A recent seminar I attended gave a fantastic insight into the changes happening in online commerce, or Multi-Channel Commerce, brought about by new channels. Called “Shift Happens” and organised by WorldNetTPS, an Irish online payment solutions provider, it featured some thought-provoking presentations from people at the coal-face. Or perhaps we should call it ‘the interactive device-face’. The key message of the day was that to do business in the future you need to be able…
Tweak Your Biz » Marketing
Multi-Channel Commerce: What’s Your Strategy?
by on June 1st, 2011 21 Comments
Small Business Blogs: How To Avoid Being Boring
by on June 1st, 2011 29 Comments
I recently did a personal blog post about how professionalism can be the death of charisma. One senior manager from Sage in North America made a very valid point about how the size of the firm, culture and even the location can play a huge role in the expected behaviour of employees. He also made the point that small businesses can very often benefit from a leader and also PR/Marketing strategies that have ‘attitude’. This makes a company stand out among the crowd, particularly if…
Retailers: How To Sell Online In 60 Seconds
by on May 31st, 2011 43 Comments
Have you ever heard of the 60 second sale? If you’re an online trader, then you might want to read on. Stealing candy from a baby Selling on the Internet is an ideal situation; I mean, all those potential shoppers searching in cyber-shopper heaven, and you don’t need to lift a finger. You’re happy with your glass of something expensive, lounging back in your recliner, knowing, that sooner or later they’ll click on your site and the money will start rolling in.…
Tweetdeck: Helping You See The Wood From The Trees
by on May 27th, 2011 12 Comments
There are lots of free applications which enhance and facilitate your use of Twitter: Tweetdeck, Osfoora, Hootsuite, Tweetcaster, Twicca, etc. I’m sure they all have similar features. Personally, I prefer Tweetdeck as I find it organises Twitter updates in a way I can promptly reply to people and see conversations I want to follow. I’m often asked how to use it so here are a few useful features to make your Tweetdeck (and Twitter) experience better. Columns / Tweets / View Profiles You…
8 Components Of A Successful Email Newsletter
by on May 24th, 2011 10 Comments
Email newsletters offer one of the highest returns on investment in online marketing, second only to search marketing. But it only works when you do it right. Assuming you have interested subscribers; the following are the key parts of an email newsletter guaranteed to bring you success. 1. Subject line. Your very first point of contact. Use this to tempt the reader to open the mail. I add the company name to every subject line to build trust over time. Readers learn that if the mail is from…
Reviews: The Value Of Letting Customers Have Their Say
by on May 23rd, 2011 27 Comments
I recently visited an online store and for some reason, I was hesitant about placing an order, unsure about the security on the site. Looking around for a “Testimonials” page, I was unable to find one. I wanted reassurance from other customers that they had achieved customer satisfaction from this site and I didn’t see it so I left. Many websites will have a Testimonials page which offers reassurance to customers. However, they tend to be limited in number and the recency of…
Running An Effective Twitter Contest For Your Small Business
by on May 18th, 2011 10 Comments
A few months back I ran a small Twitter contest in the hopes of getting some attention for my business Twitter account. This was my first time attempting a Twitter giveaway, so I wasn’t expecting a whole lot to come from it. My main goal was to learn a little about running a successful contest, so that my next campaign would be successful. This goes back to the whole Fail Early, Fail Often philosophy. As I expected, I had a lot to learn about running a successful contest on Twitter. In the…
So, Why Brand?
by on May 17th, 2011 3 Comments
Why go to all of that trouble and expense? You’re busy making the best product and offering the best service that you can. It says so clearly in the words and pictures you use to promote your business. You’ve got real know-how and experience. You use top-class materials. Yours is the most up-to-date approach, guaranteeing the perfect outcome. Anyone with eyes and ears in their head can see that…and yet your would-be customer beats a path to someone else’s door instead of…
5 Secrets to Sell More with your Sales Copy
by on May 13th, 2011 16 Comments
Over the past couple of months, I’ve been beavering away, writing for clients who simply “can’t write” themselves. Now, I think everyone can write. It just comes easier to some folks than others. Just like juggling, cycling, running and singing. Some have a flair for it; others not so much. But everyone can do it. So when it comes to writing and in particular, writing to wow clients and leads, there are a few tricks of the trade that us, copywriters, use without even thinking…
Pricing for Profit. Part 2
by on May 12th, 2011 35 Comments
In this post, the second in the “Pricing for Profit” series, we look at the difference between pricing and costing. The importance of Pricing vs. Costing One of the jobs that I had early on in my career was that of “Industrial Accountant” in a sewage pump factory. One of my duties was to cost out new products in conjunction with the design engineers in advance of a new product being manufactured. Reflecting on the position afterwards, I realised, as a matter of fact, (as…
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