Spring Cleaning for Your Email

Spring is just about here, finally! It's time to clean out the garage, wash those dirty storm windows, detail your car from all that winter crud, and clean up your email list. Email list? That's right, you read it correctly.

Those of you who are already using email tools like iContact, may also have an extensive list of email addresses you've collected over the years. But how many of those email addresses are getting bounced? Do you even know? For those not using iContact or something similar, you might not even have reporting to let you know which email addresses may be bad.

So what should you do? You could send an email to everyone on the list asking them to re-opt in to your email communications. You'd have a much smaller list, but at least it would definitely be comprised of only those who do want to hear from you regularly.

Better yet, perhaps, is to use a software application that checks all of your email addresses in your list and lets you know which email addresses are no longer valid. I recently found a software application that does just that.

I am not affiliated with this company in any way nor am I a current user of their software. But if and when I do need to run my email lists to clean out invalid entries I will certainly give this software a try. From what I've seen it is very user-friendly and produces a nice result.
[http://www.deskshare.com/sev.aspx] Here is a link to the web site.

If you do use this application, I would be interested to hear from you on whether you found this to be a useful tool or not. Or if you know of other applications you like even better for this purpose please email me at tom.anderson@excelleweb.com and let me know what they might be. I can suggest again in a future installment of the monthly newsletter.

Excelleweb Mentioned in Business First

I was interviewed in the most recent edition of Business First regarding decisions small business owners must make when starting a new business. Read the full article here.

Tom Anderson is the President/CEO of Excelleweb, LLC and can be reached at 614-679-0912 or by email at tom.anderson@excelleweb.com.

Is Your Web Site Smarter Than A 5th Grader?

I'm sure at some point you've experienced great frustration when visiting a web site. We've all had that experience, unfortunately more than once. Either the information is buried somewhere in the web site and you can't find it, or the navigation is so befuddling that you need a sherpa to help you get anywhere in the site, or you're just plain confused.

Any of those scenarios will cause you to leave the web site in search of one that is easier to navigate and find what you're looking for. Why does this happen? How could the web site owners let it happen? Designers and web site owners are often guilty of building web sites that serve themselves and not their target audiences. They know how to look for and find information because they have intimate knowledge of how everything is structured on the site. They use terminology that they are very familiar with, even acronyms.

What they fail to remember is that their target audiences may not have any clue about the terminology or the thought process being used to structure the content of the web site. You have to assume people visiting your web site know nothing about you or how to use your web site. Make the navigation plain enough that a 5th Grader could easily use it.

So the answer to the question, "Is your web site smarter than a 5th Grader?", should be 'no'. Keep your navigation and text simple enough that any layperson without industry knowledge can understand who you are, and what your unique value proposition is. Don't over-complicate your products and/or services so few may understand them. Your web visitors must know that you can either help them solve a problem or take advantage of an opportunity.

Oh, and if you want to 'emotionally connect' with your web site visitors, invest in high quality graphic design and leave the clipart where it belongs: in bad PowerPoint presentations.

Does Your Web Site Serve Others?

Most people think of their web site as 'billboard' to showcase their products and services. Sometimes that works perfectly. Often times, you sell yourself short when that is all you provide through your web site.

Take Jonathan Holfinger's company, Arrow Title Agency, for example. Jonathan is the owner of the company and his web site can be found at www.arrowtitle.com. In the web site, there are all kinds of useful bits of information including several calculators to help you determine closing costs under many different scenarios.

Jonathan could have just as easily copied and pasted some info about himself and the company only. Maybe add a few testimonials from clients, and finished the site. But he knows that to separate himself from others in his industry, he must provide a unique experience. That's why he focused on creating a web site that serves others as a resource for them. Realtors and others frequently visit just to use the tools listed on the site. Web visitors' perception of the quality Arrow Title provides is much higher even before they meet with Jonathan, because of the experience he's created for them through the web site.

Oh, and by the way, Excelleweb assisted Jonathan in the design for the site (shameless plug inserted here).

As you ponder what you'd like to improve with your web site in 2008, think about ways you can improve your business relationship with your customers and prospects. What is it that you could provide to make their interaction with you even better?

Tom Anderson is the President/CEO of Excelleweb, LLC and can be reached at 614-679-0912 or by email at tom.anderson@excelleweb.com.

Who's on Your Wall of Gratitude?

Recently, I had an opportunity to see a variety of motivational speakers here in Columbus, Ohio. Maybe you even attended the 'Get Motivated' event. One of the speakers, Zig Ziglar, was especially inspiring to me. For those not familiar with Zig (visit his web site here), he has been writing books and delivering speeches for many years. He is well known around the world for his unique style and enthusiasm.

Earlier this year, Zig took a fall down some stairs and it has severely hampered his memory and ability to get around as well as he used to. The mere fact that Zig still wanted to travel and speak to large groups, inspiring them, was in itself very motivating. How many of us would have taken time off, or hid from the world when we weren't doing so well physically or emotionally?

Zig spoke of the importance of his 'wall of gratitude'. Those people throughout his life that have inspired him to be a better person and helped him reach greater heights in his personal and professional life, he has honored them by putting their pictures on a wall in his office. It is a daily reminder to him that he must aspire to be the best he can be.

That really resonated with me. A few days after the event, I wrote to Zig asking him if he would be willing to send me an autographed photo of himself for my 'wall of gratitude'. With all of the requests and correspondence he must receive, I didn't know if my note would get his attention. Sure enough, a week or so later Zig's assistant responded saying how grateful they were for my letter and that Zig would be honored to send me a picture. It now is displayed prominently in my home office.

Who has influenced you in your business and/or personal life? Why not recognize them for their contribution to your success? Not only is it a nice gesture honoring them, but it is extremely motivating for you to have a constant reminder of being the best you can be.

Happy Holidays! Make 2008 the best year you've ever had!

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Excelleweb Launches Cox Colvin & Associates Web Site

Excelleweb has been working with Cox Colvin & Associates to redesign and launch their new web site. An environmental consulting firm located in Plain City, Ohio, Cox Colvin & Associates provides expertise in a number of areas. Please visit the new web site to learn more about their services by clicking on the following picture:

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Tom Anderson is the President/CEO of Excelleweb, LLC and can be reached at 614-679-0912 or by email at tom.anderson@excelleweb.com.

Googling At The Gas Station

Before I dive into this month's topics, let me say 'thanks' for another great year at Excelleweb. Without the support from my subscribers who've given me referrals or afforded me the opportunity to work with them directly, Excelleweb would not have been nearly as successful!

Google Coming To Your Neighborhood

Recently the Columbus Dispatch posted an article about Google partnering with gas stations to provide Google Maps at the pump. Thank God for Google! For as long as I've been married and traveled around the country on vacations, I've been the typical husband who hates to ask for directions. I'd much rather figure it out. My Dad was the same way. I must have picked that gene up from him.

Not only can I now get directions, but I can find the nearest restaurants, golf courses, hotels, etc. Now at least I've got something to smile about at the gas station while I fill up at $3.20 a gallon! Read the full article here.

A Desktop We Can All Appreciate

I stumbled across a very cool new desktop interface called BumpTop. It's one of the most creative things I've ever seen. It enables you to organize the desktop of your computer just like you would with an ordinary 'piece of furniture' type of desk.

How many of you out there have icons filling up nearly the entire portion of your monitor screen? Then you have to scan over the entire monitor to find the shortcut link to open a document or a program. Watch this video to see how simple, yet extremely creative you can be in organizing your computer files and applications.

The two items posted this month only go to prove that with creativity your business can be a success. What great ideas do you have for your business?

Only you can kill that idea in your mind. Take the next step. Then another one after that. Google and BumpTop would never have come into existence without the relentless pursuit of putting ideas into action.

One last thing...Happy Thanksiving!

Tom Anderson is the President/CEO of Excelleweb, LLC and can be reached at 614-679-0912 or by email at tom.anderson@excelleweb.com.

Quote of the Month:

"Restlessness and discontent are the first necessities of progress."
--Thomas Edison

Thoughts on Email

This month I've been getting asked more about email, so I thought it was a perfect opportunity to address it in my newsletter.

Use Your Own Email Account

Every time I meet someone and they hand me their business card I look to see their email address (by the way, everyone should have one on their card). If their email address is their name followed by @yahoo.com or @hotmail.com I instantly wonder about their credibility. I'm not being snobby, but it makes you wonder whether their business is in dire straits if they could not afford to set up a simple email address.

It requires very little expense for email hosting. I even have some clients who continue using their Yahoo or hotmail accounts, but it is forwarded to those email addresses from their new company email address. It just makes good business sense that you have your company name as the email address name instead of a third party like Yahoo or hotmail.

Still not convinced? Here other reasons why you should not use complimentary 'no-cost' email services:

• There is an increased chance that online merchants will refuse your order. Why? Because too much fraud is associated with these types of accounts. It's less risky for merchants to simply refuse orders from these email accounts.

• It can be difficult to even find an email address that's available, let alone memorable. There are just too many variations.

• When you send email from accounts like Yahoo or hotmail, often times ads and promotions are inserted in the bottom of the email. Do you really want to have that attached to your message when you're conducting business with others? It cheapens your company brand.

If you need assistance with setting up email hosting or web hosting please get in touch with me to learn more about available options.

3 Web Site Goals to Remember

If you don't remember anything else about successful web sites, remember these 3 web site goals:

1. Have compelling text and graphics


2. Make your web site easy to use


3. Optimize your web site to rank high in search engines

Have Compelling Text and Graphics

Write the text on your web site with your customers in mind, not for you to tell the world how great you are. Refrain from using statements like 'we're the best' or 'the market leaders', etc. Everyone says they're the best, so why should I, Mr. Customer, choose to do business with you?

Tell stories of helping other clients in similar situations. Why? Because if the customer identifies with that situation, you'll have a better chance of getting their attention and getting them to contact you.

I've written about this many times before, but it goes without saying that you must use professional looking graphics that work well on all web browsers. Don't let your web developer get by just using Internet Explorer for viewing your web site. More people are using Mozilla Firefox and other browsers that are just as important to viewing web sites. Lazy developers will only develop for one browser and not check to see how the web site looks on other browsers.

Make Your Web Site Easy To Use

Don't make web visitors guess about where to navigate on your web site. Keep it simple and easy for them to find what they need quickly. It would be very helpful to 'map' out a web site using a flowchart type of program so that you can see how the hierarchy of the web site is established.

By doing this, you ensure that you do not forget anything important and you also make sure you have the proper flow of information on the site. Does it take too many clicks to find important pages? Should this page be a sub page under another section? Mapping out the site first will alert you to these types of problems.

Optimize Your Web Site for Search Engines

What good is your web site if no one can find it? Again, those of you who have been subscribers for awhile have read this in past newsletters.

But, here is a piece of information you may not have read in my past months' newsletters: Being ranked high in Google and other engines loses its importance if very few people ever search on those terms. That's why you need to work with a professional firm who can offer specialists in search engine marketing. They understand that not only do they need to optimize the web site for keywords and phrases, but to use the terms and phrases that are actually being searched on in the engines.

One more thing to implement: once you have the right keywords/terms/phrases, also check to find out how many other web sites are competing for those same terms. The most successful web sites find a happy medium where they choose popular keywords/phrases, but also those that aren't competing with millions of other sites.

Focus on these 3 key areas and you will be building a successful web site presence. Oh, and don't forget, this is an ongoing process that continually evolves over time. Embrace the journey and never rest on your laurels!

Interested in using email to market your business or organization? Send me an email at tom.anderson@excelleweb.com and I can provide you with a complimentary trial using the same tools that I used to create this newsletter.

Tom Anderson is the President/CEO of Excelleweb, LLC and can be reached at 614-679-0912 or by email at tom.anderson@excelleweb.com.

Referrals from those who know, like, and trust you can be the lifeblood for any business.
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Quote of the Month:
"The real leader has no need to lead--he is content to point the way."
--Henry Miller