According to recent studies, e-mail campaigns and e-mail list segmentation may raise word-of-mouth effectiveness when you communicate with customers. E-mails are not only compelling and potent, but also an effective personal communication channel with customers.

The main advantage of e-mail marketing is the ability to share information with a large group of specific customers and potential prospects at a very low cost. In addition, as e-mail has 90 percent of penetration rate among Internet users, e-mail users constitute a vital audience for you. They are one of the most important targets for delivering word-of-mouth and creating some buzz. For instance, we suggest adding a forward bottom or link to friends in your messages. In addition, you shouldn’t close the eyes to viral basics either.

E-mail marketing helps you enhance customers’ relations and get new prospects. How? Some examples of what you use for e-mail communications are:

• Direct response sales messages.
• A customer service, suggestions, consults, etc.
• E-newsletters.
• Couponing and discounts.
• Messages about shipping services.
• Etc.

On the other hand, to be successful in this task, make sure that you use targeted e-mail marketing. For that, the internet offers great internet e-mail marketing solutions, going from web services to specialized programs to help you manage your e-mail marketing campaigns.

Additionally, make sure your recipients know what you need from them and what they can expect from you. Ensure that your Brand appears in the Subject line, and your name in the From line, that way it will feel personal. Take no more than one day to reply to requests and make it easy for recipients to unsubscribe if they want to… and never SPAM.

Sources:

E-Mail and Word-of-Mouth: Connect with Your Best Customers

Current economy put emphasis on it. Interestingly, it is a fact that search marketing is a useful and simple tool for acquiring customers. How does it work? Ads and organic listings come into view to prospects when they are interested in a particular product, service or other things.

But, that’s not all! Once your prospects are in your Web site, you have to keep them! It may be difficult; the first step is to make sure that your home page shows them in just a look what you offer. Build credibility having a Web site that is clear and professional. After that, only if you get their interest, they’ll read more about your products or services. By the way, keep in mind that your e-newsletter is an excellent tool to build relationship with customers. However, necessary first, your visitors have to sign up for it.

At Weboart, we are ready to help you. We can help you get new customers implementing an online marketing strategy on search engines and building credibility with your Website. If you require any additional assistance, please contact our Los Angeles Web Design team. Just call as today at 1-800-932-2580.

Sources:

• Get focus on getting new customers
• Getting and keeping customers

Firstly, answer these questions: does your Web Site reflect what your company stands? Have you updated your Website lately? Does your Web site transmit what you want to communicate today? If the answer is no, then you should start working immediately!

But that’s not all. If your answer is yes, you still have to take a look at your Web site and compare it to those of your competitors; does it look outdated, colorless, and not attractive? Pages load very slowly? Does its simplicity make it too simple and therefore lacking tools? Isn’t it user-friendly? Does it have incomplete information? Organic traffic from search engines is low? Now, if you would answer the above questions with a yes, then it is time to redesign your Web site.

Due to the constant technological advances, a Web Site that is not regularly updated will suffer several negative consequences. Competitors will take advantage of it and will attract more prospects than you. Hey! What are you waiting to stay ahead of the game!

More important reasons to redesign could be:

• If your Web site was built over five years ago, probably technology and web standards have been modified. Today, you need to use CSS/XHTML to manage your Web site. This will help you optimize on Search Engines, improve easy access to your site and ease up updating in the future.

• A Web site completely built in Flash is perfectly beautiful and looks very professional, but it will give little or no content to search engines to scan, and therefore will pull you downwards in the rankings.

• If you have gone through re-branding or a change of look with your print materials, you will obviously need to do a complete make-over. Leaving it with the old looks will probably confuse your customers.

• If your business is growing rapidly, then it might be time for you to look into e-commerce for some of your products and services, maybe a Content Management System or even including a blog.

• If the leads and sales you have are not from your Web site you might want to take a good look all possible improvements you can do to make it profitable, you should make sure you have proper content on your Web site and contact forms so people can get in touch with you easily.

Tips for the redesigning process

1) Make it easier on your customers. Clients may get used to find your products and identify each section is a specific way. It’s hard to suddenly change their online routine. For that reason, you must be careful in order to avoid confusion. Your new Website “face-lifting” has to be functional and easy to use. Your goal is to maintain and attract new visitors, right? So, remember it is not likely that low-loading pages will keep visitors coming back for more. In addition, include contact forms, shopping carts, banners and newsletters that also help you stay in touch with them. Including online paying systems the likes of major Credit Cards or PayPal can also help you ease your transactions without additional work to be done.

All these things will result in additional income from your Web site, and this will prove how important it is to plan a Website redesign to keep it up-to-date.

2) Keep a provisional Web site for the redesigning period. There is nothing worse than wanting to visit a Web site that is under maintenance or construction. Clients can get really annoyed if they are not able to enter because you decided to stop working for a while. They want things to be fast and effective. They key is to still be effective and avoid been seen as lazy and unprofessional.

3) Redesigning is also a great marketing and PR opportunity. It’s a good time to contact your current customers and prospects and the press too. You can communicate that you are making some changes and in this way become more popular. Additionally, consider doing an event with them, where you show your new image. Then, you add pictures on your Web site as well as comments made by your guests. In this sense, your transformation will not only be virtual, but also real!

4) Become 2.0 and use attractive tools such as videos, colors and images. Become modern and fresh! Add multimedia tools which are fashionable today. But, do not overload your Web site. Try to find equilibrium in order to achieve the precise combination of music, texts, images and videos. If you excessively recharged it, then you will saturate your audience. The actual trend is modern, but functional. Use the proper amount of text, videos, music and images.

5) Hire a creative design team. Carefully choose the designers who are going to help you. Here, communications are crucial! Pencil on the items you want for your new website, and ask your web designer about these changes. Get together with the team and come up with ideas; let them know your vision, goal, and objectives. You should inform them the image you are willing to reflect. Moreover, trust on their creative advice and get involved!

In conclusion, redesigning is a must in order to be on truck in the online marketing field. It should be a priority! Your Web Site is like your “face” to the world. Don’t forget your make up then! The right time is as soon as you see that your Web Site is failing in communicating who you are and what you do today. The right time is now!

If you need assistance, we are ready to help you. We have the required experience to redesign your Web site and bring your vision to life. Our philosophy of ‘design first’ is still proving success when applied to business. Just call us today at 1-800-932-2580.

Still want to read more on redesigning your Web site? Check out these articles!

Redesign Your Website To Become Web 2.0: Quick Tips

Website Facelifting – 5 Reasons Why You Should Do It?

Planning To Redesign Your Website? Check these Simple Tips

How Not to Redesign Your Website (A Marketing Lesson From NYTimes.com)

SEO Checklist For Your Website Redesign

How to Redesign Your Website to Play to Your Audience

Although going global may be necessary to remain competitive, it isn’t so easy! Firstly, you must carefully analyze if this is convenient for you. Then, you should identify new markets and find new partners abroad. This expansion will definitely be reflected on your Web Site because Internet could be one of the main ways of communication with your international audience.

Above all, before launching your expansion do your homework! Carefully analyze your domestic strengths and weaknesses, and improve them before expanding.

There are several things you should know regarding your Web site. On the one hand, find out if your domain name doesn’t have any improper meaning in other languages or countries. Additionally, your home page must clearly show in which countries you are working on. For instance, you can add flags of each country you operate in, and include direct links to every national Web sites. It is also important to translate all the information to all proper languages. In this way, clients will be able to understand what your business is about and what you can offer to them. There is nothing worse than not understanding a thing of what you are looking at. If you don’t translate your Web Site, you will definitely lose potential customers abroad.

Furthermore, add information about all your offices and partners abroad. Make it easy for your clients! Complicated Web Site and unclear information could annoy them. If you are taking a global responsibility, then take it seriously!

Last but not least, constantly upload new information about your international performance. Keep in touch with your international clients and somehow let them know what you are doing for them. You can also add a multilingual blog with articles and news about what is going on everywhere!

Expanding internationally might be tough. Although Internet seems to erase all boundaries, you should take it seriously and work hard to succeed!

Sources:

• Expanding Your Business Internationally: 8 Points To Consider Before Going Global
• Going global: international business tips make a world of difference
• Going global – Leading a global business
• Going global: doing business in China

Personal details are crucial for e-merchants’ marketing research: no doubt about it!  As customers visit several Web sites and do online purchases, online businesses can track their visits and analyze profiles of their interests without their concern. Businesses can get to know your age, ethnicity, preferences and hobbies and other valuable information about you. Having access to this information allows them to improve their advertising techniques as they have a profound knowledge on what their target audience needs and wants. But, where is the limit?

It looks like privacy issues are gaining importance in the Net. Several new policies will soon be launched in order to improve customer rights online. One of the proposals is that companies let their clients know when they are being track. The American Association of Advertising Agencies, the Association of National Advertisers and the Direct Marketing Association are behind this project. They want customers to have the option and the right to choose if they want to share their personal data. In summary, there is an imminent demand for an increase in self-regulation.

Customers will have the option of “opt-out” the tracking policies, but not vice versa. Is that enough?  In this way, only those who are concerned and aware of Web Tracking will choose to avoid it. But, what about the rest of the audience?   If you don’t know anything about tracking, then your privacy will still be violated? Maybe the option should be opt-in instead of “opt-out” (meaning that businesses can only track customers who actually choose to contribute to their marketing research). Privacy will be partially protected then.

What about E-commerce?

Marketing research and campaigns will be damaged as businesses will have limited access to vital information. Very few customers will want to be tracked as the online reputation is related to invasion of privacy. So, the key for merchants will be to rebuild the bond with their customers. Their major concern should now be how to gain their trust. How to make them feel comfortable enough to share valuable information?

In conclusion, there are two main points to be considered. On the one hand, a harder work towards privacy protection and self-regulation should be done. These policies are a first step in order to achieve the proper defense of customer rights. On the other hand, businesses should find a new way of improving marketing strategies respecting the privacy of their customers.

Sources:

Companies Working Towards More Transparent Web Tracking

User tracking underlines trade vs. privacy debate

Rounding Up The Privacy Debate

New guidelines for Web Tracking Ensure More Privacy

Four Ways to Fight Back Against Cyberattacks

Internet has changed the way sales and commercial transactions occur. But, still human beings are the ones sitting behind each monitor.

Ben Shneiderman, an expert in Computer Studies and Software Psychology from the University of Maryland, clearly argues in the book “Human Factors and Web” that the main challenge for e-merchants is to bridge the gap between what customers want and how to successfully achieve sales in a secure and trustworthy online environment. Nowadays, it seems that businesses still have a lot of work to do in the “Human Face Department”. Personal touch is becoming an increasing demand among online shoppers.

Did you know that 77% of US Internet users, who made an online purchase in the past six months, would be interested in any help from a real person before buying certain things on the Web?

3 things that you have to know:

• Customers still trust and like shopping the old and traditional way
• Any levels of automation cannot replace the human touch
• Customers may have doubts, and they are always looking forward to hearing that voice that says: It looks perfect on you or this is what you really need!

What to do then?

• Listen to your customer needs and preferences.
• Provide alternative channels of communication such as a telephone contact, e-mail or, even a Live Chat. For instance, with a Live Chat the customers can instantly contact a person and clarify their doubts. In this way, they will not only feel safer, but they will also feel that they actually (and not virtually) are inside your shop. How many times did you ask a salesman or woman if a dress or a pair of shoes looks good on you? In this sense, Live Chat can be an efficient tool that will help you have a human face online. Online shoppers who had used live chat were more likely to make online purchases at least once a week (40%) than shoppers who had never used it, according to this study by Bold Software. In addition, those shoppers who hadn’t used live chats were likely to make infrequent online purchases.
• Make sure that each conversation is customized.
• Be assured that your online salesmen have the best possible attitude towards selling and generating a friendly and personal environment.
• Hey! Build your human face online NOW!

Sources:

• Human Factors and Web
• IMshopping Adds a Human Touch to Online Shopping
• Does your E-commerce need Human Assisted Shopping?
• How Helpful Is Live Chat?
• Online Shoppers Want Human Helping Hand

But, is it attracting visitors enough? Are people buying your products or services? The bigger point, which is blindingly obvious when you think about it, is that your true objective must be increasing your sales. Popularity and traffic is meaningless if you are not able to convert random visitors into customers.

Potential customers are out there, visiting a vast number of Web sites and sniffing around. Maybe they are curious, bored or they have trouble deciding where and what to buy. Your goal is to turn that curiosity into a sale. How to do it? Well, let’s see some useful tips!

• Getting Visitors Email addresses

In order to gain the engagement of new visitors, the first step is to get their email addresses and increase your contact list. Yes, we all know that is hard to do it. But, you can entice them with something valuable that you can give them for free in exchange for their email address. For example: a discount coupon, a souvenir or a special offer, among other options.

• Offering Live Chat assistance

As a business owner your Web site needs to be alive. It needs to have available salespeople that can provide valuable information and achieve the sale effectively. If your store is empty, then who will buy something?

• Be active!

Use multimedia tools, video and music in order to make your Web site more attractive. Active voice will make the visitor feel that someone is actually there to help them.

Okay, so these are some valuable tips for you to attract real customers. Having huge amounts of visitors is important. But, finding the way to keep them loyal is crucial for your business!

Sources:

Convert Your Website Visitors into Customers

Stop Screwing Around – How to Convert Every Web Visitor Into a Loyal Customer

Google reminds us how significant it is having a competent customer service. Yeah, it’s a fact: you can offer a great product —and even analysts can say it could challenge the market domination… There’s a little problem, though. If you don’t offer an efficient customer service, you will get into trouble! For instance, just one week after the launch of the smart phone Nexus One, everything looks perfect. Nevertheless, the giant’s support forum has been overloaded with criticism and complains demanding an efficient feedback. Ouch!

Why? Among its drawbacks, customers identified delivery inconveniences, network incompatibility, dropped calls and operation woes. But, that’s not the point! The thing is that there’s no phone number for customer support, and you must wait at least TWO long days for an answer to your e-mails.

Google’s recent experience can help you understand the meaning and the importance of an efficient customer service strategy. Being always there for your customers is crucial to achieve success and build a positive corporate image (and yes, that goes for us, too.) Moreover, you must provide your customers with answers and solutions immediately, or at least you should let them know that you are working on it!

So, if you are developing your marketing plan for your new product or idea, there are some customer service tips that you should have in mind:

• Customers make your business possible. Truly listen to them! Be aware of their needs and always aim to satisfy them.
• Take the time to explain how your product or service works and how to simplify it. Your business may have several specific steps that customers need to follow in order to buy your product or service. Make sure they understand how to do it!
• Give an apology. Everybody makes mistakes, even corporations (you know it!). When something goes wrong, customers always appreciate an apology. So, deal with the problem and value their complaints immediately.
• Welcome suggestions, ideas and also generate regular feedback. Try providing a method that invites beneficial criticism, comments and suggestions.
• Make the difference from the competitors. Look at it this way: what can you give customers that they cannot get anywhere else? What can you do to follow up and thank customers?

In conclusion, there are many and varied benefits and features to an efficient customer service plan. Above all, without customers your business wouldn’t exist. Moreover, a good customer service will help you improve your reputation, and gain recommendations and new audiences.

Remember to focus on customers’ needs first!

More sources:

Google’s Nexus One Review

Google’s Nexus One phone sparks flood of complaints

Hey Google, Anybody Home?

Returning your Nexus One? Prepare to pay up to $550.

The Ten Commandments of Great Customer Service

How to make your website more attractive and reliable? Here there are some tips. Let’s see!

Above all, make sure that customers have access to detail information about products. This includes sizes, colors and prices. Don’t forget to include shipping costs, guarantees and taxes. People can get really annoyed if they find out that they have to pay more at the end of the transaction. If things are not clear since the beginning they will probably choose another company on their next transaction. You don’t want that to occur, do you?

E-commerce can appear as cold and distant. Try being personal with your customers! Make them fell as if they are actually at your store interacting with you. Answer their doubts by e-mail immediately or even better have live assistance at your Web site.

Once you finish your sale and the product was delivered, it is recommendable to measure customers’ satisfaction. A good alternative is to send them a short survey asking them what they think about your service and check if they had any problems or if they have any suggestions. Just a couple of standard questions where they can review and rate your products or services. You can also give them the option of answering open questions to give more specific details. This is important for two reasons. Firstly, because you can make an evaluation of your service and improve your weak points. Secondly, —and even more important— new visitors can notice good references of other people and trust in you to make their first purchase.

Keep in mind that making a survey is not enough; if there is a problem, you have to solve it, or your customers will feel disappointed: they are looking for solutions!

We know how important is to for you to improve your Web site. Our Los Angeles web design team can help you meet users’ preferences and expectations. If you need help, call us at 1-800-932-2580.

Source:
Your Website is Your Front, Use It Carefully

Why? Thanks to social media is much easier to promote your start-up with a low budget for advertising.

Do you think that social media is important for your business? What you can do to be more visible, but you don’t have time for this?

There are a lot of aspects of social media. If you want to become social and get exposure, you can blog, post a video on YouTube, have a podcast or just start connecting with your peers on LinkedIn. Doing so, you can:

• Connect with people, build a dialogue and new business opportunities
• look for investors and attract them
• promote your business and increase your sales
• Build brand awareness
• Increase loyalty and trust with your stakeholders
• Create inbound links to raise your search engine ranking
• Build a transparent online personality that reflects who you are
• You can even find:
  • interest-focused groups
  • potential collaborators
  • valuable employees
  • more customers and clients

In addition, when companies utilize social media during the construction process of their Web sites, they are likely to find it easier to engage visitors.

One more idea. Start-ups are using not only video and blogs, but also Twitter and Facebook. When using social networking sites or micro-blogging, try connecting with quality audiences. Do not only connect with Facebook and Tweeter users that have a lot of friends or followers, respectively.

Then, don’t forget to listen to your customers and respond quickly to them. Social media has a lot of opportunities that you can’t get anywhere else.

Sources

Social media will change your business

Social Media for Business: The Dos & Don’ts of Sharing

Is social media important for Startups?

Too Busy for Social Media Marketing?