Archive for the ‘Business Marketing Online’ Category

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Best Online Marketing Advice for eRetailers

Thursday, November 4th, 2010

You’re an e-retail or e-wholesale business or you have the ability to sell your products/services online in addition to your storefront – Great! But what is your online marketing strategy this year? You have one, right?

The 2010 holiday season is upon us now, and you should have planned your online marketing strategy 2 months ago, but maybe you’re just getting started. That’s okay too, you still have time to get your bows ordered, wrapping paper stocked and online coupon codes set.

We have some of the best online marketing advice for your retail or wholesale business online, so you can really make an impact with your online sales and avoid those empty shopping carts too!

1. Paid Advertising aka Pay Per Click (PPC): Google Adwords, Microsoft Adcenter (Bing), LinkedIn and Facebook Advertising are all excellent choices for really promoting each and every one of your products this year online. More people are online and logging into their Facebook accounts everyday, so this really makes sense if you sell products to consumers and small business owners. Whether you use Facebook or a search engine for your PPC, you need to have an ad written for every product and include a “Call to Action” on every ad. Start with a small budget and increase it as necessary.

2. Create Weekly or Daily Specials: Target a specific audience, and send an email blast or eNewsletter only to those within that audience for a targeted online marketing strategy. You should be able to track how many respond to your “specials” through your Google analytics or email statistics. You can also create a special coupon code to better track who buys and when. Always include an expiration date on your specials, so you create an urgency to “buy now.”

3. Coupons: This is really what drives people to buy – saving money. You have a Facebook fan page, a Twitter account and a LinkedIn profile and your business on Foursquare, so create a coupon code for each one of these online social media platforms, to entice each of your networks to save on a specific product or shipping from your online store. If Groupon can do it, everyday, you can too!

4. Free Shipping: Overstock.com has really made a name for itself by offering super low shipping fees, you can offer free shipping to entice your online customers to buy from your business. Not only does free shipping save time and fuel, but it also saves money on sales taxes and going out into the cold weather.

5. Offer Free Gifts: Another freebie that online consumers really enjoy and will gladly provide positive reviews to their friends is a free gift. Make it something unique or have a different free gift according to how much they spend. You have the option of providing details of this free gift at the online checkout or have it as a surprise once they make their purchase.

6. Offer Special Discounts to Avoid Abandoned Shopping Carts: A large percentage of your buyers will abandon a shopping cart, which means they either can’t afford the additional shipping or have another problem. Before they completely abandon the check out page, include a pop up window that includes a special discount or free shipping to encourage buyers to return to the check out page. Write creative and conversational content, like you’re actually talking to one person.

7. Include Gift Cards with Purchase: Similar to free gifts, but after customers complete their purchase and you have their email address, send a personal auto reply with a “Thank You for purchasing from your ABC business” and include a gift card or certificate, so they will return again.

8. Include a Search Button on Web site: Probably one of the most important part of any online marketing strategy is to include a “search” function on your Web site. If a customer can’t find what they are looking for from your site’s menu or category buttons, then they will want to do a search for it. Google offers an affordable Custom Search option.

Search Circus has the experience and knowledge to assist you with increasing holiday sales and Web site traffic, we’re help you anytime!

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Posted in Business Marketing Online | 3 Comments »

Top 10 iPhone Apps You Must Have for Online Business Marketing

Friday, September 17th, 2010

Running a business can be stressful, and sometimes you may feel you don’t have enough time to get everything done. Online business marketing doesn’t stop with your desktop computer. Business apps for iPhone can help you save time, but with so many apps out there, how do you choose the ones that will be most helpful to you? Here is a guide to some must-have apps for business.

1. USPS
Track and confirm packages, find local post offices, and look up zip codes when you need them. Great for businesses that do a lot of shipping.

2. UPS
Similar to the USPS app, you can track packages and find local UPS stores. However, if you have a UPS ID, you can access even more features, like accessing your address book and payment info, and print out labels.

3. FedEx
If FedEx is your shipping service of choice, they also have an app, with similar services to that of the USPS and UPS apps.

4. PayPal
For a safe and secure way to make financial transactions, the PayPal app allows you to send money, check your balance, and view past transactions. This is a great app to have if you run an eBay store.

5. eBay
Another great app if you have an eBay store, or if you’re just an avid eBay shopper. Track the status of your auctions, get notifications when a status changes, and much more. This is a great app to have if you’re bidding on item and can’t be tied to your desk when the auction is coming to a close, and you want to get in that last-minute bid.

6. Google Sync
If you use Gmail for business, you’ll want to get Google Sync, which synchronizes Google Mail, Calendar, and Contacts with your iPhone.

7. Stocks
The Stocks app is one that comes with your iPhone, so no download required! This app is pretty basic, but allows you to get up-to-date stock info.

8. Bill Trackers
This iPhone app helps you organize your bills. You can set up your monthly bills, get reminders when they’re due, keep track of how much you paid and when you paid it, and keeps those confirmation numbers too.

9. MileBug
This application helps you keep track of miles and other travel expenses when you’re on the road. If you travel a lot for business, this app is a must-have.

10. Credit Card Terminal
When you need to accept credit card payments on the go, this app will allow you to easily accept payments and let you know right away if the charge was accepted or declined. An invaluable tool for any business that accepts credit cards.

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Posted in Business Marketing Online, Search Engine News | No Comments »

The Real Truth About Email Marketing Online

Monday, August 23rd, 2010
Find out the truth about email marketing before you begin building your online reputation.

Find out the truth about email marketing before you begin building your online reputation.

Many companies rely on email marketing to boost their online reputation, gain more customers and get news and information to current customers. Email marketing can be a wonderful tool when used with a correctly, however, there is a fine line between a welcomed email newsletter and spam. There are plenty of myths and truths drifting around in cyberspace about email marketing. Being able to distinguish myths from reality will help you go about using email marketing online to increase business, not hurt your reputation.

Here are 5 common email marketing myths that David Fowler recently discussed in his email deliver-ability webinar.

Myth #1: There’s a magic list of words that can’t be used in the content of the message. The truth is, there are certain words that may get the email flagged as spam. However, the online reputation of the company has more influence than the content. Avoid using phases and words like call now, don’t delete, get paid, get started now, get it now, join millions of Americans, no cost, no questions asked, etc.

Myth #2: A confirmed opt-in recipient won’t hit the spam button. In reality, even if someone opted-in for the email message, everyone hits the spam button once in a while, so don’t think you have a guaranteed recipient just because they’ve opted-in.

Myth #3: The definition of spam is abusive email. The real definition of spam is unwanted email. This means that even if you’re only sending out an email once a month, if you’re sending it to opt-out recipients who don’t want the email, you’re spamming.

Myth #4: “My sales will decrease if I use ‘confirmed opt-in.’” Your sales won’t decrease for using confirmed opt-in emailing. Actually you’re building consumer trust, which will earn you a more loyal customer-base.

Myth #5: Authentication will get you delivered to the inbox. The truth is, authenticating messages allows you to manage your sender reputation, and it’s only the first step to building your email marketing identity. Once you’ve made a good reputation, your message is more likely to be delivered to the inbox and read.

Keeping these 5 myths and truths in mind when building your marketing reputation online will help your company have more success in e-marketing which in turn will help you gain more loyal customers.

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Posted in Business Marketing Online, Drive Traffic to Your Website | 4 Comments »

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