Mafia Marketing Lessons: Five Things Businesses Can Learn From Tony Soprano
1. Trust is fragile. Whether you are dealing with a prospect, customer, or vendor, your relationships will always make or break you. Tony has always been careful to preserve the friendships he felt were valuable. (However, we all know that relationships change over time.) As a business, your reputation follows you. Your marketing, sales, and after market follow up are crucial to your brand's well being. Bad PR can be a nightmare for businesses - especially when it comes to word-of-mouth marketing. If you sell a shoddy product or treat a customer badly, people will find out. They will turn your back on you if you don't set it right. In many cases, they might move on to the competition. (And, help that competition kill you!)
2. Making amends is usually possible. A business can turn bad PR around if they admit their mistakes and seek to correct their errors. Giving money back, offering special discounts toward a next purchase, and making humor out of your foibles can help you if a customer has a bad experience. Offer something up if your company makes a mistake with a person that has given you money. A personal phone call, a free item, a truckload of wine or Armani suits - you get the idea, right? They'll remember how well you treated them.
3. If you want something done right, hire a professional. Tony rarely brokers his own deals - and when he does, he tends to get stressed by the details. Most businesses feel this way at one time or another. If you own a business, more often than not, you should not be the only one telling people what you do. Advertising and marketing are essential to business growth, but as a business owner, you want to focus on maintaining relationships with your customers. Have others that can market your business for you, professionally. Have others that deal with the business muscle.Outsourcing works, but aways make sure to keep the quality in check. Shoddy outsourcing can turn into a nightmare with no ROI at all - and, in Tony's case, serious legal and personal woes.
4. Networking is crucial to marketing. It's who you know - and who they know - that make a difference in your business. Try to network with potential customers in social settings. Local organizations often host networking events in major cities - check with your local Chamber of Commerce. Myspace, LinkedIn, and Youtube are great places for online businesses to hang out and make friends. Send greetings for holidays, learn about your prospects. Keep in touch on a regular basis. Remember birthdays. Know just enough about your customers that you feel like they may be part of the family - and that it's a good thing.
5. Loyalty begets loyalty, in most cases. (Some people, however, are cut throat sociopaths...) If you are loyal to your customers and offer them rewards, they'll feel more involved in your brand. In turn, they may recommend you to other prospects, friends, and family. You won't win brand loyalty with every person you come across, but when you find your niche, and your target audience, you should protect them at all costs. The majority rules when it comes to your online audience - and when you get multiple emails requesting something, such as more information on a product, take a moment to decide to fix it TODAY. When a member of your audience wants more information, give it to them. Then let them know about the favor.
It's true, Tony Soprano has had a bad run of business luck and family issues surrounding him for the past decade or so, but until next week, we won't know how it turns out. Considering that his line of work is a part of a dying breed, he may be unable to stick it out. However, nobody in the world can disagree that the Soprano's has had a great run of it - and we can all learn from Tony's mistakes as well as successes.
Are you looking to truly connect with your customers? Are you looking for a professional interactive marketing campaign to convert your prosepcts into customers? Capital Creative provides affordable, exciting marketing and copywriting services for businesses of all sizes. (But only if you are ready to grow...) You can add us to your social network by using the email address yourfreelanceneeds @ gmail.com
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Interactive Campaign Marketing: Run a contest using social media, free
Interactive marketing is the key to return visitors to your website, no matter what you are selling or marketing. Businesses on a budget really don't always have the kind of resources they need to start out. That's why there are so many pricey marketing firms out there. Unfortunately, businesses without interactivity on the web are sure to flounder, especially with the trend towards social media sites such as Myspace and Youtube. Your customers and website visitors need to interact with your business - and trust it, to be successful.
What's one solution to building interactivity on a budget? Hosting a contest that gets your visitors involved with your comnpany and products. Video contests are ideal for this - they are free and easy to manage using YouTube.
Worried that an interactive contest campaign is too costly or time-consuming? Don't worry - we've got you covered - step by step. Altogether, it should take about a week to set up a campaign using free tools and a little promotion know-how. Your campaign will need a promotion until the contest ends - but the basics should be easy to cover and check on. And even once the contest has ended, you should see a good return in traffic based on the new prospects you've met during the promotion.
1. First things first - get your business on Myspace and YouTube. Plan to spend at least half an hour setting up your profile on each site. Sign up at http://www.youtube.com and http://www.myspace.com. Don't just sign up and leave - make sure you link to your website, upload photos of your products and services, and describe your business and products throughly. (Using your seo keywords.) If you're not sure how to fill out your profile, do a search for other businesses on these sites... (Tip: there are tons of boutiques and bookstores on Myspace, and they're easy to find using the Myspace search engine...) Myspace can assign you a unique URL (Look on the left side of your page under your profile pic.) Make sure you use your business name or keywords when you choose your URL. (Our company's Myspace URL is : http://www.myspace.com/capitalcreative ) Youtube assigns you a "channel" - there's a lot you can do with this as far as building a social network - but that will follow in another article. (Our company's channel is at : http://www.youtube.com/capitalcreative to see an example of how a channel at Youtube will look.)
2. Plan a contest - not a drawing, but a competition. That's right - this isn't going to cost you money, but it may cost you a free gift certificate, book, or other piece of your business inventory. It doesn't have to be expensive - but if you have enough inventory, giving away something free that's of high value will generate more buzz for your company. Plan on at least having a grand prize, if not first, second, and third prizes. For an effective campaign, you'll want to limit your contest to 30 to 45 days. (And when you see enough success, you can do another one, later!) Choose an item you're really wanting to push - in many cases, your customers may buy it if they don't win... Because during and after this campaign, you're going to keep in touch with them.
3. Decide what the contest is going to be about - and what you want your customers to think about your company. You can make it simple - "Why do you deserve a free Ipod"? or use it to help build your brand - "Why I am a home-made-vegan soap addict and I deserve a year's supply of soap." Many bigger companies even ask users to submit their own commercials for a specific product. The key to this contest is to build excitement for your products and company - so ask a question to your prospects that helps them think about your brand and how it relates to them.
4. Create a Youtube Group for your contest. (http://www.youtube.com/groups_create) This is where you'll be directing your entries. You get a free bulletin board in the group, so link to your contest guidelines and your business on Myspace. (On Myspace, you'll get a lot of friends this way. Let everyone know contest updates will be announced on Myspace and via your mailing list.)
5. Create a Contest Page on your website. List the rules and the theme of your contest. Although the video contest will be on Youtube, you'll want to collect their email addresses and the URL of their video either by form or email, depending on your preferences. Link to your Myspace profile and Youtube Group prominently. Let them know that you will update them via email or Myspace. Make sure you host a "Send this page to a friend" form. Not sure what the contest rules should entail? Do a Google search for "contest guidelines" and write up your own.
6. Announce your contest. Every place you announce your contest, you'll want to promote the URL of your Youtube Group, Contest URL, and Myspace profile. (if you already have a Myspace profile, then announce the contest to everyone once a week, using a bulletin...) Who else can you announce it to? Your mailing list. Online media and local newspapers using a press release. Print up fliers and pass them out around town. Oh, yeah - and those free contest websites - there are thousands of them with avid contest entrants. (http://www.contesthound.com/addcontest.php3, http://www.contestalley.com/submitcontest.shtml, to name a few) Try to get your contest listed in at least five directories a week, or even a day, and your link popularity will soar.
7. Promote until the day the contest closes. Continue listing your contest in forums and directories, with a link to your contest page - if you list your contest in just 5 places a day, you can achieve prominence quickly.
8. Choose your winners and give them some publicity. Let all of your entrants know where to see the winning videos - and make them an offer they can't refuse. Let your website visitors know where to see the results of the contest. Offer all the "losers' some sort of coupon or freebie - or another chance to enter a second contest. Post the winning video on your website and any other place you promote your business. Ask winners for their photographs and post them in your Myspace profile as " recent contest winners". Ask them to tell their friends about their videos. Send out press release announcing the winners - and the theme for your next contest.
Have fun with contests - when you run a contest, you build your company's image and brand awareness. A contest is a great way to generate enthusiasm with your website visitors, add people to your mailing list, and achieve brand recognition. Contests also tend to be very viral in nature - people share them with their friends and there are tons of contest fanatics on the web that republish information for their own website visitors. just remember to make it fun, link to where they can enter, and ask every one to tell a friend!
Capital Creative specializes in online marketing and copywriting services for businesses.
Interactive marketing is the key to return visitors to your website, no matter what you are selling or marketing. Businesses on a budget really don't always have the kind of resources they need to start out. That's why there are so many pricey marketing firms out there. Unfortunately, businesses without interactivity on the web are sure to flounder, especially with the trend towards social media sites such as Myspace and Youtube. Your customers and website visitors need to interact with your business - and trust it, to be successful.
What's one solution to building interactivity on a budget? Hosting a contest that gets your visitors involved with your comnpany and products. Video contests are ideal for this - they are free and easy to manage using YouTube.
Worried that an interactive contest campaign is too costly or time-consuming? Don't worry - we've got you covered - step by step. Altogether, it should take about a week to set up a campaign using free tools and a little promotion know-how. Your campaign will need a promotion until the contest ends - but the basics should be easy to cover and check on. And even once the contest has ended, you should see a good return in traffic based on the new prospects you've met during the promotion.
1. First things first - get your business on Myspace and YouTube. Plan to spend at least half an hour setting up your profile on each site. Sign up at http://www.youtube.com and http://www.myspace.com. Don't just sign up and leave - make sure you link to your website, upload photos of your products and services, and describe your business and products throughly. (Using your seo keywords.) If you're not sure how to fill out your profile, do a search for other businesses on these sites... (Tip: there are tons of boutiques and bookstores on Myspace, and they're easy to find using the Myspace search engine...) Myspace can assign you a unique URL (Look on the left side of your page under your profile pic.) Make sure you use your business name or keywords when you choose your URL. (Our company's Myspace URL is : http://www.myspace.com/capitalcreative ) Youtube assigns you a "channel" - there's a lot you can do with this as far as building a social network - but that will follow in another article. (Our company's channel is at : http://www.youtube.com/capitalcreative to see an example of how a channel at Youtube will look.)
2. Plan a contest - not a drawing, but a competition. That's right - this isn't going to cost you money, but it may cost you a free gift certificate, book, or other piece of your business inventory. It doesn't have to be expensive - but if you have enough inventory, giving away something free that's of high value will generate more buzz for your company. Plan on at least having a grand prize, if not first, second, and third prizes. For an effective campaign, you'll want to limit your contest to 30 to 45 days. (And when you see enough success, you can do another one, later!) Choose an item you're really wanting to push - in many cases, your customers may buy it if they don't win... Because during and after this campaign, you're going to keep in touch with them.
3. Decide what the contest is going to be about - and what you want your customers to think about your company. You can make it simple - "Why do you deserve a free Ipod"? or use it to help build your brand - "Why I am a home-made-vegan soap addict and I deserve a year's supply of soap." Many bigger companies even ask users to submit their own commercials for a specific product. The key to this contest is to build excitement for your products and company - so ask a question to your prospects that helps them think about your brand and how it relates to them.
4. Create a Youtube Group for your contest. (http://www.youtube.com/groups_create) This is where you'll be directing your entries. You get a free bulletin board in the group, so link to your contest guidelines and your business on Myspace. (On Myspace, you'll get a lot of friends this way. Let everyone know contest updates will be announced on Myspace and via your mailing list.)
5. Create a Contest Page on your website. List the rules and the theme of your contest. Although the video contest will be on Youtube, you'll want to collect their email addresses and the URL of their video either by form or email, depending on your preferences. Link to your Myspace profile and Youtube Group prominently. Let them know that you will update them via email or Myspace. Make sure you host a "Send this page to a friend" form. Not sure what the contest rules should entail? Do a Google search for "contest guidelines" and write up your own.
6. Announce your contest. Every place you announce your contest, you'll want to promote the URL of your Youtube Group, Contest URL, and Myspace profile. (if you already have a Myspace profile, then announce the contest to everyone once a week, using a bulletin...) Who else can you announce it to? Your mailing list. Online media and local newspapers using a press release. Print up fliers and pass them out around town. Oh, yeah - and those free contest websites - there are thousands of them with avid contest entrants. (http://www.contesthound.com/addcontest.php3, http://www.contestalley.com/submitcontest.shtml, to name a few) Try to get your contest listed in at least five directories a week, or even a day, and your link popularity will soar.
7. Promote until the day the contest closes. Continue listing your contest in forums and directories, with a link to your contest page - if you list your contest in just 5 places a day, you can achieve prominence quickly.
8. Choose your winners and give them some publicity. Let all of your entrants know where to see the winning videos - and make them an offer they can't refuse. Let your website visitors know where to see the results of the contest. Offer all the "losers' some sort of coupon or freebie - or another chance to enter a second contest. Post the winning video on your website and any other place you promote your business. Ask winners for their photographs and post them in your Myspace profile as " recent contest winners". Ask them to tell their friends about their videos. Send out press release announcing the winners - and the theme for your next contest.
Have fun with contests - when you run a contest, you build your company's image and brand awareness. A contest is a great way to generate enthusiasm with your website visitors, add people to your mailing list, and achieve brand recognition. Contests also tend to be very viral in nature - people share them with their friends and there are tons of contest fanatics on the web that republish information for their own website visitors. just remember to make it fun, link to where they can enter, and ask every one to tell a friend!
Capital Creative specializes in online marketing and copywriting services for businesses.
Monitoring RSS Feeds
by S. Housley
Measuring and tracking RSS while a fairly simple concept, is really anything but. Unlike websites, RSS have the added caveat of potential syndication, making accurate tracking a challenge to anyone but the extremely tech savvy.
It is not unrealistic for marketers to want to know how many subscribers they have, which items in their feeds attract the most interest, or how many click-throughs are generated as a result of an RSS feed.
There are a number of 3rd party providers who focus on tracking the consumption of RSS feeds. Some solutions are rudimentary but likely sufficient for a small business testing the waters with RSS. Other RSS tracking solutions are more complex and while they can come close to being accurate, with syndication there is no solution that tracks with 100% accuracy.
Techniques Used to track RSS Consumption
Small businesses can view web logs to provide information on how many times a specific file (RSS feed) is requested. The logs and information is rudimentary but will give a basic sense of a feeds success. Many 3rd party tracking options have additional tracking information available.
Hosting
The most common method to track the number of feed accesses or individuals accessing a feed is to use a 3rd party feed host. Companies like FeedBurner essentially track feeds based on accesses. The downside to using a 3rd party like Feedburner, is that the url is a FeedBurner url and any PageRank or popularity associated with the url will benefit the feed host rather than the feed creator. Additionally, no distinction is made between unique views or syndicate feeds.
FeedBurner provides a free no frills service to host RSS feeds and they have been proactive in circumventing user concerns. Recently implementing a service that eases users concerns about migrating from FeedBurner. There is a 3 step process for users interested in migrating from FeedBurner's free service, implementing a permanent redirect, and url forwarding.
Details can be found at: http://www.burningdoorc.om/feedburner/archives/001251.html
Some publishers, who were concerned about lock-in or wanted to retain control of the domain and feed urls often resist a hosting service. The new program FeedBurner Partner Pro is not free, but allows for users to point to their own domain, retaining complete control of their feeds without sacrificing statistical tracking.
The downside to using a service like FeedBurner is that some filtering applications used on corporate proxy servers block feeds residing on FeedBurner or other free hosts.
Redirects
Companies like SyndicateIQ have more complex tracking solutions that generate unique urls for each subscriber. The tracking benefits to such a customized solution is obvious. Individual user habits can be monitored and any users abusing their access and inappropriately syndicating a feeds content can have their feed turned off. The downside of course is that the success of RSS is in a large part due to the anonymity. Users don't want their personal habits tracked.
Considering the venture capital interest in these 3rd party hosting services. It is important to note that their value is in the data that they collect. As with any 3rd party service, it goes without saying that publishers should read the privacy policy carefully, be aware of who owns the rights to the collected information, and how that information might be used. It goes without saying that the value in many of the free services currently available lies in their aggregate data.
Uniquely Named Transparent Images
Uniquely named transparent 1x1 graphics can be added to the description field of an RSS feed. Users can use standard web logs to see the number of times the image is viewed and determine the number of times the feed was accessed.
Companies Specializing in Tracking and RSS Metrics
Pheedo - Pheedo creates tools that enable individuals, organizations and corporations to promote, analyze, and optimize their weblogs and content.
http://www.pheedo.com
SyndicateIQ - SyndicateIQ's position in the content distribution chain provides clients a set of analytics.
http://www.syndicateiq.com/
FeedBurner - FeedBurner offers a full range of services to help you build awareness, track circulation, and implement revenue-generating programs in your feed(s).
http://www.feedburner.com
Each individual using RSS needs to make a decision of the extent and importance of the analytics they require. Realizing that any system they employ is not going to be perfect.
About the Author: Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for FeedForDev http://www.feedfordev.com an RSS component for developers.
Article Directory: Article Dashboard
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
The Top Three Reasons Your Retail Website is Losing Sales Every Day
by Melissa Brewer
As a marketer, nothing bothers me more than poor customer service (or CRM, as we call it.) Small retailers, especially those with ecommerce enabled, work very hard to garner sales with their marketing efforts. It's a damn shame when a conversion become a chargeback - you've lost a customer for life. However, in the online retail world, it happens all the time. And it's not necessarily because of fraud or customer error.
Today, I am in the process of canceling several orders with retailers - $390.00 worth, to be exact - not because I like to charge things back, but because I feel I have no choice in the matter. All of the retailers failed to deliver even decent customer service when contacted, and all of them faced problems with my orders, whether they knew it or not. I am an avid internet shopper and I came into some extra cash this month from a rental deposit. I intended to decorate my new place in one fell swoop. At this level of frustration, I am actually about to head to a regular retail store - which is something I usually reserve for grocery shopping and impulse buys. (When I shop online, I shop big.)
Why am I angry enough to call Visa and cause a chargeback? It's elementary - terrible, not just poor, communication. The saddest part of the situation is that these are small retail websites, with both an online and offline presence. I know canceling my order makes an impact on sales. I found all three through Google Product search and Yahoo Shopping, which led me to assume they had somebody who is marketing and tech-savvy on their team. When I decided to order, however, my opinion changed dramatically. It was as if these companies simply added their products to Google and Yahoo, set up a shopping cart, and then abandoned all they've ever learned about customer service. (As well as their common sense.) Here are the specific (and real) reasons why:
1. Incomplete contact information. Online retailers - please take note! When you only have one mode of communication, you're in trouble when something goes awry. I placed an order for a bistro table with a glass top and it shipped swiftly, however,the entire tabletop was shattered to bits. Although there is a return policy on the website, once I filled out the online form, I was given a host of 404s and php errors. And there was no direct email address, phone number, or alternative means of contact. Customers - and prospects - like to know there is a person or two out there that can answer questions and help make informed decisions. You get more sales that way - people like to communicate in different ways. And if the only form of communication is broken, you're pretty much screwed as far as customer relations. I won't be reordering from this company no matter what - and shame on me for ordering in the first place. I usually check out the credibility of a website before I place an order. (Ah, but I love shopping sprees!) Now I have to take my complaint to Google checkout. It should have been easier to get in touch with this retailer. (This cost this company 120.00 in sales...)
2. Incomplete product information. Sure, the photos and descriptions are great on your website. You took it straight from your catalog copy and it was all very professionally done by a freelance writer and photographer team. I really liked the chair set so much, I ordered it from a different retailer than the bistro table. I recieved an email two days later - "This item ships directly from the manufacturer in 2-5 weeks, we will notify you when it ships." That's a pretty large span of time and this was not mentioned in the item description. There were plenty of similar items on Google Product Search that I could have ordered without waiting so long. It's as if they purposefully kept the information concealed. Alas, this company DOES have a customer service phone number and email. Wyhen I asked for specifics (actually, a guestimate) I recieved a standard form email reply. "We are sorry for the inconvenience, we are unable to estimate shipping for your product at this time." (By the way, it's very annoying to say "for your product" rather than take the three seconds to type in "your chair set") If you don't have ANY idea when your vendors will ship a product, maybe you should switch vendors. Again, this was a small company,with real people somewhere, in a retail store across the country from me. I am sure they are more direct with their face-to-face customers. Your online customers deserve the same respect. (This cost this company 180.00 in sales, when I can get through to a live person - I haven't been able to, yet... Just a machine...) Which brings me to....
3. Terrible CRM and form replies. Customer relationship management is the key to repeat business. So when the sofa cover, towel set, curtains, and sheet set I ordered from yet another small retailer did not ship, I had to question why. Luckily, I recieved the following email, "Thank you for your recent order. We would like to take a moment to update your regarding the status of your order. Currently, we are experiencing stock issues with one or more items on your order. We are expecting to receive additional stock within a period of one to three weeks to complete your order. If you may need further assistance please contact customer service to discuss your order." Again, one to three weeks? I emailed them back asking which items were backordered, and if it was possible to just cancel one or two items so my order could ship. To which I recieved the following reply: "Thank you for your email. Please be advised that your order has not been shipped at this time. Once your order is shipped you will receive an email update that will include your ship date and Fed Ex tracking number. At this time we do not have a ship date for this order. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused you." My questions were completely ignored. They placed the "At this time we do not have a ship date for this order" in bold - as if to emphasize that further inquiries were useless. (If they don't know, they don't know, right? ) The language in the original email used the words, "Discuss your order." However, it seems that was a gross overstatement. Any employee sitting in front of the computer's email inbox could have answered a simple question. This company made a choice to ignore my question in its entirety and simply emphasize what they can't do. (They lost 120.00 in sales. I have already called to cancel and recieved no apologies - or questioning as to why I canceled.)
The moral of this story is: If your company isn't customer-savvy enough to handle online orders, don't do it. Don't get listed in Yahoo Shopping or Google Product search if you have little to no interest in communicating with your customers. Your online reputation can follow you for years with the rating systems that Google, Yahoo, and Epinions have in place. These kinds of faux-pas are inexcusable with the progress that ecommerce has made. There are simple ways to alternate email replies and customize them using inexpensive software, and every business has a telephone number that they answer when speaking with vendors and face-to-face customers. I can't imagine that these small retail websites have a huge influx of orders this time of year - but if they do, they should try to build on that. There's nothing worse than turning away business without an explanation or attempt to rectify the situation. They could even let the customers know the specific issues and apologize for the delays.
After all, communication is the key to building a lasting relationship. Anybody with a job, spouse, child, or friend knows that. Why don't the people who handle your customer service know?
Melissa Brewer is Creative Director at Capital Creative (http://www.capitalcreativeinc.com), a virtual copywriting and marketing agency based in Washington DC. If you are a member of LinkedIn, Xing, or any other networking website, you can invite Capital Creative to join your network with the email address yourfreelanceneeds at gmail.com.
by Melissa Brewer
As a marketer, nothing bothers me more than poor customer service (or CRM, as we call it.) Small retailers, especially those with ecommerce enabled, work very hard to garner sales with their marketing efforts. It's a damn shame when a conversion become a chargeback - you've lost a customer for life. However, in the online retail world, it happens all the time. And it's not necessarily because of fraud or customer error.
Today, I am in the process of canceling several orders with retailers - $390.00 worth, to be exact - not because I like to charge things back, but because I feel I have no choice in the matter. All of the retailers failed to deliver even decent customer service when contacted, and all of them faced problems with my orders, whether they knew it or not. I am an avid internet shopper and I came into some extra cash this month from a rental deposit. I intended to decorate my new place in one fell swoop. At this level of frustration, I am actually about to head to a regular retail store - which is something I usually reserve for grocery shopping and impulse buys. (When I shop online, I shop big.)
Why am I angry enough to call Visa and cause a chargeback? It's elementary - terrible, not just poor, communication. The saddest part of the situation is that these are small retail websites, with both an online and offline presence. I know canceling my order makes an impact on sales. I found all three through Google Product search and Yahoo Shopping, which led me to assume they had somebody who is marketing and tech-savvy on their team. When I decided to order, however, my opinion changed dramatically. It was as if these companies simply added their products to Google and Yahoo, set up a shopping cart, and then abandoned all they've ever learned about customer service. (As well as their common sense.) Here are the specific (and real) reasons why:
1. Incomplete contact information. Online retailers - please take note! When you only have one mode of communication, you're in trouble when something goes awry. I placed an order for a bistro table with a glass top and it shipped swiftly, however,the entire tabletop was shattered to bits. Although there is a return policy on the website, once I filled out the online form, I was given a host of 404s and php errors. And there was no direct email address, phone number, or alternative means of contact. Customers - and prospects - like to know there is a person or two out there that can answer questions and help make informed decisions. You get more sales that way - people like to communicate in different ways. And if the only form of communication is broken, you're pretty much screwed as far as customer relations. I won't be reordering from this company no matter what - and shame on me for ordering in the first place. I usually check out the credibility of a website before I place an order. (Ah, but I love shopping sprees!) Now I have to take my complaint to Google checkout. It should have been easier to get in touch with this retailer. (This cost this company 120.00 in sales...)
2. Incomplete product information. Sure, the photos and descriptions are great on your website. You took it straight from your catalog copy and it was all very professionally done by a freelance writer and photographer team. I really liked the chair set so much, I ordered it from a different retailer than the bistro table. I recieved an email two days later - "This item ships directly from the manufacturer in 2-5 weeks, we will notify you when it ships." That's a pretty large span of time and this was not mentioned in the item description. There were plenty of similar items on Google Product Search that I could have ordered without waiting so long. It's as if they purposefully kept the information concealed. Alas, this company DOES have a customer service phone number and email. Wyhen I asked for specifics (actually, a guestimate) I recieved a standard form email reply. "We are sorry for the inconvenience, we are unable to estimate shipping for your product at this time." (By the way, it's very annoying to say "for your product" rather than take the three seconds to type in "your chair set") If you don't have ANY idea when your vendors will ship a product, maybe you should switch vendors. Again, this was a small company,with real people somewhere, in a retail store across the country from me. I am sure they are more direct with their face-to-face customers. Your online customers deserve the same respect. (This cost this company 180.00 in sales, when I can get through to a live person - I haven't been able to, yet... Just a machine...) Which brings me to....
3. Terrible CRM and form replies. Customer relationship management is the key to repeat business. So when the sofa cover, towel set, curtains, and sheet set I ordered from yet another small retailer did not ship, I had to question why. Luckily, I recieved the following email, "Thank you for your recent order. We would like to take a moment to update your regarding the status of your order. Currently, we are experiencing stock issues with one or more items on your order. We are expecting to receive additional stock within a period of one to three weeks to complete your order. If you may need further assistance please contact customer service to discuss your order." Again, one to three weeks? I emailed them back asking which items were backordered, and if it was possible to just cancel one or two items so my order could ship. To which I recieved the following reply: "Thank you for your email. Please be advised that your order has not been shipped at this time. Once your order is shipped you will receive an email update that will include your ship date and Fed Ex tracking number. At this time we do not have a ship date for this order. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused you." My questions were completely ignored. They placed the "At this time we do not have a ship date for this order" in bold - as if to emphasize that further inquiries were useless. (If they don't know, they don't know, right? ) The language in the original email used the words, "Discuss your order." However, it seems that was a gross overstatement. Any employee sitting in front of the computer's email inbox could have answered a simple question. This company made a choice to ignore my question in its entirety and simply emphasize what they can't do. (They lost 120.00 in sales. I have already called to cancel and recieved no apologies - or questioning as to why I canceled.)
The moral of this story is: If your company isn't customer-savvy enough to handle online orders, don't do it. Don't get listed in Yahoo Shopping or Google Product search if you have little to no interest in communicating with your customers. Your online reputation can follow you for years with the rating systems that Google, Yahoo, and Epinions have in place. These kinds of faux-pas are inexcusable with the progress that ecommerce has made. There are simple ways to alternate email replies and customize them using inexpensive software, and every business has a telephone number that they answer when speaking with vendors and face-to-face customers. I can't imagine that these small retail websites have a huge influx of orders this time of year - but if they do, they should try to build on that. There's nothing worse than turning away business without an explanation or attempt to rectify the situation. They could even let the customers know the specific issues and apologize for the delays.
After all, communication is the key to building a lasting relationship. Anybody with a job, spouse, child, or friend knows that. Why don't the people who handle your customer service know?
Melissa Brewer is Creative Director at Capital Creative (http://www.capitalcreativeinc.com), a virtual copywriting and marketing agency based in Washington DC. If you are a member of LinkedIn, Xing, or any other networking website, you can invite Capital Creative to join your network with the email address yourfreelanceneeds at gmail.com.
Video Streaming: Webinars And Online Marketing
by Scott Lindsay -
Video streaming is a popular means of providing both audio and video for clients or affiliates. It is possible to set a specific time when the video presentation is available and use it as a training tool.
Essentially you would create a live presentation for customers or affiliates that could be downloaded at a certain time so there would be a larger number of individuals logged into the video stream at the same time. You could set this up as a member only video webinar or make it available by invitation only with password-protected acceptance to the conference.
A chat room can be set up to take questions from those watching the webinar. This can provide a connection that may not be practical if you had to rely on more sophisticated video conferencing. If you do choose to use this approach you may want to save the presentation as a podcast that could be used at a later date for either new clients or new affiliates.
The development of quality webinars can provide a significant draw to your website. Most individuals are looking at furthering their education in fields that hold personal or professional interest. If you can provide a fee-based or members-only webinar you are likely to see increased traffic to your site and an increased potential for list building opportunities.
There are so many tools available to netrepreneurs, yet is seems the advances in technology may be frightening to those who may understand business, but are intimidated by the technical aspect of moving their experience to the worldwide web.
Freelance video, audio and content professionals can aid you in the development and execution of quality video streaming for your website.
The use of video streaming can provide a sense of professionalism that may be lacking in other online presentations.
The addition of audio provides a great personal connection to your customers, but the addition of video streaming ads an element to the process that shouldn’t be minimized. Most people want to know whom they are dealing with and if they can see and hear you they may feel better capable of assigning a level of trust with you and your online business.
With the growth of computer hard drive space and processing speeds video is becoming a highly desired standard for online presentations. The costs associated with video streaming may be less than you imagine. Maybe it’s time to investigate the possibilities.
Scott Lindsay is a web developer and entrepreneur. He is the founder of HighPowerSites and many other web projects. Get your own website online in just 5 minutes with HighPowerSites at: http://www.highpowersites.com. Start your own ebook business with BooksWealth at: http://www.bookswealth.com
Article Directory: Article Dashboard
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
"This (albiet rather short) article on list building through eBay helps to illustrate one of the most-hidden benefits of using Ebay. You can always use eBay build on your own business even if it isn't your primary source of customers. Ebay is a business venue - something that online retailers often ignore or forget about. "
Article chosen and published by Michael Audi, Vice President
Capital Creative, Inc.
Marketing and Copywriting Services for New Media
Why It Is Important To Build A List Using Ebay
by Fabian Tan
Are you making lots of sales on eBay but not making any huge profits? Would you like to increase your income and make repeat sales with your customers? Then building an email mailing list is the way to go.
It is a widely agreed that a mailing list is the most important asset in an Internet business. Customers who have bought from you before are likely to buy from you again, as long as you present them with good and relevant offers. On average, every customer will worth $1 a month to your business once he is on your list. Somewhere along the line, a good proportion of customers in your mailing list will buy something from you again.
You can send out broadcasts of different affiliate products you are promoting and make a commission. It does not take more than a few minutes to craft a good email! You can also build a relationship with your customers by sending helpful and timely information.
You could, for example, send them to pages with Adsense advertisements and make a side income. Instead of making just one sale per customer and having to find a new customer, you can sell to your customer all kinds of different products and services (that are related to your niche) to them. It costs more to acquire a new customer than it is to sell to one who has already bought something from you. Use this marketing rule, and it’s possible to double your profits easily!
Fabian Tan is the author of the free 51-Page Report: "Murder Your Job: How To Build Cash Sucking Autopilot Businesses In 30 Days Or Less!" Head over to http://www.MurderYourJob.com to get your free copy now before it's gone!
Article Directory: Article Dashboard
What Marketers Are Saying About "RSS To Blogs"
by Yoshi Kundagawa -
I have been reading a lot about the RSS To Blog program. This is a program that automatically updates your blog to make sure your website has a stream of new posts and information even if you don't lift a finger. The reason this is so important and useful is that search engines are very smart now days. The most popular search engines don't just look for meta tags anymore, they look for keywords within a body of real text, not just random words. You cannot simply list keywords and hope for high rankings on a search engine. Your site needs real content and real articles that use the desired keywords in a realistic way. One thing I have also found is that search engines do not give good search results to inactive blogs and websites because other blogs keep growing and out muscle the ones that remain the same. If you want your blog to keep getting good search rankings, it needs to be updated as to rank higher and higher on searches. Many people, like you and I, don't have enough free time to keep updating their blog, and that is why many companies have released programs to out-smart today's very smart search engines.
RSS To Blog automatically posts to your blog to help you maintain fresh content and high search engine rankings. To do this the program has to be smart, because search engines have ways of looking for manufactured content. The cool thing about the program is that it posts to your blog from many sources including articles, news stories, RSS feeds, and you can decide which content is relevant and which content is not. Your blog will grow automatically, but the content on it will remain of a very high quality, so people will actually want to visit it often. This keeps the content varied and realistic. My favorite part about this program is that it helps keep search engines from figuring out that you are using a blogging program by making the post times random instead of the same exact time every day. This creates a flowing and natural appearance to your blog.
The reason I like RSS To Blog so much is because it makes me money without having to lift a finger. By maintaining good search engine results, my blog gets a lot of hits, and I can turn those hits into revenue by using programs such as Google Adsense. Adsense ads can be placed in your blog and you get money based on how many hits those ads get. There are a lot of websites and blogs out there competing for search engine results, hits, and ad revenue, and I don't think it is possible to have enough time to do all of the work and all of the writing myself. An automated blogging program not only makes me money through ad revenue, such as with Google Adsense, but also saves me time so I can put more hours into other jobs.
Yoshi Kundagawa is a freelance journalist. To learn more about Rss To Blogs visit http://rsstoblogs.lhmarketing.com
Article Directory: Article Dashboard
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