It could be argued by many that email marketing is a key factor to the success of any online business or indeed something that is just as important as search engine marketing, because both elements are specifically aimed at the online space.

The online businesses that endure and enjoy success will share this commonality.   They will all probably utilise good search engine marketing techniques and they will use email marketing as a part of their online marketing strategy.  For those that utilise it correctly, they will know that it can be a highly effective way to promote a business and give further opportunities to share your content across the web.

So what can email marketing do for you and your business?

Well, in a nutshell email marketing can do the following:

• Save you money
• Drive web traffic where you need it to go
• Build a loyal customer base/Retain customers
• Increase brand awareness
• Create & drive sales/Help to acquire new customers
• Generate leads
• Increase profit
• Give you more information to share across the web (particularly with social media platforms such as Twitter or Facebook)

What about the specific benefits?

Think about it this way – email is rated as the most common form of business communication ahead of telephone and postal mail. A whopping statistic indicates that over 90% of users’ primary reason for being online is to check their email and that there are roughly 1.9 billion email users worldwide.

So what does that tell you?

Benefits are all around this popular marketing strategy:

• The cost of printing/postage/charges are gone
• Speed of delivery is instantaneous
• Email campaigns get 5%-15% response rates
• Response can be immediate (hours not weeks)
• Email campaigns are fully trackable with measurable results
• Accuracy in who you target and their preferences

You have to ask yourself questions about your business and its objectives before you can construct a campaign though, so beware the heavy ‘sales’ led campaign and start thinking about what people want when they read an email.

Think about whether or not you have the time and the resources. Can you adequately and accurately design, track and manage an email marketing campaign? What is the goal of your campaign? Do you want to increase sales, raise brand awareness, or attain customer feedback?   If the answer is yes, then that’s all good news, but if you might struggle, consider getting some assistance in this area.

Things to remember about your online customers

You can’t think of email marketing in normal marketing terms. If you treat electronic mail in the same manner as you would marketing by post or over the telephone then you will fail… big.

Online customers want full control over their online experiences with no compromises and no equivocations. So give the control to your customers and prospects, they’ll be more likely to stick with you in future.

This is why the “Opt-in” button is so important to any campaign (it is also part of email law these days) so recipients can chose to receive messages, updates or offers from you. You give them the control.

But avoid the following mistakes:

• Don’t forget to add a greeting or salutation
• Don’t send large attachments
• Always spell check the content before sending
• Avoid using capitals for entire words or sentences
• Never mark the email as urgent
• Don’t forget to use http:// in url links
• Give some information away for free
• Don’t send a heavy ‘sales’ led offer – this is a massive turn off and will simply result in your email being treated as spam.

How do I create and manage the content?

Every business takes different design routes when it comes to the creative side of things. You can use templates or take inspiration from designs you have seen that you liked and that worked. It’s down to how you want to brand the email marketing campaign.

Do you need to employ a design team; freelance developers or designers who can create your campaign from the ground up? Consider who will write the content too. Will you outsource the writing work or use syndicate content? Will you write it yourself to keep costs down?

Remember that this email marketing campaign reflects on your business in the most direct way possible. You want positive reaction, not negative. It’s worth investing in getting in the right people in to manage this particular area of the online business.

• Stimulate interest in your readers by offering quality content.
• Make your subscriptions appealing to them.
• Establish credibility and gain trust by building rapport and community.
• Present your sales message without pushing it in anyone’s face.
• Keep your message concise and consistent but find a way for it to grab the attention.
• Include links and a call to action.
• Remember to keep the offer clear and use only one promotion per email.
• Track response rates for each email campaign. Through this you can get an accurate picture of which aspects of the campaign generated the best response.

Email marketing can be crucial to the success of an online business venture. The power of this form of marketing is truly undisputed in an online space where contact between prospector and prospect can be made within seconds.

Paul

If you want to understand how your prospects and customers are using your website then it’s time to get comfortable with operating Google Analytics, the web’s most popular reporting tool.

The basics of any analytics program are that they can give you data on what works and what doesn’t in terms of your web marketing. Google Analytics is one of the best free reporting tools available.

What can Google Analytics do for my business?

Beyond tracking the performance of your site and giving you the basic stat headlines it can generate a multitude of different reports that give you all the data you could need about your website traffic including the ability to track:

• Number of visitors
• Page view numbers
• Time spent on each visit
• How your site was found e.g. Google, Yahoo, Bing, direct or other
• Keywords people use to find your site
• Geographic location of your visitors
• Search engine marketing campaign performance
• Bounce rate (the percentage of people who visit your site but don’t go to a second page)

If you need comprehensive insights into how your business is performing online you can’t really go wrong here. You can track multiple sites from just one account too.

So how do I use Google Analytics?

You need to get the Google Analytics tracking code (GA code), which is a Javascript fragment that gets added to each page of your site. This can be done manually or through plug-ins. Think of it like an online GPS for the pages of your site(s).

Google Analytics defaults to showing you the last 30 days of activity but you can change and amend this to your preferences. All you need to do is select just what kind of report you want to see.

While there are far too many report metrics and scenarios available (roughly 85 report types in total) here’s a few examples of what information can be gleaned from Google Analytics:

• Traffic sources overview – find out where your visitors came from and what they used to find you. Through this report you can unearth what your best traffic sources are.

• Keyword reporting – discover the value of your keywords. What search terms did visitor use to find your site?

• Content overview – this report breaks down which pages get the most traffic on your site and from this data you can reasonably determine how the site is being used, where it needs work or improvements and why some content fairs better than the rest.

Once you understand the basic features of Google Analytics and learn to navigate the reports you can eventually move on to the more advanced features from tracking links to external sites and tracking downloads.

You have to have a play and tinker with Google Analytics to explore and fully understand its capabilities and functions.

How does this benefit my business?

It can benefit your business in any number of ways. It can help:

• Identify the strengths and weaknesses of your search engine marketing campaign
• Set future targets for overall improvements with accuracy
• Improve page content
• Track revenue sources
• Track the effect of SEO with a goal to increasing organic search
• Compare historical data to understand customer behaviour and trends
• Configure different reports to be emailed to different people
• Turn raw data into actionable information

And these are just a select choice of benefits that can be gained from using Google Analytics for your business.

Set up an account and take a tour.

Paul

One of the hardest things for businesses to do is get a good pricing structure – especially if they’re service based and not product based selling, but nowadays, with the economy as it is with some businesses beginning to suffer, it’s time to look at what you’re doing to give your business the very best in protection against that of your competition.  After all, it’s not all about price is it?

So, the first thing to ask yourself is:

Why do people like to buy your service or products?  This may seem like a rather obvious question, but surprisingly there are numerous business owners who don’t really know the answer.

Yes, we know you’ve got great services, fantastic products, but this is not necessarily why people buy from you.  We all know that while there are people that look for the ‘cheapest’ there are also people that look for the most expensive and there are plenty of different levels in between.

So in this blog, Little Big Voice thought it would be a great idea to help you identify what it is about you that makes people buy!

Now you may already be asking ‘what’s the point’, but imagine you had a fair idea of what people like about you and why they buy, and then armed with that knowledge you could go out and replicate it again and again?  You’d have a flourishing business right?

So what reasons do people use to choose a provider of a product or service?

While there are lots of signifiers but most buying decisions can be put down to two reasons :

• It helps them solve a problem : I need SEO and Search Engine Marketing to get my website more visible or I need a new website, delivery service etc.
• It makes them feel good:  I’m doing something or finally I can sort that problem out and I found the solution!  Of course they only found you to solve it but it counts!

The feel-good scenario is something that you can’t see of course and is highly subjective, as what may work for one person may leave someone else less than happy but, if you know what your majority demographics fall in to then it can be amazingly useful and help you price your products or services more effectively.

I’ve got lots of reasons that people buy from me that fall into ‘feel good factors’

It can be very difficult to create your price based on the ‘feel good factor’.  While you may be aware that your company has something your competitors don’t, if it’s a very mixed ‘bag’ then you might fall in to some difficulty here when looking at price.

So if you can’t be too specific in that area, then you could opt for the solution based problem solving and selling which can often be much simpler and cuts down all the ‘feel good’ possibilities.

You can price your offering based on how much your service or product solves a problem (ever wondered why plumbers can charge a lot?) and of course you can base it on how much time it takes.

What next?

Next you need to look at what your competitors are selling, how they’re selling it and of course evaluate what you feel they offer to their customers.

Now, the next thing isn’t about replicating what they’re doing, but choosing how you differ from the results and if so, why you feel it’s better or worse than what they offer.

Thus, you could offer a service that’s 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but know that they open six days a week and are closed on a Sunday.  Therefore, this could mean that your pricing structure can be amended to account for what is a much better benefit to clients or buyers.

Never underestimate in any business how a buyer can be very impatient and will pay more if they have to so they can get what they need or want!

How does this really help?

If you look at the value placed on their product or service and compare with your own, you eventually (after much thought) will arrive at the optimum price to sell, irrespective of how you place yourself against the competition.

This overall process will also enable you to make sales for prices based on informed decisions both in and outside of the business, but they will also highlight what is one of the most important things for you: communicating benefits to the buyer!

So if we go back to the idea of you being open 24 hours a day seven days a week, you’ll know this is a positive selling benefit to your prospective clients.

Paul

Your online presence is now more than ever crucial to the success of your online business.  We’ve worked with a number of companies here at Little Big Voice, Search Engine Marketing and have helped grow some of the smallest in to some of the biggest, so we thought it would be worth sharing a bit of that expertise in this blog.

Designed to offer a few general pointers, we want to try and help you achieve your very best with some clear points, gained from years of experience within the digital field.  So if you are an online business and you’re looking to do better, then read on…

Your customers will show you what they want

Most people when they consider their products or services online focus very much on what ‘they’ like.  But truly good business owners will know that what we like is not always what attracts the mass sales.  So rather than push what you feel is of interest to the general buyer – start identifying what your best products or services really are and their relevance to your buyers.  These will provide the key to finding the best products to push online and attracting the right people to buy them.

To make things easier, you may want to make use of the Internet a bit more and look at the kind of problems within your industry that people want to solve, consider the key words that people are searching for and of course check out your competitors by looking at their websites and if they’re selling the same, think about what it is that makes you a better option for buyers.  With key words, you might be sensible to consider the services of a Search Engine Marketing company to help you with this – as it will make all the difference.

Your copy needs to sell

It’s very tempting to think that the copy on your site is the least important part of your web presence.  Now, while we tend to skim content when we visit a website, this doesn’t mean that it can be completely ignored.

Copy needs to gain immediate interest and gently push people towards that shopping basket or contact form and at the same time convey the benefits of your company or products, creating both a sense of urgency while being persuasive but not pushy.

So, while it seems like a cost cutter to write your own copy – it may actually be much better to get decent, key worded copy from a professional who will be able to do everything right.

Don’t assume because you know where things are that your potential buyers will too

Sometimes we all benefit from a bit of clarity and let’s face it we can all be guilty of taking our websites and their navigation for granted.  If this might be you, get a fresh pair of eyes on it and LISTEN.

There are an amazing amount of companies who pay for advice but don’t actually use it, preferring to stick with what they think they know.  All the while they’re not achieving their very best because they’re either stubborn or a bit silly.  Don’t let this be you.  If someone suggests and improvement based on what they found hard to navigate on your site, consider they might actually just be right.

Consider getting a blog

Content is King these days and the more you have of it on your website the more visible it will become.  We’ve consistently seen website traffic increase with a good, organised blogging strategy that’s based on key words, interesting advice and a targeted approach.

If the blog is part of your site, then every time a new article is added it is a chance for the major search engines to see you’ve got something new.

If you’re worried about blogging yourself or what it might involve, then read our social media blogs for some general help or contact us.  We can help you produce good quality content very easily and give you all the pointers we know that work.

Paul

If you keep up with the news then you’ll be familiar with the recent Playstation user details controversy. Media giant Sony issued a warning to all of its users that their personal details could have been hacked via their user network. This compromised data includes private information such as names, contact details, and possibly in the worst case scenarios, credit card information. Sony estimates that three million customers are at risk in the UK alone, and an estimated seventy million others around the world. The NFA (National Fraud Authority) has asserted that in 2008 alone, fraud cost the UK £30 billion. This is a staggering figure which gives the United Kingdom its first fully comprehensive picture of the devastating consequences and damages fraud has on the UK economy.

This only elucidates the importance of data protection in business and working practices. The FSA (Financial Services Authority) enforces a strict Data Protection policy and procedure to be followed without deviation.

What is data protection?

Data Protection legislation ensures that personal data is not processed without the consent of the data subject. It is there to protect the individual and the collective. Through the setting in this standard of how we exchange and process personal data, an assurance of accuracy and privacy can be achieved with very little margin of error.

Now, data subjects have the clear right to check the validity of the data that is retained about them.  This process protects their privacy and maintains a secure relationship between customer and business.

How do I maintain correct data protection practices?

Make sure that you understand fully the Data Protection Act of 1998. This is basic business compliancy; understanding the mandatory legal requirements and establishment-set regulations that apply to, and govern, your company’s own practices. It is the responsibility of a Managing Director or CEO to make their staff aware of this same information and the importance of adhering strictly to its codes of conduct.

Check whether you need to register your business by filling out a self-assessment guide for the ICO (Information Commissioners Office). It will ask you questions such as; do you process personal information? Are you a non-profit organisation? Is any of your processing on computer? And so forth.

Learn yourself and your staff the principles of Data Protection. There are five essential principles to be made aware of. They state that data must be:

• Accurate and relevant
• Used for limited purposes (i.e. not kept for longer than necessary)
• Fairly and lawfully processed
• Processed securely in accordance with the customer’s rights
• Not transferred or passed on to third parties without informing the data subject or getting their permission

How do I identify the type of information I need to store?

Clarity is paramount in this instance. Ask yourself what type of personal data you need to retain, why you need to retain it and for how long.

In many cases, businesses need to take direct payments online and therefore will automatically be engaging with customer details, particularly financial information. The information you store on customers from this may well include names, addresses, contact info because the electronically recorded transactions (credit cards, direct debits etc.) are validated by the presence of these additional proofs of identity. As long as you take the DP principles into account when storing customer data, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem when it comes to adherence.

Financial information from customers should never be stored for future use. Companies that ignore this critically important factor can face swift reprimands from the FSA.

How do I store customer data?

Securely.

Paper data, also referred to as Manual data is incredibly vulnerable to damage, theft or misplacement. A strict filing system and procedures for handling Manual data must be implemented. Controlling the flow of rubbish becomes a issue. It cannot just be thrown out with the other office rubbish such as wrappers and tissues. Any paper with private data on it needs to be destroyed via shredding or placed in a bin specifically for this kind of information that will be destroyed at the end of the working day.

The other, now generally more employed data storage method is saving data to hard drives and disks. Practical security must be considered. These items are vulnerable to theft too. The computer network, software and hardware all need to have more than adequate security.

Develop confidentiality procedures and risk evaluations that will help you to maintain data security within the business. Establish retrieval systems and back up/copy essential data. You don’t want to lose pivotal information such as financial records.

How do I ensure my staff are compliant with these regulations?

A significant training program should be implemented. Your staff needs to be fully trained in your business, not just in the principles and mission statements of your company, but also in the legal and regulatory standards of the industry they work within. Therefore an understanding of the reasons for and behind confidentiality and data protection procedures is an essential part of their training.

Disclaimer: It is recommend you take the professional advice of a legal representative on these matters. Little Big Voice nor Paul Keene cannot be held responsible for any errors or out-of-date information.

Paul

Know Your Resources

Now you know your market and who it is you’re advertising to it is time to look at what media is available online to help market your business effectively to customers/clients.

Email advertising

Email marketing is a successful tool for businesses to use as it can be implemented and executed very quickly and more importantly, it can be tracked. Immediacy is the key here.

Web advertising

You can use two different types of web advertising:

The first is a banner campaign to raise brand awareness. It is most beneficial in terms of getting your name and your products or services out there. Through agencies you can buy slots on websites you have found to be the most directed at your target market. The right people will hopefully see it but you pay for the advert regardless of whether or not it is successful.

The second is target advertising through pay-per-click (PPC). This generally more cost effective. Your ad is displayed so it can be seen by the maximum number of people but you only pay for it when someone clicks on the ad. It doesn’t matter too much in this case as if a person is willing to click on the ad, you’re more likely to make a sale out of it anyway.

The three largest PPC providers are Yahoo Search Marketing, Google AdWords, and Microsoft AdCenter. PPC requires that you spend time carefully developing your campaign and learning how to.

Social media applications

Social media allows for you to use via Facebook and Twitter through implementing advertisements, banners and badges, whilst at the same time using both platforms and registered accounts to update information, offers, events and news about your business. The goal is to gain and steadily increase a following. The more followers, the more interest and word of mouth you can generate.

Most businesses only develop and execute a search engine marketing plan once they understand all the essential areas of their business, its competition and their target market. Keep your marketing plan updated as you get underway with it. You want to make sure you are on-track.

Your success can be determined, often entirely, on good marketing, planning and strategy. Surround yourself with those already in the know, even if it adds extra expense to the venture. The better quality of help and advice you receive, the stronger your business will become.

Paul