Style and Substance

It's Business Time

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 08:32:00 GMT

I’ve been MIA due to the collision of a number of projects in the same space of time, so apologies for the lack of a column last fortnight. These certainly are crazy times at the moment for me and hopefully I’ll be able to expand on this very soon…

For now though, I’ll finish off sharing my insights gained through investigating just how you might go about selling a digital entity.

Last time we met I wrote about how to value and quantify an online business.

I outlined the importance of making yourself redundant, documenting your performance, and spring-cleaning your business ready for presentation. And, I can report that the part about clearing out the old has rejuvenated my website and my spirits immensely.

What I thought was an exercise for others was actually the best exercise for me.

I also wrote last time about the difficulty in placing a value on a digital business, how different this process is to valuing a physical store, and the formula used to calculate ‘Good will’. Shortly after writing the column I accidentally stumbled upon something very interesting.

It's a free service that places a monetary value on your website based on visitor statistics. In doing so, it adds an important ingredient to your ‘Good will’ that is otherwise missing, ‘traffic’.

We all know how hard we work to get it, but now there is a way of comparing the statistics as a commodity and naming a price by comparison.

Now, the dollar value that this service spits out should be taken with a grain of salt, and should be taken into context as being solely one part of a web-based businesses’ value, an important and transparent one though, and one thoroughly individual to the digital arena.

The next stage of selling is actually how to sell and through what channel, either the D.I.Y sale or through a business broker.

This to me seemed to be a personal decision that would be guided by time as a factor and how keen you were to exit, what kind of buyer you wanted to attract, and how much cash you were willing to part with to sell it. If you go through a broker make sure it’s one that specialises in web-based businesses.

You will need to provide them with a Profit and Loss Statement, Balance Sheet, and Current Stock Value at Cost. A broker could prove to be faster than selling your business yourself (depending on your expectations) but it would almost certainly cost you more.

The brokers I looked into in the small business market wanted an initial fee up front of roughly $1500 - $4000, and then a success fee on completion of sale as a percentage of the sale price, or flat fee, in one case $10 000.

If that is too big a piece of your pie, you may want to consider creating listing/s yourself and marketing your business through commercial business sale websites. Most buyers start their purchase searches for small businesses here, so it may just prove successful for you.

Ultimately, it’s your businesses performance that will be the deciding factor in determining what type of buyer your business will attract.

If your figures are showing consistent profit then numbers probably drives your potential buyer. If the business you’re selling is a business model that has seen a lot of hard work to set it up but it hasn’t been successful yet in monetary terms, don’t despair. There are also buyers who are focused on a business’s potential.

As for me, I’ve already started running the gauntlet to Christmas.

My new stock has arrived, there’s marketing to be done, Youtube posts to be created… My 09/10 figures showed a 220% increase in business on the year before and there’s no way I’m letting my guard down now.

It’s ‘Business’ time.

About the Author

Janet E. Leach is an entrepreneur and owner/director of ArteryStore.com.

She has fingers in a couple of other pies, namely Health, and Property Development and is a well travelled mother of three, with a full bodied life story and a rock 'n' roll approach to business. Read more.

A Conversation with Sarah Vick: CEO of Reading Room Australia

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:36:00 GMT

Today we're hearing from Sarah Vick, the CEO of Reading Room Australia.

Founded in 1996, Reading Room is a Digital Communications Agency with offices in Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, and London, UK. They employ over 150 people who work with clients to determine their digital strategies and deliver award winning online user experiences.

Q1) What was the career path that led you to become CEO of Reading Room Australia?

When I finished university 11 years ago I panicked because I had a non-vocational arts degree and I didn’t think anyone would want to employ me. So I decided to do a masters degree in Publishing. At the end of that degree I was lucky enough to have two job offers.

The first was as a marketing executive at a very traditional book publishing company. It paid a good salary, was near to where I was living, and was an excellent first job.

The second offer was from a marketing company who had decided to set up a small digital agency. The job was part time with a salary that I had to subsidise in order to travel to work. I took a risk and opted to go and work at the digital agency.

There were two of us to start out with and it was a really exciting time in the industry – nearly everything we were doing was brand new. The clients and people we worked with were excited about the opportunities online offered and could see the potential difference online could make to businesses.

The first business I worked for was eventually sold to the advertising agency JWT and I went on to work for a number of marketing and advertising agencies in London and Sydney who were all jumping on the digital bandwagon.

After 4 years of moving between different agencies I got a job at Reading Room as a project manager. Reading Room was the first agency I’d worked at that wasn’t owned by another agency. I felt I had the opportunity to have a say in the future of the business and would be able to help it grow.

I was made a director of Reading Room before I turned 30, and worked in a variety of roles before coming to Australia to head up the business here.

The reason Margaret Manning, our Group CEO, has been able to keep me in the business for 8 years is by constantly offering me new challenges and opportunities. I have probably had about 4 different jobs at Reading Room, and when we decided to open a Brisbane office in 2010 I jumped at the opportunity to come to Australia and grow the business here.

Q2) When did you become interested in digital media and technology?

In my masters degree there was a small course called Electronic Publishing. The teacher was a web designer and he inspired me to work for a digital agency. This was at a time when people were getting used to using the internet and email – my first work computer monitor only had 256 colours!

It was a new and exciting industry with lots of young smart people working in it doing things that had never been attempted before. Most of all, it was fun. Work didn’t feel like the work I’d seen my parents doing.

Even though the industry is more established now, it’s still a fun and exhilarating place to be.

Q3) What's your advice for women wanting to make the move into working online?

I’ve done a couple of talks at QUT recently to both design and IT students about how to get into digital. The advice I’ve given both groups is the same:

Don’t be afraid to take risks
Never try to bluff your way in digital – people will always be happy to answer your questions and it’s ok to say you don’t know
When you’re deciding who to work for, go with your gut feel – don’t be swayed by prestigious names or promises of unrealistic bonuses, you might not be as happy at those companies
Don’t be afraid to move around and try different things at the beginning of your careers – it may take a while to decide exactly what it is you want to do
Make sure you work with people you feel you can trust and respect and vice versa
Don’t stay in a company where you feel you can’t make a difference
Don’t worry too much about job titles and descriptions – the industry is constantly changing so you need to be flexible enough to change with it
Make sure work somewhere that’s fun.

The other piece of advice was to make sure you check you online profile for things that might not work in your favour from an employer perspective. For example, we had someone apply for a job and put a link to their blog on their CV. On the blog they had written about different ways they had found to avoid going into work. That certainly didn't endear them to us.

Q4) You've recently held workshops for young women who are interested in technology. What is the most surprising response you had from it?

We recently held a series of workshops at an event in Brisbane called Technology Takes you Anywhere for 8 to 12 year old girls. What surprised us was the level of technical expertise the girls had at such an early age, combined with what great creative thinkers they were.

These girls will be applying for jobs in a few years time and they will change the face of the industry again.

Q5) What have you noticed is the biggest difference between the Australian industry compared to the UK?

In London everything tends to happen at a million miles an hour. What I’ve found in Australia is that people are willing to give up more time to talk and listen to you. It feels like people are more willing to help.

New Projects and Tight Deadlines

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 23:33:00 GMT

As I was sitting down to my Sunday afternoon ritual of getting-stuff-ready-for-the-week I contemplated my next move.

I'm about to turn my Online Business Overhaul into the Online Marketing Overhaul. After all, that's essentially what it is. The problem I had with it is the association of 'online marketing' to 'internet marketers' and the ugly and dreaded assocation of 'get rich quick in 60 seconds then retire' concept. Which it is not.

As I was looking back over past students who've enrolled, and the people who've purchased my eBooks I could see a trend.

The majority were other marketers or web service providers. They're people who've come from a more traditional marketing background and need to get up to speed with new techniques and strategies. They're also small business owners who want to educate themselves. They're switched on and realise that they can get a bigger piece of their market if they're using SEO, social media and email marketing - with an effective website.

I've been mulling about all this for a few weeks and have finally got a solid action plan in place for the re-release of my eCourse. And I've set myself a deadline.

I wrote my latest Nett column about the 12 lessons I've learnt from the last 12 months (to be published next month). One of them was that without a boss around, it's easier to let deadlines slide and let projects go on and on. It's also
easier to get distracted.

In order to walk the talk, I've set myself 2 days to get the new site up and running. It's tight, but it has to be.

Do you set yourself deadlines? Do you stick to them?

One Piece of Advice That Changed My Life

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 01:58:00 GMT

I was thinking the other day about my first "real" job out of uni.

The position was search engine optimisation specialist of an online marketing agency.

The owner of the place was a woman. Her speciality was in building a great team - collecting people that supported her weaknesses with their strengths.

At the time (2001), optimising a website for search engines was a new thing. Google wasn't the search engine of choice yet. All of our clients were international and operating in very lucrative markets. To say that I was thrown in the deep end is putting it lightly.

The first day she took me aside and said, from now on - you are going to live and breath search engines. And I did.

I didn't know at the time what an amazing opportunity I'd been given. It's rare to hear that someone has been working commercially online for 9 years. This was a real job, with real clients who expected real results.

Since that first job, and hearing that advice, I've stayed in the internet industry - it's put me in a unique position and I'll always be grateful for that.

What's the one thing that someone has said that clicked with you and has taken you down the path you're on today?

Image credit

Update: Ryan Spanger from Dream Engine has shared one piece of advice that changed his life. Maybe this will inspire you to write a blog post too? If you do - come back and share the link with us here.

Eliza Lopatowska from Ola & Olek

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:16:00 GMT

I'm not sure if was the refreshing innocence of children's clothing that isn't trying to be anything else or the little models in quirky poses that caught my eye.

But when I stumbled across Ola & Olek this morning via Finders Keepers it made me smile and I just had to give it a bit of love.

Check out Ola & Olek, from designer Eliza Lopatowska.

Isy Galey from In.cube8r

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:38:00 GMT

Isy Galey is the founder of in.cube8r, a retail space where artists can rent a space in a gallery. It’s for anyone who makes anything to have their wares displayed in a public space.

Isy galey, ex-nanny, kindergarten teacher, almost art teacher, glass blower and general girl friday, nurtured a dream for over a decade to open a top-notch, friendly and approachable gallery, a “one-stop-shop” for all things hand-made in Melbourne (and now Australia-wide). a retail space which took no commission on sales, with a non-elitist friendly approach, acting as a platform for fledgling design.

Here, Isy talks to us about what makes in.cube8r unique, following her dreams and making them a reality.

Q1) in.cube8r is an original concept. Tell us how it works?

The concept is this…

Artists can rent out a glass cube, 2D partition, wall space, shelves or clothes rack for a 3 month period but can change their stock over regularly. Rents start @ $20 per week and is paid monthly; we then pay the artist monthly for what has sold in the store.

The artist benefits from the retail selling price not wholesale as they pocket 100%, we take no commission.

Insurance etc is all included in the rental price, just GST is extra and a one off enrolment fee.The onus is on the artist to fill and decorate that space.

This principle supports my belief around self responsibility and creates a challenge for the artists to keep their space happy and varied.

We have purpose built software, which all the artists can log into and edit their stock info, see sales, print invoices from etc.

Q2) What was your motivation to start in.cube8r?

I saw a niche market and need for choice in the retail sector. Commission and consignment was all there was to choose from and lots of people can't do markets for many different reasons.

I held onto this dream, sat on it for close to 12 whole years. To be honest, it was fear that held me back.

When I stood in that disheartening dole queue in early 2007 I saw the flyer for NEIS. I stood there and listened to how the desensitized social workers spoke to everyone with grouchy disdain and I thought to myself, “OK. So I’m lying on my death bed, what’s my biggest regret?” The answer came immediately, “Not having done anything about the in.cube8r gallery dream”.

At that point I knew it was now or never. That was the turning point of my life.

I opened an empty shop with only 9 cubes filled to the general Melbourne public on July 7, 2007.
Here we are 3 years later with over 100,000 Google mentions and 2 in.cube8rs!! I often pinch myself. It still doesn’t feel real.

Q3) What was the path that led you to open this business?

Ever since I can remember I was complaining to my mother that school interfered with my ‘making-things-time’.

I was never bored as a kid. I loved making miniature shops with salt dough fruit, veg and bread and fake money. It’s funny looking back, because it’s exactly what I’m doing now!

Around ‘91 to ‘93 I discovered a shop in Auckland (where I grew up) called Texan Art Schools, they represented students of arts courses and young artists.

At the time I was part of a small central Auckland co-op called The Fish Tank. We were 4 young women in our early 20’s taking turns running the shop downstairs and painting our stock upstairs. We mainly made hand painted t-shirts and bags. I’d had a dream ever since to run a similar space.

Years later, I signed up to NEIS (New Enterprise Incentive Scheme). Without them I would not have had the courage or the know-how of starting a business and I can’t speak highly enough of them. They also gave me a mentor, who followed the progress of my business throughout the whole first year, and it’s all free!

They helped me put together a 50 page business plan through which I got taken seriously and received funding. Part of the course was also to conduct 100 market research surveys, so I had a fair idea that the concept might work. I went and gave talks at some of the local art schools and my old uni along with the surveys.

On July 12, 2007 in.cube8r opened its doors to the public with 9 cube holders.

I was amazed by the feedback and by people’s trust. My first cube holder sent a box of her beautiful silver jewellery from Tassie to someone whom she’d never met and to a shop that hadn’t even opened its doors.

Q4) What's been your greatest success so far?

The whole thing!

Within 7 weeks from opening we were full and have stayed that way ever since. About 70% of people who were with us from the beginning are still here, which speaks volumes to me about my intention for this space and the reality of what it has become.

It's been an honour to mentor and host so much talent. I'm surrounded by all this handmade love all day it's overwhelming.

Now the best bit is finding the right people for franchises with joy for handmade. I’ve had a lot of applications, but they have to love it as much as I do.

Q5) What's the biggest challenge you've faced?

3 things:

Glass half empty people
Copy cats and
The amount of daily email I receive. I'm getting a VA this week.

Q6) What's your top tip for women in business?

Don't wait! Do it now!!! Jump into it with all your might, like I said before; even if it doesn't work AT LEAST YOU TRIED :)

Check out Incube.8r via their website, blog, Facebook & Twitter.

What are you doing this week?

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 22:47:00 GMT

This weekend I could feel Spring in the air, the warmth of the sun is heating up a notch and thoughts of Summer aren't far away.

And with it, comes the dread of serious heat, humidity and baring of legs. You're either a lover or a hater of Summer in Brisbane. Myself? I'm a hater. You'd think that after living here my entire life I'd be used to it by now.

If I could spend the Summer by the pool maybe I'd be more into it. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen just yet. So on Sunday it seemed as good a time as any to resume/start my morning walks.

I'm fairly certain I say this every time I exercise but really, the energy and clarity it brings amazes me.

Sunday's morning walk had me thinking about my tasks for the week.

I've got a big week of preperation for the next round of my online marketing eCourse
Some client deadlines
I'm also going to try out this one thing that apparently brings happiness to all
Schedule in a little fun

All work and no play makes Jill/me a sad girl so this Wednesday I'm going to be heading in to GOMA to check out the Valentino exhibition.

Do you schedule in some fun for the week? What do you want to achieve this week?

P.S. Was just thinking maybe this is a good way to hold ourselves accountable to achieving our goals/tasks for the week - it's not like we've got bosses breathing down our necks. And to make sure we schedule in something each week that's just for play. What do you reckon? I could do a post on Friday checking in to see how we all went?

What to Wear: New Client Meeting

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 01:17:00 GMT

First impressions count. When meeting a new client you want to make a good impression and look your best.

Of course in most cases what you wear will be directly dependent on the client and the reason for meeting them, but generally try to find a happy medium in terms of looking smart but still dressing to show your personality and style.

Take a clean, white crisp shirt and tuck it in to a high waisted, graphic print skirt. But be sure that the skirt's not too short. The white shirt will show your professional side and the graphic print skirt will bring out a little bit of your style and personality. If you prefer a dress, try a long sleeved printed dress similar to this one from French Connection.

A grey blazer will mix up your outfit from a generic black corporate blazer but will still keep you looking smart and chic.

Accessorise your outfit with a black bag and well-heeled shoes, a statement ring and add some colour to your nails with a brightly hued polish.

Shop these pieces online now:

Wittner Black Bentley Heels AU$169.95 from Wittner
Les Petites Zen Blazer AU$352 from My Chameleon
OPI Nail Lacquer The Thrill of Brazil AU$19.95 from Adore Beauty
Sportscraft Washed Oxford Shirt $95.95 from Sportscraft
Mimco Black Bartertown Day Bag AU$399 from Mimco
Barkins Blueprint Skirt AU$39.95 from Barkins
Samantha Wills Luna Efffects Ring AU$180 from Samantha Wills

Olivia Palermo image via I Heart Olivia Palermo. Words and artwork by Fashion Clique.

How To Cure Anxiety With Tomatoes

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 09:16:00 GMT

A few months back I confessed to everyone a big fear of mine. Somewhat happily, I can report, I'm no longer fearful. Oh no, now I'm self conscious.

I've been thinking to myself, oh I really need to do a personal post. And all I could come up with were negative things.

I didn't want to write a post about how I'd been taken over by doubt. About how when I started this business journey, the first thing I learned was if you didn't believe in yourself you may as well stop now.

Usually when I say...'What if..?" I'm thinking about the next fun thing to implement. Occasionally though, the "What if's...?" aren't so cheery.

I know it's normal and it happens at times, I just didn't want to write about and or dwell on it.

It's not the first time it's happened either. My husband can tell when I'm feeling a little anxious. I walk around with a worried look on my face without realising it.

He'll stop me and say, "Don't be a tomato."

Ah huh.

Here's where it starts to make sense.

A few years ago I had a little poster from Storypeople above my desk. It read:

My grandma used to plant tomato seedlings in tin cans from tomato sauce & puree & crushed tomatoes she got from the Italian restaurant by her house, but she always soaked the labels off first. I don't want them to be anxious about the future, she said. It's not healthy.

When I read it, I feel a bit better and remember this business thing - it's a marathon, not a sprint. If I keep putting one foot in front of the other, I'll get there.

How are you going? What do you do to get rid of that icky self doubt when it creeps in?

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How Do You Define Success?

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 02:28:00 GMT

I've been thinking about success lately and just how important it is to have your own definition of it.

For me, I find that since I defined it it's easier for me to make decisions and brush off things that don't matter.

I was interested to hear how other people had defined success for themselves so I asked Twitter. The responses are above. Love the diversity.

How do you define success for yourself? Share it in the comments below.

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Handmade Tags from Emerald and Ella

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 22:01:00 GMT

How sweet are these handmade swing tags from new online shop, Emerald and Ella?

The answer, in case you were wondering, is very. They become even sweeter when you hear the story behind them.

Opening a homewares shop has been a long held dream of food stylist, Jane Collings. When she heard about her daughter opening an online shop, Jane's mum got in on the action.

My mum loves collecting old books, letters, sewing patterns, maps, music scores etc. So when I started using rubber stamps to decorate paper shipping tags she was inspired to very patiently cut out her vintage paper goods and turn them into very cute gift tags.

I tend to use them as little gift tags attached to presents, packaged baked goods or even pegged to a thank-you bottle of wine now and then, but they are also very cute as name tags at a table place setting.

It is a labour of love really and she spends days pressing the creases out of the vintage patterns and searching through op shops for old maps and other bits. She has only been making them since the beginning of the year when the idea for my website began.

Ah huh. Gorgeous and sweet. Check out the goods at Emerald and Ella online now.

Profile: Alicia Hannah Naomi

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 11:47:00 GMT

Name: Alicia Hannah Naomi

Hometown: Melbourne

Business name: Alegorie and Drown Jewellery

Business description: Fashion Accessories Online Store and Boutique Jewellery Label

Established: 2008 and 2010

Website: Alegorie & Drown Jewellery

Connect: Twitter: @goaskalicia Facebook - Drown Jewellery and Alegorie

Bio: I have a background in art, graphics and multimedia development, and after working in the jewellery industry for several years, I started my first jewellery label in 2006.

My love of jewellery and accessories was bigger than my own label and in 2007 I began planning to open my own jewellery and accessories online boutique where I could also incorperate my skills in multimedia development.

After some issues with business trademarking, I finally launched Alegorie the next year. Still not able to sate my love for jewellery I eventually launched my newest jewellery concept - Drown Jewellery, this year.

What inspired you start your own business?

I was given a freedom in my role in the jewellery industry that made the position feel more autonomous than perhaps it was. I suppose at the time I didn't even really realise what I was doing - just that I wanted to do something that would give me the continued autonomy I'd been enjoying for so long, coupled with an intense passion for the product.

Biggest achievement so far?

I've recently teamed up with a young Australian fashion label, Subfusco, collaborating on a limited edition Spring/Summer 11 jewellery collection for their MBFF runway, which is probably one of my biggest dreams come true.

How do you maintain your motivation?

I run a fashion and style blog called Sea Of Ghosts where I collect and share artwork, graphic design, music, interior design and fashion that inspires me. The presentation and subsequent interaction with the people who take the time to read the blog is highly motivational.

If you could do it all again what would you do differently?

Go a little more slowly. It's easy to let passion and excitement cloud your judgement.

Top tip for aspiring women in business?

Love what you do and be prepared to make sacrifices. It's worth it.

8 Gift Ideas for Father's Day

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 01:14:00 GMT

Father's Day is coming up in Australia on Sunday, 5th of September.

We've compiled 8 gift ideas for Dads of all types, all available for you to purchase online. Do your shopping at your desk and mark one more thing off your to-do list!

Ascii robots hand printed on 100% organic light weight cotton, $48 from Blue Caravan
Pocket size guitar amp with real tube-amp sound, plugs directly into guitar or bass, $39.99 from Think Geek
Illustration of vintage Eastman's Kodak camera printed on an Oxford Dictionary page, US$16.50 from dspdavey
Father Knows Best BBQ Apron, US$30 from Dear Edna
Hardcover book featuring selection of quotes that are a touching and timeless tribute to Dad, $29.95 from Gifts for Blokes
Trilogy Natural Actives Men's After Shave Balm, $30 from Adore Beauty
Apple iPad Tablet, 64GB, Wifi, $821.99 from Amazon
Darth Vader Breathing Keychain, $12.99 from Think Geek

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The Copywriting Scorecard for Bloggers eBook Review

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 06:38:00 GMT

The Copywriting Scorecard for Bloggers is the latest eBook offering from Darren Rowse of Problogger and Glenn Murray of Divine Write.

Both leaders in their fields, they have come together to produce a straightforward, practical guide to crafting blog posts that are focused on achieving your objectives by using copywriting techniques.

Description

It’s a 59 page eBook that contains tips, tricks and examples of ways to ensure each and every post you produce for your blog is taking you closer to meeting your personal and/or business goals.

The Copywriting Scorecard takes into account the fact you are writing for the web and need to consider SEO best practices by focusing on keywords.

The eBook also contains a printable ‘scorecard’ for you to critique your blog post against in order to produce best results.

Who it’s for

Anyone who wants to create blog posts that provoke action from their readers.

Why I wanted to read it

Having read both Darren’s eBook, 31 Days to Build a Better Blog and Glenn’s SEO Secrets eBook I wanted to know more about writing blog posts from a copywriting perspective.

In particular, Glenn’s recommendations gained from 17 years as a writer (8 years as copywriter and 9 as a technical writer).

The Copywriting Scorecard for Bloggers Review

What you can expect (chapter overview):

Before you start covers off the fundamentals of knowing your objectives, brand, audience, target keywords and planning your post
Write your post guides you through getting your thoughts into written words
Recommendations includes tips on writing, scannability, SEO and common grammar pitfalls
The Scorecard is a checklist of things you should address in your blog post

The good

Getting back to basics in the Before you start chapter was a great start to the book. It’s not often that you revisit why you’re doing what you’re doing. It’s so easy to get bogged down in the day to day tasks that I really appreciated revisiting my objectives.
The blog post questionnaire is the type of thing I imagine becoming like a mental checklist when writing each post. I can see myself asking “Have I done, x, y and z to produce best results?”
The eBook shifted my perspective on the purpose and value of each blog post. Sure you can have your call to actions at the end of the blog post - but does the content you've written support and encourage your visitor to take that action?
The reminder to believe in yourself - the most important thing about walking the path less traveled as someone working their butt off to make a living as a blogger

The not so good

I would have like to see some recommended reading links in the Write your post chapter - granted that could be a whole other eBook
In the Grammar Pitfalls section I would have liked to see a reference for headline best practices

My favourite bits

The Recommendations chapter was 15 pages of pure gold including:

Practical tips for writing effective headlines
How to tell a story to capture interest with examples to help you understand

The recommendation that struck a chord with me was to always promise an outcome. Your readers are fickle; they can click off your blog in seconds if you're not holding their interest.

If you think of the blog posts you read all the way through, they usually offer you something – they promise you an outcome.

I usually scan when I'm reading, thinking ‘I've got to get through this then on to the next thing'. I found myself scrolling through this section, then having to scroll back up again because I wanted to read every word and let it sink in.

How it helped me

I feel more confident that each blog post is taking me closer to achieving my objectives. I’m writing with more thought and purpose thanks to the information in this eBook.

Buy The Copywriting Scorecard for Bloggers

UPDATE: The Copywriting Scorecard for Blogger has been updated. The new version includes interactive scorecard and 30+ pages of new information and recommendations including case studies.

Download your copy today for $29.97 USD.

Buy it now.

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5 eCommerce Lessons You Can Learn from Sportscraft

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:50:00 GMT

I love to see Australian retail stores getting something right online.

Here are 5 ecommerce lessons you can learn from Australian retailer, Sportscraft.

1. Sell in packages to encourge a higher price purchase

Promoting your products in packages encourages a higher price purchase. Presenting your products in a way that the customer may not have envisioned is both helpful and a good sales technique.

2. Incentivise with a discount

The second step in sealing the deal - incentivise the higher purchase price with a discount.

3. Use call to actions to achieve meaningful transactions

Your meaningful transactions are the actions you want your visitor to take. They could be to make a sale, signup to a newsletter or refer a friend.

In this example the primary call to action is "Add to bag" the secondary one is "Tell a Friend". If the visitor actions either of them, they've completed a meaningful transaction and achieved a goal of the page.

4. Cater to your audience

Sportscraft have acknowledged that a section of their audience may not be comfortable purchasing online. To ensure they still capture this audience they've given the option to print the page, take it in store to purchase and still recieve the discount.

5. Design matters

Professional photography and a clean uncluttered product layout page is inherent to the success of your eCommerce website.

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Style and Substance

It's Business Time

I’ve been MIA due to the collision of a number of projects in the same space of time, so apologies for the lack of a column last fortnight. These certainly are crazy times at the moment for me and hopefully I’ll be able to expand on this very soon…

Last time we met I wrote about how to value and quantify an online business.

What I thought was an exercise for others was actually the best exercise for me.

It's a free service that places a monetary value on your website based on visitor statistics. In doing so, it adds an important ingredient to your ‘Good will’ that is otherwise missing, ‘traffic’.

The next stage of selling is actually how to sell and through what channel, either the D.I.Y sale or through a business broker.

Ultimately, it’s your businesses performance that will be the deciding factor in determining what type of buyer your business will attract.

As for me, I’ve already started running the gauntlet to Christmas.

About the Author

A Conversation with Sarah Vick: CEO of Reading Room Australia

Today we're hearing from Sarah Vick, the CEO of Reading Room Australia.

Q1) What was the career path that led you to become CEO of Reading Room Australia?

I was made a director of Reading Room before I turned 30, and worked in a variety of roles before coming to Australia to head up the business here.

Q2) When did you become interested in digital media and technology?

It was a new and exciting industry with lots of young smart people working in it doing things that had never been attempted before. Most of all, it was fun. Work didn’t feel like the work I’d seen my parents doing.

Q3) What's your advice for women wanting to make the move into working online?

Q4) You've recently held workshops for young women who are interested in technology. What is the most surprising response you had from it?

Q5) What have you noticed is the biggest difference between the Australian industry compared to the UK?

New Projects and Tight Deadlines

As I was sitting down to my Sunday afternoon ritual of getting-stuff-ready-for-the-week I contemplated my next move.

One Piece of Advice That Changed My Life

I was thinking the other day about my first "real" job out of uni.

Eliza Lopatowska from Ola & Olek

I'm not sure if was the refreshing innocence of children's clothing that isn't trying to be anything else or the little models in quirky poses that caught my eye.

Isy Galey from In.cube8r

Isy Galey is the founder of in.cube8r, a retail space where artists can rent a space in a gallery. It’s for anyone who makes anything to have their wares displayed in a public space.

Q1) in.cube8r is an original concept. Tell us how it works?

The artist benefits from the retail selling price not wholesale as they pocket 100%, we take no commission.

Q2) What was your motivation to start in.cube8r?

Q3) What was the path that led you to open this business?

I was never bored as a kid. I loved making miniature shops with salt dough fruit, veg and bread and fake money. It’s funny looking back, because it’s exactly what I’m doing now!

Q4) What's been your greatest success so far?

Within 7 weeks from opening we were full and have stayed that way ever since. About 70% of people who were with us from the beginning are still here, which speaks volumes to me about my intention for this space and the reality of what it has become.

Q5) What's the biggest challenge you've faced?

Q6) What's your top tip for women in business?

What are you doing this week?

This weekend I could feel Spring in the air, the warmth of the sun is heating up a notch and thoughts of Summer aren't far away.

What to Wear: New Client Meeting

First impressions count. When meeting a new client you want to make a good impression and look your best.

How To Cure Anxiety With Tomatoes

A few months back I confessed to everyone a big fear of mine. Somewhat happily, I can report, I'm no longer fearful. Oh no, now I'm self conscious.

It's not the first time it's happened either. My husband can tell when I'm feeling a little anxious. I walk around with a worried look on my face without realising it.

My grandma used to plant tomato seedlings in tin cans from tomato sauce & puree & crushed tomatoes she got from the Italian restaurant by her house, but she always soaked the labels off first. I don't want them to be anxious about the future, she said. It's not healthy.

How Do You Define Success?

I've been thinking about success lately and just how important it is to have your own definition of it.

Handmade Tags from Emerald and Ella

How sweet are these handmade swing tags from new online shop, Emerald and Ella?

My mum loves collecting old books, letters, sewing patterns, maps, music scores etc. So when I started using rubber stamps to decorate paper shipping tags she was inspired to very patiently cut out her vintage paper goods and turn them into very cute gift tags.

I tend to use them as little gift tags attached to presents, packaged baked goods or even pegged to a thank-you bottle of wine now and then, but they are also very cute as name tags at a table place setting.

It is a labour of love really and she spends days pressing the creases out of the vintage patterns and searching through op shops for old maps and other bits. She has only been making them since the beginning of the year when the idea for my website began.

Profile: Alicia Hannah Naomi

What inspired you start your own business?

Biggest achievement so far?

How do you maintain your motivation?

If you could do it all again what would you do differently?

Top tip for aspiring women in business?

8 Gift Ideas for Father's Day

Father's Day is coming up in Australia on Sunday, 5th of September.

The Copywriting Scorecard for Bloggers eBook Review

The Copywriting Scorecard for Bloggers is the latest eBook offering from Darren Rowse of Problogger and Glenn Murray of Divine Write.

Description

Who it’s for

Why I wanted to read it

The Copywriting Scorecard for Bloggers Review

The good

The not so good

My favourite bits

How it helped me

Buy The Copywriting Scorecard for Bloggers

5 eCommerce Lessons You Can Learn from Sportscraft

I love to see Australian retail stores getting something right online.

1. Sell in packages to encourge a higher price purchase

2. Incentivise with a discount

3. Use call to actions to achieve meaningful transactions

4. Cater to your audience

5. Design matters

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