Netconcepts

Web Site Design Spotlight: Live, On-the-spot Critique of Retailers’ Sites

Stephan Spencer — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:15:35 +0000

A team of long time e-commerce experts will provide live reviews and makeovers for sites from the audience members. Retailers in the audience will be asked to bring search marketing, user experience, e-commerce strategy and other design questions to this session where experts will view the sites in question and provide answers to fix what ails their web sites. Audience members who volunteer their sites for critique will receive a $25 Starbucks gift card.

Panelists:
Lauren Freedman, President, the e-tailing group
Stephan Spencer, President, Netconcepts
Amy Africa, President, Eight by Eight

Internet Marketing workshop

Stephan Spencer — Tue, 07 Oct 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Join us for a hands-on, one-day workshop on Internet marketing tactics, including search engine optimisation, copywriting, conversion, and web project management. Each module will be jammed packed with practical advice, online resources, tools, tips, case studies - including the “inside scoop” on what worked and what didn’t - and interactive critiques of attendees’ websites and online marketing efforts. With a live Internet connection, we will examine in-depth:

Search engine optimisation
You want to get to the top of the search engines? Ah… but which search engines should you target? What keywords are your prospects searching for? And how do you get your site to the top for those keywords and then stay there?

Learn the tactics that will make your site ’scream’ in the search engines - ethically and sustainably - without costing you a fortune ongoing.

Hands-on keyword research
Fine tuning your content, HTML, design, and site architecture for optimal rankings
Workarounds for poor search engine practices (such as frames, question marks in URLs, Flash, pop-up windows, links that say “click here,” page titles like “Welcome to ABC.com”, pull-down navigation menus)
Making your e-commerce or database-driven site “search engine friendly”
Building links (directories, niche sites, etc.)
Google’s secrets revealed (PageRank, hyperlink text, etc.)
Pay-per-click search engines (Overture, etc.)
Benchmarking & competitive intelligence
Measuring the return on your search engine marketing investment

Improving conversion rate
So you’ve got visitors on your website, but will they “convert” to customers? Improving conversion on your site is an art and a science that involves a mix of clever copywriting, compelling offers, a follow-up strategy, meaningful metrics for measuring success, and more.

Developing a unique voice / personality
Active vs. passive tense
Verbs vs. adjectives
“You” vs. “we”
Toning down the marketingspeak
Fine tuning your offer
The call-to-action
Segmenting
Personalizing the content and the message
Marketing metrics: cost per click, cost per conversion, customer lifetime value, churn rate, etc.
“Blogging”

Working with your web developer
What are the ingredients for sucess when launching a redesign or a new site? What processes are helpful in keeping the project and the vendor on track? What are reasonable expectations of the client and the vendor? What goes into (and what doesn’t go into) an effective brief or specification? How do you manage the legal risk?

Writing a strategic brief, creative brief, functional spec, content plan, etc.
Budgeting and resource allocation
Vendor selection
The art and science of estimating time and costs
The web development process
Change management
The project extranet
Web development contracts
Liability and disclaimers
Ownership of source code
Terms & Conditions for your website users

We guarantee that after this intensive workshop you’ll walk away with loads of practical, actionable tactics and tips. So what are you waiting for? Register today.

BIOGRAPHY
Stephan Spencer, M.Sc., is the founder and president of Netconcepts, a full-service interactive agency with specialization in search engine optimisation, e-commerce, email marketing, and Web site auditing. They count amongst their U.S. clients: Birds Eye, Wella, Midwest Express Airlines, InfoSpace, Homestead.com, The Sharper Image, Cabela’s, and MP3.com; local clients include Westpac (NZ), The Fletcher Trust, nzgirl, SmokeCDs.com, TrustPower, and Business in the Community.

Stephan is a columnist for Unlimited. He has also written for Marketing Magazine, Management Magazine, Catalog Age, and Building Online Business. He has been featured on the cover of In Business magazine in the U.S. Stephan is a frequent speaker at Internet conferences around the globe - Berlin, London, Toronto, Santiago, Boston, New York, Chicago, San Francisco. He currently serves as a director of Sales & Marketing Executives International.

Internet Marketing workshop

Stephan Spencer — Mon, 16 Jun 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Presented by Stephan Spencer, Managing Director of Netconcepts:

Search engine optimization
You want to get to the top of the search engines? Ah… but which search engines should you target? What keywords are your prospects searching for? And how do you actually get your site to the top for those keywords and then to stay there? Learn the tactics that will make your site ’scream’ in the search engines - ethically and sustainably - without costing you a fortune ongoing.
Improving conversion rate
So you’ve got visitors to your site, but will they purchase? Improving conversion on your site is an art and a science that involves a mix of clever copywriting, compelling offers, a follow-up strategy, meaningful metrics for measuring success, and more.
Email marketing
Email can get you in front of your customers and prospects without relying on them to remember to come back and visit your site. But pitfalls abound. Get it wrong just once and you’ll significantly trim your list and burn your relationships. Learn what it takes to make great campaigns and newsletters, get the permission you need from your intended audience, and then test your assumptions scientifically.
Working with your web developer
What are the ingredients for sucess when launching a redesign or a new site? What processes are helpful in keeping the project and the vendor on track? What are reasonable expectations of the client and the vendor? What goes into (and what doesn’t go into) an effective brief or specification? How do you manage the legal risk?

Presented by Kelly Goto, Principal, gotomedia, Inc.:

Usability
Information design
Workflow
Metrics for ROI from a user experience perspective

Evolution of Web Site Strategy

Stephan Spencer — Wed, 26 Jul 2000 00:00:00 +0000

Let’s face it, there is no need for eBusiness unless you have created a web site strategy. And creating it right is the key. This session will give you a step-by-step guide in order to make your strategy a success! After attending this presentation, you will know how to:

Create a site that is easy to navigate and compelling to the customer
Market through direct email response
Acquire the proper lists of names
Put together a permission based email marketing plan
Survey users to see what’s right and what’s wrong with your site
Increase response rates
Decide what kind of manpower you need to create a full time website
24 hour, 7 days a week work force vs. outsourcing

How To Audit Your Beauty Site For Maximum Online Effectiveness

Stephan Spencer — Wed, 19 Jul 2000 00:00:00 +0000

Are you absolutely sure that your web site is running at peak efficiency, dazzling customers, coming up high in search engines, generating an adequate ROI, and not leaving you exposed to unnecessary litigation?

Step-by-step, you’ll learn what areas to audit in your Internet presence, including: legal and procedural, public relations, financial, performance and reliability, customer service, Internet marketing task force, technical, user experience, accessibility, content, community, “findability”, e-commerce, privacy, and last but not least, security.

This interactive workshop will give you hands-on experience with:

Where and how to begin the evaluation process
What to audit and how often
Tools and resources to use in auditing
Benefits of auditing, risks of not auditing
Turning measurements and recommendations into an Implementation Plan
Applying all these tools and principles to your specific needs.

How And Why To Audit Your Web Site (post-conference workshop)

Stephan Spencer — Wed, 30 Jun 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Are you absolutely sure that your Web site is running at peak efficiency, dazzling customers, coming up high in search engines, generating an adequate ROI, and not leaving you exposed to unnecessary litigation? Step-by-step, you’ll learn what areas to audit in your Internet presence, including: legal & procedural, public relations, financial, performance & reliability, customer service, Internet marketing task force, technical, user experience, accessibility, content, community, “findability”, e-commerce, privacy, security, and last but not least Y2K.

This interactive workshop will give you hands-on experience on:

Where and how to begin the evaluation process
What to audit and how often
Tools and resources to use in auditing
Benefits of auditing, risks of not auditing
Turning measurements and recommendations into an Implementation Plan
Applying all these tools and principles to your specific needs