What is a Competitive Analysis?

I often recommend a competitive analysis to small business owners who are looking to design or redesign their websites. You generally identify several or many industry competitors, and based on quantitative and qualitative analysis, I prepare a summary of findings and recommendations for the website. A competitive analysis will help you see what your competition is doing right and what they’re doing wrong, and how you can do things better. You also save yourself time by not reinventing the wheel, while at the same time adapting and innovating features and functionality.

How Would My Website Benefit from a Competitive Analysis?

• Get an edge over your competition’s website
• Find the best way to format your website
• Get a conversation going about possibilities
• Think of new ways to present information
• Think of new things to include
• Help decide the best approach for a visual style
• Compare usability and set a benchmark for improvement

Get your competitive analysis now. Contact Mindspring Design.

A client asked for a scrolling bookshelf. The client requested custom graphics on the shelf, informative popups, and links clicking through to each product. And the client wanted it to be easy to add or remove products to the shelf. Could I do it? Yep. If you’d like your own custom shelf, call me.

But if you want a FREE scrolling bookshelf, Shelfari can give you one of your very own. I created a quickie shelf on their website‘s widget creator and this is what I came up with (it takes several seconds to load):

Not too shabby, huh? Click on a book and you go to the Shelfari site, then you can go to Amazon.com to purchase. Shelfari even allows you to input your Amazon affiliate id while creating the bookshelf. There are also a few different shelf color choices. Try it out, it’s fun!

Yesterday, Darren Waddell of Mashable.com posted about HOW TO: Create and Distribute Effective Online Coupons. More and more consumers have internet access and smartphones, and online coupons are a great way to encourage spending. This article describes the types of online coupons, ways to distribute, and how to measure your success. Mindspring Design is skilled at designing effective online coupons, whether they be a simple online banner and coupon code, or a printable email coupon. So let’s get started!

Okay, so this was a recent question in a small business forum. I will paraphrase it below then give my response. I also welcome your responses!

I have run an online shop for the past year. Although I only sell one product, there are over a thousand styles available right now. My products are high quality and low price. Most are priced $15.

However, business is not good because I only receive 20 orders per month. Is my product unpopular? Useless? Why aren’t people buying from my site?

I appreciate any suggestions from you.

Puzzled

Great question! I don’t want to disclose this person’s business website. However for the record, their product is for everyday wear. Though only one product is sold, there is such variety in styles, the seller can create a niche market. The web site looks professional and secure for shoppers. The web site also offers several ways to search for what you want.

So what the deal? Here’s my response:

Dear Puzzled,

Congrats on a web site that is well-organized and professional. It even looks as though you have optimized your web site for keywords pertaining to your product. Have you put your name out there? Submit your site to e-commerce search engines so that your products come up in their internet searches. Maybe you can even do some search engine marketing like Google AdWords. Promote yourself with press releases, news articles, email newsletters, videos, whatever you can think of!

Now another thing to look at…. the buying process has to be really easy, there can be no roadblocks or annoyances.  When I clicked on “Add To Cart”, a dialog box popped up saying “You Must Login First.” Then users must sign up for your site just to purchase a tie.

My suggestion is to eliminate this step.  Allow people to “Add To Cart” and to pay as anonymous guests. Then once you have gotten their payment/billing info, offer the option to save them as a registered user in your database.  I hope this makes sense, it will eliminate the alarming popup box that might be discouraging shoppers.

Well what do you think?

This Week in The Biz Bite, Entrepreneur Coach Whitney Keyes lists her Top 10 Small Business Technology Resolutions. Three of them especially caught my eye. I believe that these are major things every business should do all year long every year! Here’s an excerpt:

10. Work the Web. Ask yourself if your website (you do have a website, right?) still fits the needs of your business. Is it time to upgrade to an e-commerce solution so you can sell your products or services online?

I agree. I suggest getting a professional competitive analysis to see how your website stacks up to your competition. You will then get personalized recommendations for the most cost effective ways to expand your online presence and increase your website ROI.

7. The Search is On. Do you know what SEO is? Search engine optimization improves your rank on sites like Google and Yahoo! A few keywords can catapult your ranking in only a few months.

I continue to see small business websites that have not yet tapped into this opportunity. Step out into the search engine spotlight by investing in SEO. Consult with an SEO specialist to determine how you define your organization/products and how to capitalize on your strengths while  attracting new customers.

6. Be Smart and Social. Do some social media due diligence to find out if your industry cares about tweets, friends or followers before you invest valuable resources in social media.

Have your web designer do research on the viability and potential for social media. Do a test run to see the results. Be bold, think outside the box, and you might just be surprised!

In addition to Ms. Keyes recommendations, I also strongly suggest that small businesses put in place a regular web analytics schedule. This will enable you to see how well or poorly your website is performing monthly or quarterly. Then your web designer will suggest simple, practical improvements to increase the effectiveness of your site.

Mindspring Design adopts the AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Designers | the professional association for design) Design Framework. This process is adopted in whole or in part for all our current and future web design projects.

Why incorporate a process? This framework helps our clients understand what is involved in the design process. Creating branding and websites is not just an ethereal, serendipitous journey. Design decisions are based on research, communication, problem-solving and innovation. Our clients are well-informed collaborators throughout the process, and their business goals are a top priority. View successful case studies here.

Contact Mindspring Design at 856-393-0385 to see how incorporating this framework into your next website project can generate value for your small business.

Mindspring Design also has developed its own exclusive, comprehensive 62-point system for creating and assessing your printed graphics materials.

Dowload: 25 Essentials for Email Marketing Campaigns.

What do you think? Have these worked for you?

According to the WebProNews Staff, about three-quarters of all online shoppers are dissatisfied with their online shopping experiences. In addition, “Nearly 80 percent rarely or never purchase a product without complete information, and 72 percent will take off to a competitor that does supply that information.”

If you offer an online shopping experience, these are sobering numbers. In the article 24 Ways to Get a Customer and Keep a Customer, you will find the top mistakes e-commerce websites make, and how to beat out your online competition. It highlights the importance of the search function and your landing pages.

WebProNews also notes that a study from the e-tailing group listed these as the most important online shopping features to customers:

1.    Product overview
2.    Merchant’s guarantee
3.    Stock status/availability
4.    Quality of image
5.    Customer service links
6.    Product specific information
7.    Long description
8.    Size chart
9.    Toll-free number
10.    Ratings and reviews

Not only do you need these features, but they must be functioning correctly and be simple and intuitive to use. Contact Mindspring Design today to install these features on your e-commerce website.

For the other 14 quick fixes, read:
24 Ways to Get a Customer and Keep a Customer

“Colour is my day-long obsession, joy and torment.” — Claude Monet
“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way — things I had no words for.” — Georgia O’Keeffe

Who makes your business’ color choices and how are these choices made? (Is your logo blue because that’s your favorite color? Does your graphic designer choose colors because they are popular?) What are the colors in your advertising and collateral actually saying about you? And why is it so important?

According to recent research, people are 55% more likely to pick up a piece printed in color. The use of color increases retention by an average of 65%. Using color in printed material increases readership by up to 80%. And color can increase the likelihood of a purchase by 80% or more. (Taken from Color Your Business: Develop a Color Marketing Scheme)

The colors in your marketing materials involve the emotions and senses in a way that cannot easily be explained. Colors can convey information about your brand, visually engage potential clients, and involve their senses, memories, and responses. So it’s important to choose a website or graphic designer who makes adept use of color combinations to help you achieve your marketing goals.

Before I briefly list basic color connotations, please remember: Everyone’s reactions to color will differ slightly based on their personal experiences. Western color connotations will differ from those of Eastern cultures. Almost every color has warm and cool shades. The temperature of the color will also dictate usage.

Red. Strength, passion, excitement, stimulation, energy, attention, danger.

Pink. Youthfulness, romance, energy, fun, sentimental.

Orange. Warmth, energy, whimsy, friendly, vibrant, cheerful, youthful, fun.

Yellow. Happiness, sunshine, energy, optimism, warmth, alertness, enlightenment, creativity.

Green. Freshness, nature, energy, growth, refreshment, healing, tranquility, wealth.

Blue. Trust, loyalty, peace, coolness, dependability, security, serenity, stability, trustworthiness.

Purple. Royalty, wisdom, mystery, spirituality, nostalgia.

Brown. Old-fashioned, earthy, stability, upscale.

Black. Power, mystery, sorrow, strength, elegance.

White. Purity, cleanness, innocence, simplicity, youth, sterile.

Book Recommendation:  A Pantone Color Resource. COLOR: messages & meanings.

For a color consultation or analysis of your current marketing materials and website, call Mindspring Design at (856) 393-0385.

Okay, a bit of shameless self-promotion never hurt anyone. Hey, it’s my blog! So the following is going to be put into my new ads. It’s adapted from The Web Design Business Kit (www.sitepoint.com). Everytime you try a new online marketing approach, document it. Document how much you spend, how long it runs, who responds and who buys. Here it goes:

Free webinar details the secret to web site success…

Often times web sites are developed by cool designers who have little or no interest or understanding in your business needs. What you need is a website that really works.

Mindspring Design is a cutting-edge web development firm. We know how to make a web site that generates leads, positions your business, and increases customer care.

Specializing in:

• web site development
• improving under-performing web sites
• online marketing

For your FREE Webinar: 9 Steps to Building a Small Business Website, or for your free consultation, call (856) 393-0385.