Surviving Marketing Today

Author: Sandi Baker

There are so many factors to consider when starting your online business. So many people jump in without thinking things through. Here are some tips on what you should and should not do.

First there is no get rich quick scheme. No matter what you read or hear, acquiring wealth takes hard work. We see many advertisements to purchase this or that, promising that within a certain amount of time you will be making thousands of dollars. Of course the fine print tells you that they make no warranties. Remember what you were told growing up that the best things in life don’t come easy.

Second you need to pick a good niche. Focus on one area. Do your homework. Find something you are interested in and know something about. Then focus on it. Don’t wobble around!

Thirdly you need to find the right products. Make sure there is a demand for it. Check the search engines for your niche and target in on the products specifically. Also you need to check forums, marketplaces, blogs, and social marketing places.

Fourthly you need to be aware of prices. Know the prices of products. Always research what the competition is selling regarding the same or similar products. See if you can beat their price, without hurting your bottom line. Or can you add something to your product? There are alternatives such as reports or bundling it with another product.

Fifthly you need to design a great website. Some people think that you need a flashy site. This is not necessary and can distract your customers. It is not that difficult to design a website yourself with some basic knowledge. Sit down and think about how you want you site to look. Work on your wording and pictures that you will add. See my site for great products to do this.

Sixth is to build relationships. This is one of the most important things to do. They are the cornerstone of your business. Take the time to nurture your relationship. Show them what you know and have to offer. Don’t try to hard sell them!

Seventh is what too many people do too soon and that is to call it quits. Seeing a profit in this business takes time. It does not happen overnight, this process take persistence. The average internet business takes six to twelve months to see a profit.

Author:

Sandi Baker

http://letusgetitdone.info

http://shop.letusgetitdone.info

About the Author:

I have been in the Marketing Business for 20 years. I hold a Degree in Business Management and Administration, Series VII License, and Taxation Certification. I am the Co-Founder and Chief Financial Officer of a non profit Foundation to aid the Visually Impaired.
My team and I have developed a website to aid those in building and growing a better website. We offer free courses and great products.
http://letusgetitdone.info
http://shop.letusgetitdone.info

Technorati Tags:business, internet marketing, marketing, how to, web, e commerce
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator

Treat Online Customers As You Would Your Offline

Author: Lee Roper

With technology providing such a key form of communication, it makes perfect sense for large businesses to attract their customers through online marketing. Search engine marketing has allowed for an even higher success rate with targeted audiences. The key to building customer loyalty is to treat these online customers as individuals.

Offline, you spend time making sure that your marketing materials bring customers into your shop front. In the internet world, you're utilising search engine marketing to target customers and bring them to your website. When a customer enters your establishment, you immediately greet them, offer assistance, and work to provide them with the highest level of service. As a business owner, this is common knowledge in gaining and keeping customers. The same idea can be applied to your website audiences. Adding a personal touch to your online marketing is easily accomplished by simply extending the customer service that you give to physical patrons in a new format to reach internet patrons. There are several areas in which this can be accomplished.

Make Your Site User Friendly: When customers have to drive, find a parking spot and browse a store, they are much more likely to stay until they find what they need. Internet users are much quicker to change online sites, if it is difficult to find key items or slow to navigate on your site, users will likely leave and move onto competitor's sites.

Reply Quickly and Personalize Responses to Inquiries - Just as you would quickly assist a customer who enters your establishment; assist your online customers with quick and thorough responses to all questions. When communicating with customers, use the information you ask for on the contact form to personalize messages and make the customer feel valued. When responding to inquiries, avoid stock messages as they send a tone that tells the customer they are not important. Set up personalised auto responders to let the customer know that the message was received and offer a turnaround time for an answer.

Display a Privacy Statement: When customers enter your business, they may not be required to give any information regarding their identity. Online customers are required to give many more details about themselves and if they're not sure how that information will be used or protected, they may go somewhere else. Display your privacy statement prominently so customers know that their information is safe.

Earn Customer Loyalty: If a customer has a negative experience with your company, they are less likely to return and the same holds true for online customers. If they feel they have not received good service, they will not likely purchase from you again.

Online customers can be even more valuable than offline customers and should be treated as such. Ninety percent of online users research their products and services online. Providing top notch customer service and exceeding their expectations will almost guarantee their return. Comments regarding experiences with online businesses spread quickly on the internet. Do all that you can to ensure positive comments are being spread by all who do business with your site.

About the Author:

Lee Roper offers Search Engine Marketing Services in the UK. Services comprise of Search Engine Optimisation, Pay Per Click (PPC) Management and e-Marketing Coaching within Hampshire and throughout the UK. Lee adds value to his clients online marketing activities by managing SEO, PPC and coaching best practice techniques.

Technorati Tags:internet marketing, online marketing, search engine marketing
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator

Is your T-shirt environmentally friendly?

When you think of "Reduce, Re-use, Recycle" you probably first think about you, the consumer. "What can I to reduce my (post-consumer) waste?"

So what are manufacturers doing to reduce their (pre-consumer) waste? You know, their scraps.

Like when you're making sugar cookies & roll out the dough & cut out a bunch of little circle cookies, only to be left with a lattice of sugary dough (I love food analogies). So keeping with that, what do you do with that leftover cookie dough? Throw it in a landfill? Of course not. You roll it back up into a ball, flatten it out again, and cut out more cookies! So why on earth would you throw away that waste, especially if you were in the business of selling cookies. That waste could be profit.

So back to T-shirts. What are T-shirt and textile manufacturers doing with their fiber waste?

One solution lies with a company called Sustainable Solutions. The company regenerates post-industrial waste (think, the fabric scraps in a T-shirt manufacturer's garbage bin) into sustainable products and new materials altogether. Yep, that's right. Spinning new fibers from what would normally be shipped off to a land fill, and turning them into new products. Who knows, you may be wearing one of these sustainable tees now. Or sneakers. Or other products.

According to an article in TulsaWorld today, Sustainable Solutions, Inc.'s line of SmartStreams products are being bought by some of the world's largest retailers, including Wal-mart.
Some features of the Sustainable Solutions textiles mentioned on their website include: reducing the cost of using virgin materials, can be over-dyed or treated to meet trends, fibers can be spun back into yarns, and reduction in textile waste that causes landfill emissions.

T-shirt manufacturers looking for ways to turn their waste in to streams of income, can utilize Sustainable Solutions' SmartStream Management services.

Is anyone out there aware of any T-shirt POD's using this type of recycled material? I can only imagine this will soon be the new standard.

Turning T-shirt waste into new tees and new profits. Imagine that! Sustainability never looked so good.

OK, time for a cookie.