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Guide to Safe Online Shopping
Despite the many benefits of shopping online, many people still have some reluctance towards parting with their cash on the net, therefore we've compiled a general checklist and answers to the most common questions to help put your mind at rest....
Open Source Content Management Software Solutions
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available on the internet. Just a quick perusal of the search
results for "CMS" and "Content management system" on Sourceforge
or any of the other popular open source software...
Protection for your PC - Painless and Free !
Painless (and FREE) P.C. Protection Viruses, Bugs, Worms, Dataminers, Spybots, and Trojan horses. The Internet is a veritable minefield of things that can invade your PC and affect it's Security and Performance. You can do something about it and...
Script Kiddies - Vermin of the 'net
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The Value of Forums
There are literally thousands of online forums that cover a wide range of topics. Forums provide individuals, who share a common interest, with a meeting place for open discussion, and a great gathering spot for "water cooler" talk. When used...
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Email Marketing Strategies That Work
While the main use of email marketing is to drive traffic to your
web site, there are other important reasons that email
communications should be used as part of your firm's marketing
strategy.
You should use them, and use them often, to create an effective
overall marketing strategy, of which your emails are an important
part.
Strategy One: Brand identification.
Brand identification is one of the fundamental concepts of
marketing, and you can use emails to contribute to yours.
Brand identification is letting people know who you are, and
what you stand for, by creating an image in their minds.
This is literally gold in the marketing arena.
We pay more for Nikes, not because they're always better than
competitors, but because of the image that advertisers have
created for us.
So how can you use email to do this?
If your firm is high tech, then you'll want emails and
newsletters that show this.
Be the one to use "streaming media" or "online video" in your
emails (offer this as an option though, along with a less
high-tech option for those without broadband connections).
Does your firm appeal to young consumers who like things that
are unusual?
Or who like funky humor?
Then let your fonts and graphics play into this.
Are you sending out financial reports to baby boomers in your
newsletters?
Then conservative colors and fonts should be used.
The tone of the writing you use, and even the topics you include
in each email communication are building up brand identification
in the minds of those who read them.
Try to be consistent, and reach your target audience (people who
are most likely to buy from you) with content that appeals to
them, and you'll see response rates grow.
Use your emails to tell customers about special updates and
products: in the old days, we put up flyers or sent direct mail
ads; now we tell our customers by email.
This is a highly effective marketing strategy, because John may
be ready to update his outmoded software and welcome your notice,
or Sally may be glad to hear that there's a special at her local
hair salon.
You can save a lot of money by using email to advertise your
specials instead of printing and mailing out ads.
This is one reason that email marketing is often best used along
with offline marketing methods: the two go hand-in-hand, and the
most successful firms use both.
Strategy Two: Use Your Emails To Build good customer relations.
This is one of the most effective uses of emails, since if they
are used positively to build up your firm's reputation for
service and attentiveness, you will see sales and customer
retention go up.
CRM is a big buzzword in marketing circles today, and for good
reason: people will simply go elsewhere if they believe that
they are receiving better service (or value) elsewhere.
From the autoresponders that your firm sends when clients fill
out an order form, confirming that their order was received and
is being processed, to the news updates you send your opt-in list,
the quality of your communications can go a long way towards
creating positive relations.
Grammatically correct, polite emails that let customers know that
you will contact them shortly, and that provide contact
information in case they need to reach you immediately can be a
powerful marketing tool.
Use your emails to answer customer questions, and overcome
objections to buying from you. If your emails are polite, answer
client questions in a clear, easy-to-understand manner, and give
them the information they are asking for, you've probably just
won a customer!
You can also send out "articles" that help address common
customer concerns, that can bring down barriers to buying from
you (for instance, an article that discusses financing options,
and how to get a great mortgage loan, would be a natural for a
real estate company to send in one of its newsletters).
This is one of the untapped arenas of email marketing.
So many web sites have
'frequently asked questions" sections, or
information on how to find what the client is looking for.
Why not use your emails to offer this information in a lively,
informative manner?
It may be just the push that gets a potential client to click on
your site, and decide to buy, if they discover in an email that
you send that you are offering a special holiday discount, or are
adding extra software to the package you're selling.
Strategy Three: Use Your Email Signature EVERYWHERE.
Whether you are sending an email to your Aunt Mary, or are
participating in an online email discussion list, always, always
include your web site URL and email address in your signature
(unless the online list rules forbid this).
This is automatic advertising for your business, and is an
effective method of letting people know that you're online, and
ready to receive mail from them.
Send Greeting Cards. If you have a regular email client list,
they will most likely welcome a friendly greeting card from you
during holiday time.
This is a great method of helping them remember you, to wish them
a happy season, and to let them know about seasonal promotions.
They key to success with this method, of course, is that these
are from your opt-in list; they know you, and have agreed to
receive regular communications from your firm.
Don't try this with strangers, or they will be offended, and
accuse you of SPAMMING them.
Hold a Contest. You can use email to hold a contest, and to offer
prizes to winners.
This is one method of increasing interactivity, and to increase
interest in your newsletter or ezine.
If the contest is at your physical location offline, you can
still use email to let your customers know that it's going on,
and to encourage them to participate - and to get others to sign
up as well.
Strategy Four : Market Your Newsletter or Content in Ezines and Newsletters.
There are literally thousands of ezines (online magazines) and
newsletters available today, devoted to almost every conceivable
topic.
Do you provide wedding planning? Find the ezines that address
engaged couples and wedding planning, and place an ad in one.
Most ezines and newsletters are quite inexpensive to advertise in
(some will even give you a free ad if you write an article for
them, or will trade ads with you if you publish a newsletter).
But some of the extremely large ones do charge hefty rates.
The good news? These rates are much, much less than ads in print
media ...
Where do you find ezines and newsletters?
There are several directories for ezines and newsletters
available online.
You can find ezines at www.ezine-universe.com, or at
www.bestzines,com and newsletters at www.egroups.com,
www.escribe.com, www.topica.com, and www.onelist.com , to name
just a few of the better-known directories.
Create your own newsletter, online course, or ezine.
Want people to perceive you as an expert in your field?
And to market your firm effectively?
Then you will want to consider creating your own ezine or
newsletter.
This is a highly effective email marketing tool for several
reasons:
o It helps you build your email list
o You can place your own ads in it, and promote your services or
affiliate programs
o People will see your web site address, your logo, and a link
to your programs in each email that you send them. They will
open the emails, because you are providing them with articles
and information that they want (unlike SPAM, which gets
deleted immediately).
By using email as part of an overall marketing plan, you can
increase your firm's brand identity, improve customer relations,
and help get the word out about your online (or offline) business.
About the Author
Philip Lim is the editor of NewbiesOnly.com which is dedicated to
teaching newbies or beginner marketers to internet marketing the
ropes. Enroll into our free 10 days intensive email course:
"Strategies for Internet Marketing Success". http://www.NewbiesOnly.com
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