I just completed a new website - www.RTUTEC.com - and I did EVERYTHING on this one!

Its the first time I have used WIX as a platform to build a website. Its biggest advantage is that really anyone can build a website using it. no programming knowledge required! its easy and intuitive and very very visual and with lovely graphics.
the disadvantage is that everything in manual! If you want something in your website, then you have to put it there! No aggregation pages, sections and automated graphics of any taxonomy!
Also, I am not aware of any SEO or web promotion advantages for this platform (no plugins).
I think its a great platform for small websites and for beginners.

RTUTec Ltd. Home page, all Images designed by me on this site

What I learned from Neil Patel regarding growing a blog and writing converting posts

Neil Patel, the founder of Crazyegg and KISSMetrics came to Israel, again. Neil came to lecture about growing a blog. Its a great privilege to hear someone so knowledgeable who is also still approachable and an entertaining lecturer to boot. Lets see if this post can demonstrate what I learned...

3 reasons to why a blog is good for your business.
The first advantage of a blog is the fact that you have control over the content that you publish. even if you allow guest posts on your blog and want other writers to contribute - the last choice is yours. In social media you have no control on how people react to your post or how the discussion will develop. When you have a blog, you can even close the comments option if you feel it does not fit your concept, or monitor the comment posted.

Neil's first tip regarding the content of the blog is that the content should teach! the idea is that people who read your content should get some value form it. If they learn something and can even implement what they learn - then this means your content teaches them things and they get value.

Neil also recommends stretching borderlines and being original and creative. If you have fun when you write and try new things, the results will be interesting and fun to read. If people feel they learned something, had fun doing so and got value, the chance they will convert is higher.

Guess what is the most obvious converting part of the blog?
One of the most important things is a good blog post is the header. Neil writes long posts of 2000 words , so he always ends them with a short summary and used headers in it 3-5 times. Headers help organize the text for your readers and informed them of what;s coming up. 80% of most people skim the headlines first and then decide if to read the actual content. Headlines generate interest, so you need to make them interesting. You want your readers to be curious regarding your content.

Neil's 6 tips for good headlines:
1. Use adjectives and questions to generate interest
2. Use shocking negative words
3. 65 characters is an ideal length for a header, 6 words is good - informative and not too long
4. Use numbers - uneven numbers work better. The bigger the number, the better (but remember the context when you decide on a number).
5. Avoid word play and double meanings, keep it simple and clear
6. make heading suited to the content beneath it

Here are some samples for good headers:
"eyebrows you would kill for, 7 tips to create your eyebrow design"
"5 management mistakes you make, that will kill your business (and how to avoid them)"
"101 ways to save money fr a small business"
"11 worse ways to pitch a VC (and how to fix your pitch)"
"Here is why investors will not give you money (and what to do to change that)"
"21 reasons why no one reads your press releases (and how you can fix this)"
"11 ways to dress like Natalie Portman for under $100".

Your opening paragraph should also invoke curiosity, here is an example.
Headline: "7 SEO mistakes you are probably making"
Opening paragraph: "Have you ever seen a first age ranking on Google search that has no keywords in it? Have you wondered how they do it?"

Headline: "7 ways to generate creative headings for your presentations"
Opening Paragraph: "If your presentation slides do not have interesting headings, people will assume that what you have to say is boring too. in this post you will learn tools that will help you generate interesting headlines for your PPT slides, and you can come back to this formula whenever you want to create a presentation."

3 things to avoid when writing your blog
Avoid over promotion:
People do not like self promotional content. If its too commercial they will not read and you lose credibility. List blogs are a great way to provide information for people that is organised and easy for them to absorb. Put yourself in number 2 of the list. 2 is the magic spot. If you put yourself first, you are being too pushy. If you go for place 3, people might just not read a bout you. so in this case its 2 that is the magic number.

Avoid over protectiveness:
People tend to keep all the best stuff to themselves, but blogging is about sharing your wisdom and knowledge. Its a hard decision to make -  where to place your best content.  Neil says that if you are just starting out and need the push from blogs that are stronger than yours, you should give them your best content. This means you cannot post it on your blog because you want to avoid double content. Guest posting and using the authority of popular blogs is a great promotional tool for you and you will get good reputation for publishing good content on such platforms. When you are stronger, you can then keep the good stuff for your own blog.

Avoid snobbery:
The web encourages the writing style to be direct and conversational. So write a lt of "you" and "I" in your content. make your readers feel like you are talking to them. Avoid being over-intelligent and keep your language simple. Dumb down your content so that the widest common denominator of people will understand (I should have written: Dumb down your content so that most people reading it will understand what they are reading:-).

Neil's 6 tips for creating a good infographic
An infographic is a visual tool to explain complex ideas, to slice and to simplify them for your audience. Its a great converting tool. Here are Neil's tips on how to best create them.
1. Keep them visual, use images not words to get your ideas across.
2. 5-6 points/ enhancements make an idea infographic  - do not make them too short or too long, or the conversion rate goes down.
3. The various points should flow - create a story in your infographic
4. Keep the color scheme simple. (BTW blues convert better on Facebook, because this matches their brand)
5. do not forget to put your URL and logo at the bottom
6. put an embedding code for sharing your infographic when publishing it.

Other things that were discussed were the best time to post blogs (depending on the platform you are sharing in), how to get a guest post chance, monotization and promotion of the blog. Remember that people do not always see the first time you promote your blog on a social media platform, so do not be afraid to repeat the post 3-4 times during the 10 days after posting (then come back to it in 6 months time...fr round no. 2 of new readers). Neil also discussed the posting frequency. Although its best to post more often, if you do not have something really good to post and nothing interesting to say, then do not post!

To sum it all up
So why was it worth buying the ticket to hear Neil Patel lecture this week in Israel?
I learned why a blog is good for my business.
I learned of the importance of headlines and how to create good ones.
I learned what to avoid when writing my blog.
I got great tips for creating infographics.
To top it all off I learned about monotization and promotion.
It was great to hear Neil talk, its obvious he has fun being the marketing hackathon that he is,
I feel secure in recommending his marketing blog "Quicksprout". I am sure I will continue to learn.
Thank you Assaf Einstein for inviting Neil back to Israel.

Colours and what they mean to us in marketing

when creating a marketing campaign, the use of colors can sometimes be the difference between failure and success. Its the special combination and balance in an advert that draws attention but not only that, it guides people to take action in a specific and desired way. In a logo the choice of colors can change the message underlined in it.

But even a more generic view is required. Sight is the major sense in which we relate to the world surrounding us. People who can see get 80% of their information through their eyes, by actually seeing it. What we see is light in various wave lengths - that is, we see colors. Colors are therefor a major tool in the way the human mind learns and communicates. This mans the marketer needs to ask, what effect do certain colors have on people and how this can be harnessed for the sake of marketing. I have put together a short review of the major colors and what they mean to us (in the western world).

Red: The color of fire and energy. Red will always catch you eye and draw your attention. Energy can be positive and friendly but sometimes it bursts out! Red is used to market sports, entertainment but also foods, fashion and cosmetics. If you want your message to be about provocation and buzz Red might be a good color to use, as long as you do not overdo it. Remember that red can sometimes be perceived negatively (we stop at a red light).

Orange: Orange is a lighter  version of the energy red. Its still exiting but also a bit milder and even childish, so Orange can radiate confidence. Orange is used to market safety products, products for higher efficiency and children brands. Its  a happy and friendly color.

Yellow: Yellow is a very bright color. it radiates positive energy and optimism. Yellow is used to market child care brands but also technology start-ups and innovators.

Green: in today's world green is fore and foremost the representing color for the environment; for recycling and nature. green is all about youth nurturing and growth, green represents the health of the planet and of society. Green is used to market health products, government initiatives and scientific programs.

Blue: Blue is the color of water. Its calm and clean. It enfolds within many mysteries but also encourages trust. Blue is used to market many high-tech products and is very popular in the Internet. Blue is used for business and trade initiatives but is also manifested in the health and medical industry.

Black: signals stability and strength, combined with professionalism and class. Black is always solid and just right. It helps put the message together. Black and grays and slivers are used to market prestigious and traditional brands.

Purple: Purple is the color of wisdom and magic. It represents both knowledge and the mystic, it has a healing property.. Purple delivers a message of creativity and imagination. It is used to market spiritual fields such as astronomy but also health activities that have oriental routes such as yoga and aromatherapy.

Brown: Brown is the color of the earth. it represent for us the ordinary and routine. Its a color of history and tradition, representing a steady and safe conservative way of thought. Large companies with a deep tradition will use this color for their marketing combined with gold. Brown is especially suited to market activities in the mining, construction and finance worlds.

Colors effect people very deeply. But color psychology is just one part in the puzzle of messaging and marketing. However in a fast pace world, in which on had but fractions of seconds to create an impression and interest a potential buyer to read more, color is a major part of the puzzle. Remember that colors are what we see, but even of more importance to marketers is the fact that colors are also the first thing we notice (even if its done unconsciously and automatically).

Great info graphics on this subject are:

Color in culture
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/colours-in-cultures/?utm_source=CMblog&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=InfographicsforDesign

The color emotion guide:
http://thelogocompany.net/blog/infographics/psychology-color-logo-design/?utm_source=CMblog&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=InfographicsforDesign

Colours ofthe web
http://www.colourlovers.com/business/blog/2010/09/15/the-most-powerful-colors-in-the-world?utm_source=CMblog&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=InfographicsforDesign

תפקידי השיווק - או בקיצור "מה ייצא לי מזה?"

לא כל יום נותנים לגורו של תוכן הזדמנות לכתוב בלוג שהוא גם כל כך קולע למטרותיו העסקיות...ובכל זאת, השבוע שאלו אותי בדיוק את השאלה הזו. למה בכלל לעשות שיווק? או "מה ייצא לי  מזה?"

אז אני עונה , ועוד בעברית (זה גם לא קורה כאן הרבה...)

מדוע צריכה חברה פעילה עם מכירות טובות קמפיין שיווקי.

התשובה היא שאם קמפיין כזה ממלא את תפקידיו הייחודיים, הוא רק יעצים עוד את עסקי החברה ויביא להגדלתם.

איך שיווק עושה את זה?

לקמפיין שיווקי ארבעה תפקידים: חשיפה, הזנת לידים, שימור לקוחות והאזנה לשוק.

1 - חשיפה, או ליתר דיוק, הגדלת החשיפה של העסק לשוק שבו הוא פועל - השאלה שצריך לשאול היא, האם הפעילות והקשרים שיש בחברה היום יאפשרו לאנשי המכירות להכיר כל חודש 10 אנשים חדשים?  בעולם ה B2B, קמפיין שיווקי יכול להביא לחברה 10 לידים איכותיים בחודש. על ידי ניהול אתר, קידומו ברשת, ניהול פרסומים שונים בין אם בחינם או בתשלום, וכתיבת תוכן ברשתות חברתיות, מאוד סביר לדרוש מקמפיין שיווקי מסודר עם תוכן איכותי להיות מסוגל לגרום לכך שיהיו באתר החברה 1000 מבקרים ייחודיים חדשים בחודש ושמתוכם 10 אנשים ישאירו פרטים להתקשרות.

את הפעילות אונליין שציינתי כדאי ללוות גם בפעילות אופליין ואף ליצור סינרגיה בינהן. תערוכות, פרסום בדפוס, כנסים והדגמות.

2 - הזנת לידים או באנגלית LEAD NURTURING - משהגיעו האנשים החדשים והכירו את העסק, צריך לחשוף אותם לתכנים שיזינו אותם ויקרבו אותם לכדי רכישה וביצוע עסקה.גם כאן לתוכן שיווקי מתוכנן ומשולב עם אסטרטגיית מכירה מובנית יש תפקיד חשוב ב"בישול" הלקוח ויצירת מוכנות אצלו לביצוע עסקה. אחרי שהחשיפה הראשונית הביא ל"מודעות" AWARENESS אצל הלקוח הפונטציאלי לקיום העסק עלינו להביא ל"התקשרות" עימו באמצעות הזנתו במידע רלוונטי עבורו "INTERACTION" וזאת כדי לתת לו כלים ל"החלטה" DECISION כדי שיבצע פעולת רכישה ACTION. (לפי מודל עסקי AIDA).

3 - שמירת לקוחות קיימים וחזרת לקוחות - גם מי שמכיר את החברה ואף קנה ממנה צריך להיות מעודכן בשינויים וחידושים כדי שידע מתי יש עוד הזדמנות לעשות עסקים עם החברה.

על החברה לדאוג לכך שגם לקוחותיה הטובים ביותר זוכרים אותה ואת מוצריה ומעודכנים בנעשה בה. כאן יש לרשימת תפוצה ולניוזלטר תפקיד חשוב באספקה של מידע רלוונטי ואיכותי ללקוחות. לעסק עלות גבוהה מאוד להביא את הלקוחות ולכן מאוד כדאי  שהם יחזרו. עלות של לקוח חוזר או שימור הלקוח נמוכה בהשוואה להבאתו לראשונה.

4 - האזנה לשוק - בעידן האינטרנט ורשתות חברתיות אין כמעט דבר שלא ניתן למדוד ושיח שלא ניתן להאזין לו. חבל לא להשתמש בכלים אלו ולהקשיב למה שיש לשוק לספר. האזנה ממוקדת לשיח המקועי ברשת בשילוב עם מידע שיביאו אנשי מכירות מתערוכות ופגישות ותרגום נכון של המידע יכול להביא לכך שהחברה תדע מראש לצפות מה השוק רוצה ולספק את הפתרון המתאים.

ועכשיו לקטע של המטרות העסקיות.

ע"י ריכוז כל הפעילות הזו ע"י גורם אחד (פעילות אונליין באתר ורשתות חברתיות, תערוכות, הרצאות, ברושורים, חומר שיווקי כתוב, פרסומים, מיתוג ועוד) . ניתן ליצור מצב של סינרגיה - בו השלם גדול על סכום חלקיו ולנצל בצורה מיטבית את האלמנט השיווקי בחברה. לטעמי כדי להשיג אימפקט רציני, אין להסתפק בעשייה חלקית אלא צריך ראיה היקפית ומאוחדת של נושא השיווק.

השיווק המודרני מתרכז מאוד סביב תוכן שיווקי איכותי. ללקוחות נמאס לקרוא "זבל" ברשת והם מחפשים מידע רלוונטי ואיכותי להם. אנשי שיווק שיידעו לספק תוכן שכזה יצליחו ובגדול. תפקידו של גורו תוכן הוא בדיוק זה - כתיבת תוכן שיווקי איכותי והפקה שלו על פני כל סוגי המדיה הקיימים ולשלבו בתוך מאמצי שיווק היקפיים - ליצירת מערך שיווק יעיל ומגוון.

Tips for writing good content

As marketers, we know that content is king in today's digital marketing world. Another familiar buzz word is engagement. All marketers want to create engaging content. Engagement means that we want to communicate with our readers. We want them to be interested in what they read, we want them to identify with our content and we want our content to compel the readers into an engaging action. We want their reaction and feedback to what we write. Here are a few tips on how to achieve that goal:

1 - Put yourself in the readers shoes
If we want our readers to be interested in what they read, then we need to think what will interest them. If we want readers to identify with our content, then we need to put ourselves in their place and try to understand what drives them. What will make or break them? What problems do they have and what solution and assistant we can offer them through the content we provide? what do they need to know in order to be compelled into engagement with our content?  Who is the target audience and what do they want and need? We want feedback from our readers, we should be able to check ourselves and give our own feedback, to make the content even better.

2 - KISS - Keep it short and simple
In the era of the world wide web, people have a very short attention span. Patience is almost non existent. this means we need to keep our messages and our content short and simple. Over elaboration will cause a loss of interest in our readers. Lack of focus will cause confusion. Before you set about to write your content make sure you have defined your target. What do you want the readers to learn from your content? What is the main message? What activity should the reader undertake after reading your content? How can you achieve these goals? If you know the answers, you will be able to write focused and simple content that is engaging and is thus efficient for your business.

3 -"If you have to shoot, then shoot. Don't talk" - Start your content with a big bang!
The short attention span of readers today has already been mentioned. The first paragraph is paramount to peaking the readers interest, so put all the big guns right at the beginning. Focus your first few sentences on the needs of the reader and push all the buttons you think will make readers react to your content the way you want them to. readers need to understand what is wanted of them right att he start. If they wish to comply, they will stay to read the rest. then at the end you remind them of the action you want to take and provide closure to your content that way.

4 - Do not over sell
Yes, we are all marketers. Yes, our readers know this. still if we over do it with selling and marketing jargon, readers will be put off. To many exclamation marks and bold or colored font will also annoy our readers rather then serve the emphasis purpose. Readers what to know that they are getting value for their time. Our content needs to provide them with that value. the WIN WIN situation occurs when both the reader and the writer get value from the content and the engagement it has spurred.

5 - Be professional and organized
Write using correct language and grammar. check your spelling. Organize the content into understandable paragraphs and headings for easy reading. Make the reader feel that this content was written by a professional. Good professional content created a reputation that is transferred also to the product you are marketing. Making a good impression is always conductive to good marketing content.

Remember that you need to provide great text, but images can also help enhance your content. There are many ways to present content today, like info-graphs and videos. But even so, the basis of all content formats is a well thought message and a great script. So the above tips are always relevant. I hope you will find them helpful.

A Marketer's dream - Driving for change in your organization

Many people face various obstacles to change in their lives and feel frustrated that it is so. Many coaches, psychiatrists and consultants make a living from this...I was once told that business relationships are just like personal ones... just in a business context. Not being able to realize your professional dreams in your work place can be just as frustrating as not achieving your personal goals.
This makes me wonder, what should an employee do to realize professional dreams? How can such an employee drive change in the work place so that the dream may take place? Or more specifically, how does a marketer initiate and drive towards innovation and change in the marketing department against a management that is fixed in the habitual ways of doing its business? Here are five tips.

1 - Organize your thoughts:
Its not enough to say "we need to innovate" or "we need to change our marketing"... its not even enough to say "we need a website". You need to define exactly what it is that you need and why.
For example: its true that in today's world every business organisation  needs an online presence. The reason I say this with such confidence is simple. Today everyone who needs information of any kind turns FIRST to the Internet to look for it, so this means your business has to be online so that you can be found by those people who are looking for you. However, this does not necessarily mean that you need a website - there are other methods to be online. Facebook may be the "third largest "country" in the world today" but if your clients are not its citizens, that is not going to help you. A newsletter can be a great tool, but only if your clients bother to read commercial emails in their inbox without chucking them to the "spam" first. You need to take a more detailed look at the idea of an online presence.

You need to crunch the details and define the exact steps required to achieve change, and to make sure that you ideas fit the reality of the organization your work in and the field of business to which you are marketing. To continue the example: consider what are your exact business needs and how can a certain online presence assist in the marketing efforts more than others. Consider where you audience can be found on the web and how do they like to receive their information best. Consider the realistic scope of the budget your managers will approve for innovative marketing initiatives. This brings us to the next tip.

3 - The salami method - slices:
Sometimes its best to cut a big change into smaller steps and take them on one at a time. Smaller projects with smaller budgets are also easier for your managers to accept. Your boss may be willing to experiment on one of your "crazy innovation ideas" if it costs the organisation less money. So cut your big change into smaller chunks and put them in the right order (remember, organize your thoughts...). Then focus only on realizing the first step, and do whatever it takes to make this step happen (the others are sure to follow). Stay focused and keep your managers focused on a target that is easier to grasp and to define. Managers will always find it easier to approve innovative thought if you can show them that its worth it. This brings us to the next tip.

4 - Show me the money!
Show your managers how the new marketing initiative can bring in more money for the organization. The activity you wish managers to approve needs to stand the test of a cost benefit analysis. You can use any kind of backing for your claims. Check statistics online, run a small test and crunch the numbers for your boss. In today's world almost any marketing activity can be measured. If you can rank your marketing activities and find out which is more efficient, you can cut actions that do not bring required results early and use the funds to start on something new instead.
For example: if you know that an online campaign is less effective than an exhibition because you not only get more leads from an exhibition but also each lead is cheaper (this is called Key Performance Index) then you can tell you managers that this is so with confidence. Confidence radiates authority and authority inspires trust. Trust, efficiency and benefits are great selling tools when it comes to management approvals. This brings us to the next tip.

5 - Self marketing - sell your project and yourself
A marketer needs to always sell the various marketing activities and oneself in the organisation. When you have an achievement, you had better be showing it off to everyone in your organization, managers and co-workers alike. Make sure that everyone knows how great you are at your job! If they think you are a great marketer, managers will have a greater tendency to trust your initiatives and approve the budget for them. If you constantly toot your horn about your work, just like you do for the product your organization sells, you will benefit from your own marketing efforts. This brings us to the next tip.

6 - Never give up!
Tenacity is a key factor is achieving whatever it is you set up to do. Be consistent and keep drilling your ideas to anyone who will hear them until the message gets through to management.
Its not just about the business and getting more leads from marketing, its about yourself!  Its great when you can have professional goals to reach for your self development. This will give you motivation to excel at your job and will provide you with flavor for your daily routine. Remember that you must never give up striving for improvement and innovation.

I conclude with a sentence many couches use, but its really does work,so here goes:
Remember to believe in yourself and others will believe in you!
Believe in your dreams, professional and private - work hard to get them and they might just come true...
Food for thought
Good Luck

The importance of creating a focused and effective email campaign for marketers

In the era of internet people have less and less time to actually read content! You may be the best writer out there and no one will know because people just do not take the time to read! The average time span for reading an email is 51 seconds! (according to a survey by Nielsen). White its more than the 8 seconds you get for first impressions in meeting a person face to face, it is precious little time to get your message through.

This means that marketers have to be efficient and attractive in order to get potential customers and readers to actually read the marketing content they provide. How to create  such an email? here are 5 tips.

1 - Create your email campaign according to client expectation: Remember what type of message you have to deliver and make your newsletter look accordingly. there are mostly 3 types of campaigns: Content, offers and events. You are either providing your readers with valuable content - this means usually more text in the email, or you are providing info about a special product or discount - an offer - this usually means a focused email with short text and a link to the coupon or a web shop, or you are announcing an event and want your readers to register (conference, webinar, etc.) this means a shot email with details of the event and a link to register (call to action). Readers have learned to expect a certain look for each type of campaign and the design helps them understand what your email is about, even before they read it.

2 - KISS-keep your message simple and direct: You know people do not have much time, so say what you want to say in a simple, clear and direct manner. Use carefully selected images to enhance your message and create clear and obvious paths for a call to action. Make its easy for your reader to understand what it is you want them to do and why.

3 - Good division of elements in your email: Keep a balance between graphic elements and text in your messages. Too much text may be daunting and a picture is worth a thousand words. A short and focused animation may also be of use, especially for a product launch. Remember that the top left of the screen is scanned by your readers first. Clear division of content and hierarchy of headers and titles to different parts of your email campaign will help readers to understand better what it entails. Use a clear font in a comfortable and readable size. Organize your content and keep it orderly, so that your readers may easily search through it quickly. Use a professional and aesthetic design to further promote yourself as a serious provider of information.

4 - Keep up with the technology: Make your email campaign accessible to new devices and readable in as many platforms as possible. Responsive designs are easily read in most mobile devices (smart phones and tablets) today and are suitable to more than one screen size (alternatively make you message no wider than 500 pixels for easy reading in smart phones...provided it is not too long). GIF animation is supported by most platforms, and even if it is to supported by the emailing system of your reader as an animation, you may be sure that the separate images will still be seen.

5 - Remember to ask questions: the best way to find our what your readers want to read about is to ask them. A short survey email may prove to be a powerful tool to enhance the final emailing campaign you are planning and a means to guarantee its overall success. Contact readers who have been inactive to find out why they have stopped interacting with you. Use the emailing system as an effective sieve to sort our readers who are not truly potential clients for your business and who are not interested in receiving your newsletters.

Remember that eventually, if people feel that they are receiving good value from you, they will remain registered to your newsletters and campaigns. By keeping your message focused and effective, people will be able to evaluate the quality of your email campaign and their interest in it quickly. Showing respect for your readers time and intelligence in making such choices will be reciprocated, when you have upscaled the quality of your distribution list and increased your business following a successful email campaign.