UKRay Report post Posted September 15, 2009 (edited) Some time back I suggested that people might like to try creating 'online signposts' to their websites to round up a few more visitors. I gave as examples, my own signpost sites and I just thought it was time to let you know how things are going. In order to measure success and failure I installed Google Analytics on my e-commerce website: www.barefootleather.co.uk I also installed it on a number of 'signpost' sites including: www.oldleathercare.blogspot.com www.bikeleather.blogspot.com www.1940sleather.blogspot.com These sites are simply information sites that target my chosen customer groups - in other words I write copy that appeals to my chosen customers and publish it on these blog sites - advice, useful information, suggestions etc. They also carry a number of links to my brand new e-commerce page (www.barefootleather.co.uk) so people can buy the goods they have read about. Still with me? Good! - Now all this Google Analytics stuff simply means that I can see how many people are visiting my signpost sites and see how many click on the links to www.barefootleather.co.uk. I can also watch the traffic to www.barefootleather.co.uk and see if visitor numbers increase when I make changes to the other sites. The first thing I found was that numbers didn't increase quickly - it was almost imperceptible at first but after three weeks numbers started to grow steadily. I went from 0 visitors a month to almost 500 in about six weeks. My next step was to look at what I sell most of and create specialist signpost sites for those buyers - here are some examples: www.whippetcollar.blogspot.com www.lurchercollar.blogspot.com www.greyhoundcollar.blogspot.com I'm about to set up a few more signpost sites and expect to see an appropriate increase in traffic as they go live. The big thing for me has been that it is obvious when a signpost site is working because you sell more of that product. This week I have been selling lots of lurcher, whippet and greyhound collars and almost all of those customers have come from the signpost sites. My takings have increased and my profit has improved as I can now order larger quantities of buckles and leather. Hope this is useful to you - It works for me! Ray Edited September 15, 2009 by UKRay Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rickybobby Report post Posted September 16, 2009 Some time back I suggested that people might like to try creating 'online signposts' to their websites to round up a few more visitors. I gave as examples, my own signpost sites and I just thought it was time to let you know how things are going. My takings have increased and my profit has improved as I can now order larger quantities of buckles and leather. Hope this is useful to you - It works for me! Ray Ray, Thanks for the marketing lesson! When you set up these posts is there a fee (like a website) every month? You did not mention that there is. Is there a way to do this for little or no cost? Rick J. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UKRay Report post Posted September 16, 2009 Ray, Thanks for the marketing lesson! When you set up these posts is there a fee (like a website) every month? You did not mention that there is. Is there a way to do this for little or no cost? Rick J. Hi Rick, All my marketing is at 'zero cost' with no monthly fees - I definitely don't have any spare money! LOL To set up the signpost sites simply use a free blog site - I like Google's Blogger - check out www.blogger.com It takes an hour or so until you have the measure of Blogger but having got the idea you can make sites really quickly and best of all, they don't cost a penny. All you need is a few good digital pictures of your stuff. Blogger even re-sizes the images perfectly for you. The real advantage is that Google - arguably the most used search engine on the planet - almost certainly looks internally (in other words at its own free 'web real estate' like Blogger, Google Knols, Google Base etc) before it looks externally at 'paid for' web sites like yours and mine. This means that any signpost sites you set up on their free pages are found first and their links add value to your 'paid for' pages whilst simultaneously creating a huge net to catch passers by. I'm far from being a web guru but I can assure you it works for me. And it is free! Ray P.S. The only other thing you have to do to make this work really well is to visit all kinds of forums where your customers may be lurking (you probably go there anyway) and tell them about your 'useful information' pages. Don't push your business at them, people don't like being sold to. Just tell them where to find the useful information... Add the appropriate signpost page URL to your forum signature too... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UKRay Report post Posted October 20, 2009 October update: A successful month. This month I have seen visitor numbers and sales double. I have edited one of my signpost sites to make it more relevant and added more appropriate content (www.lurchercollar.blogspot.com) and I also spent a bit of time on some related forums and watched my monthly visitor numbers go from 500 to over 1000. Okay, www.barefootleather.co.uk isn't in the big league yet, but it isn't doing badly for a site that only went live a few short months ago. Best of all, the more visitors I get the more revenue the site is generating. This really is a numbers game. Anyone who is thinking about using this method to generate website visitors should understand that signposts are just a part of the package. I'm looking at a new kind of promotional 'tool' this month and will get back to you with the results some time soon. Right now it seems to be working and I'm already getting plenty of interest from it - the trick is to turn interest into sales! I ought to point out that I only put my website addresses here because you might find it interesting to see what I'm up to and so you have something to copy if you so wish - I definitely don't expect to sell leathergoods to you guys! Ray Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daggrim Report post Posted November 2, 2009 So, lemmee see if I get this. First, you create your own blog site(s) thru the Google Blogger. Then, you visit various other Forums, or Blog sites relating to what you want to market. You discuss some, then supply a link to your informational-only blogsite. They go there, and find the info, plus a link to your website. So, are they able to add comments on your blogsite? If so, do they do so? Do you ever get long "threads" going from losta different people? Also, does it appear to the potential customers that you're out laying bait, and how do they respond to that? I don't mean "laying bait" in a critical way, but that's actually what you're doing...right? You're also providing something of value for free...the info on your blogsite. but do they feel like they got tricked? Seems like a relatively easy, benign way to open the door up to more customers. Can you give some examples of where you post your initial discussions wherein you provide the link to your info blog? I'm not picturing where I could do that. Thanks for your typically excellent and helpful post. You're the pathfinder of the group. Doug Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UKRay Report post Posted November 2, 2009 So, lemmee see if I get this. First, you create your own blog site(s) thru the Google Blogger. Then, you visit various other Forums, or Blog sites relating to what you want to market. You discuss some, then supply a link to your informational-only blogsite. They go there, and find the info, plus a link to your website. Yup - that is exactly what I mean! So, are they able to add comments on your blogsite? If so, do they do so? Do you ever get long "threads" going from losta different people? To be honest, Doug, I don't have time to moderate comments on a blog site - and my guess is neither do you! I simply disable the comment facility. No comments and no complaints either. If they want to complain I'm not that hard to find, but I haven't had a single grumble. The value of the information means they are getting something for nothing. Also, does it appear to the potential customers that you're out laying bait, and how do they respond to that? I don't mean "laying bait" in a critical way, but that's actually what you're doing...right? You're also providing something of value for free...the info on your blogsite. but do they feel like they got tricked? Seems like a relatively easy, benign way to open the door up to more customers. I agree again. It is an easy, benign thing to do to 'em and although plenty of people recognise the blogs for what they are, they often link to them because of the value of the information on them. Can you give some examples of where you post your initial discussions wherein you provide the link to your info blog? I'm not picturing where I could do that. A good example would be the 1940s leather blog. I went onto a number of forums and hunted around until I found a question about restoring wartime leathergoods. I then left a perfectly polite answer pointing to the blog as a source of information. - 'light blue touch paper and retire' as it used to say on fireworks. In addition I searched out a range of 1940s re-enactment societies and asked them to mention the blog in their online newsletters. I then contacted a number of shops that specialise in costumes for re-enactors and pointed out my blog to them as a useful resource that their customers might find useful. Several went a lot better than that and put permanent links on their web pages. I'm still getting more than 300 visitors a month to that blog and I haven't touched it in a year. I know many of those people are now dropping onto my pages because they show up in Google Analytics. Which reminds me, if you want to see how successful your blogging is then you need to find a way to track visitor numbers to your website. Google Analytics will tell you which sites your visitors came from (it calls them referring sites). You will be pleased to know that Google Analytics is free too! Thanks for the kind words, Doug, I'm glad the thread is helpful. Get back to me if you have any other questions. I may not know the answers but I can be very convincing... LOL Ray Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daggrim Report post Posted November 2, 2009 Sounds like a lotta bang for the buck...or the pound, or the shilling...or whatever wacky monetary system you use Dag Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UKRay Report post Posted November 3, 2009 Sounds like a lotta bang for the buck...or the pound, or the shilling...or whatever wacky monetary system you use Dag I believe the Royal Mint has discontinued use of the groat these days and shillings are also off the menu but we do still have pounds; at least, other people have pounds, I just have leatherworking machinery! Ray Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Denise Report post Posted November 3, 2009 I just have leatherworking machinery that weigh many pounds... (Isn't the English language, whichever version you speak, wonderfully nonsensical?) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daggrim Report post Posted November 4, 2009 ...and it takes about 500 pounds to rivet one of my helmets. that weigh many pounds... (Isn't the English language, whichever version you speak, wonderfully nonsensical?) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lobo Report post Posted November 11, 2009 I think it was George S. Patton who said that the English and the Americans were one people, separated by a common language! Good post. Excellent content. Thanks. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UKRay Report post Posted December 7, 2009 December update I have just seen visitor numbers to Barefoot Leather creep past the 2000 per month mark for the first time. A huge sense of achievement. I can track the increases and know that a percentage of the new traffic is from the Blogs and Google Knols I set up. I also know that Google is directly referring visitors to me now so all the links I built are earning their keep and building my site's 'importance' with Google. I have a number of links from other websites that direct even more traffic - notably one on the www.lurcherlink.net chat forum - a popular place for UK based lurcher owners. See if you can find it (try refreshing the page to rotate the graphics). The link costs me nothing more than an occasional donation and brings in around 200 potentially dog-collar-hungry visitors each month. I reckon to get between 1% and 2% of my visitors to make a purchase - go figure! Do you know any sites that would carry a link like that to your website? Ray Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UKRay Report post Posted December 15, 2010 A year on and my visitor numbers have now increased to just over 3000 each month and I'm getting around 150 retail sales a month directly from the website. Do the maths, it is definitely a numbers game. The more visitors you get the more sales you make. My goal is to push this to 5000 visitors per month by next December - I wonder how I'll do! LOL Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Luke Hatley Report post Posted December 15, 2010 A year on and my visitor numbers have now increased to just over 3000 each month and I'm getting around 150 retail sales a month directly from the website. Do the maths, it is definitely a numbers game. The more visitors you get the more sales you make. My goal is to push this to 5000 visitors per month by next December - I wonder how I'll do! LOL you'll do well,i'll refere to you as my Rich Cousin.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UKRay Report post Posted December 16, 2010 I can't tell you how happy that would make me, Luke. In fact, I'd cheerfully be anyone's RICH cousin! Sadly, the truth is I spend far too much on leather, tools and old machines so you'll have to wait a while for your plane ticket to the UK. LMAO Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
