It can be frustrating for people who want to grow their business using online techniques. Everything seems so complicated.

You do not just have the marketing stuff, which seems a weird combination of creativity and psychology, art and science (along with a large dose of good luck). Then there is all the technical stuff, like emails, websites and advertising.

In fact the technical stuff is largely a commodity now, outsource it to a reliable contractor and all you need is the marketing approach. Thankfully at its core this can be really simple.

Continue reading Internet Marketing Simplified

Posted in Copy Writing, Sales & Marketing

When we get around to any discussion about customer service, and in particular customer satisfaction, a phrase is almost guaranteed to come up:

The customer is always right

But is that really true?

Continue reading Is the Customer Always Right?

Posted in Business

The IRCE 2009 was bustling with etailers and vendors alike, although the majority of people we spoke to felt that the numbers were significantly lower than previous years. Khalid and I arrived in Boston late Sunday evening and rushed our way down to the exhibit hall Monday morning to set up and then up to the ecommerce workshops to consult with online retailers. It was a busy Monday morning, and the entire stay was eventful and quite eye-opening.

Khalid and I both felt that the retailers sitting at our tables during the website consultations were engaged and interested. Website clinics are really a big hit because online retailers are given actionable items to implement and consider optimizing on their website.

Continue reading IRCE 2009 at a glance

Posted in Ecommerce

I am sure you have experienced this or know someone close who has.

You see an offer, think it is exactly what you are looking for, and try to grab it while the deal is hot, only to be told “Sorry, we just sold the last one but we have this more expensive and less desirable option …”.

Continue reading Getting Really Sick of the Offer Bait and Switch

Posted in Sales & Marketing

When was the last time you invested in your business? Have you scaled back your investment recently, or increased it? Are you updating your knowledge and skills, or hoping that the expertise you have gained previously will see you through industry changes now and in the future?

Continue reading Are You Investing in Your Business or Sucking it Dry?

Posted in Business

During such tough times, incentives are everywhere. Companies are struggling to get customers through the door. Even major conferences are “extending deadlines” for their “early-bird specials” because, simply, people are not buying. But more likely than often, incentives do work. They motivate and persuade the customer that is in a latter part of the buying stages. But what if your incentives were designed to motivate the customer that is in the initial buying stages, or just a browser, as well?

What NOT to do when it comes to incentives:

Continue reading Incentives: Giving your customers the biggest bang for their buck

Posted in Ecommerce

Remember when conversion optimization could get 20 – 30% increases in conversion rate by making simple changes such as a button’s color, a headline, or place a phone number in the top right corner of a page? Ahh, the good ol’ day. Well they’re pretty long gone – now with what the economy in shambles and more tech savvy shoppers. Companies that still rely on changing a button and adding bolded text <here> are failing to recognize that those surface changes will not impact conversion rates as they used to.

So, now with the current situation and struggles, what can we do to ensure that we maintain and grow current conversion rates?

Continue reading Back to the Basics

Posted in Conversion Optimization

Someone just tried to sell me over the phone again. This was not a cold call, it was down right subzero.

When will people ever learn?

Continue reading Are You Using Caveman Techniques in Your Marketing?

Posted in Sales & Marketing

Since I submitted the list of top 50 SEO blogs from blog rank to sphinn, I received a large number of emails asking me how does blog rank determines the ultimate rank calculation. So, here is the answer. 

Continue reading How does blog Rank calculates the ultimate rank?

Posted in Blogging

It’s almost 6 months into 2009 and a great time to reevaluate resolutions and goals. Honestly, I don’t even know how these first months passed so quickly, I’m still getting my feet wet! But really, businesses at this point have a better idea of where their company is going during this recession, what major final decisions they will be making, and whether or not it’s a good time for their company to make any “investments.”

Continue reading About 6 months down and 6 months to go - what’s your business up to?

Posted in Business