Mobile Sites VS. FB Fanpages as a foot in the door or...Help Stop Procrastination!

13 years ago

I did forget one thing in the initial post....how do you see the market stating viable for the little guy offering mobile sites when Network Solutions has banners EVERYWHERE for mobile sites starting at $1.99 per month? It looks like shopping carts, etc. are already fully integrated. How do we compete with that?

Thanks
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philboy uk

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Brian Hewitt

I did forget one thing in the initial post....how do you see the market stating viable for the little guy offering mobile sites when Network Solutions has banners EVERYWHERE for mobile sites starting at $1.99 per month? It looks like shopping carts, etc. are already fully integrated. How do we compete with that?

you are right, $1.99 PCM is the maximum you can charge for a mobile website, all business owners are aware of this - due to network solutions advertising campaign, that is why ALL businesses now have mobile websites. During my hours of research, I have yet to find one business that has not taken up network solutions offer. ( perhaps you could undercut them and do it for $1)

You can get free websites on the internet, all businesses are aware of this, and thats why all website designers work for free, and supplement their income by working at McDonalds.

if people tell you that its about positioning, branding etc, ignore them, its always about offering the cheapest price, unless you can offer the cheapest price, you will not survive.

ps. there are so many threads on this forum about mobile marketing, I am not sure what else you need, or are you hoping that someone will set up your company for you, while you just collect a cheque (check) every month.

Thanks
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Tracy411

13 years ago

Hi Brian,

I see what you are trying to decide. It can be tough deciding, can't it?

As far as the mobile website end of things, from what I have been reading for quite awhile now, while there are businesses that have mobile websites, there are by far many that do not. I know that is true because I do alot of websurfing on my phone and so many sites are obviously not mobile ready. There is definitely a market for mobile websites.

Where the price of mobile sites is concerned, while some business owners might make the mistake of looking at price primarily at first, I think key here would be pointing out that with you, they are hiring a consultant who can help them promote and grow their business, not just buying a one-off mobile website as with some of the 'cheaper' providers. There is no disrespect intended for these providers. They just tend not to be consultants as you are, so there is a component missing that you offer. Now for some owners, having the mobile site w/o a consulting benefit will be fine. So be it. But I would emphasis to prospects that they will be getting a mobile website and also the results/benefits they could have over and above just gaining a mobile website due to your consulting. See what I mean? They really are comparing apples to oranges if they compare your offer with one in which they just get the mobile site. You are not just providing a product, but a product and a service. There is a difference. Also, while some online mobile site providers are cheaper, lots of people would prefer to deal with a local person, especially one they can talk to more easily via phone or in person. The internet is not a comfortaqble place to all business owners, and with all the scams people hear about, they can be hesitant to trust an anonymous online provider. You add a person touch that online providers lack. Again, some will undoubtedly opt for the perhaps cheaper prices of an online provider, but many would prefer a service like yours.

Facebook Fan Pages are also a great service to offer as most people are aware of the power of Facebook, and there is appeal to getting in front of such a large market, advertising-wise.

With mobile sites, you would be selling these to people who already have websites, and of course, do not have a mobile-ready one. To those people, you could use mobile as an entrance point. Now Fan Pages could be marketed to those without a website (though I feel it would be best if they did have one already. Hmm, if you can/want to do websites, there are possibilities there

) or to those with mobile sites already. So you could suit your entry service to the customer. Of course, nothing would keep you from seeing if an owner purchasing a mobile site is interested in a Fan Page, if they like the work you have done for them. Likewise, you could see if someone whose initial order was a Fan Page wanted a mobile site after they saw your work and liked it.

I am by no means a seasoned expert in this arena, so if you want to talk to someone who is, Quentin and Scotth here on WF are selling mobile websites and doing very well with that from what I am reading. You might want to check out their threads and posts. There are some great informative posts there. I am not sure if they are familiar with offering Fan Pages. I would search around WF for Fan Page threads. There are some for sure.

If you are open to paying for WSOs, Maria Gudelis is big into social media marketing. She has some great stuff for low prices. Also, on the free side, you could search the War Room for information. There is so much there.

I hope that this helps in some way. Best of luck with whatever you decide to do, Brian.

Tracy

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Brian Hewitt

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Tracy411

Hi Brian,

I see what you are trying to decide. It can be tough deciding, can't it?

I hope that this helps in some way. Best of luck with whatever you decide to do, Brian.

Tracy

Thanks Tracy, I have been considering a multi-faceted approach depending on initial research and what the client does or does not already have in place. That does not seem to difficult to set up as long as I have plan A/Plan B ready to go and am not merely doing it on the fly.

And yes....it is the deciding that was killing me....just had to get some feedback, as merely reading the other posts on mobile was not stopping the bickering in my head

Regards,

Brian

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Brian Hewitt

13 years ago

Originally Posted by philboy uk

you are right, $1.99 PCM is the maximum you can charge for a mobile website, all business owners are aware of this - due to network solutions advertising campaign, that is why ALL businesses now have mobile websites. During my hours of research, I have yet to find one business that has not taken up network solutions offer. ( perhaps you could undercut them and do it for $1)

You can get free websites on the internet, all businesses are aware of this, and thats why all website designers work for free, and supplement their income by working at McDonalds.

if people tell you that its about positioning, branding etc, ignore them, its always about offering the cheapest price, unless you can offer the cheapest price, you will not survive.

ps. there are so many threads on this forum about mobile marketing, I am not sure what else you need, or are you hoping that someone will set up your company for you, while you just collect a cheque (check) every month.

Thank you for not really addressing the main part of my post with your childish sarcasm, and only focusing on the afterthought. Actually, there was nothing of benefit in your post, but boy did you ever type a lot of nothing. Glad to see you have that much time on your hands...bet it was a rush to get it all out before mommy got home from work and wondered what you were doing on her computer.

Thanks
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philboy uk

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Brian Hewitt

Thank you for not really addressing the main part of my post with your childish sarcasm, and only focusing on the afterthought. Actually, there was nothing of benefit in your post, but boy did you ever type a lot of nothing. Glad to see you have that much time on your hands...bet it was a rush to get it all out before mommy got home from work and wondered what you were doing on her computer.

I do apologise for my sarcastic post, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

By the way, I would really like it if my mum could go to work and use a computer, she has MS.

Thanks
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Brian Hewitt

13 years ago

Originally Posted by philboy uk

I do apologise for my sarcastic post, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

By the way, I would really like it if my mum could go to work and use a computer, she has MS.

Sorry to hear that about your mum. My friend who I went to school with from kindergarten on watched his father battle with MS until last year(we are 36 and 38 yrs) so I know you and your mum are not having an easy time.

NP on waking up on the wrong side of the bed...same myself and would not have reacted like I did if not for a pinched nerve n my back/neck making it feel as if that side of my head and neck were on fire.

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Nail Yener

13 years ago

I did forget one thing in the initial post....how do you see the market stating viable for the little guy offering mobile sites when Network Solutions has banners EVERYWHERE for mobile sites starting at $1.99 per month? It looks like shopping carts, etc. are already fully integrated. How do we compete with that?

Firstly, can you please tell me where you heard that $1.99/mo offer? I checked their site where it says $5.99/mo and it is apparent that it will not be a custom design. This is the exact point where we can compete with them or any other business that ask a monthly fee for a mobile site: Offering a custom mobile site for a one-time fee.

Which is better? Should I stick with FB Fanpages as the initial offer and upsell mobile ready sites, or flip that and offer mobile ready sites with fanpages as they upsell?

I guess you should start with offering FaceBook fan pages first. I never tried that because I have no interest in it but I can tell you that business owners are not much interested in having a mobile site. I have been contacting them for more than a month and from all the responses I got, it is apparent that having a mobile site is no big thing for them as opposed to what we are trying hard to believe. But I believe, they are well aware of the popularity of FaceBook and they might be more interested in that.

Please let us know what you tried and how it worked out. Whatever you decide on, do it fast and take action.

Thanks
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Brian Hewitt

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Nail Yener

Firstly, can you please tell me where you heard that $1.99/mo offer? I checked their site where it says $5.99/mo and it is apparent that it will not be a custom design. This is the exact point where we can compete with them or any other business that ask a monthly fee for a mobile site: Offering a custom mobile site for a one-time fee.

I guess you should start with offering FaceBook fan pages first. I never tried that because I have no interest in it but I can tell you that business owners are not much interested in having a mobile site. I have been contacting them for more than a month and from all the responses I got, it is apparent that having a mobile site is no big thing for them as opposed to what we are trying hard to believe. But I believe, they are well aware of the popularity of FaceBook and they might be more interested in that.

Please let us know what you tried and how it worked out. Whatever you decide on, do it fast and take action.

Hey Nail,

The offer for NS was a banner ad that is being placed on my live(hotmail) email/inbox page. Perhaps this promo is only being tested in the US and not in other countries yet. Honestly, if I wasn't looking into mobile marketing, I never would have noticed it. Now it seems to be there all the time.

As far as the fanpage vs mobile, I did have a person that's pretty well known for mobile type marketing answer this question by saying that they would stick with fanpages as they are very hot right now. I'm not going to name this person because it was a private discussion, but my question was tied to whether or not to buy their product, which was focused on mobile. That spoke volumes, both about their character...because they gave me an answer that meant I might not buy their product, and about which method is the best foot in the door.

Thanks

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MaxReferrals

13 years ago

Stick with the FB Fanpages; as you said, you're familiar with them,
and this will give you more confidence as you package them as a
service you are offering.

Also, in our experience, we've found very few business owners
who truly understand Fan Pages and the power of them.

One thing that works very well, is try to find a major brand in
their space using them (when in doubt, use Walmart's FBFP!).

Show them exactly how they're using Fans and they should immediately
get it.

I like to use a screen shot printed out, so we can use it as a leave-behind
doc with them, after meeting.

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Bennette 13 years ago

Hi Brian,

I would say the key to getting your foot in the door is to start by taking action and not overcomplicate things. Keep it simple and go for it. Either way you decide, Fan Pages or mobile sites you will still have to put 100% effort in.

I would suggest to go with Fan Pages because you're already are familiar with them and you don't have to spend anymore time learning something new.

I do sell a lot of Fan Pages and it is a great door opener.

2 Tips:
1. Don't sell on price sell the value of what a Fan Page can do for a business, like build relationships with their target audience, how owners are leaving money on the table by chasing new business vs. working on making it easy from their existing customers to buy again from them etc.

2. I do a lot of personal 1 on 1 Social Media training because I talk about to them about building relationships and they say what will you charge to give me private session.

Just get started and stop procrastinating.
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Jason Dittberner

13 years ago

Social media is an easy sell because business owners are hyper-sensitive (read: obsessed) with their competition. Therefore, if you are using Facebook fanpages as your "gateway drug" for your services, the strategy is simply to show them what their competitors are doing with Facebook and then how you can help them surpass their competition. In a lot of cases, depending on who you are pitching, not even the competition is doing a lot with Facebook other than to dribble daily status messages. Find 3-5 great pages, in other businesses, and leverage their success and explaining how they can be the leader in their area by using these "case history" strategies.

Everyone knows they want to be on Facebook, and may even have a page, but few businesses have a solid strategy for social. Work that angle (complete strategy) and once you get in and produce results, mobile, SEO, and anything else you want to sell them will be easy.

There's just more room for upselling with Facebook than there is for mobile websites. What happens to the 1% of business owners you pitch that actually have and use Google Analytics...pause for laughter...and see they're not getting much or any mobile traffic?

Go with Facebook. You already know it well.

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MrBusiness

13 years ago

Go with facebook. Theres a different range of audiences, and half a billion people on there

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Quentin

13 years ago

Me I would be offering both as part of my package. A mobile website module and a fanpage module.

As for the network solutions I have not seen the add and when I researched it is through go mobi which is a good service but not a customized one so really not much competition.

They are a great resource to find customer as businesses using hosted services like this is like putting your business on blogger. Easy conversions.

Quentin

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Brian Hewitt

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Quentin

Me I would be offering both as part of my package. A mobile website module and a fanpage module.

As for the network solutions I have not seen the add and when I researched it is through go mobi which is a good service but not a customized one so really not much competition.

They are a great resource to find customer as businesses using hosted services like this is like putting your business on blogger. Easy conversions.

Quentin

Sound advice Quentin. I am going to focus on fanpages initially, with the clients I have already targeted and then, after getting a better grip on it, have a mobile site aspect as well. As WillR mentioned, each one applies to a different sort of business, really. I know there will be lots of fans for a local club or bar, but the local septic service...not so much

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aawarrior

13 years ago

Go Mobile. Facebook is free for all.

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Michael William

13 years ago

I tried Fanpages with dismal results. Maybe I wasn't presenting them right, who knows, but in one day I got 2 of my clients to try my new SMS program. And I wasn't even set up yet. I was still banging my head on my keyboard trying to figure out OpenVBX knowing I had clients wanting me to set them up!

Text marketing is HOT and for offline consultants, I can see this is going to be a major money maker.

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JustMint

13 years ago

Just pick one. Or both. Flip a coin if you have to. Action on either or both will get you everywhere - worrying about which one will not. Both have the potential to set you up well.
Just do it.
Good luck!

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sprks79 13 years ago

I actually use FB more for getting my foot in the door. Yes, it is free, but businesses don't pay for the actual "item" they pay to not have to do it themselves and possibly mess it up. There are tons of mobile people out there that can charge a ton less but have a billion orders. I have tried both. However FB is easier for me, and the potential up sells for managing such a thing is a good value as well.
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PaulKlein

13 years ago

Great info and advice on this thread. Rather than get spread too thin, it's best to do one before the other.
If clients are hesitant on the mobile end, more of them I have found like the customized fan page. Begin there, get your foot in the door, then branch out.

Get a few satisfied customers who can spread the word about you.

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fitz10

13 years ago

Does it really matter? Pick the one that is easiest for you to complete and go take action. There are plenty of businesses interested in both so start off with one and then upsell the other service once you've shown the business you've done an unbelievably good job with the first task.

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ThomScott

13 years ago

Your instinct is right - DON'T overthink. Either way you go - if you just start hammering away at it - will take off!

The key is to have a good, solid upfront offer and know where you want to take them with backend and upsells. So, for FB, you may want to have a back-end of managing a FB promotion for them to get them a bunch of Fans ... or setting up a YouTube channel and combining a YouTube video and FB page management service as an ongoing.

I do a lot with Mobile personally because the mobile website is just the foot in the door to setting up text messaging services and promotions for them - which gives me an ongoing fee for doing 1 simple text promo a week for them, as well as residual commissions from the text service itself.

Hope this helps,
Thom

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godsgood

13 years ago

Originally Posted by ThomScott

Your instinct is right - DON'T overthink. Either way you go - if you just start hammering away at it - will take off!

The key is to have a good, solid upfront offer and know where you want to take them with backend and upsells. So, for FB, you may want to have a back-end of managing a FB promotion for them to get them a bunch of Fans ... or setting up a YouTube channel and combining a YouTube video and FB page management service as an ongoing.

I do a lot with Mobile personally because the mobile website is just the foot in the door to setting up text messaging services and promotions for them - which gives me an ongoing fee for doing 1 simple text promo a week for them, as well as residual commissions from the text service itself.

Hope this helps,
Thom

I had originally decided to get my foot in the door with text messages, then upsell mobile sites, social, etc. Is it easier to get in with mobile sites first? What are the benefits of offering that before the text messaging?

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sbucciarel

Banned 13 years ago

I've noticed that a lot of sites do not have a mobile version. Why does it have to be either/or? Offer a mobile website/Facebook package.

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Mobile Sites VS. FB Fanpages as a foot in the door or...Help Stop Procrastination!

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