Lord Matt (Info)

Taking Thanet Beyond Web Design

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:08:50 +0100

While doing research on Thanet Based Web Design and SEO I started to see a dire pattern emerge. Too many cowboys too few good services. It seemed to me that the pages coming up for the search Web Design Thanet were way below par. ("web design thanet" for the full story).

The reason was in every case almost exactly the same. A lack of understanding of the 5 main aims of a business website.

This is why my approach is different. The first question is not about the number of pages or the type of media being asked for but the nature of the customer and the product with which you wish to reach them. No mater how cinematic your imagined media might be the first requirement is the visitor becoming a customer.

I do take the time to go through your business needs and your target audiences needs. I look at what you hope to get out of having a website and if you are not clear on this I help you to define what value for money actually means. When someone from Thanet requests Adullam Limited to service their website and web design needs they get a business tool that means something and not a fancy page that does nothing.

As a result I charge a lot more than the cowboys because I know what I am doing and I can give you the results you need. I make no appology for my fees. They represent the quality you are investing in.

I charge a minimum of �500 for every job and would expect to bill you for over �1,000 for more than a simple project. For your money you will get:

A way to increase sales and leads
A sound method to increase brand awareness in an ongoing way
Protection against negative publicity
Improvements to business to customer and customer to business communications
SEO advice, guidance and implementation you can trust
Access to valuable market research
Cost effective and targeted publicity
Access to copy writing services that produce content worthy of your business
Access to training seminars for staff training
Assistance selecting a domain name that actually serves your needs
Full control of your own content
...and everything else that comes with a full, business ready, service

If your "web designer" is not offering you all of these things then you need to ask yourself why. These are the basic points of service that any compitant business needs to requrie of any compliant "web designer".

The reason why so many "web designers" can not offer you these things is that they are only designers and your business needs a web media expert that can bring together not only design but engineering, presentation, security, analysis, legal compliance, marketing and sales into a simple easy to use package that services your business specifically.

You wouldn't let your sign writer plan your marketing campaign so don't leave the designer to do the analyists job. Sure the project might cost a little less but it may wll be worthless, non functional or even damaging.

The five specific aims of a business website

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:45:30 +0100

There are five specific aims of a business website. If your business website is not fullfilling at least one of these aims it is wasting your time and money.

I work closely with my clients to ensure that their website is focused on achieving some or all of these aims and so acting as a usefull business tool.

Improve the reputation of the organisation
Increase the number of sales or leads
Increase Brand Awareness
Improve business to customer communications
Learn from the market

If you are not certain that your business website is meeting these goals then contact me right now and stop throwing your money away.

Matt: Business Technology & Communications Consultant

Thu, 28 May 2009 08:04:01 +0100

One of the services that I offer to companies is to show them how they can both accommodate a greater slice of the market and save money doing so.

Take for example the area of sharing documents. Most companies that I encounter fall into two groups - those blindly trying to use whatever the IT salesman gave them and those with a market needs awareness.

The vast majority fall into the first group. Most are using Microsoft Windows on the IBM compatible PC and Microsoft Office with Microsoft Word. Microsoft Office 2007 Professional ships at around �320 (including VAT) per seat (basically per computer). If you have ten PCs that is going to cost you �3,200 on top of the cost of the PCs and the 10 Windows licenses.

What you get for your money is software that is the same on each of your PCs and that can read and write files that a lot of other companies and clients can also read and write. This is a De Facto standard and it is more than likely costing you time, money and new business.

The reason for the hidden cost is a mater of bandwidth. You can easily address all the other Microsoft Word users because you have this expensive software in common. However this is at the expense of being able to communicate effectively with a growing slice of the market.

Those people that Use Apple, Linux, BSD or something esoteric may not be able to communicate so efficiently with you.

The reason for this is software patents and shared standards. You have access to the former but not always the later.

Microsoft are very proud of their file formats and software. They should be they spent a lot of money developing them. The problem is that they would like not to share the right to use the format with others.

Also for reasons that no one fully understands they do not wish to include that many outside formats into their software. So while users of more universally agreed standards are for the main part able to deal with your files with a little extra effort you are unable to read theirs.

At first this seems like a problem that belongs to them rather than you.

However not being compatible with clients and partners is expensive and short sighted. It sends a weak message about your understanding of the technology and your willingness to communicate effectively.

So while innovations written down using the software that the largest group within the market have chosen can be shared inside and outside of that group innovations outside of the group are not easily passed inside of it.

So as well as making things difficult for one or two potential clients you miss out on what the entire market is doing.

It's not just Microsoft products that are an issue - they are simple an example of the underlying issues you face.

Take for example PDFs. Creating a good PDF with active hyperlinks requires additional software that you may well have to pay for. That's more hard disk space, more licenses to track and more installations to have the IT crew carry out for you. Then it's one more software package to train all your staff to use.

There is no denying that PDF is very useful. It is not gong to be edited and almost everyone can read it (or get a free reader from Adobe). It is perfect for things like user manuals, ebooks and final drafts to be sent to the printers.

A big secret that I will share with you today is one that I also share with clients.

You can access this increased bandwidth of companies and clients with whom you can communicate and save money doing so!

The product that I will always recommend to any SME is called Open Office. Open Office does everything that Microsoft Office does, it can be installed on the same PC as Microsoft Office and it is just as easy to use. However it can also read more file formats including the Open Document Specifications, it is free to use if your download it from OpenOffice.org yourself and it can export to PDF without additional software.

When an SME is specifying for new computer equipment and they call me in to oversee this I can offer them options that will save a lot of money at the offset while actually giving them more power to do what they do.

Open Office, to continue with our example, is able to "Save As" almost all Microsoft Word formats and is able to open them without effort. So you can continue to use any older files without needing to convert or do anything else. You are also free from costly upgrades every few years.

Of course there is a lot more to effective communication with clients than just being able to accommodate their choice of file format. That's why I am available as a consultant in person within the Thanet and surrounding parts of Kent as well as by Internet anywhere in the world.

Thanet's Leading Social Media Consultant

Tue, 5 May 2009 16:23:27 +0100

One of the things that I have the good fortune to do in Thanet is offer consultancy on the subject of social media. The lack of understanding of social media in Thanet is something that I feel is a great shame.

With just a little effort a business of any size could easily

Raise it's public profile
Gain cost effective and targeted publicity
Protect against negative publicity
Increase Sales
Access valuable market research

This is so long as the web presence is focused on the The Five Specific Website Goals.

Too often businesses fail to make headway online because they do not know what these five goals are. It stands to reason that if you don't know why you are doing something then you will fail most of the time.

As a cost effective consultant I can quickly help you create a check list that will help you focus your online efforts towards these goals and thus help you earn more and stay two steps ahead of the competition.

I know for a fact that with good leverage of the Internet a small business can out perform a big one. What we call Social Media is a big part of this and it is easy to spend a lot of money (as Kent TV have) and get nothing.

On the other hand a modest expenditure can bring huge benefits but only if it is directed wisely. Part of this wisdom with Social (or new) Media is that one must use established best practice and technology as a starting off point. So much of this technology is free or low cost that to do things any other way is to spend money without good reason.

I have seen a nobody become the unquestioned ruler of a market sector using Social Media. While this is not going to happen for everyone ther is no reason why this same power can not boast your business.

Take as an example Mr Gary Vaynerchuk. He owned a wine shop in Springfield, New Jersey (USA) called Wine Library and very few people know anything about him or the shop. Gary created a daily webcast on the subject of wine and gained international fame for his work.

In March 2009, Vaynerchuk signed a 10-book deal with HarperStudio for over $1,000,000 and will release the first book, "Crush It! Turn Your Passion into Profits in a Digital World," in September 2009. His viewership figures for WLTV are around 90,000 viewers per episode. Rob Newsom, a Washington State wine maker says of Gary: ...outside of Robert Parker, probably the most influential wine critic in the United States.

While Gary's style and character might be well suited to superstar status there is no reason why a person such as yourself need not also get a slice of that action. Social Media is open to all and the prizes are available on a first come first served basis.

If you want to see you company tap into this effective source of growth and publicity contact Matt today.

Matthew Brown, Public Speaker

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 22:42:28 +0000

Matthew Brown, better known online as Matt B or by the jokey usergroup handle of Lord Matt is available to speak on a number of topics. Matt has a rich life history encompassing an unusual set of skills and passions and it is this from which he draws to present lively and often in depth presentations.

Expert Topics

These topics centre around a set of themes with which Matt could be said to have a significant degree of experiential expertise. The presentation of these topics can be modified to fit both the audiences probable depth of understanding of the topic and the time constraints of the presentation.

All of Matt's expert topic talks can be enhanced where facilities to connect a laptop to a projector exist. Matt has a wealth of video, still and audio illustrations and demonstrations that he can use to more directly bring home some otherwise abstract points. While the absence of such a facility will in no way reduce the quality of the talk given by Matt where available such facilities can enrich the audience experience greatly.

Such topics can, on request, be tailored to suit a quick topical introduction right up to half day and full day workshops, seminars, keynotes or staff training sessions.

Expert Topic List

The power of new media This talk covers the rise of blogging, microblogging (such as twitter) podcasting, video blogging (such as youtube) and social media (such as myspace or facebook). The impact this has had both on business, private communications and on politics is still being fully realised.

Social media and the job hunter This talk centres on those looking for work and the impact their activities such on sites like myspace, facebook, bebo, youtube, twitter and the like can have both negatively and positivly on job prospects. This talk is ideally suited to job clubs and back to work training but can as readily be tailored for management and recruitment.

Easy Online Reputation Protection and Enhancement: How the small business can overtake the big online. The Internet creates an unlevel playing field that favours the smaller more agile business. This talk can be tailored towards SMEs and how they can benefit from this new paradigm or up-scaled to suit a more corportate audience and focus on how the bigger business can compete more effectively.

What is a website and why should my business want one? This talk looks at the misconceptions surrounding websites and "web design" and how the average SME, non profit or corporate behemoth is often left with nothing but smoke and mirrors by craft snake oil salesman. This talk aims to enlighten business owners and group organisers as to what a website is, can do and should be as well as what it most definitely is not. There is a companion ebook to this talk being prepared.

Blogging - is it for me? This talk centres on the topic of "being a blogger" (one who owns and maintains a blog) and what you might get out of it as well as what you might expect to have to put into it too. This talk will be tailored to the audience.

General Topics

Matt is also available as an after dinner speaker and will happily provide for you on a much wider range of topics to suit your groups tastes.

Talks available now

The history of the desktop PC
Ecovillages and permaculture
The effects of poverty [1]
fighting poverty [1]
Youthwork - you're doing it wrong [1]
Reflections from Christian Theology [2]
Why your outreach program has so little impact in marginalised society

1. These talks are most often (and optionally) presented with in tandem with Matt's sister, a youth-worker from Kent.
2. Suitable for sermons, church groups and other Christian oriented events - Matt has a habit of asking the audience challenging questions with his talk with the specific aim of getting people to think about things in new ways.

Talks available soon

These are talks that Matt has planned but would like a few audiences to experiment on first. This might be because he is unsure how the material will work or just as likely how well he might work with the material. No guarantee is offered with these topics as to suitability, length or anything else.

Observations on real life (a fairly light hearted look at shopping, technology and family life)
Write a novel in just a month
Life on a very tight budget
... more to be announced soon.

Hire Matt for a Speaking Engagement

(Or Training seminar for that mater)

The best way to get Matt to come and speak at your venue, during your conference or on your Radio Show is to simply ask him. You'll be amazed at how many times he says "Yes, Okay then."

To ask Matt to come and speak somewhere just Use This Form and say "Matt, I'd like you to come and speak" (or words to that effect).

Lord Matt Credit Crunch Expert

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:13:55 +0000

Matt writes about a number of topics including issues surrounding economic living and specifically about the latest credit crunch and potential recession. Matt does this in coordination with a number of other writers to ensure a good spread of issue coverage and points of view. Matt provides all of the hosting and technical support for the project too.

The blog is called Credit Crunchies and provides a way for writers to enjoy running their own adverts against their own content.

How to join the Credit Crunchies group blog.

Matt Brown - Thanet's Go To Guy for Organic SEO

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 14:29:07 +0100

Organic SEO (or as it is better known - Content Marketing) is a way of increasing the exposure of your brand and sales message in the online environment.

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation and 90% of articles published on the subject are a pile of rubbish. In Thanet as well as the rest of in Kent (and indeed the world) there are plenty of "Snake Oil Salesmen" who will offer to give you enhanced search engine rankings, increased traffic or some guaranteed placement in Google and Yahoo. They charge a lot of money and try to blind you with impressive jargon.

What they don't tell you is that they get their results through attempting to fool the search engines or by sending worthless traffic that fails to convert. Some are even part of organised crime syndicates using virus infected computers to sent out large amounts of spam to email in-boxes, forums and blogs.

By the time these dirty tricks cause your site to be black listed with all search engines of any note (and they will - you can be sure of that) these so called SEO "experts" will be gone and your money, site and reputation with them.

No one needs that and least of all you.

How Organic SEO Works

What Matt does is totally different. Matt does not make promises that can not be kept and he does not use dirty tricks to obtain unearned advantages it he short term. He also does not over charge like some experts.

Matt and his team will, instead, work with you to create a site that people will want to come to and will be able to find. The ability for your site to be found based on the merits of it's content rather than tricks is known as Organic SEO and making sales from this process is most often called Content Marketing but the names do not mater so much as the lasting results.

By applying knowledge of online market research and an understanding of web user needs Matt and his team can work with you and your staff to produce an unstoppable juggernaut of sales potential.

What Matt does is not trick or fool search engines (sometimes called "black hat SEO") but they help you to remove those things that stop your site and your business achieving it's potential. Organic SEO can be summarised as the process of showing your site for what it really is and not hiding it in weak design or presentation.

Then Matt will help you to increase your potential. A lot.

This is what will be done, as required

Identify which of the five specific goals of a business website that apply to you and your site. This is vital as it informs all other actions you will require for your site.
Add value to your site to make it worth visiting. No one will visit your site if it is uninteresting and does not meet the current needs or objectives of the user. Aligning your site with the needs of potential customers makes your site worth going to.
Remove barriers to sales - help you to identify and reduce the effect of any barriers that stand between the visitor arriving and the visitor making a purchase. Once they are are on site a potential customer might leave at any moment, get distracted or even give up in confusion. Better sales result from making the transition from product selection to payment as smooth as possible.
Elimination of poor mark up and design that is both illegal in the UK and the cause of poor performance in search engine listings. Many "web designers" are able to produce pretty pages that are inaccessible for those with disabilities and a complete mystery to search engines. Correcting this increases the effectiveness of a site.
The further simplification of the mechanics of the design (removing unnecessary or slow elements and replacing them with slimmer more effective alternatives) make it clear to search engines what you are trying to say - this allows them to judge your content more readily and therefore rank it to it's fullest natural value. No tricks just honesty and accessibility.
The creation of site content that satisfies a users initial needs - this converts casual visitors into fans and fans (as Apple have shown the world) will carry your message where you can not go.
Empower you and your staff (as you direct) to take ownership of your own content and control it without the hassle of needing to wait for a "webmaster" who never answers his (or her) phone. Your business becomes the master of your site.
Access to staff training and other resources to give your business an unrivaled edge. This enables you to understand the what and how of how to keep your site consistently performing for you but without the expense of retaining a consultant. The truth is that with a little assistance anyone can take their online market by storm.
Increase in natural exposure of brand and message through well established channels of communication. The sad truth is that even the best sites do not sell themselves and so you must draw people to it in much the same way you would draw people to your physical premises. also like any regular shop it is the quality of the sales person that makes the biggest difference - your site is both the store and the salesman so it's important to get it right first.

Do you need Organic SEO?

Has your company spent a lot of money on a website but failed to earn that money back inside a year? Then you need to apply the principles of Organic SEO

Do your competitors already get leads through their website that you don't? Then you need to apply Organic SEO right now.

Is the Internet a mystery to your company and websites pure voodoo? Is marketing something you struggle to keep effective? What's missing is a dynamic and effective website that can take advantage of a market area your competitors are failing to capitalise on (or worse yet are leaving you behind in). Contact me - right now before you loose any more business.

The Internet is not a complex thing. Once the rubbish that people preach is cut aside it is a market area just like radio, TV or print but it has the added advantage of being highly cost effective and potentially explosive to your sales rate. Yet you can not take advantage if you do not act