SwimClubManager.co.uk Website Critique - Win $100

SwimClubManager.co.uk – Website Critique By Dean Hunt & Barry Dunlop

This is the first of our published website critiques, and as a quick reminder, we believe that there is huge value in getting additional opinions, tips and ideas from the blog readers. So we are happy for people to provide comments, tips and ideas for Ben via the comments box.

In fact, we will give a $100 voucher off a full website critique to the person who gives the best feedback to Ben.

If you would like a site critique for your business, email us at: dean@buzzprofits.com

Note: Ben has since taken action on some of the points we raised, so his site has been improved since we did this critique.

SwimClubManager.co.uk Overview

The site is the first online management system for swimming club owners. We know this because we had to email Ben and ask him, which leads us to our first piece of advice:

If you have a good hook/USP (Unique Selling Point), ensure that it is either:

a) In a visible tagline
b) Clearly stated on the homepage (above the fold)

Ben has done neither, and we feel that conversions and branding will be helped dramatically, if he does this.

So for example, in the main header image, there is clearly space for a tagline.

Perhaps: “ the first online management system for swimming club owners”?

Or, if you want something that could be used in ads:

“Swimming Club Management Made Easy”

Or,

“Swimming Club Management Just Got Mobile”

Or,

“Swimming Club Management, No Software, Zero Hassle”

Is vs Does

Ok, not the greatest sub-heading we ever made, but this is an important point…

Let’s assume a salesman comes knocking on your door:

Salesman: Hi there, I have something to sell to you that can reach really high speeds, will take you from point A to point B, is very efficient, has space for your shopping, and has passed tests to ensure maximum safety for your children.

You: er, what is it?

Salesman: a car

For us, this, albeit an extreme example, is one of the issues with the homepage. It tells you all the features and benefits, without really telling you exactly what it is.

We do feel that a strong tagline can get by this problem, and don’t get us wrong, we are all for listing the features and benefits, but there are swimming club owners out there who don’t even know that such software exists.

Someone once told us “when writing copy, it is best to assume full ignorance”, in other words, assume that the readers are totally new to this.

Dean once wrote a piece on SEO factors, and used terms like “PR5” when explaining PageRank strength. One person then emailed him and asked him for the full URL of this PR (public relations) firm, as they wanted to outsource some press releases etc.

Visually

It came as no surprise to us to learn that Ben owns and runs a web design company at http://www.bpsdesigns.co.uk/

Visually the site is clean, simple and easy on the eye. It is very much a web 2.0 design and has a very modern look to it.

Navigation is simple, and we are pretty sure that this site would pass the 6-year old test.

Note: The “6-year old test” involves showing the site to a child and asking them to do something specific, without giving any assistance.

The Good Stuff

Ok, let’s get down to our favourite area… Marketing.

Assuming that the product itself is of a high standard, it is the marketing that is going to determine the success or failure of this site.

We spoke briefly to Ben about his current traffic generation methods, and he said that currently, he is just posting news items to the site each week.

Now, we appreciate this is a new project, so it would be unfair to expect a lot, but Ben could post news items for the next 100 years, and it would still get little more than a trickle of traffic.

Why?

Because there is no existing readership there to help spread that content.

Barry and I have seen this happen many times with blogs, we create an amazing piece of content, put it on one of our smaller blogs, and nobody reads it.

We create a second piece of content that is nowhere near as good, publish it on one of our popular sites, and it gets on the Digg.com homepage, gets emailed, generates links, comments, gets posted in forums etc.

Popular sites have a huge advantage when it comes to generating traffic. It is the same with money, have you ever heard anyone say: “You need money to make money”?

The same can be true with traffic. The more traffic you have, the easier it is to get more of it.

So how do you get traffic if you have no existing readership?

Thankfully there are a few techniques Ben can use here.

Google Adwords

Using paid advertising on a new, un-proven project can be scary, but if done correctly, it can build a business in warp-speed.

Ben offers two price points:

£449 per year

And

£249 per year

Now, if the product does what it says it can do, there is every chance that Ben will get customers using this system for years, maybe even decades. But for the sake of argument, we will go with a conservative view and assume that each paying customer only stays one year, and the average sale is 350 pounds. (Approx $550).

So this means we have $550 to play with for each paying customer. Obviously, it is vital that we go below that figure (unless you have a killer backend, but that is a whole different ballgame).

As a test, I went to Google and typed “swimming club management software” and there are a lot of people in the paid spots, BUT the vast majority are generic club management tools, NOT swimming club focused.

So if you can create an ad that is laser-targeted to swimming pool owners, and focus on related keywords, I think you will get a good Click Through Rate (CTR), which will in time bring your Cost Per Click (CPC) down dramatically.

The Godfather Lead Magnet

So the goal is simple, try and use Adwords to get a sale for less than $550.

But there are other alternatives.

Firstly, Ben could create a sales page on the site and send the traffic there. After all, Ben actually offers a FREE 30-day trial, yet nowhere, and I mean nowhere on the main page does it mention this.

Note: Ben has since taken action on this

Secondly, he could create a lead magnet.

What is a lead magnet we hear you cry?

Well, it is something designed to attract leads, i.e take readers from just browsers, to potential customers.

The way to do this is to go Godfather on them… i.e “make them an offer they can’t refuse.”

So, how about this… write a 20-page report on tips, secrets and techniques to make running a swimming club effortless?

Then, instead of selling this book, give it away in digital format in exchange for some details about the user.

e.g. Name, email, address, phone, do they own a swimming club? If yes, which one? Etc…

Once you have this information, you can contact them and pitch your product.

What’s more, if they enjoy your book, then they will think, “wow, if his free stuff is this useful, his 449 pound per year option must be amazing.”

You can build instant trust and credibility if your free product is a good one.

Another alternative would be to charge $27 for the book, and use that as a front-end offer, and then sell them the service via email on the back end. After all, it is a lot easier to get $27 from someone that $600+ per year.

Press Release

Another option is the press release. Basically, this involves writing some copy about your product, and then submitting it via a site like Prweb.com to media outlets around the world.

We think this would be a good idea for Ben, but remember, newspapers want news, not product pitches. So it is best to find a story within your product.

Also, as well as doing a global release, you can do a Google search for blogs, forums, ezines etc… that are related to swimming clubs, and submit directly there as well. Perhaps offer to publish one chapter from your 20-page book on related blogs as a guest post.

Content is King

They say that “content is king”, they are wrong!

Creative content is king.

Listen, this website is a professional service, so we understand that it differs from a blog, but there is no reason why you can’t get the best of both worlds.

You could put a blog on a sub domain, or you could start adding creative content to the updates section on the site.

Currently, there is not one link-worthy piece of content in that section, so we would look at creating a blog, and perhaps call it “Confessions Of a Swimming Club Manager”.

Get stories from managers, get them to publish advice, jokes, tips etc… become a haven for quality, creative content that will generate links and publicity.

Buzz Marketing

Ok, here is what you do…

Go get a copy of the Guinness Book of World Records, look for any water-based records, and then go to your local swimming club, tell them that you want to break a record in partnership with them, and then put out an ad or do some research and find someone that may be able to break the record.

The thing is, it doesn’t really matter if the record is broken or not, but the fact that you are attempting it, will attract local and possible national media.

Ideally, the record should be as bizarre as possible.

Another idea would be a 24-hour swimathon for charity.

Social Media

This is a no-brainer. Go to Facebook and create a group for swimming clubs managers, if you can get a few hundred managers in your group, you can promote your service directly there.

Alternatively, check to see if there are already similar groups, and contact the admin of that group and offer say… $100 to him/her in exchange for a promo piece sent to the group members.

This is laser-targeted marketing.

Summary

Ben says that this is the only site of its kind that does it all online, if that is the case, he has a great USP.

We love the look of the site, visually it is exceptional, but from a marketing perspective, there is still a lot to do.

We would signup with Aweber and start building a list of managers ASAP, that should be a priority.

If there is a budget, then test adwords for a couple of months, perhaps also look to JV with related sites, or set-up an affiliate program.

Another route would be direct calling the swimming clubs from the phone directory.

Ben clearly is an excellent developer, and so we have no doubts that the service he offers will be of a high standard, but at the moment, nobody is going to find it, and that is where the time needs to be spent.

Your Comments - Win $100

We welcome your feedback for Ben, and remember, the best feedback in the comments section gets a $100 voucher from us.

So visit SwimClubManager.co.uk and leave your comments below

Dean Hunt & Barry Dunlop

BuzzProfits.com

dean@buzzprofits.com & barry@buzzprofits.com