I first heard of Ninja Outreach when reading Ali Lawrence’s article on TechMania411.net. I actually heard so much buzz about the article, that I had to read it and try out the app for myself. It was at that time that I also got in touch with founder, Dave Schneider, and interviewed him this week.

Real Company: Transparency and Approachability

In this day and age, it is not unusual to find start-up tech companies that are reachable, but I was really impressed by how approachable and personable Dave Schneider was (is). He is the man behind the app, but it says a lot when he is so transparent about the limitations of his tool and where he and the company hope to see the tool go, in the future. In a forum where he could have bragged about all that the tool was, he was very open and presented it as if he were sitting at a table having coffee with you. In my book, that goes a long ways for credibility and I’m willing to give the tool a shot. This is especially true since the tool offers a free trial for two weeks.

Windows Desktop Application

Admittedly, being a Windows-only, desktop application, is a drawback for Macintosh users (which I am). This is also a drawback for those who desire to have a web-based tool. Fortunately, Dave Schneider has indicated that the plans are to make Ninja Outreach into a web-based tool soon. In the meantime, Mac users can use the tool in Parallels and likely other Parallels-like software. I installed it and did not have any issues running it inside of the Parallels application environment.

Ninja Outreach

The Interface

The interface is very clean. It is very easy to follow. For the first 60 seconds or so, I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. But, thanks to its Google-friendly interface, I typed in a phrase in the search bar. I was just about to think nothing was happening when the interface filled with data! From there, it was pretty easy to follow how to move contacts from the search results to the contact list. The only glitch that I ran into was that I needed to create a campaign first and actually choose the campaign before the search (or at least before trying to add a contact to it). However, as I figured that out, I realized that those instructions are boldly indicated at the top of the interface. Based on the interview with Dave Schneider, I anticipate that these minor (I mean really, really minor!) aspects will improve over time.

Data Gathering All In One Place

The data that is presented by Ninja Outreach is even more than I had hoped. The tool pulls publicly available information like phone numbers, email addresses, and also Klout scores, PR, and alexa ratings (to name a few). I did find it amusing to see what an impressive alexa rating I had (16) until I realized it was reading my Pinterest profile in the search results and that was Pinterest’s alexa rating. So, when reviewing the data, be sure to wear your “common sense” hat in interpreting the data (i.e. difference between actual web site data and social profile data pulling the social site’s data).

All of this data could be obtained by visiting the different sites to obtain the alexa rating, PR, contact information, etc., but would take a bunch of time to do so. That is where the key advantage with Ninja Outreach is the amount of time it saves the prospecting marketer.

For those of you wondering about the term “inbound marketing,” check out the HubSpot article, specifically the portion on CRM. While it is true you could use Ninja Outreach for prospecting, there is also the analysis aspect that helps to define what type of content helps in the inbound attraction portion of the inbound marketing. Also, the Ninja Outreach tool is a CRM, which is how it fits into the “inbound marketing” category, by keeping track of the relationships and the data related to those relationships. However, it can also be used as an “outreach prospecting” tool, more along the “cold calling” type deal. So, the label is really based on how you use it but fortunately, you are not limited by that use and can use it for both, as your very detailed CRM tool.

Uses for the Tool

The first thought I had, for this tool, was that it was for marketing, to find buying clients. While that is one use, the tool is not limited to that use. The first tier of subscription is for the “blogger” and that realization (through a simple label) helped me to realize that this tool could be used for any type of campaign. For example, if you are a podcaster and looking for guests for your podcast, you could use Ninja Outreach. As a blogger, you could use it to find brands, to find columnists, interviewers, and interviewees. There really are endless possibilities for using this tool.

The Price

At first this tool reminded me of my trial run with Vocus. Clearly it does’t haven’t all of the modules that the Vocus tool has, but it is a fraction of the prices. At $19/mo, this tool is affordable. The key thing on the prices is to determine the ROI (return on investment) for your particular situation. If you use the tool and are able to close a $50 sale per month, then you are money ahead ($31) in paying for this tool. Also, if you are able to save on what you pay a virtual assistant (or helping that virtual assistant to be more productive with the time you are paying for), then you may have an excellent ROI. Fortunately, with the price so low, you have a better chance than if it were up in the $500/mo range.

Overall

I’m still on the fence about whether or not I will subscribe. This has nothing to do with the tool itself. The only reason for that is that I don’t use this type of tool currently. However, I am seeing where even the CRM features of this tool go way beyond my current use of Google Contacts. Currently, I have to jot this information down in the notes section of my address book. This particular CRM would seem to be a very handy one-stop-shop. If I were already doing something like this, the decision to pay for Ninja Outreach, monthly, would be a no-brainer.

Interestingly, I may have contradicted myself saying I don’t do this currently and then stating that I jot the information in Google Contacts!… Are YOU in the same boat?

The idea of a free trial helps those of us on the fence to make a decision on whether or not this tool fits our business strategy. Also, this tool would have a tiny bit lower rating, because of the Mac limitation and some desired functionality, but it is given a 4.5 star rating because of the approachability of the founders (most notably Dave Schneider). That is really saying something when a tool review gets extra “points” because of the people behind it.

This is still a very new tool on the block and from the looks and sounds of things, it has the potential to really go places. I’d like to be there when it does.

There are all sorts of tools out there, serving all sorts of purposes.  Some are free.  Some are paid.  Some are a great ROI (return on investment) and some, well…  But, what tools work well in a virtual team environment?

 Skype

One of the tools that I use the most, for teams, is Skype.  Whenever I mention “Skype” to those who do not use it regularly, the first thing they think of is video calls.  Yeah, it is true.  Skype is wonderful for those video calls.  But, that is not all it is good for, especially when talking about teams.

When it comes to virtual teams, Skype is wonderful for group IM’ing (instant messaging).   Here is an example of how I use it for #SocialCafe weekly Twitter Chats:

• Random thoughts throughout the week (added by members any time and read by other members at their convenience).
• Meeting agenda, right before a weekly 15 min meeting.
• Actual audio conference call, weekly (If you add a recorder app, now you have a recording for anyone who misses the meeting.)

By clicking on the “call” button, for our scheduled meeting, it will automatically ring everyone on the team.  Just like a telephone, if the person isn’t available, they don’t pick up the Skype call.  And, if someone is unavailable to answer via Skype, they can IM their phone number into the same group (i.e. ahead of time) and we can add the number and call them on their cell, land line, office number, etc. (instead of Skype).  This really opens up the versatility!

One way to create a group is to first create a Skype “list” and then open that list, select all, and right-click to create a group.  This may vary from platform to platform and for each version of Skype.

The real beauty though, is the ability to IM 24/7 as ideas pop into our heads.  Those ideas could be discussed via IM “real time” or added to the agenda for the next meeting.

#SocialCafe isn’t the only team that I have that uses Skype.  Gail Gardner, who has a huge Blogger Mastermind group on Skype, introduced me to the idea of using Skype for that purpose.  I also use it for teams that I handle as VP of Marketing for a not-for-profit.  The uses are limitless and I don’t know how virtual teams would exist without Skype!

Here is a discussion about the use of Skype, on a #SocialCafe event:

Teamwork

Teamwork.com is a project management system that is available online.

During my stint in upstate New York, I stopped in and assisted Jim Boykin’s Internet Marketing Ninjas by starting their Project Management Office.  Now, project management is something that every company (and virtual team) “should have,” but doesn’t necessarily implement.

That said, it is something that actually exists even when people do not realize that it exists.  An example would be that you may be communicating with each other via email (or Skype) on how a project should be handled.  Technically speaking, you are using email as a communication tool in a project management process!

Ok, enough techie talk, eh?  Let’s keep it simple.  The reason I mention that I have served as a Project Management Director is simply to say I have “been there, done that” and know my stuff about project management enough to be able to make the recommendation for you.  And, from what I have used (which also includes Mavenlink), TeamWork.com rocks!

Ok, wait.  Before you hop over and create a free account and wonder if I have lost my senses… I admit, Teamwork is not the easiest thing out there.  But, for project management systems, I think it is easier than most.   So, if you are used to using project management systems and you have really complex projects and quite a few team members and deadlines, then you may want to look into using Teamwork.  Also, the customer support is same day and stellar!  I have also used Mavenlink and they have an excellent support team, too, but it is a bit counter-intuitive, compared to Teamwork.

Keep in mind, too, that even if you are a project manager, you want a tool that is easy-to-use for your team members.  Teamwork is the type of tool that meets the needs for scope management, identification of critical path, etc., without completely losing the team members that need to use it.

Oh, a little trick, too.  You can use Teamwork.com for free, if you only set up two projects.  This may drive project managers crazy, but what you do is set up the projects as “task lists” (instead of projects) and you can add as many tasks-lists-functioning-as-projects as you like.  Of course, out of respect for the company, I should encourage you to pay the $13 or so per month for a paid subscription.  There are also enterprise level subscription options for the big companies.

Did I lose you, yet?  That’s ok… read the next section.  It gets easier.

Trello

Trello is a great tool that can be used for many different purposes.  But, I also saved them for last.  Why?  Because it is soooo easy to use!  If you want to have “project management,” but Teamwork.com makes your head spin, then Trello is probably just what the doctor ordered.

For many virtual teams, it is a matter of “did the project get done” (or didn’t it).    It may also be a case of “Who is assigned to what?” and “Where do we put all this information?”  If that is the case, then Trello’s drag-and-drop method is key.  Trello is perfect for the teams that are technically doing project management (remember my email example, above?), but don’t really know how to do project management.  That is because Trello is more intuitive to the normal way of thinking.  We have been conditioned to use lists and copy and paste links and drag and drop.  Trello fits that conditioning.

My recommendation, for your team, is to start out with Trello and if you move on to a spot where you need something more complex, like Teamwork, just find the team member that is the most enthusiastic to run it for the team

Other Helpful Tools

There are many other tools that help the virtual team, like Google Docs (and all Google apps) and DropBox.   Those are just two that probably have already come to your mind when you first started reading this article.  But, the list is quite long!

Any opportunity you have to share information with other team members presents a possibility of a tool that could be used to optimize the team experience.  The key is likely to be efficiency, and that is where the virtual team tools really come in handy.

So, what is (are) your favorite tool?  Do share with us, in the comment below.

Deborah Anderson (aka Deborah E in music circles) is the host of the Social Web Cafe TV weekly “Marketing Momentum” show on iHeart Radio. She is the new host of Michael Q. Todd’s WebToolsTV. Her marketing endeavors include social strategy coaching, where she has her own unique and innovative approach. She blends her masters in organizational psychology with her community building and social media marketing experience to help her clients to find the path that provides them with the best ROI for their branding efforts. She is currently co-writing a book with Ileane Smith on internet community-building and also was the “rock star” at Internet Marketing Ninjas who formed their successful project management process and methodology, as Director of the Project Management Office.

Let’s face it, Twitter Cards are cool.  Fortunately, they have been around long enough that many of the “kinks” have been worked out. But, that said, it doesn’t mean that everyone is using them yet. On one hand, everyone *should* be using them. But, as we know, when that happens, the “coolness” may begin to wane.

Ok, What ARE Twitter Cards?

Twitter Cards come in all shapes and sizes (literally)! The idea is that when you tweet a link, there is a Twitter Card that will automatically accompany your tweet.

Creating the Tweet

When you type the tweet and insert a link that has a Twitter Card, it will pull and display the Twitter Card. An example is the “Player Card” (type of Twitter Card), shown in the screen shot, below. As you will notice, this type of Twitter Card (Player Card) includes a YouTube that can be played right from Twitter (or any page where the tweet is embedded).

Example of a Twitter Player Card (playable video inside)

How Does It Work?

The way that the Twitter Cards work is that they pull meta information from that page of the link. So, assuming that you have set up your site or page correctly, with the correct meta tags, Twitter will pull that information when it pulls your page for the link (during the tweeting process). When Twitter sees that you have that meta available, indicating the presence of a Twitter Card, it knows to display it automatically on the tweet.

Types of Twitter Cards

The three most popular types of Twitter Cards are:

For more information on how to set up the Twitter Cards, you could visit the Twitter Developer section on Twitter Cards.

So, What are Meta Tags and How Do I get Them?

Personally, I hand-code my own social media coding. The reason that I do that is that I can control every aspect of what I do, like the image for the tweet, which is different than the image for Pinterest, Facebook, etc. This allows me to create custom Pinterest video shares and more. However, I am also a programmer, and I enjoy doing that sort of thing. I would be sad if someone removed my access to custom program my sites.

Fortunately, you don’t have to be a programmer. I found an excellent plugin out there (and I need to give credit to Gail because she is the one who told me about this plugin!). The plugin is JM Twitter Cards. I haven’t personally used this plugin on a regular basis (as I said, I custom program my social media functions), but it does include many of the features that I custom program. So, from a feature aspect, I recommend the plugin. Other plugins, like Yoast WordPress SEO, also include Twitter Card functionality.

Potential Incompatibilities

There have been reports of issues with the Genesis theme that are highlighted by an incompatibility with the JM Twitter Cards plugin. There is a discussion here, on the topic of the featured image. Fortunately, that thread also shows a solution.

Tip 1: How to Get Your Player Card Validated

One of the steps that is needed, before each of the different types of Twitter Cards works for your site, is to ensure that Twitter validates the Twitter Card. The time that it takes Twitter can be under an hour to several hours.

Usually the summary card and the photo card validate fairly easily, but the player card can present a problem. If you try to validate your player card and get some sort of warning that includes time (i.e. 4s or .15s), it is likely that it has to do with the load time on your site.

That does not mean that your site is too slow, but that at that moment, Twitter could not receive the information fast enough so your card fails before actually being submitted to Twitter. There have been reports that people have had intermittent results in trying to get the Twitter Player Card validated.

Here is a solution. Turn off your plugins before submitting your Twitter Player Card. It is a pain and will likely affect some functionality on your site, but leave those plugins off until you receive word from Twitter that your Player Card is fine. Then, you can turn the plugins back on, on your WordPress site.

If you are a WordPress plugin junkie, this can really become an issue. But, there is a solution for that, too. Here is how I do the plugin thing. First, you should get a plugin organizer. I love and use Jeff Sterup’s Plugin Organizer.

Creating the group for the “intentionally inactive” plugins.

The first thing you do is add any inactive plugins (that you may be keeping around for that “rainy day”) into a group that is named something like, “intentionally inactive.” This will help you to know that you do not want to re-activate those plugins accidentally. Then, break the rest of your plugins into groups of 10 or less and add them to a new group, using the Plugin Organizer. You can name them Group 1, Group 2, etc. By doing so, if you ever have to troubleshoot plugin issues, you have groups to flip on and off all at once. Go through and turn off (by groups) all plugins you can, and then go to the Twitter Card validator and validate your player card. After your acceptance email from Twitter, you can re-activate all those plugins again and you are all set.

Two steps to help that Player Card get validated.

Note: You could also do this without the plugin organizer, using the “recently active” default list, but using the plugin organizer may help you in cases where you decide not to turn on all the plugins. And, if you need to troubleshoot something else, later, it puts the plugins into bite-sized groups. This is a lifesaver if you are a plugin junkie.

Tip 2: How to Customize the SEO Title in JM Twitter Cards

JM Twitter Cards allows you to use a custom field for the title of the Twitter Card. This is handy if you want to control that text. What is tricky is if you don’t know (or don’t have) the custom field. Not all WordPress data has a custom field. Fortunately, you can use the “More Fields” plugin to create a custom field. Then, when you have created that custom field, you can copy and paste the name of the field into your “custom fields” section of your JM Twitter Card settings. This is a bit of an advanced topic, but it will help those of you who are stuck and want it to work the way you want it to work. Just keep in mind that More Fields is not necessarily the prettiest plugin (and it hasn’t been updated recently), but it does do the trick.

There you have it. Why you should use Twitter Cards, how you can implement them on your site and a couple of tips that may help you be even more creative (and get those Player Cards validated in no time!).

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Deborah Anderson wears many hats and her addiction to acquiring knowledge. From professional training as a sound engineer at the Los Angeles Film School, to graduating summa cum laude in software architecture, and then on to becoming the director of Information technology at the high profile Bel Air Investment Advisors, she often comments that she is only just beginning. She enjoys sharing her knowledge discoveries with her readers and is always ready to offer a helping hand.

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List building and email marketing have been around for quite awhile. In fact, even my company offered list hosting and email list management back 15 years ago, before SPAM became a constant pain. I enjoyed managing the process, and we considered becoming a list management company instead of a hosting company.

List building is something that enhances the blogging efforts, allowing you to reach people and remind them to come visit your site and check out all of the wonderful new content that has been added.

Nowadays, there are many email list management services out there, to help with your email marketing endeavors. These services take care of the technical stuff so you can simply point and click and insert the code into your blog or website. I have used a few of these companies. While there are many similarities between these companies, there are also differences that make one company or another stand out, with their particular specialties.

More recently, I checked out GetResponse.com. The people over there are so nice, and I have to say that Abby Hartz is so personable that I couldn’t help but want to switch to GetResponse, just because of her helpfulness and client-focused attitude. She seems to be the real deal! But, don’t take my word for it, check out the conversation that we had with Ms. Hartz on a #SocialCafe Twitter Chat. During this particular Twitter Chat series, we covered ten tools and decided to add GetResponse to that list because we had heard of its popularity. Abby Hartz and GetResponse, as a company, took up our offer to participate!

1. Build Email List
2. Send Newsletter
3. Send Autoresponder

It was very helpful to have this list, to have some direction provided by the company. I mean, there have been a few trial versions that I have started and haven’t finished because I wasn’t sure what the next steps were. Oh, did I mention that? GetResponse offers a trial version!

GetResponse Email List Management

Frustration Turned into Success.. with Exceptional Customer Service

Let’s take a step back, to the beginning. When I initially signed up for GetResponse, there was a verification process. It is somewhat standard procedure, to have a security verification, but it required a text message to my cell phone. I appreciate GetResponse’s due diligence in ensuring that I am a verified person/entity, but here is the catch… With some cellular services, like mine, there is an option to turn “off” 3rd party notifications. That is what I did with my service, to avoid the spam texts that try to bill your phone company. So, the rub here was that I didn’t get GetResponse’s text message. As a comparison, Google offers an option for a text message or a phone call and I have always opted for a phone call version.

After waiting a few moments for the GetResponse text message and not receiving it, I visited their site. It was pretty easy to find their online chat form, and I figured I would have to wait awhile and then wait while they resolved it. To my surprise, someone came online right away, and my problem was resolved in less time than it took for the delivery of a text message! I was very impressed with the customer service and courtesy and promptness. It would still be nice if GetResponse had a phone call version, but I think if I had to choose between that feature and the customer service, I would choose the customer service, which is waaaay beyond a normal expectation of good customer service!

Password Set-Up

GetResponse, as mentioned above, is very security-conscious. This includes their password requirements. No easy password usage, as their requirements include uppercase and lowercase characters, numbers, etc. This is pretty normal, so is probably not an issue for most people, but for those who want to use easy passwords, this is not something that would be allowed with GetResponse. But, security of your account (and your list!) is very key, so this security is something that you want.

The Feature That Sets Them Apart: No Double Opt-In for List Migration

One of the key features that sets GetResponse apart from their competitors is the easy ability to import an existing list from another service WITHOUT having to go through another opt-in process.

There are two schools of thought on this. On one hand, there is the thought that someone could “scam” the system and grab another list, or compile a list and import it into the email list provider’s system and spam the subscribers because they had not opted to be a part of the list. This is something that none of us want to experience, as subscribers!

There is also another view, from the publisher’s perspective. An issue is created for those publishers who want to migrate (switch) email list management service providers. The problem that exists is where their subscribers have to re-opt-in to the “new” newsletter even if they have been subscribed for years. This gives the subscriber the opportunity to say, “Hey, I don’t really need this newsletter anymore and so I’m not going to re-subscribe.” I admit it. I’ve done it as a subscriber. Have you?

This is where GetResponse provides the option for the publisher to silently upload their “clean list.” In the video (above), Abby Hartz explains that GetResponse has an “algorithm” that they use to determine if the list is clean and to avoid a scam situation. Regardless of how they do it, as a publisher, this feature is very appealing! It allows the publisher an ability to avoid the risk of losing subscribers during the migration (those that would have been lost during the repeated opt-in).

AutoResponder Tool and Unique Feature to Manage Effectively

In sales and marketing, many professionals and many bloggers set up their own autoresponder series. Two common uses for a series are:

• sales (including affiliate sales)
• training

In fact, GetResponse is probably using their own autoresponder series tool to send out emails regarding the training on how to use GetResponse. The way that the series works is that it sends out a pre-formatted email at a designated time. So, if someone signs up for a 7-day email course, the publisher can set up a series to email on Day 1, then Day 2, etc. until the series is completed.

Another advantage that many high-end email service providers offer is the ability to import and export these autoresponder series. In this way, if you have a couple different lists or products, you can use the same type of format and export your series and re-import into another list. Or, if you have affiliates and you want to help them with sales copy, you can provide your series to them, to import.

Trial Version… then Trial Again

GetResponse offers a 30-day trial version. This gives plenty of time to try out their list management software (their new landing page software) and even import your list from another provider. But, if you are like me, it is easy to “forget” to utilize the free trial period.

GetResponse has an answer for that and sends out an email, toward the end of the trial version, to ask if you want to extend the trial, providing you with the steps to take to request an extension of your trial. I did that. No sweat. Trial extended.

But, again, I didn’t utilize my trial period. And, yet again, I received an offer to extend the trial. This time, I opted to pay for my service. (I didn’t think it was quite fair to keep requesting extensions just because I hadn’t organized myself to try it out!). I was impressed enough by the software to chat with Abby, and that is what persuaded me to actually put GetResponse into place. There is something about moving past the trial period that is motivating as far as really giving the software a full test. Fortunately, the software lived up to what Abby Hartz had described and it exceeded my expectations.

In Summary…

The features that I listed in this review were what I would term as non-standard for a review. GetResponse exceeded my expectations as far as newsletter design, landing page design, ease-of-use of the website and all of the normal things that a professional would look for in an email list management software. However, I wanted to highlight those things that were not necessarily on the list of what to look for, like the list migration advantage (over competitors) and the autoresponder ease of use.

Of course, don’t take my word for it alone, go ahead and check out what Abby Hartz has to say (in the video, above). Then, get a trial version yourself (so there is no outlay of money, initially). And, if you want to take it to another level of testing, try out GetResponse’s customer service. To me, that is what sets them apart. It is as if they have redefined the phrase “Customer Service.”

Be sure to stop by and give us feedback on YOUR experience trying out GetResponse!

Effective time management is very key in my life. It is right up there with the importance of quality. While I recognise that it is not a top priority for everyone, it seems that some time management is helpful even in the most basic of situations and lifestyles.

The Process

Understanding where “process” plays into that time management is helpful in identifying areas where there could be steps made to improve time management.

Process can mean many different things. In this case, process refers to a systematic approach to something. So, if you have a habit of putting on your slippers before using the bathroom, right when you get up in the morning, you have a process. Process could also be interchanged with the word, “procedure” or “routine.”

Many times, however, process relates to a procedure that produces output. It may involve multiple departments in a company environment. For the sake of this article, we will work with the word “process” in its simplest format, as a sort of procedure or routine that is used in personal (or professional) life.

Effective Process and Ineffective Process

I heard someone say one time that everyone has a budget. At the time, I thought to myself that that couldn’t be true. I knew people who would just spend what they wanted, when they wanted, with no planning. However, that was the point that was being made. Their “budget” was to spend whatever, whenever.

Effictive process

In the same way, everything has a process behind it. Even your morning routine of getting out of bed, putting your slippers on, and going to use the bathroom is your process. Is it an effective process or an ineffective process? You could say that because the job gets done, it is an effective process.

However, getting it done only indicates that it is a process and not necessarily that it is an effective process. An ineffective process would be to go to use the bathroom and come back to put one slipper on and then go back to the bathroom and come back to put the other slipper on and then back to the bathroom to finish.

Ineffective process

Obviously, that is ridiculous, but that process and the preceding one both produce the same output of the morning routine (warm feet and emptied bladder). The first example is a more effective process (time savings) compared to the second example.

Similar to the budget example above, the usage of time, even in ineffective time management, is still a management of time. It just may be a poor and ineffective management of time, in the same way that the multiple trips to the bathroom is an ineffective process and therefore, an ineffective management of time.

Gaining More Time

So, let’s evaluate how we can improve that time management by identifying the processes. Once we have identified the process, or steps, we can identify where we can make improvements in that process.

There are two parts to evaluating process, in terms of time management:

• Identifying unnecessary steps that could be eliminated.
• Identifying repeatable steps that could possibly be replaced by automation or another time management method.

Unnecessary Steps in the Process Flow

In the example(s) given above, with the multiple trips to the bathroom, there were some unnecessary steps. There were two additional round trips to the bathroom for the slippers. Those two additional round trips could have been eliminated. Let’s look at the two processes. First, the ineffective process:

1. trip from the bedroom to the bathroom (without slippers).
2. trip back from the bathroom to the bedroom (pick up one slipper).
3. trip from the bedroom to the bathroom (with that first slipper on).
4. trip from the bathroom to the bedroom (pick up second slipper).
5. trip from the bedroom to the bathroom (with both slippers).
6. trip from the bathroom to the bedroom (after finishing business in bathroom).

That is a total of six trips, or three round trips between the two rooms. Let’s look at the effective process:

1. trip from the bedroom to the bathroom (with both slippers).
2. trip from the bathroom to the bedroom (after finishing business in bathroom)

When we look at it this way, it is easy to see that there are four additional steps that are not needed, saving four trips, which is saving a full two round trips between the two rooms.

Similar to what we did, above, it is sometimes helpful to draw out the process on a whiteboard. You do not have to get as complicated as a programmer would, but a simple sketch of the process would suffice. A visualisation of what was typed above, in our example, would be a way that you could use a whiteboard as a tool in process identification and subsequent time management.

The Lazy Programmer

There are many quotes out there about programmers being basically lazy people. At first, when I read that, I was offended. You see, my education is in programming (BSIT). However, I read the quote again and I realised that it has to do with the core thinking of an effective programmer.

Even Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, recognized that when he said, “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job…because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.”

You see, with programmers (myself included), we identify places where there are repeatable steps and then program the interface, the shell script, the rapid application interface to go through those steps without us. In that way, we can click a button, sit back, relax, and the program or application does it for us! Hence, laziness births automation and through that, an opportunity for saving time.

Repeatable Processes in Daily Life

In the case of programming, the repeatable steps are replaced with automation (the programming; the application). However, on a simpler level of process analysis, this can also be applied to everyday life.

A really basic example of this is picking up your child at school. Let’s say you generally go to pick up your child and drive from point A (home) to point B (school) and back, to facilitate that pick-up. If your spouse drives home at the same time, coming from point B to point A, you are talking about a repeatable process. The process is the driving from point B (school) to point A (home). It is repeatable, in this case, by two drivers who are already driving that route each day at the same time. It isn’t automation, but it is an opportunity to utilize the efficiency of having your spouse pick up your child.

Most people do not analyse this as a repeatable process, because it doesn’t necessarily land in our brains in the same way. (I’m still trying to figure out how to push a button and the child is home, so you see where my head is… automation!). But, it is basic common sense time efficiency.

You could also look at this situation in the same way as the bathroom and the slippers and that it is an unnecessary step for you to pick up your child at school when your spouse is already driving that route at the exact same time.

In Summary

Whether you look at process in terms of removing the unnecessary steps or creating ways of replacing steps (repeatable processes, automation, etc.), either method will help in identifying areas of efficiency.

Now, all you need is a whiteboard where you can doodle out your “processes” and find ways to be more time efficient and practise effective time management. Then, be sure to tell all of your friends that you are learning some basic programming concepts 101. They are sure to be impressed!

While they are impressed, you will have that much more time to spend on yourself and your family, all because you practised identifying process.

Written by my good friend Deborah Anderson of http://www.socialwebcafe.com and http://www.tech-audit.com

Phil’s View

Deborah is right there with her devotion to efficiency. If we can save a few seconds here and there it all adds up to a few minutes and a few minutes is long enough for a phone call you might not have made otherwise. If shaving in the shower saves mess and time then do it. If making a flask of coffee works for you rather than getting up three times to make a cup, then do it. If making twice as much lasagne is possible then do so and freeze half for another day.

There are all sorts of efficiency improvements possible once you start thinking about it.

My own favourite is to go for a 2 mile walk when my brain hits a brick wall. It recharges my batteries, gets me fit and I come up with writing ideas while I am away from the computer.

Deborah Anderson (aka Deborah E in music circles) is the host of the Social Web Cafe TV weekly “Marketing Momentum” show on iHeart Radio. She is the new host of Michael Q. Todd’s WebToolsTV.

Deborah’s marketing endeavors include social strategy coaching, where she has her own unique and innovative approach. She blends her masters in organizational psychology with her community building and social media marketing experience to help her clients to find the path that provides them with the best ROI for their branding efforts.

She is currently co-writing a book with Ileane Smith on Internet community-building and also was the “rock star” at Internet Marketing Ninjas who formed their successful project management process and methodology, as Director of the Project Management Office.

By Deborah Anderson

We know what landing pages are, but do we remember to review them or refresh them? Possibly, the idea of creating or updating the landing page(s) has slipped to the bottom of our virtual “to do” pile. If you are not using landing pages, it is time to add the creation of one (or more) to your list of things to do.

What is a Landing Page?

The idea behind a landing page is to encourage conversions.

While conversions can (and do) happen on the home page of a business site, they are much easier than using a landing page. Why is that? Let’s picture the visit to the home page of a new website. We may become excited over all of the resources that are available there, but we may also become overwhelmed at how much content is available and wonder where we are supposed to start. Let’s face it. We are living in the “Information Age” and we can easily become inundated with information and border on the precipice of information overload. That is where the landing page comes into play.

The idea, as a business owner (or website owner), is to reach our goal, our business objective, whatever that objective is. Generally, there is some sort of monetary element to our objective(s), but even if there is not (i.e., growing an email list, brand exposure, etc.), we want to “convert” the website visitor from a lone visitor to a participant on the overall path to that business objective. Hence, what we call the “conversion.”

In some cases, a business may have a website that is really just a landing page, but generally, it will offer additional links for more information and resources, which is, in essence, a landing page home page.

The key thing, on the landing page, is to keep it simple, and more than that, keep it focused on your overall business objective, without any additional distractions that will impede that conversion.

The Creativity of Landing Page Marketing

For years, marketers have understood the need and possibilities that landing pages had to offer. In an article in Entrepreneur magazine in 2008, called “Stick to the Landing Page,” author Gwen Moran provides case studies and information from marketers on how to use landing pages. Some of those ideas are still relevant. The ideas include the combination of postcard marketing to pull people to the landing page instead of to the business home page. As a part of that postcard marketing, the landing page itself can be used as the graphic on the postcard, creating that appeal as soon as the would-be customer opens his or her mailbox.

This can also be done with business cards and handed out at trade shows and conferences, saving that postage cost that comes with the postcard marketing.

Another idea is to include the marketing of the landing page through the use of QR codes on posters and coupons that are given out in your local area or local stores that allow you to offer your printed promotional material.

The offline opportunities really are endless.

You may want to obtain an easy-to-remember domain for your landing page, so that it fits well on your printed material and is easy for the future client to remember. That doesn’t mean that you have to be married to that particular landing page as you can always change the design of the landing page or point to the domain to another landing page, changing your campaigns as they need to be changed.

Do the Math

In an article this year (2014) in the Journal of Advertising Research, authors Ewing, Steward, Mather, and Newton discuss the need to understand the difference between the viral aspect and the non-viral aspect and the mathematics on how to measure the success. Their article is called, “How Contagious Is Your Viral Marketing Campaign? A Mathematical Model for Assessing Campaign Performance” (that is a loooong title, eh?!).

Fortunately, many landing page tools and providers exist and the online providers tend to have built-in analytics so that you do not have to do the math yourself. The importance of these analytics is how you can review the effectiveness of your landing page and whether it is providing the conversions that meet your business objectives.

Combine that with the use of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), as quarterly or monthly goals that feed into the overall business objective(s), and the analytics become a real view into the success of your landing page campaign(s). It provides a view into what is needed to have even greater success.

While you can create the landing page “by hand” coding it in html, you can also hire someone to create the landing page for you or use a service where design templates are available to get your landing page up and running right away. The advantage, there, is that often, those analytics and A/B testing are built into the online system. If you do it by hand or hire someone to create the landing page for you, be sure to hook up <a href=”http://www.google.com/analytics/”>Google Analytics</a>, or a similar analytics system so that you can track the results. By doing that, you can find out which landing page or landing page design is providing the most conversions for you. You don’t want to rely on just how many sales (or conversions) you are receiving because without the analytics, you will not have a clear view into the “what” is behind the conversions and that is what you need to repeat the success (or minimize the failure).

Conclusion

We have refreshed our memory on why it is so important to use landing pages. More importantly, understanding the purpose of the landing page, which is to obtain conversions. It is helpful (more like a requirement) to have analytics to measure the success of your landing pages to ensure that they are meeting your KPIs and your overall business objective(s).

So, what is next? If you have a landing page, it is a good time to review the effectiveness of that landing page and consider whether it needs a refresh or update. If you do not have a landing page, it is time to create one. Remember, it does not have to be perfect right out of the starting gate and you are allowed to improve over time. You can always apply what you learn to your own designs and future endeavors with your landing page objectives and campaigns going forward.

We are pleased to provide you with the insightful comments contained herein. For a complimentary assessment of your online presence, let’s have coffee.

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Deborah comes from a corporate background, as a Chief Technology Officer and operational management, and combines that with her entrepreneurial spirit and her success as a writer and Los Angeles Jazz singer. Her educational background is in software architecture and project management. She teaches professionally, including teaching companies how to use Twitter Chats to enhance their social media campaigns.

With her SocialWebCafe.com, she is continually navigating the newer realm of Google+ Hangouts to iron out the glitches and present a platform that is workable for most businesses, as well as personal use.

You can connect with her on Google+ and follow her at @SocialWebCafe.

Tags: landing pages, lead capture pages, lead generation, squeeze pages, web Design

This entry was posted on November 20, 2014 at 5:00 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. 523

Posted in Lead Generation Web Design by Deborah Anderson