Technical Tidbits™

Yesterday, I was downloading and reviewing my clients Google Analytics reports because I always like to see where I might be able to help them improve traffic.  I always leave my site reports for last.

When I opened the report for my personal/professional website – DebbieMahler.com – I was a bit startled to see the following search term that led someone to my web page!

(Click the image to see the full size)

I was a little taken aback when I saw that! It’s like reading your Obituary when no one told you were dead yet!

I immediately proceeded down to my roomies office in the lower level and said to him, “I’m a bit creeped out!”  Of course, he wanted to know why.

“I was just looking over my own Google Analytics report for Debbie Mahler. com and someone got to my site by searching for the terms: ‘radio show host woman death debbie’.” I replied.

My roommate started laughing and said, “Now there’s someone who knows you and knows how to use a search engine!”  I was stumped by what he meant. After all, I had myself dead!

As he went on to explain his reasoning for the results, it became clearer! And he was right! Not only did the person know enough about me, they also knew how to use the search engine to find me!

As you all know, I host a radio show – Technical Tidbits™ on Blogtalk Radio – and my name is Debbie. The key to what makes this search relevant specifically to me was the “death” search term!

What more and more people are finding out about me through listening to the radio show, connecting with me on the other social networks, or reading my metaphysical blog, is that I had a Near Death Experience (NDE) many, many years ago.

So, the person who actually did the search knew this about me and that’s where the “death” search term came into play.  And yes, this person does know how to use a search engine!

But there is also something telling in this search.  The person didn’t know my last name (Mahler) or didn’t know how to spell it?  And, they most certainly didn’t know my company because if they did, they might have entered MICE as a term.  And, they also didn’t know the name of my radio show because they didn’t use the search term ‘Technical Tidbits’ to narrow their search results.

Now, what does this rumor of my death search have to teach us? I’m not marketing my company nor my radio show properly! Otherwise, the person might have refined their search even more had they known more about me, my company, and my radio show.  So, I can guess from this search that the person is one of my social networking followers or a student from my Introduction to PC Security> course, or the Advanced PC Security course with Ed2go.

Why do I arrive at that conclusion?

1. I rarely, if ever, do self-promotion on my social networks – with the exception of the radio show.
2. I am restricted by contract from pointing my students to my personal or business website with Ed2go.

So, the take-away point of this post is that when you are reviewing your Google Analytics reports, look at more than just the basic information that it provides.

We all have a tendency to look at how many new and repeat visitors we have, what browser they’re using, where they came from, and the time they spend on the site.  What you might be missing – as I have until this search popped up in my report – is that the actual search terms may be telling a different story unrelated to SEO; as with my death!

The rumors of my death may be greatly exaggerated, but failure to get the word out about my business and my radio show could accelerate my professional demise much more quickly!

Now, go back and look over your own analytics report too!

I don’t have an iPhone purposely because of the carrier – All Talk & Talk (AT&T).  I refuse to ever have service with them again – even if they were the last known carrier on the planet! I’d do without!

AT&T (formerly SBC – known around our home as Sonofa Bitching Company) is notorious for hidden fees and overcharging.  So you can imagine my interest in the article I read article on FierceBroadbandWireless that stated AT&T was overhauling its plans.

According to the article, AT&T claims that 98% of the smartphone customers use less than 2 GB of data a month on average, while 65% use less than 200 MB per month on average.

The new pricing plans, which go into effect June 7–the same day Apple is expected to make its debut of the new iPhone OS 4–give subscribers an option to purchase 200 MB of data for $15 per month or 2 GB of data for $25 instead of requiring one unlimited $30 plan per month.  AT&T said that currently 98 percent  of its smartphone customers use less than 2 GB of data a month on average, while 65 percent of customers use less than 200 MB per month on average.

But there’s a little clue as to what’s happening with this later in the article.

AT&T delayed tethering – the ability to share web connection – because the function threatened to exponentially increase traffic!  So, if traffic is increased by tethering, than wouldn’t data use increase?

Tethering for the iPhone will be available when Apple releases iPhone OS 4, the company said. Tethering, which enables users to share their device’s web connection with a laptop via a Bluetooth or USB connection, is already enabled in overseas markets. AT&T had delayed the capability indefinitely because the function threatened to exponentially increase traffic on the network. (Emphasis added by me!)

So, as usual AT&T is not doing you a favor Apple device users!

You know how I love doing my predictions? In July or August, there’s going to be nothing but articles, tweets, and Facebook posts about Apple users crying over their bills! Why? Because AT&T knows you are going to use the tethering and you are going to go over your usage so they can charge you more!

Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Read more: AT&T overhauls smartphone data plans, brings iPhone tethering to market – FierceBroadbandWireless http://www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com/story/t-overhauls-smartphone-data-plans-brings-iphone-tethering-market/2010-06-02#ixzz0pphtjAJA

This is a bit off the normal subject matter I usually post but one that I feel needs to be recognized.

We’ve all heard the marketing phrase, “Perception is everything!“  I’ve never had that hit home more so than recently when I was on an on-site tech call with one of my clients.

As a tech, there are times when I have to wait for installations, or updates to finish. That often gives me time to talk to the client, find out what’s going on in their business, and see where I might be of further service.

This particular client has a cake decorating business.  And as I was waiting for an update to finish, the client began to tell me the story of a problem customer she encountered recently.

A woman came into her retail location and ordered a single layer sheet cake and other items for a family party.  My client gave her an estimate of what the cake and other items would be. Several days later, the woman called and changed the cake order from a single sheet cake to a layered sheet cake with filing in the middle and a slight change to the decorating on the top.  She also added more “items” to her order.

When it came time to pick up the cake and her other items, the woman complained because the cost was higher than the estimate. My client promptly explained that not only had she changed the original cake order from a single layer to a filled cake and changed the decorating significantly, but she had added additional items to her order which also increased the cost. There was also the additional cost of sales tax on the final order.

A small disagreement ensued while the woman tried to argue that the estimate included tax and other reasons why she felt she was correct in her assumption that the estimate should have been the final cost.  Long story made short, the woman gave my client a check for the difference.

A few days after this incident, the customers daughter called and said she would come in and replace the check with cash since her mother ordered it on her behalf.  A discussion continued between my client and the daughter about the events leading up to the order and why there was an additional charge.

The daughter proceeded to tell my client that the reason she had her mother order from my client in the first place was because she knew she could get a “good, cheap cake!” Realizing what she said, she promptly changed her wording but it was too late.  My client got the message loud and clear!

My client had started out in this business pricing her cakes in the range of a local major grocery chain in the area. Her feelings were that if customers were given a choice between the grocery chain and her cakes at the same price, they’d soon find that her cakes were far better – although they were priced similarly.  A lot can be said for that logic.

However, the statement that the customers daughter voiced spoke volumes about perceived value in the eyes of the consumer.

Yes, my clients cakes were good and better than the grocery chains.  But her price didn’t speak, “bakery quality” either.

One of the problems we all have in our businesses – whether it’s cakes or technology, coaching or business services – is perceived value for what we are selling.  Pricing yourself too high, can limit your market, but pricing too low puts you into the “good but cheap” category, as my client discovered.

Another problem with pricing yourself into the “good but cheap” category is you attract customers much like this woman and her daughter who expect to get a lot for a little.  Cheap pricing attracts customers who are cheap and they have a different mindset than customers who know the value of what you are offering.

Jennifer Gniadecki of Marketing Curve said it well in one of our previous BlogTalk Radio shows when she spoke about her affordable pricing policy.  To paraphrase, she stated that she knows the value of her time and what it costs her to produce the service they offer.

Being affordable is not being cheap. It’s all about knowing and understanding your market and pricing yourself within the parameters of that market without selling yourself short.

If you are in the market to buy a cake, you know that there is a distinct difference between the one you buy at the major grocery chain bakery  and one you buy in a real bakery. But if the bakery is charging the same as the grocer, what kind of cake are you going to expect? The same as being offered at the grocery chain!

While my clients marketing intentions were good, the “perceived value” of what she was offering was sending a mixed signal.

Are you sending mixed signals to your customers too?