This has to be one of the most frequent questions I get asked about writing website copy.  I can understand why.  It seems everywhere you look there is different advice about how many words/pages it takes to sell a widget.  When you lay out all the different pieces to the puzzle, however, it gets easier to make a decision.

People First… Everything Else Second

The primary goal of any piece of copy is to persuade the reader/watcher to take the action you want them to take.  Everything else – including search engine optimization – comes second (or third or fourth).  After all, there are dozens of ways to drive traffic to a website. There is, however, only one way that site will be successful: if people buy, subscribe, interact or otherwise do what you want them to do.

That means that the #1 criteria for copy length is that it is suitable to the target audience to which you’re writing. In fact, I have a F.A.C.E. formula I created to guide copy length decisions that includes “audience” for the “A” in the acronym.

If your audience responds to short copy, use that. If you get higher conversions from longer copy, go that route.  How do you know what they will respond to? Constant testing is the only way to know for sure because each target audience is different.

Stereotypically, audiences filled with CEOs, high-ranking military and other power players will most often respond better to short copy or long copy broken into short segments.

“Don’t I Know You from Somewhere?”

The “F” in the F.A.C.E. formula stands for “familiar.”  Just how familiar is the audience with your company/brand/product?  If you’re Coca Cola, you won’t have any trouble with this element whatsoever.  The rest of us will probably have to build a little trust with our prospects to make them comfortable enough to buy from us.

The vast majority of us will need some way to familiarize prospects with our business/product/service. That usually means offering proof of performance and/or social proof to reinforce prospects’ sense of trust. Testimonials, endorsements, videos, accolades and others can serve that purpose.

“It Costs How Much?!”

As price increases so does the sales process and the hesitation of your buyers.  Cost (the “C” in the F.A.C.E. formula) is one of the primary sources of friction in the sales funnel. The higher the price goes, the more it will take to convert a looker into a paying customer.  That means more copy.

If all else is equal, lower prices mean shorter copy and higher prices mean longer copy.

If They Don’t Understand it, They Won’t Buy it

The “E” in F.A.C.E. stands for “education.”  If customers don’t know what your product/service is or fully understand how it will benefit them, sales won’t happen. Depending on just how complicated or innovative your product/service is, you’ll have to go further to educate your prospects on why this item is just what they need.

Whether it’s written copy on a page or narration in a video, education always takes more words.

Never arbitrarily follow the crowd.  Just because one person/business uses long copy doesn’t mean they tested it or that it is pulling well for them.  Making the mistake of guessing or doing what you think you should be doing with regard to copy length usually ends in failure.

In the end, the only way to know for sure is to analyze and test your copy length. This will show you what brings about the highest conversion rates for your products or services.

Starting a new business isn’t as simple as picking an office space to lease and setting up shop. Some owners of new companies are anxious to put the cart before the horse, but creating a suitable work environment from home is the best method for establishing greater financial stability for your business to blossom. If you have an idea, you’ll need a place to execute it. Most fledgling businesses start inside the home. Whether your office is in the spare bedroom, garage, or in the middle of your living room, it’s important to keep overhead costs low, especially when your business is idling for flight.

Once you’ve developed your product concept, you may not be fully prepared to branch out from your homestead and find office space. That requires collateral and increases costs, which could take a serious chunk from your profits. Maintaining, repairing, and upgrading your home will not only allow your business to expand, but it will keep you from the sticker shock of higher bills when you inevitably expand your company prospects.

The first home improvement project you may want to pursue is creating a “business space.” When the kids are running rampant and the television is blaring, it’s difficult to concentrate. Sure, one of the luxuries of being your own boss is setting your own hours and creating your own terms. But as a professional working from home, you must maintain a safe environment from which to run your company. If you cannot separate your work self from your personal self, productivity will wane.

Consider converting a third bedroom into your home office or, if the space is not conceivable, you may wish to add on to your home. Sure, it’s a financial burden you must assume, but consider the advantages. You’ll increase the value of your home by adding more livable space and you can build the room to suit your needs. Find the outdoors inspiring? Add a large window that overlooks a scenic view. Need a rustic fireplace? Have one installed. The possibilities are endless when you’re building your workspace from the ground up.

The initial costs for expanding your floor plan may seem out of your budget, but construction loans are available to homeowners for such projects. These loans can either be stand alone, or tied to your existing mortgage. Once you’ve cleared zoning regulations with your local municipality, consult with a reliable contractor to determine costs and need. Many contractors offer free estimates. Shop around and attain several quotes to determine what best suits your needs and at what price. Qualified construction companies will offer you suggestions on what’s most suitable for you.

Before deciding on a contractor, research reviews on the company and verify their reputation through the Better Business Bureau. Once you’ve discovered these vital bits of information and you’ve worked out conditions of the construction loan with the issuing bank, you can break ground on expansion. Soon, you’ll find you now have the space you need to keep your new business growing.

Depending on your business model, at some point in the future you may very well want to develop your company outside of the home. When the time is right, you’ll know because your business has been profitable and the four walls of your house can no longer sustain your needs.

Consideration was given for the editing and publishing of this article.

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is what determines the rank of your company website when it appears in internet search results. Sites that have strong SEO tend to rank higher than sites that have weak SEO, or no SEO at all.

The website’s rank determines where it appears on a results page. For example, if you do a Google search for “wombats” the first result is a Wikipedia article. The second result is the official site for a rock band called The Wombats. These two listing are ranked first, and second, respectively because of their SEO rating. Both pages have such a high rank that they beat out the National Geographic page on wombats, which was ranked third.

SEO works differently depending on your search engine. A search for “wombats” on Bing shows the same top three results, but the fourth result is different. Bing lists the Wombat Information Center fourth, while Google lists WOMBATS – Women’s Mountain Bike & Tea Society.

These differences occur due to slight differences in the way each engine searches the web, and indexes the information it finds.

So why is SEO important?

Let’s say you have a blog site with affiliate links. In order to make money, you need to drive traffic to your site so people will click your links. Or, let’s say you are using your website to advertise your own services. Without traffic, you’ll be advertising to the void.

Just creating and publishing a site does not guarantee that it will show up on the first page (or even the fifth page) of a web search. And, if it’s not on the first page, then people are not likely to see it, and you’ll get very little traffic.

How does SEO work?

There are several different ways to optimize your website for high search ranks. One method is to publish content that uses keywords that match popular web searches. For example, if you have a website devoted to dieting, then content with words like “lose weight,” “weight loss,” and “how can I trim my middle” would give you a higher ranking.

Another option is to apply tags and keywords to the site itself to make it more visible to search engines.

But SEO isn’t just about throwing popular words and phrases onto a website.

When done right, SEO-rich content and tags appear natural and seamless, yet are very effective in driving traffic to your site.

When done wrong, they look awkward and contrived, and your site could still be overlooked by major search engines.

If it sounds daunting, that’s because for many people it is.

This is why a lot of business owners rely on search engine optimization services to help them improve their rankings.

A good SEO service can take over and make your company site a lean, mean, SEO machine so you can spend your time on other aspects of your business. On a basic level,  an SEO service can review your current site and offer suggestions for improving SEO. In more advanced cases they can take over designing your site, and provide SEO-boosting content and tags.

Whether you decide to tackle the task yourself, or work with a professional company, SEO is crucial to improving your presence on the web.

Consideration was given for the editing and publishing of this article.

Article Contributed by Chris Burgess

As the job market gets more competitive and the promise of a career for life goes the way of the dodo, entrepreneurship has become more popular than ever, with many schools and colleges now offering classes in private enterprise. Go to any bookstore, and chances are you’ll find literally dozens of books on the topic, each promising to hold the key to startup success.

But can entrepreneurship really be taught in school, or does it represent a more intangible set of skills that can only be acquired through real-world experience?

Educators will argue that learning entrepreneurship isn’t really all that different from learning business, and that most of the same skills apply. This argument is bolstered by the fact that research in the field has improved drastically in recent years, with educators now much better equipped to help students avoid many of the pitfalls of turning their dreams into reality.

Some lessons are still best taught outside the classroom

While it’s true that many of the skills that underpin good entrepreneurship, such as effective time management and financial planning, can certainly be taught, there are a handful of less-easily-defined skills and qualities that identify the real entrepreneur – and many would contend that the only way to gain them is by doing.

One of these is, quite simply, people skills. As an entrepreneur, it’s inevitable that you will have to deal with many different personality types. Virgin founder Richard Branson, who was actually a painfully shy child, was thrown into the deep end at age 7 by his exasperated mother: she dropped him off several miles from home, requiring that he find his own way back. He didn’t show up until 10 hours later, but in that time he’d learned many invaluable lessons on how to communicate with adults in order to arrive home safely.

Another is the ability to take on calculated risk, along with the willingness to accept failure and uncertainty. At the end of the day, you simply have to do it, and this will get easier with experience. Otherwise you risk getting stuck in an endless cycle of planning and product development.

Instinct is important, but data is better

Many entrepreneurs pride themselves on their impeccable business instincts and their innate ability to spot trends before the competition does. “Gut feel” is a good thing to have, but it shouldn’t take the place of hard data if available. One common example is underestimating the time and resources required to have everything in place and reach a state of profitability.

If self-employment remains your dream but your fear of failure is too great, there are still options – you could buy a franchise, for example, or partner up with someone with more business experience.

While there’s no substitute for simply doing it in some areas, the teachability of entrepreneurship continues to increase, due to the emergence of alternative learning methods such as role playing, self-evaluation exercises, and working with mentors. The result is that while not everything about good entrepreneurship can be taught, most of it now can. It just takes time, commitment, and acceptance that not everything in life can be predicted.

About the Author

Chris Burgess is the CEO of Mailplus and has extensive experience in the courier services and business-to-business service market, having successfully franchised over 150 territories throughout Australia. Mailplus currently has franchises for sale in all major metropolitan areas.

One of the main problems with those who’re new to online business is they easily get attracted with the design of the month. Flash was quite popular in recent times, while sliding banners were considered as the ‘real deal’ later on.

Today, many online businesses gear their efforts towards search engine optimization, but they forget that the real success lies in user experience. Visitors coming to a particular website go through thought conversations such as ‘why am I on this website?’, ‘where am I supposed to place the order?’, ‘how do I contact the owner?’ etc.

Thankfully, web design elements can be used to guide users through sequencing and create the best user experience on a blog/website. There are many web design services that have expert knowledge on how design elements work such San Diego web design and similar companies in other states.

Here are some of the design elements that are considered important when it comes to user experience:

1. Shapes

Shapes have an important connection with the visitors as they’re used to communicate and appeal to their emotions.
For example, many of the bloggers who write about making money online use dollars ($), giving the readers an impression of money. The brain also processes shapes much faster than simple text.

2. White space

A website is going to be more attractive when it’s filled with banners, ads, opt-in forms, messages, pop ups etc. This is a misconception that needs to be cleared. There should be plenty of white space in the design of a website (see Huffingtonpost).

White space makes it easy for the readers to consume the information posted on the website, while banners, forms and the likes can possibly distract them from the main content.

3. Size

Size is important for emphasizing the visual and text content on the website. In case of web design, bigger is better when it comes to shape, front or graphics.

The bigger size is used to emphasize the importance of a particular element. It also becomes easy for visitors to skim through widgets, messages, content etc.

4. Position

Position is a tricky element and text, banners and other properties of the website need to be placed carefully, as they can prove to be the difference marker in the end. For example, for some, putting advertisements above the fold is the main source of revenue, while others say it reduces the user experience and the visitor should be able to see more of the content above the fold.

A website should place the most important information above the fold, because that is the area the eyes of a search engine visitor scans first when he/she lands on a particular web page.

5. Motion

Motion can directly impact how a user behaves. The size, shape and color on the web page can be combined to make a motion to direct users towards a particular action.

A simple arrow moving downwards towards a form that says ‘pre-order now and get a free dock connector’ has the ability to tap into the will of users and prompt them to make a purchase.

These design elements come together to provide the best user experience. They also help businesses to gain the trust of the visitors and communicate their message effectively, which leads to better conversions.

Consideration was given for the editing and publishing of this article.

Article Contributed by Dr. Joey Faucette

Positive productivity is more difficult for most business persons these days. Persevering and achieving your business dreams in the midst of a negative world is increasingly challenging. The uncontrollable negatives from bombings to an unfamiliar economy that just won’t correct assault us daily.

How do you productively achieve your dreams today?

Here are 3 Keys to Positive Productivity Today:

Give Attention to Positive Thoughts

When you receive negative news, acknowledge your emotional reaction. Disappointment, anger, frustration, and other emotions must be processed to avoid blocking your emotional intelligence development.

However, do so quickly. Give yourself a little time to experience those emotions. Then flush them. Yes, multiple flushes are required sometimes. Do it and move on. Now.

As you flush quickly, you create room in your mind for what you can do to redirect the negative news. You focus on what you can control and influence, refusing to rent space in your head to what is beyond your reach.

Give attention to positive thoughts that are actionable.

Give Attention to Positive People

When you receive negative news, there typically is a messenger. If it’s technology-driven, cut it off. If it’s human, thank them and excuse yourself.

There are negative persons who enjoy delivering bad news. If there’s too much good news, they create negativity.

I call them Eeyore Vampires.

Their mantra is “It’ll never work.” They suck positive attention from you even when away from work trying to love what you do with those you love.

Treat Eeyore Vampires like they have a contagious disease and you’ll catch it.

Give your attention to positive people. Those persons who bring out the best in you, who have your best interest at heart, and who ask questions like, “How may I best serve you?”

Give Attention to Positive Outcomes

Each of us experiences outcomes that fall short of our expectations regardless of how hard we work or how much we prepare. When your negative news is of this kind, remind yourself of a previous experience when you exceeded your expectations; when you succeeded.

Celebrate that experience once more. Give attention to sustaining that celebrative attitude. Tell yourself, “If I did it once, I’ll do it again.”

Most likely, that positive experience was the accumulation of previous learning experiences of “bad news” like the current one. Reliving that success guides you to the next.

Give attention to positive thoughts, people, and outcomes and productively achieve your dreams today.

About the Author

Dr. Joey Faucette is the #1 Amazon best-selling author of Work Positive in a Negative World (Entrepreneur Press), Work Positive coach, & speaker who helps business professionals increase sales with greater productivity so they leave the office earlier to do what they love with those they love. Discover more at www.ListentoLife.org.

Get Entrepreneurial has talked a lot in the past about the importance of branding, but for smaller businesses or start-ups successful branding may seem like a daunting prospect without the large budgets and branding teams employed by larger names. Here we’ll discuss how to create a brand yourself, and implement it on a modest budget.

The first task you need to undertake is identifying what your brand is about – not simply the logo or your name, which you can ensure is unique to your business by simply registering the company, but on a deeper level – take the time to thoroughly brainstorm where your business fits in the market and what makes it stand out positively, so that you can then emphasise these factors. What are your business’ values, what is its unique selling proposition (USP) and what kind of personality would you give to the business if it was a person?

Once you have your business defined on this level, you can begin to reflect it through your branding. Separate this into a brand identity and a brand image.

Brand Identity

A brand identity defines the things you are fully in control of; its tangible aspects. Think how the deep brand levels you have established can be put across through your identity. The colours you use, for example, reflect the brand you want to achieve; take a look at Guinness’ black and gold, which gives the brand a premium image. Your logo will also reflect this, so if you’re creatively-minded then teach yourself basic graphic design and put together some branding material such as the logo, icons and letterheading yourself. If you don’t think you’re capable then try putting an advert up at your nearest university of art and design; willing students will be able to help design your branding relatively cheaply.

Use the branding consistently. There are a number of places you can use it for free; in your emails, document heading and throughout your website, for instance. Cheap additional extras such as personalised stickers could be placed on any outgoing packages, and homemade stencils could be used for branding your offices.

Brand Image

Essentially, a brand’s image is not within your control. It is the perception consumers form of your business in their minds, which can have a very valuable effect; think about the emotional attachments people have with brands such as CocaCola or Apple for instance.

In order to manipulate the brand image, your brand identity will play a part to a certain extent. However your brand needs to carry its personality in every aspect of consumer interaction. Online channels make this much easier as a large part of marketing is based on engagement and interaction; use social media to involve yourself in conversations, talk to customers and make sure you answer back. Involve yourself in forum discussions that are relevant to your business and start a blog talking about genuinely interesting aspects of your wider industry, not just yourself.

Throughout this interaction be conscious of your brand and make sure the tone you use radiates the impression you want to it to create; is your brand quirky, serious, fun? Any of these traits can be subtly embedded to come across in your writing.

Remember as the business grows that expressing the tone of your brand is just important internally as it is externally. If your staff don’t understand your brand, it will be difficult to keep it consistent and ensure that the brand resonates.

One of the goals that nearly every entrepreneur has is that they all want to expand their business as far as possible. No matter what your business, expanding your company should be one of your top priorities. You know that there is a huge market out there for your products or services – why aren’t you tapping into it?

For most small businesses, expansion can be as intimidating as it is exciting. While growing your business is the main focus, getting there can be quite risky due to the financial costs associated with it. Hiring new staff members, purchasing or renting a larger or more central office, investing in all of the equipment and technology needed – these can all be major expenses which many small, budding companies have trouble affording.

If the potential for growth is there, do not let money be the factor inhibiting you from spreading your business’ reach to new clients. There are a few options that can save you money and let you expand on a budget that is much friendlier to your cash flow.

Knowing Your Budget

The first thing that you need to do when considering the options for your business is to know your budget. You need to sit down with your bookkeeper or accountant and realistically view how much money you would be able to put into your company’s move, and see what options are available to you.

I have seen many businesses which feel the need to have the nicest and largest office possible, paying no attention that they are using up nearly all of their monthly cash flow on the expenses. Their rationale? They assume that being located at a certain location will increase their revenue enough to support the cost. While this is true sometimes, more often than not I find the businesses not able to stay afloat until that increase in sales happens.

When budgeting your for expansion, don’t feel the need to make a massive jump in overhead. Look at all of the different options and choose the one which provides the most functionality for your business at a price which is affordable for your still-small firm.

Expanding with a Virtual Office

In the past few years any businesses have been turning to virtual offices to help expand. Thanks to massive advances in technology over the past decade, these virtual offices are able to provide businesses with all of the solutions which a traditional office brings.

Virtual Offices have reception staff which can answer your phone calls, in your company’s name, and forward them to you and your associates as needed. The receptionists can also simple take messages for you, and most offices provide an intricate and professional automated phone system for your use as well.

Letters can be sent to you electronically, scanned by the office’s staff. If you prefer, mail can be shipped to you along with packages received at the virtual office. These locations provide almost all of the administrative support expected in a business environment.

While most do not give you assigned office space, nearly all virtual offices have offices and conference rooms for short-term (hourly and daily) rental for meetings or just occasional need for solitude in a business atmosphere.

When it comes to expanding your company, don’t jump into the action too fast. It is imperative that you think through any major decisions and plan which expansion route is the best for your specific business goals and opportunities. Many times, virtual offices can provide companies with the features needed in an office, all while saving them money on overhead which can be used towards more important business-growing projects.

Mike Gardener is the co-owner of The Office Providers. Lewis loves sharing his insights in various online publications and he helps small or even large corporations by providing any kind of office space , check his site to find out more.

Article Contributed by Dr. Joey Faucette

ABC’s “Good Morning America” ran a story recently about 7-year-old Ransom Duel who noticed his classmate choking after eating a bite of a Nutella sandwich. Ransom picked up the jar, read “hazelnuts,” and knowing that his friend has an allergy to nuts, ran to get his teacher who brought an epi-pen and saved the friend’s life.

When asked about it afterwards, Ransom said, “I just did the right thing. I didn’t think, ‘Oh I’m gonna be a hero.’”

What can we learn from Ransom about business ethics?

First, do the right thing regardless.

At first, you might think, “What else would Ransom do?”

Nothing.

He could have done nothing as his friend grew sicker by the second.

The opposite of doing the right thing isn’t necessarily doing the wrong thing. Doing nothing is just as damaging to your business operations. Apathy drains profits. Lack of engagement lessens productivity. The more employees there are, the easier it is for you to say, “Somebody else will do it.”

Take personal responsibility for acting. Make it your business to do the right thing regardless.

Second, depend on someone always watching you.

Ransom didn’t realize his right-thing action would be so public.

At work, when you face an ethical decision, assume someone is watching you. Odds are good they are regardless of whether you see them or not.

If you catch yourself saying, “No one will ever know,” you’re headed down a slippery ethical slope that leads away from doing the right thing. Be assured—someone will know. At the least, you will know. Knowledge of deliberate, unethical behavior erodes your core values, maliciously rearranges your priorities, and removes power from your unique contribution to a profitable business.

Depend on someone always watching you.

Third, deal with consequences either way.

When you do the right thing regardless while fully aware that someone is watching you, you create consequences that are far easier to deal with later. Ransom’s greatest challenge is dealing with all of the attention that comes with being dubbed a “hero.”

When you do nothing or the wrong thing and hope no one sees you, your consequences are extremely difficult to explain away when they come to light. The business you work for eventually displays your unethical choices either through loss of customers, key employees, or critical supplier relationships—all of which lead to lower profits.

You deal with consequences from every decision. Choose easier outcomes to live with.

Work Positive with Ransom Duel today. Do the right thing regardless. Depend on someone always watching you. Deal with consequences either way.

About the Author

Dr. Joey Faucette is the #1 Amazon best-selling author of Work Positive in a Negative World (Entrepreneur Press), Work Positive coach, & speaker who helps business professionals increase sales with greater productivity so they leave the office earlier to do what they love with those they love. Discover more at www.ListentoLife.org.

Article Contributed by Andrew Cravenho

Start-ups may be large or small, members of the service industry or manufacturers; however, there are common elements in all types of businesses.

First of all, there have to be sales. For service industries such as the medical field, it would be the number of patients seen over the course of the day. For manufacturers it could be the number of widgets ordered and produced.

Also common to all start-ups is the decision to grant or to not grant credit to those purchasing products or services. For example, most doctors and hospitals bill you for services if it is a major bill, such as surgery. Yet the same doctor may have an office policy requiring payment at the end of a regular visit. Sub-contractors, such as roofers and carpenters, generally bill the contractor and wait to be paid.

Start-ups must budget and calculate whether they have enough funds to pay their own bills and debts. New businesses that cannot wait to collect their accounts receivable often turn to banks for help. When you’re trying to keep a company afloat, cash is king.

What is factoring?

“Factoring” is the purchasing of outstanding receivables (debts owed to businesses). The term factoring often has negative connotations for bankers. Not because it is bad, but because of the way factoring has been used. Factoring usually is not offered through banks, but by outside companies seeking higher profits.

Some industries routinely turn to factoring: for example, your department store credit card bill probably isn’t generated at the department store’s home office. It’s likely processed by a third party, such as Household Finance Corp. or GE Money Bank. The retailer saves the cost of hiring people to collect the accounts and gets its cash quickly.

Factoring companies profit in two basic ways. First, they discount the amount of receivables by a certain percentage. For example, if $10,000 is owed to the company then that amount might be discounted to $9,000. So for the $10,000 in money owed to your business, the factoring company will only give you $9,000.Then the same company will charge your firm interest until that amount is paid.

Accounts Receivable Financing vs. Factoring

A few banks have started a new type of accounts receivable financing to help start-ups manage their accounts receivable and provide for more efficient billing. Receivables financing is traditional debt financing using a company’s receivables to secure the debt. In receivables financing, the receivables are a source of collateral for obtaining financing on typically a short-term basis.

Factoring and receivables financing differ in that factoring involves transferring the ownership of the receivables, while in financing, receivables are simply pledged as collateral. In the latter, the business is still responsible for collecting from its customers. However, if receivables are factored with recourse, the business still has full responsibility for collection.

What kind of terms are available when factoring?

In both factoring and receivables financing, certain receivables carry greater value for financing. The age of the receivable and creditworthiness of the customer are considerations. For example, a bank may accept only receivables less than 90 days past due.

Usually, lenders will not lend 100 percent of the receivables; instead they discount them for possible bad debts. Discount fees are applied based on these considerations. Discount fees of 2 percent to 5 percent on lower risk and 8 percent or more for higher risk are typical. Discount fees vary, so it is important to shop for the best deal and check out the organization and the contract closely.

About Author:

Andrew Cravenho is the CEO of CBAC LLC, an innovative invoice financing exchange. As a serial entrepreneur, Andrew focuses on helping both small and medium sized businesses take control of their cash flow. Prior to CBAC, Andrew founded an annuity financing company relieving tort victims of financial hardship.