Analyzing Analytics for Integrative Waves

Integrative Waves has finally established a web presence. Great, terrific, hallelujah, congratulations.....we did it! Being Thanksgiving day and all, we are very thankful for that! But is being thankful enough???

Well, appreciate the gratitude because it is good for our health. But we cannot rest on our laurels because now comes the REAL work to see if that web presence is worth anything to this business. Is it effective in any way to entice customers to learn more about Integrative Waves? Or are we just talking to ourselves?

How to do this? Well, along comes Google Analytics to help make it easier to assess this...

However, first we must determine what the goals are for our online presence. At present it is to build our audience and gain interest for our physical business.

This is a small business with a new web presence. Analytics, like anything else, can get overwhelming if everything is considered all at once. Google Analytics contains a lot of very useful tools but there is a learning curve that needs to be considered.

So Integrative Waves is curbing the enthusiasm and looking at only a few at first.

Which analytics would be the most useful properties to monitor?
We decided on:

• Audience Data and Reporting - this will allow us to discover our audience - from who they are to where they are coming from, whether and how they like the content, and how engaged they are. We need to know whether we are pleasing anyone and what is pleasing them? How did they discover us and do they want to return?
• Flow Visualization - to monitor how visitors moved through the website - which pages did they visit before they left. This will help us refine the pages that are of low interest and improve the content.
• Social Media Reports - Integrative Waves needs to know how social media is affecting our business - do we need to modify some of our goals? We have a social media presence. This data that integrates web and social media will give us a full picture of our content and community
• Traffic Sources - we need to know how are people finding our site. Are they coming through direct referral, organic keyword search or some other way?

The web presence of Integrative Waves is small right now. If we are smart, we will learn to use the many useful tools that Google Analytics offers. This will allow us to grow in the direction that will provide the best service and fulfill the needs and wants of our audience.

One step and one analytical tool at a time.....

The ABCs of Coupons - Attracting Business Coupons

Coupons are an interesting phenomenon for businesses and consumers. How can there be a win-win situation so that both parties are happy at the outcome? There has to be enough perceived value provided for the consumer to want to spend their hard-earned money and support the business. For the business, there must be enough business to be potentially attracted to make the coupon financially feasible.

So does Integrative Waves jump into the world of coupons? The decision was already made not to use a third party coupon service at this time.  However, does this mean no coupons at all? Is a bit of 'couponing' (I think I just created a word!) beneficial to Integrative Waves?

Hmmm.... Well ok, coupons have been decided to be of benefit to Integrative Waves. The next big question is what to offer and why? Who are we targeting and for what goal?

Integrative Waves is a wellness practice - our goal is to help people achieve their full health potential. We utilize the modalities of Vodder lymphatic drainage massage, clinical aromatherapy, and professional skincare therapy to achieve this. So what kind of coupon deal would attract our potential target clientele? Our target clientele are 35-70, interested in integrative therapies, are wine drinkers, gardeners, love to care for their skin and like to cook and eat tasty food. They like to enjoy all aspects of life - they like to have fun.

 What would appeal to these people? What kind of coupons would make them want to come to Integrative Waves? Are they coupon people? Remember, there are some people who would rather 'die' than use a coupon! These people are often not the richest people but they do not believe in discounting their health! Interesting, huh???

Well, to the potential clientele that do believe in saving a bit of money - here is some (hopefully) enticing specials in the form of coupons -

'Buy a series of 5 facials, get the 6th one free! Get 6 months of skin care for 5 months cost - a savings of $110. A half a year's worth of in-clinic skin care therapy for only $550!'

Why would this entice? - You are saving $110 just by prepaying $550 (almost a 17% savings), your skin care for 6 months is already paid for, and you have made an important investment in skin care and overall health. The facials of Integrative Waves are extremely relaxing, skin-rejuvenating, and brain stimulating through education. The facials are extremely 'hands-on'. The powerful effect of touch stimulates endorphin release thus reducing stress. Reducing stress helps reduce inflammation. Inflammation now is being found as being the root cause of many diseases.....and part of the cause of aging. Ahhh, the power of facials......anti-aging and health-inducing :) It definitely makes one want to smile....

'Buy 5 facials, get $100 worth of free products!'

Again, there is a cost benefit of saving $100 (over a 15% savings). The products usually last for at least 6 months so there is also a savings in time. There is also a health benefit - people feel better when their skin is looking healthy - good for mental, physical, and emotional health.

So one gets the drift of 'couponing'. Integrative Waves wants people to have fun and enjoy their skin and health. If coupons will help people to enjoy life a bit more and attain better skin, health, and morale then so be it.....

Will YOU coupon with Integrative Waves??

More Marketing Choices for Integrative Waves

Integrative Waves is enjoying discovering the wonderful worlds of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and email newsletters with Constant Contact. All the while we have been blogging merrily away, finding our voice, socializing on social media. Now it is time to look further afield and consider other online marketing tools.....

We considered quite a few. However, what was interesting is that very quickly there became a realization of what was NOT a consideration for Integrative Waves. Perhaps later but also ........maybe never.

Not considered were the coupon sites such as Groupon and Living Social. This absolute distaste of third party coupon companies dates back to when I started my first esthetics business. I did not have a good experience then so it has tainted my outlook! I think coupons work in my industry when one is trying to fill time slots that are slow - a little money is better than no money is the philosophy, I guess. For me at this time, not a good idea.

 An important thing for a business to always keep in mind is what type of brand image and reputation is the business trying to build and maintain? If you charge one client X amount for a service and another client buys a coupon from a third party site and pays a deeply discounted price (50%+ less) for the same service, what is that really saying about the value of your service? What does it say to your clients that paid the 'real' price?

So no coupon sites for Integrative Waves!

Okay....what are good choices?

LinkedIn - will be very useful for me. Joining relevant groups, providing answers when applicable can develop my reputation and demonstrate my expertise in certain areas.
I have had a LinkedIn account for a while. Now I need to delve into LinkedIn and use it to a fuller extent. I will link Integrative Waves' Twitter account and blog to support this.

Google + - I like the idea of Communities to gain more knowledge. As a sole practitioner, it is very easy to get busy and not keep up with industry advancements. I also like Hangouts where online meetings for clients can be held to discuss interesting topics. This avoids the inconvenience of people having to travel and can demonstrate respect for people's time.
I already have an individual account but need to establish the business side. I have been hesitant to use Google+ since I did not really understand the intricacies. Now it is time to play!

Google Maps - When first considering Google Maps, I was concerned about displaying my address since it is a private residence-based business at present. However, this is rather ironic because Health Grades tagged my address years ago. Another of my professional memberships also has my address Google mapped. So why am I concerned? It will help people find me and allow them to have confidence that Integrative Waves is a real 'bona-fide' business.

Yelp - To tell the truth, I am rather undecided regarding Yelp. Their credibility regarding reviews is an issue for me. However, many consumers look to Yelp for opinions and recommendations  for businesses so Integrative Waves does need to have a presence there. But that presence need to be monitored regularly so that good and bad reviews can be responded to in a timely manner....

All these tools are useful. However, like everything else, they have to be managed well to be truly of benefit to Integrative Waves. Time is a factor - how much can be managed on a regular basis, realistically? Time can help or hurt Integrative Waves. Basic old-fashioned commonsense must prevail here.

Where will Integrative Waves appear next? The saga continues. Stay tuned for the next installment.....

Integrative Waves Chatting and Calling..

Now that Integrative Waves has looked at paid social media ads and decided that it is not the time yet, the next question is how to effectively market on social media without spending money.

Social media interaction is all about producing interesting content that provides some value to the viewer. Businesses can use different media such as video, photos, and text to stimulate interest and engagement and communicate with their audience.

If we engage our audience and they answer our Call to Action, does it not still mean we are getting noticed? It may be a slower way but isn't it more effective in the end? Credibility and trust are not earned overnight....

Proposed Facebook Posts that include a Call to Action:

1) Give a small amount of interesting information to the audience but require that they take some sort of action if they want to read further.

Introducing Integrative Waves blog.
Avoiding Pain at the Dentist "Well I was not planning to have Integrative Waves' first blog being on dentistry and lymphatic drainage....." read more. Please share. (Provide a link to the blog).

2) Ask questions of readers that require action.

'What is your Favorite Essential Oil?' Mine is Lavender. Lavender is known for its calming and healing properties....read more and find your favorite oil - (provide a link to the page on Integrative Waves website that has the information on Lavender and other essential oils).

3) Provide useful links to interesting articles, ask a follow-up question and then the Call to Action 'If you like this, like our page.'

 '6 Unexpected Ways Writing Can Transform Your Health' - (provide a link to this article by Huffington Post and write comment) " I guess it is time to start writing again - stimulate your brain, helps you sleep better, and heal faster. What will YOU write?" "If you like this, like our page."

I am very much a novice at Facebook and it is still very difficult for me to promote my business easily via this platform. I feel that I am still 'learning the ropes." While I am still doing this, I do not want to 'hang myself' by inadvertently doing things that annoy my audience enough that they 'unlike' me and leave.

Integrative Waves Commenting on Social Media Ads by Others

Regarding the social media ads, I commented on:

• Lenah Parente
• Manuel Acero
• Becky Beamer

To Ad or Not to Ad? - That is the Question for Integrative Waves

Integrative Waves is out on the Social Media scene, displaying our content and continuing to chat. Enjoying ourselves a lot! However, there is coming a time when exposure and promotion plans will turn to the thought of paid promotion on the social media sites. This is a bit scary as one wrong move and the very people who you have attracted with interesting content could 'unlike' you and move on.

So should it be considered at all? And if so, how can Integrative Waves achieve a successful campaign? Especially as a start-up with a moderate amount of funds. 

Advertising has to be done subtly on social media sites. There has to be a lot of thought put into the design of the campaign - the goal of the advertising, the available budget, the ad design, and which social media sites to use.

As I was trying to figure out how to do an ad,  I found an interesting article regarding Facebook ads and how the users are finding the ads annoying. Hmmm...
http://www.technologyreview.com/view/519716/facebook-admits-its-ads-are-too-annoying/

If Integrative Waves considers Facebook ads, at first it will be to increase the exposure of the Page. When I designed the ad, it was to increase the 'Likes' for Integrative Waves' page. The potential market included women 35 - 70, living in San Diego, with  interests including aromatherapy, facials, manual lymphatic drainage, wine tasting, and alternative medicine. The budget was $10 a day on CPM (impresssions) for about 2 weeks.The timing would be 'immediately' so I could test it out and see what results were obtained before continuing on. I could not determine exactly how much exposure $10/day would get me - Facebook is rather obscure regarding this - however 2 weeks suited the budget.

Apart from Facebook ad Likes, the other options for Facebook ads are Standard Ads, Page Post ads, Sponsored Stories, and Promoted Posts.

I had difficulty doing this - the 'Ads Manager' button did  not show up on my page, just when I was in my personal page.I  must be a Facebook dunce because when I tried to get a preview of my ad, Facebook wanted me to pay first. Sorry Facebook - not happening! So, apologies, I took a screen shot of my order and what the ad would hopefully look like.

This ad shows my logo which reinforces my brand - and a short sentence "Integrative Waves - a wellness practice where health meets fun, caring and knowledge."

When I tried to do anything else, nothing would show a preview, except like this, without paying.

Paid social media advertising works for many businesses. At this time, however, the universe could be telling Integrative Waves to wait a little longer.....

Newsletters - Who Did Integrative Waves View?

Continuing the newsletter discussion, I commented on the following blogs:

• Sharin Kinsey
• Jessica Ipina
• Nathan Scharff

I also commented on Mella Websters blog on Sunday.

Continuing the Chat - Integrative Waves gets Newsy.

Email newsletters can be helpful to a business but, as always,content rules. Newsletters can contain a lot of information but is it the RIGHT information? Email marketing is a useful tool if done correctly - that is the key. How many times have you been bombarded with frequent emails from a business. They contain nothing but sell, sell, sell - no helpful hints about anything. After a while your patience ends, you finally decide "Enough"! And opt-out! - For the business, a customer lost to the competition.....

So then what does Integrative Waves want to include in its newsletters? In what format? For what purpose? How often?

How often? is a very important question. As with all marketing, there needs to be consistency in what you present to people. When a business decides on a schedule for a newsletter, it must be able to maintain it. A monthly newsletter is most practical for me since I am a sole practitioner. Does this mean that this is the only communication from Integrative Waves for the month? Definitely not! Different social media platforms are also used to showcase the business. I consider it is very important to involve a variety of platforms. This way people do not get overwhelmed with information from one source, get irritated, and seek the dreaded OPT-OUT option!
 If I also used my blog as a newsletter, I could increase the schedule to bi-weekly (or, as we say in Australia, fortnightly).

Integrative Waves is a wellness practice specializing in Vodder manual lymphatic drainage, clinical aromatherapy, and skin care. People who seek my services are looking for information and assistance in these areas.

If this is what my potential audience is seeking, how can I entertain them enough for them to want to act instead of just look? The Call to Action is important but the supporting content has to be interesting enough for them to stay around for this!

Different newsletter topics that Integrative Waves could use -

• Skin care product information - explain how the different products work. 
• Description of different facials - explain what a facial is and does.
• Lymphatic Drainage massage - what is it? How does it work? For what conditions?
• Peels - how do they work? Contraindications and precautions.
• Sun protection - information regarding sunscreens.
• Monthly tip for maintaining good health - such as drinking more water.
• Essential oil of the month - describe the properties of the oil, how to use it and why.

These are only but a few..... But why would these generate interest? Many people want to learn about these different areas so they can understand more and make better educated choices regarding their skin and body.

Some Calls to Action that could accompany the topics -

• Product of the month special.
• Seasonal service special.
• Essential oil of the month special.

So Integrative Waves is ready to make news - will YOU take action?

Categories and Categorizing - Getting Integrative Waves Organized

Integrative Waves is a wellness practice specializing in the therapies of Vodder manual lymphatic drainage, clinical aromatherapy, and skin care. Many different topics for our blog are possible. How do we organize or posts to make it easy for readers to find what they are interested in?? To reach and keep our target audience interested enough that they want to use the services and products that Integrative Waves offer?

This is where categories and sub-categories enter the wonderful world of Integrative Waves! So which categories??

I began with the simplest categories - skin care, lymphatic drainage, and aromatherapy. Wow, lots of different topics would go into these categories - maybe it would become too overwhelming for my audience?

What to do to simplify...? Next, I took those categories and expanded them into sub-categories. Skincare expanded into such areas as facials, skin care products, and skin diagnosis. Lymphatic drainage expanded into treated conditions, explanation of the lymphatic system, and inflammation. Aromatherapy went into areas such as the different essential oils, uses for the oils, and essential oil safety.

What is interesting is that as I contemplated the kinds of categories to use, I discovered more and more topics for my blog.

OK, that is all well and good for more topics but how does all this help Integrative Waves to grow?

These categories helps viewers to quickly access information that they are looking for. It helps them save time. The categories also can show my expertise in different areas, and introduce Integrative Waves in different ways . As they read and learn, they will become more familiar with this business. They will also gain an idea of my personality. Using categories will also help Integrative Waves to stay focused and more easily determine what content people prefer. Preferred content tends to be shared and the business exposed to more people which will help Integrative Waves to grow....

Names of blogs commented on - discussing Personality, Personal, & Personable.

• Nate Scharff
• Manuel Acero
• Mella Webster
• David Harris