In today’s world, people expect to pay for products and services online. After spending money to get someone interested in your product and to your website, focusing on the purchase process can have the greatest benefit to your business.
I was absolutely shocked when I checked out a new client’s website. He is an author who wants to sell more books. But he doesn’t have an online shopping cart! He expects people to call his 800 number and give him their credit card number over the phone. He also asks people to send checks to his post office box. While both calls to action might seem normal, they are so 1980! People expect to pay online and for the purchase process to be quick and easy.
Here Are 7 Reasons to Use a Professional Online Shopping Cart Instead of An 800#
1. People live in dozens of different […]
Archive for July, 2008
Yesterday, it was announced that there is a new search engine on the block called Cuil, pronounced as “Cool”. This new search tool is developed by former Google employees Tom Costello and Anna Patterson. Cuil.com claims to have already indexed 120 billion web pages which is three times more than any other search engine.
The new engine claims to combine web index with content-based relevance methods with results organized by ideas and offering complete user privacy. Cuil uses innovative search techniques by going beyond the contemporary approach of link analysis and traffic ranking. Instead, it analyzes the context of each page and the concepts behind each query. The latest search engine then organizes similar search results into groups and sorts them by category.
Moreover Cuil offers users additional features including tabs to clarify subjects, images to identify topics and search refining suggestions.
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Do you use white papers in your marketing? Are you happy about the new business they help attract? Many marketing executives are disappointed at the results from white paper lead generation programs. In spite of their high cost and drain on company brain power, they often prove ineffective at bringing in new business.
Here Are 3 Main Reasons Your Lead Generating White Papers Aren’t Working…
Reason #1: Preaching to the choir… By the time most prospects get your white paper in their hands, they’re already convinced they have a problem that you might be able to help them solve it. A much bigger prospect base is the group of people who have problems that your offering can solve…but don’t know about you or your solution yet. They need your help in “getting their head” around the problem and more fully understanding the implications of the problem continuing unchecked. […]
Hello all,
Just a quick note that The Marketing Blog is on vacation this week. We’ll provide a new post sometime this coming weekend or Monday, July 28th.
How to Make the Most of Order Confirmation and Ship Notification Emails
As the internet has evolved over time, marketing to customers via email has become more challenging. People and companies have implemented SPAM filters resulting in fewer messages being delivered to inboxes. When marketing emails are delivered, the messages still need to be opened. Email is obviously a cost effective way to market to existing customers.
This begs the question, “How can I get more existing customers to see my email marketing messages?” One way is to put marketing material into order confirmation emails and shipped notification emails (emails that are sent when orders are placed and shipped).
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When using email marketing to sell a product or service you can’t just start selling to your readers in the first email. The reason is the odds of the reader knowing who you are or what you are all about are pretty low, even if they subscribed to your newsletter from a form on your website.
People do not purchase from those they do not know. So the key to a successful email marketing campaign is “warming up” your readers to the sell.
The “warming up” process can be broken down into five distinct phases. It’s a good idea to keep these in mind as you work to warm up your lists.
Phase 1 — “Cold Readers”
These are folks who have just filled out the form on your website, or whose details you have received via co-registration.
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