HELPFUL TIPS & TRICKS

PERMISSION-BASED MARKETING
You have to make sure that your marketing messages are wanted. It’s not just good business practice; it’s also the law. Make it clear when customers sign up with you that you’ll be e-mailing them, and give them an opportunity to opt out of hearing from you. Confirm by e-mail that they want to be on your list. It can also be helpful to let them know approximately how often you’ll be sending them messages. Will it be monthly, weekly or whenever you update your product line? Offering a special discount or coupon for signing up can be a good incentive. A straightforward privacy policy and easy opt-out option will help you stay on the good side of both your customers and the law.
E-MAIL MARKETING
Plain-text e-mails don’t cut it anymore—you need to spice up your e-mail marketing messages in both appearance and content. You don’t need to go overboard with a lengthy missive, but consider adding short articles with interesting content related to what your business does. A “tip of the month” or “discount of the week” can be a great reason to send regular e-mails that your readers won’t just toss into the trash. Give your e-mails a professional appearance by building them with HTML. There are many customizable templates that provide a simple way to build HTML e-mails. E-mail marketing services can help you design attractive e-mails, or you can turn to your handy web designer for help in creating a template. Make sure your subject line is to the point and still compelling enough to entice customers to open it up. For example, “Summer Sale Starts Today!” is more likely to get opened than “Deals, Deals, Deals!” Finally, double-check your e-mails for spelling and grammar mistakes. Misspelled words can be a big turnoff for customers who expect professionalism.
DESIGN FOR ALL
There’s a wide world of web browsers out there for the World Wide Web. Your site should look good no matter what browser your visitors use to access it. You don’t have to try every single web browser available, but do be sure that your site works correctly and looks consistent in Internet Explorer and Firefox at the very least. If you find a problem, tweak your site to make it readable across most popular browsers.
GET LINKED UP
Start by making your site so great that it attracts linkers. Getting other relevant sites to link toyours is important to organic search marketing. It can take a while to build your links up, so be prepared to take it on as an ongoing project. Link trading with relevant (but not competing) businesses is a great first step. If your products compliment someone else’s offerings and vice versa, they could be a good candidate for a link trade.
Approach your potential link partners with an e-mail written specifically for them. Tell them why you should become link buddies, and always offer to link back to them in exchange. Follow up a few weeks later if you need to. Once you’ve agreed to exchange links, list them promptly. Give them some time, but do check up to see if they’ve listed you as well. If you maintain a links page, organize it into sections or subjects so you don’t end up with a long,hard-to-browse page full of links. Keep an eye out as you’re searching the web for strong link exchange candidates. Many other sites will be happy to help you out with this mutually beneficial linking relationship.
KEY KEYWORDS
Choosing the right keywords and phrases can make or break your search engine marketingcampaign. Sometimes a little creative thinking can be a big boost. Don’t be afraid to try very specific search terms. Think “organic cotton blue jeans” rather than just “jeans.” You’ll bemore likely to show up in the search results for ready-to-purchase customers that are looking for specific items. Bring in employees, friends or family members to help brainstorm keywords and keyword combinations. They may be able to generate unusual and useful ideas. Fortunately, search engine advertising is cost-effective enough that you can have the luxury of trying a lot of different keywords to discover which ones really work. Experiment and refine. Reevaluate yourchosen keywords every few weeks. Follow that pattern and you’ll be able to put your money behind the keywords that are most effective.
BLOGGING 101
Blogging can be a powerful tool for keeping customers up-to-date and for bringing web visitors back to your site again and again. Blogging can help you establish a dialogue with your customers and let you share your expertise and insight. There are many blog services online that can help you get started and walk you through the process. It’s a lot easier than you might think. Three popular choices are Windows Live Spaces ,Blogger
and Vox. Blogging is all about timeliness. Regular updates are a must to keep things fresh. They don’t have to be long entries, but interesting and relevant bits of information or news about what’s happening with your business and website are always welcome and recommended. Blogs can be both entertaining and informative. For example, if you recently attended a trade show for your industry, your blog readers might like to hear about what you found to be the hottest new products or what items you’re planning to carry in your online store. It’s free to get started with a blog, so give it a try.