Tumblr (3.0; @donal)http://donal.tumblr.com/<p>looking forward to my first Omnibus meeting tomorrow…</p>http://donal.tumblr.com/post/104489293http://donal.tumblr.com/post/104489293Thu, 07 May 2009 18:49:16 +1200<p>ben are you going to webstock mini?</p>http://donal.tumblr.com/post/104419196http://donal.tumblr.com/post/104419196Thu, 07 May 2009 14:49:00 +1200<p>how about that Thunder and Lightening last night? I thought a truck had driven through our garage!</p>http://donal.tumblr.com/post/103935301http://donal.tumblr.com/post/103935301Wed, 06 May 2009 11:47:29 +1200<p>MAC tip for today: dragging a file into terminal gives you the full path - thanks Stace</p>http://donal.tumblr.com/post/103935299http://donal.tumblr.com/post/103935299Wed, 06 May 2009 11:47:28 +1200<p>good luck Munster and leinster - its a Win Win day for an Irishman</p>http://donal.tumblr.com/post/102626317http://donal.tumblr.com/post/102626317Sun, 03 May 2009 02:44:41 +1200<p>deskphone off - IM off - Email off - Cell phone on silent under a book - 3hrs of uninterrupted work - here we come</p>http://donal.tumblr.com/post/101618822http://donal.tumblr.com/post/101618822Thu, 30 Apr 2009 10:39:20 +1200<p>sudden urge to get in the car and go for a long drive :o)</p>http://donal.tumblr.com/post/101411866http://donal.tumblr.com/post/101411866Wed, 29 Apr 2009 22:38:25 +1200<p>looks like I picked the wrong day to take up running</p>http://donal.tumblr.com/post/101026621http://donal.tumblr.com/post/101026621Tue, 28 Apr 2009 23:36:52 +1200<p><a href="http://twitpic.com/435b5">http://twitpic.com/435b5</a> wonder what Saturday will be like</p>http://donal.tumblr.com/post/100540748http://donal.tumblr.com/post/100540748Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:35:57 +1200<p>is looking forward to big bots</p>http://donal.tumblr.com/post/99560255http://donal.tumblr.com/post/99560255Fri, 24 Apr 2009 17:34:31 +1200<img src="http://21.media.tumblr.com/Ym0E9lpYahj5v1nxEEp23DcLo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>morning tea</p>http://donal.tumblr.com/post/65026843http://donal.tumblr.com/post/65026843Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:06:00 +1300<object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="225" data="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1831024&server=vimeo.com&fullscreen=1&show_title=1&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF"><param name="quality" value="best" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="scale" value="showAll" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1831024&server=vimeo.com&fullscreen=1&show_title=1&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF" /><embed src="http://www.vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1831024&server=www.vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><br/><br/><p>Yes Yes Yes - thanks steve for the heads up</p>http://donal.tumblr.com/post/54481676http://donal.tumblr.com/post/54481676Tue, 14 Oct 2008 22:35:56 +1300<img src="http://17.media.tumblr.com/Ym0E9lpYabgnfr87tEDiVSVC_400.gif"/><br/><br/>http://donal.tumblr.com/post/42386591http://donal.tumblr.com/post/42386591Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:51:33 +1200<img src="http://2.media.tumblr.com/Ym0E9lpYabgnf3uiEZuUef59_500.gif"/><br/><br/>http://donal.tumblr.com/post/42386533http://donal.tumblr.com/post/42386533Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:51:03 +1200<img src="http://23.media.tumblr.com/Ym0E9lpYabglpi2n2jGkRnAy_500.gif"/><br/><br/>http://donal.tumblr.com/post/42382370http://donal.tumblr.com/post/42382370Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:03:16 +1200<img src="http://16.media.tumblr.com/Ym0E9lpYabglp6uvOCkl8blc_500.gif"/><br/><br/>http://donal.tumblr.com/post/42382311http://donal.tumblr.com/post/42382311Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:02:54 +1200<img src="http://19.media.tumblr.com/Ym0E9lpYabglovon4hbweZhy_400.gif"/><br/><br/>http://donal.tumblr.com/post/42382280http://donal.tumblr.com/post/42382280Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:02:39 +1200<img src="http://1.media.tumblr.com/Ym0E9lpYabglns9gfjMHhd08_500.gif"/><br/><br/>http://donal.tumblr.com/post/42382145http://donal.tumblr.com/post/42382145Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:01:48 +1200<p><b>The Ten Commandments of selling products online </b></p> <p><b>1. Thou shalt have no other Search Engines before me, Google!</b><br/><br/>When people talk about property, they say the 3 most important things to consider are location, location and location. When it comes to selling stuff online think Google, Google, Google. It has become crucial in the world of online shopping. The difference between appearing in the first result as opposed to the third result (never mind page 2!) can amount to thousands in lost or gained earnings. Get intimate with Google’s algorithms, how they work and how they constantly change. Learn about page ranking, learn about reciprocal linking, learn about ad words and keywords, meta tags and no follow tags, you cannot afford not to.</p> <p><b>2. Thou shalt not make wrongful product choices.</b><br/><br/>This may sound obvious but is so often ignored. Always compare your products against those of your competitors. This is what your (potential) customers do. It’s easy to do this online. What is going to make your shop and its products stand out from the rest? If your products are good, and compare favourably against those of your competition, then you can begin work on your shop front. If your products are poor, then no matter how much window dressing you do, you are never going to succeed. Invest in good photography and aim to showcase your products better than anyone else. <br/><br/><b>3. Remember the audience and keep it Holy.</b><br/><br/>Who are your customers? If your store was on the high street, who would be coming in to shop? Any decision you make around functionality, design, copy etc. should have these people in mind. Find out what makes your customer tick. Push their buttons (repeatedly), get to know what they like and what they don’t. This is easy stuff to remember in the real world, but so often forgotten in the online world. Don’t try and be all things to all people, it’s unlikely that your product will appeal to all people.<br/><br/><b>4. Honour thy content </b></p> <p>If you attract people to your website because they are ‘looking for information about a certain topic’ and not because they are ‘looking to buy a specific product’, then you have a whole group of people you can attempt to sell to, that didn’t even know they wanted to buy. Keep it fresh, keep it current, make sure it’s relevant, and promote it vigorously. If your website has a lot of content that in some way relates to what you are trying to sell Google will adorn you with riches. Think of Google as another customer you have to satisfy. Google loves content that is unique. </p> <p><b>5. Thou shalt not provide a shitty purchasing process</b><br/><br/>The hard work is over, the ‘add to cart’ button has been clicked, so there should be no excuse for not converting the sale. If the cash register is faulty you may as well shut up shop. Shipping information, currency information, tax information, receipts, delivery times, secure payment, refund policies, security codes etc. - there is a lot to deal with, but that is no reason to mess this up. Don’t confuse people when they’re about to take cash out of their wallet. Now is the time to compliment them on their tie or their perfume, while taking that cash in the quickest and easiest method for both parties.</p> <p><br/><b>6. Thou shalt not ignore free analytics</b><br/><br/>Right now you would be a fool not to be running Google analytics on your store. Unfortunately running it alone won’t give you any advantage. Take the time to study the power of what good reporting can achieve. Learn how to track user paths, get intimate with your bounce rates, set up goals and start to track patterns. Once you’ve got your head around the basics you can start to make small changes which give you big returns. Get in the habit of testing, refining and reporting. The more you tweak the more you’ll learn. Those pie charts sure are pretty, but that’s about all they are until you start making real decisions based on what they are telling you.<br/><br/><b>7. Thou shalt not dismiss the power of special offers</b></p> <p>Everyone knows at least one bargain hunter. These people love a good deal, and they are far more likely to buy something just because it’s on special. These people will gloat about the great deal at the water cooler or on their blog. These are the people who will talk about your store and bring others to your door. Make sure it’s a good deal though, as these people are also likely to do their homework, as they don’t want to be seen as a mug either. So provide a great offer and do it at the best deal you can afford. This could be the cheapest marketing campaign you’ll ever commission. <br/><br/><b>8. Thou shalt not speak inappropriately to your customers</b><br/><br/><i>“The Realex payment service has successfully processed your details and has informed delivery of your shipping particulars”</i> Why would you? You have invested in good copy to promote and sell your product, why not give the same care and attention to your after sales approach. You can be sure the doorman at Harrods doesn’t say <i>“bugger off”</i> as you leave. All email correspondence and any messaging you direct at your customers should be well thought out, trust me it will be appreciated.</p> <p><b>9. Thou shalt not be inflexible</b></p> <p>The ability to change is crucial. If something is not working, or a product line is not selling, or you’ve just found out that you’re providing a shitty purchasing process, you must be able to change things with relative ease. This is often the toughest requirement to fulfill. There will always be compromise, but be wary of a technical solution that is too rigid and doesn’t allow for change. Just like in the real world, you need to be able to change your window dressing, change your staff, change your products, change your ads…you get the picture. <br/><br/><b>10. Thou shalt not be emotionless</b></p> <p>It’s a fact; people are far more likely to buy stuff when they’re feeling emotional. People will buy for many reasons, so pick a few and test them out. The emotion could be anger, guilt, jealousy, fear, depression, happiness, or love. Know your target emotion, take aim and fire. The execution of this could be a well worded strap line, or a carefully chosen image, or even how a product is presented. Do whatever it takes because you should never underestimate the power of emotions when it comes to buying and selling.</p>http://donal.tumblr.com/post/18037741http://donal.tumblr.com/post/18037741Thu, 01 Nov 2007 11:03:00 +1300<a href="http://www.ffk-wilkinson.com/">Fight for Kisses</a>http://donal.tumblr.com/post/14635982http://donal.tumblr.com/post/14635982Mon, 08 Oct 2007 17:06:28 +1300