial
• Share something secret or a tip

Questions to ask

‘What’s your name and who do you work for’

‘What do you do and how do you/your company help people’

‘What’s one thing you do that people remark on or enjoy’

‘What one area have [insert company] helped you in your business’

‘If you were to recommend [insert company] to a friend or colleague, what would you say?’

Sample questions you can use for your own interviews

Tips for filming, editing and publishing great video
Filming. Audio first, then lighting

• Use external mic, close to mouth. Get rid of external noises. Soft room
• Outside or face a window. Turn on all lights. Not backlit
• Turn camera on early, avoid starting. Practice run
• Sit dow to relax and prevent moving in the shot. Table in front for protection Be positive and be relaxed. People will echo this
• Allow time, don’t rush. Remove distractions and pressure

Live or recorded?

• Shared immediately
• Cannot correct or fix
• Make sure to warm people up Record ‘as live’

Cut aways

• Filming extra footage ‘B roll’
• Buildings, products, people milling (soft focus)
• Get more than you think you need
• Use another camera for alternate angles

Editing. Story is key

• Jump cuts or hidden edits
• Make notes of good takes.
• Use mini whiteboard
• Start with the best interview clips
• Edit out dupes, cough, ems etc Remove waffle

Hiding edits

• Two camera angles
• Behind interviewee’s head
• Noddy shots of interviewer
• Cut away shots that relate to conversation

Publishing

• YouTube / Vimeo
• Create your own Thumbnail. Optimise for smiles
• Embed on blog post or client page
• Add mini text transcript to video or add to blog
• Title for SEO so people can find e.g. ‘Avigilon camera review’

The kit Ben uses

• iPhone 7. iPhone 11 has better cameras
• Shure MV5 mic. Tie clips would be better for formal interviews
• Clips on iPhone for quick social posts
• iMovie or Final cut for formal edits (macOS / iPhone)
• Manfrotto tripod.
• Joby iPhone mount
• Mini whiteboard (new idea)

My foundation business marketing strategy will provide you with marketing resources, advice and guidelines in a simple, step by step process. The advice and tips are for any startup or small business owner new to marketing.

Most tasks include examples, downloads or the steps needed to complete them as well as insightful interviews with leading entrepreneurs and fascinating blog articles to expand your knowledge.

Jump to a specific category:

• Planning
• Analytics
• Website
• SEO & Content
• Social Media
• Business

Subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts or Android.

Over the next two episodes I focus on growing a community of like minded people online, why you might do it, how to start and keep it going. In this episode an I’ll share a clip from my interview with Tom Ross last year He talks about how he’s built up his community of customers the hard way, one at a time.

There’s lots of great advice here but no shortcuts!

👋 If you found this podcast interesting you might like my Marketing Club. Join to receive regular tips and advice on marketing, video and the web and Pro Members get access to my live marketing webinars every month, exclusive discounts and other perks. Find out more here https://ratherinventive.com/club/

Ben shares his thoughts on how to make better use of your time so that you feel more in control of your workload.

Notes

Productivity books / Concepts / Workflows etc

So much info out there but much of it is fluff

Getting Things Done (GTD)

• Ben’s first productivity book
• Capture actions in a trusted system
• Do the small things first

Capture everything

• Note down ideas, actions and thoughts in a trusted place.
• Use Apple Notes, small memo book
• Helps stop your mind racing

Process your inbox(s)

• Clear to zero – Paper inbox, capture system, email Do, Delegate, Delete – Don’t skip anything
• Process your inbox each day
• Set aside time in the calendar

Is it actionable?
Yes: Do, Delegate or Defer
No: Delete, Incubate, Reference

Weekly review

• Collect your thoughts
• Note down in trusted capture system

GTD Podcast

Really interesting podcast, even if you don’t do GTD https://gettingthingsdone.com/category/podcast-2/

Working with email

• Archive emails, don’t file them
• Search when you need them
• Use a clear subject line, so you can find it later
• Only include people that need to see it Filter email (if you can)

Default diary

• Block out regular time
• Share with your team / partner

Don’t let time be stolen from you

• Keep meetings short / request short meetings
• Turn off notifications
• Plan time for social media etc

Don’t write it twice

• Think like a lazy programmer
• Save time
• Reduce mistakes

No excuses

• Get on with it
• Take responsibility
• Just start

Be above the line. Accountability not Blame
Idea from ActionCoach
Helps to prevent procrastination

Exercise

30-60 minutes a day. Walking is fine
Get access to light
Get 7-8 hours sleep (or as much as you need)

Free audio books

Free copies of my fav
Audible books Ping me if you want me to gift you a copy

Subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts or Android.

So you’ve got a swanky new website but you’re not happy with the speed. It just feels slow. You know your customers won’t like a slow site but do you know that speed is also a factor in SEO.

Here are some tips and WordPress plugins from Tim Nash at 34SP on how to speed up your website.

I’m afraid audio wasn’t great for this episode, please bear with it. I blame the internet!

👋 If you found this podcast interesting you might like my Marketing Club. Join to receive regular tips and advice on marketing, video and the web and Pro Members get access to my live marketing webinars every month, exclusive discounts and other perks. Find out more here https://ratherinventive.com/club/

Suzanne Scacca at Smashing Magazine on why it’s crucial to help your customers truly test out your app by helping get their data in it.

They’ll be more confident in their decision.
With complete and accurate data transferred into your software, users actually see how valuable it is soon after signing up. This leaves little room for second-guessing their decision, which leads to greater satisfaction overall with the product, and ultimately more money for your business.

We’re currently working with a client who is building a web app where the end user needs to input their live data to truly evaluate the software. It’s a stumbling block, as inputting the data is time consuming and not a job the customer would relish doing. Worse yet, is that the data is often from paper records or needs to be collected in an audit.

To get around this we’ve discussed providing an initial import of a small sub set of data for evaluation along with a personal tour of the software. Then if the customer subscribes to a paid plan the full data set can be added for free. If they have incomplete records then a low cost physical audit can be used to collect the remaining data.

This initial investment into your customer will pay you back quickly with fewer abandoned trials but it can also increase the likelihood of being referred to others.

IMC Club Member Camilla Bengough from Bengough Properties shares her thoughts and feedback on how the Inventive Marketing Club has impacted and helped improve their business marketing.

👋 If you found this testimonial inspiring join my Marketing Club to receive regular tips and advice on marketing, video and the web. Pro Members get access to my live marketing webinars every month, exclusive discounts and other perks. Find out more here https://ratherinventive.com/club/

Paul Boag on Twitter

Hick’s law states that there is a predictable increase in the time it takes somebody to decide, as the number of options goes up. Yet we regularly bombard users with options on our websites.

Keeping options simple and straightforward on your website rarely works against you. In fact, I believe you are doing your customer a favour by reducing the need for weighing up options before proceeding with a transaction.

Paul’s, tweet reminds me of a post Lou wrote (back in 2015!) called Drowning in Choice.

Barry Schwartz in his book The Paradox of Choice, says that at the point where the effort to make an informed decision overtakes the benefit of having a choice, then “choice no longer liberates but debilitates. It might even be said to tyrannise.”

In this Google My Business walkthrough Ben covers everything from claiming your listing, setting the correct categories to optimising for SEO

Notes

Why use Google My Business (GMB)

• Only way to get into the local pack
• Small factor (<9%) in regular SEO
• Get a knowledge panel Collect reviews
• Control of your map listing – Anyone with a Google account could: suggest an edit, post photos, ask awkward questions

Screen-share of Google My businessCreating/claiming a listing

• Check in maps to see if listing already exists https://www.google.com/maps
• If not then start creating https://business.google.com/create

Getting your profile info order https://business.google.com/dashboard/l/11925252192446860058

• Title – Your company name plus keywords if they read well
• Categories – Help ranking. First category is the most important as visible on profile
• Location – Add address if customer come to you e.g. shop, office. Get the map pin right e.g. 7 Stirling Works, Love Ln, Cirencester GL7 1YG
• or Services areas (max 20) if you travel to customers
• Opening hours
• Special hours  – eg xmas day
• Phone number – Could use a special number to track calls from listing
• Google Ads phone
• Shortname – Create a shortlink to your map page e.g. https://g.page/rather-inventive-marketing. Doesn’t work for all categories
• Links – Web, Appointment ?utm_source=google&utm_medium=local&utm_campaign=gmb_listing
• Highlights – Google will recommend ones you can add e.g Sink Green
• Description – Does not impact on rank, could help conversions. Show what you can do and how you help

Add Products / Services

• Recent updates to this as now split into categories, worth reviewing
• May have products instead (dependant on category)

Add Photos and videos

Photos

• Anything that showcases your business
• Identity – Business logo, cover image, etc
• Team – your team in action, around the office, etc
• If you category allows: 360, Inside and out of office or store

Videos

• A welcome video or tour of the store
• Why your company stands out versus the competition
• The company mission, and goals.
• An inside look at daily operations and customer interactions
• Customer testimonials
• Owner, employees, or customers interviews
• Answer FAQs

Posts

1. What’s New – Limited to seven days, can be up to 1000 words. General updates, blog posts, customer showcase
2. Events – Promote an event you are hosting, involved in, or supporting. All events require a title, start & end dates, and time. Add a description and details too.
3. Offers: If you are having any promotions, sales, or coupons, you can use this post type to showcase them. Like events, offers also require titles, start & end dates, and time-frame. The “View offer” CTA is automatically added.

Questions & answers

• Make sure to monitor, I don’t always get emails
• Create your own FAQs
• Perhaps ask clients to seed the questions for you?

Reviews

• Getting reviews. Watch IMC #5 How to get Five Star Reviews
• Respond to all reviews – If negative don’t take personally https://business.google.com/reviews/l/11925252192446860058?hl=en
• SayHola – Make sure to add in your Google map page https://sayhola.co/. Find entry in google maps, copy url after ‘https://www.google.com/maps/place/’ and add in Google Maps URL field

Other tips

• If have duplicate listings, incorrect details. Get someone else to ‘Suggest an Edit’ very powerful way of correcting mistakes
• Call tracking on website – Change phone number depending on website source. Speak with Ben if you’d like to implement this
• Add extra users – For marketing team or in case you lose access

Apple maps connect

• Make sure you’re listed with correct address 
• Start here https://mapsconnect.apple.com

Subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts or Android.

For this episode I thought it would be good to revisit a conversation I had with Sarah Dixon from the Contract Store on what details and documents we need to have on the website to make sure we don’t fall foul of the law.
We cover all the fun stuff from Ecommerce terms and conditions to GDPR. Enjoy!

👋 If you found this podcast interesting you might like my Marketing Club. Join to receive regular tips and advice on marketing, video and the web and Pro Members get access to my live marketing webinars every month, exclusive discounts and other perks. Find out more here https://ratherinventive.com/club/

Episode Notes

Carrie Webster writing for Smashing Magazine.

‘Whether it is a website, a software application or a smartphone app, it’s about first designing the structure of how your information is organized, and then translating this into a logical navigation hierarchy that makes sense to the users who will be accessing it. In this world where we can sometimes feel as though we are drowning in data, information architecture provides us with a logical way of organizing this data to make it easier to locate.’

Content structure is a core part of my web design process and in a large part informs the visual design of the website.

In my early design days I used to draw out the site using dummy text or images in illustrator, get the design signed off by the client then build the HTML and shoehorn in the content. We’d always get it to work but there was a lot of refactoring the design to fit. It’s completely backward when you think about it but it’s how most of the industry worked.

If you think content structure on a website is important (and you really should) then after you’ve read Carrie’s article you should also check out the book Content Design by Sarah Richards. It’s an easy read and explains why designing your content will have the biggest impact on your site visitor. Her experience is informed, in part, by her time at GOV.UK.

From mid October you can list your products in the Google Shopping tab for free.

‘Today we announced that we’re bringing free listings to the Shopping tab in countries across Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Just as we don’t charge sites to be part of the Google Search index, listings for participating retailers are eligible to appear in these results at no cost to them. Paid listings will continue to appear in ad slots and will operate in the same way as Shopping ads do today.’

I’m glad they’ve made this change. This used to be the norm for the product feed until they made it ad supported only.

Learn how to better understand your customer and fulfil your customers needs with more targeted products

Notes

Two ways to address a customer need

• Solve a problem
• Support the life goal

Solve a problem

• Hungry – Need food
• Back pain – Take medication
• 10mm hole – Need a drill / laser cutter / punch
• More social engagement – Need interesting posts / followers / video

Support a life goal

Move someone from where they are to where they want to be

Jobs To Be Done
‘…your efforts should focus on helping them make that change. Ideally the consumers wouldn’t have to do any work.’

• Not to be hungry – Food
• Be fit and health – Medication / Diet / Exercise / Physio
• Sell more widgets with holes Tools / Contractor / Automation
• More leads – Focused sales strategy / Sales team / Outsource

‘When we buy a product, we essentially “hire” it to help us do a job. If it does the job well, the next time we’re confronted with the same job, we tend to hire that product again. And if it does a crummy job, we “fire” it and look for an alternative.’

Question: Why do customers hire you?
Why do people hire the IMC?

Build a customer profile

Start simply, add detail as you learn more

Describe your customer in five words Good place to start
Here’s Ben’s: Passionate Professional, Mac user, 40

Download Persona sheet blank.pdf to help build you customer profile

Customer / product fit

What are your customers goals?
How your product helps achieve these goals?

Customer Goal / Product Aim

• Lose weight / Simple diet
• Feel healthier / Exercise plan 
• Meet new friends / Group meet-ups

Other considerations

Awareness

• How do customers describe the product?
• Where do they look for recommendation?
• How can we reach them?
• What’s your backstory?
• Why should they care?

Consideration

• What do they know already?
• How will they compare us?
• How long will this process take?
• What questions can you help answer?

Decision

• What do they need to know to make a decision? Price, delivery, returns…
• Who will make the decision?
• How do they buy from us?
• And how can we make this easy?

Paradox of choice

We’re addicted to choice
Broadly seen as a good thing
Taken to extremes

Search waitrose.com for “cheese”
564 results found
136 Cheddar products (was 108!)
Choose from Mild, Medium, Farmhouse, Mature, Extra Mature & Vintage (10 products)
Most expensive, No.1 Rollright £29.50/kg

What if I made the wrong choice
Missed a better option
Able to research options endlessly, the internet makes things harder

How do we cope with choice?
Dozens of sizes, prices and features
Opinions from friends, magazines, podcasts
Mental energy to make informed decision
Decision overload

End up differentiating on price
Why we think choice is a good but actually it paralyses us

Restaurants are the worst
Large menu plus specials board
First 10 minutes not deciding
After meal – unlimited coffee choices!
Decisions left un-made by the designer (chef)
We need to make decisions for our customers
Reduce choice and anxiety Increase the throughput

Thali Restaurant
Vegetarian curry house – Bristol
2 set meal times, 2 set menus, one fixed price
Make it easy for me, keep it simple

Use choice to your advantage
Experiment with 2 beers, 80% chose most expensive, 20% least expensive
Add 3rd option, 80% chose middle, 20% choose expensive
No one bought the cheapest – Have 3 options

“seeking the perfect choice is not only a recipe for misery but more than likely does not actually exist.” – Barry Schwartz from book “Paradox of choice”

There is no perfect choice. Don’t beat yourself up about it

No decision is the worst decision
Why we think choice is a good thing but actually it paralyses us

Getting feedback

Helps to understand the customer better and deepens customer relationship

Learn to talk you customers language

Use testimonial text in your copy
Reflect language back in conversation
Use to improve customer persona

Bring your customers closer

A positive review reinforces your opinion of a company
More likely to refer to others

Sign up for a free SayHola account https://sayhola.co

Resources

• What is Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) https://jtbd.info/2-what-is-jobs-to-be-done-jtbd-796b82081cca
• Know Your Customers’ “Jobs to Be Done” https://hbr.org/2016/09/know-your-customers-jobs-to-be– done
• The Critical Path EP156, A JTBD interview http://5by5.tv/criticalpath/146

IMC Club Member Nicky Ayers from Ecl-ips shares her thoughts and feedback on how the Inventive Marketing Club has impacted and helped improve their business marketing.

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Jason Fried’s forward to Bob Mesta’s new book ‘Demand Side Sales 101‘ has a few great sales tips. I cannot wait to read the Bob’s book as I’m an avid follower of JOTB.

‘It wasn’t until my manager encouraged me to shut up, watch, and listen. Give people space, observe what they’re interested in, keep an eye on their behavior, and be genuinely curious about what they wanted for themselves, not what I wanted for them. Essentially, stop selling and start listening.’

This can work in any relationship or negotiation. It’s something we all find hard, me included. Here’s another nugget

‘They didn’t care about the precise weight, or that this brand shaved 0.5oz off the model this year compared to last. They didn’t care what the color was called, only that they liked it (or didn’t). The tech- nical qualities weren’t important – in fact, they were irrelevant.’

Don’t focus on the features, focus on the benefit to your customer. It the case of shoes it could be how they make them feel not what they can do.

Listening is a crucial attribute of a successful sales person. If you listen well, your potential customer will always tell you what they want and how you can sell it to them.

Do you want to see your website appear first on Google whenever you search for the key words relevant to your business? Do you often wonder why your competitors appear higher than you on Google when you think you are doing everything you should be?

In this workshop I will show you how to improve the ranking of your website on Google along with SEO tips, tools and techniques.

This workshop has finished.