Posts Tagged ‘ONLINE MARKETING’

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USING VIRAL MARKETING TO INCREASE YOUR BUSINESS

Saturday, January 28th, 2012

Viral marketing is a promotional strategy that has been in use for quite some time and has transitioned over onto the internet quite successfully. The strength behind this particular advertising technique is in its ability to help businesses spread their marketing message a whole lot faster and with less effort. In this way it helps to not only boost your exposure but also your ability to work much more efficiently as well!

Here are 3 significant ways in which any online business can expect to benefit by using this particular promotional strategy.

Time Efficient

Typically this advertising technique involves little more than sharing your marketing message with a relatively smaller crowd who then spread the word. Working online offers the advantage in many cases of automating your efforts even further resulting in greater savings of time! As any entrepreneur will tell you time is money and therefore a precious commodity that should be used wisely!

Cost Efficient

In most cases advertising in a viral manner online involves distributing free reports or leaving business links at social site, forums, bookmarking sites or even blogging. In every case there is little or no out of pocket expenses making this advertising technique very cost efficient!

Energy Efficient

By leveraging the efforts of others you are able to channel the energy you have saved into other areas of your business. As an entrepreneur this is extremely important since most functions and/or business tasks are left up to you to complete. Avoiding fatigue in this way helps you maintain a mental alertness that can be use in more constructive and creative ways. Your mistakes will be minimized and your ability to produce more and stay motivated will benefit as well!

Remember when fatigue does set in your ambition will naturally decrease and as mentioned above and you will be more prone to making mistakes. What happens here is that not only do your miscues create business inefficiencies but they also require more time and effort later on to fix!

The biggest advantage viral marketing offers a business or person is its ability to leverage the efforts of others to spread your marketing message. When this advertising technique is put to use online the benefits it offers magnify due to the automation and global audience the internet can supply! The single biggest advantage this promotional strategy offers is the increase efficiencies a business can experience as reviewed above. It therefore stands to reason that if you can increase efficiency you will also boost productivity thereby leading to greater sales and profits. With that said there seems to be little reason as to why you would not want to include this very effective promotional strategy into your online marketing mix!

Here at Forum Publishing Company we have been using Facebook and Twitter to expand our reach to new readers every month for our monthly magazines, Retailers Forum Magazine and Swap Meet Magazine.

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GROUPON – NOT AS EXCITING AS YOU WOULD THINK!

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

The social media marketing sweetheart, Groupon, which went public late last year to not so exciting response turns out to not be all that exciting to the businesses who use the site as well. The model is a mixed bag for businesses. More than one quarter of the vendors offering a daily deal lose money on the venture, and another 18% merely break even. These figures were released by a Rice University study.

Many established online sites like Amazon, Google and even eBay have started their daily deals which makes the quality of the offer more important than ever. It was also pointed out that one-third of all daily deal sites were either bought or went out of business in 2011. Not so great!

I signed up for Groupon and a couple of other daily deal sites and quickly opted out because I was getting a tremendous amount of emails each day from each of them.

Have you had any success with Groupon or other daily deal sites? Share your experiences with our readers here at Retailers Forum Magazine.

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WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR WEBSITE TRAFFIC

Friday, October 28th, 2011

Today there are many social networking sites such as Facebook attracting many users to their sites. Due to this reason the website owners are realizing the need to increase website traffic. But there are few website owners who do not have any idea how to improve web traffic. In this article some proven techniques are mentioned which will not only help you to get website traffic but can also help you to achieve better results in search engine.

Write good and quality content

You must not forget that if the page rank is higher, then you can easily increase your website traffic. And the best way to achieve high position in search engine is to post good and original content on your site. Hence, you must make sure that you are writing good and quality content. By posting good content you can get links from other websites also.

Another most important thing that you must keep in mind is that you must write better page titles. It is very essential to have a good page title because then the surfers can find the article very easily. The title should be according to your article.

Blog and social networking

Another best way to increase website traffic is blog advertising. With the help of blogs you can guide users towards your site. But, you must update your blog section regularly and you must make sure that the blogs which you are using on your site must be informative.

As I have mentioned earlier that today social networking sites are becoming very popular hence we can say that it is the best way to improve website traffic. You must create your account in Facebook and Twitter. You must not forget that these websites have high traffic and if you are able to change that traffic to your site then you would be doing a very good job. The best way of re-directing the traffic towards your website is viral marketing.

Resource page and text link

If you want to improve your website traffic then using text link is one of the most important steps which you may use. It is true that fancy menus look great but the best way to steer is to use a site map. You must use a link from your page in all the web pages. But if you want to get more traffic then you must use the resource page. You must never hide the link’s resource. You can also do well if you make sure that your site is linked with the homepage.

These are some of the best and simple ways to increase website traffic and to make users visit your site again and again. The site you are on now for wholesale merchandise has an incredible amount of readers who come back regularly to us every week. The reason for this is updating the information and resources to keep fresh content available. Please join us again for more info and sources for your business.

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INCREASE ONLINE EXPOSURE WITH GOOGLE LOCAL. IT’S FREE AND POWERFUL.

Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

Free Google Places listings are good for business and are a key component of a business’ online visibility. These listings can provide businesses with free, perpetual online advertising. Each month in the US, there are 1 billion searches on the Internet, many of which are consumers and businesses in search of products and services to buy. Google Places listings are integrated with Google Maps and perhaps more importantly, Google’s main search engine, by far the most popular in the US among English-speaking searchers. Today, smart-phone devices provide anywhere, anytime access to a rich set of location-based information, while consumers are shopping on the go. Now, more than ever, it’s critical for businesses to have a robust online presence to stay competitive.

A big reason why free Google Places listings are so compelling is the Google dominant market position. Based on reports from leading audience measurement researchers such as comScore and Hitwise, Google has, at the time of this writing, approximately 65% of the US, English-speaking search market share and if you count search engines powered by Google technology, their market share increases to almost 70%, with Yahoo! and Microsoft Bing splitting most of the remaining 30%. Since listings feed search results within the Google main search engine, the Google mobile search engine and the Google Maps applications, having a Google Places listing can provide a business with tremendous local visibility online, particularly valuable in competitive local markets.

Some other top reasons Google Places listings are valuable include enabling businesses to establish online identities and user engagement by sharing images and video. In fact, these listings currently support uploading up to 10 images and 5 videos, all for no charge. Product images and videos can reinforce a business brand while providing visitors additional information to assist their purchase decision in the sales process while setting the business apart from other local businesses. In the past, use of images and videos have demonstrated the ability to increase click-through rates on listings, influencing listing visitors to respond to some call to action such as click through to your businesses website, click for directions or click to call.

Another great feature of the Google Places listing is providing an online venue to engage existing and potential customers in an open and transparent dialogue. The most engaging listings are comprised of a rich mix of business and user-generated content. User-generated content comes from customers who provide ratings and reviews of the business based on their own buying experience. One downside is rating and review input is limited to Google users only, requiring them to be logged into their Google account to provide input to the listing.

This user rating and review mechanism of Google Places listings can foster trust online by highlighting not only what the businesses says about themselves, but more importantly, what their customers are saying, which is often of great interest to other potential customers. Afraid of what some may say, businesses who want to “stay in control of their online reputation” resist claiming or creating these local online business listings. To those that resist, consider this. A business’ online reputation will happen whether the business participates or not. The question is, whether the businesses will take steps to better manage it. Claiming a Google Places listing is one of those steps.

To illustrate this point, Google Places listings exists for businesses who neither created nor where even were aware that the listing existed. Google does this today by sourcing information from data aggregators used to create listings for businesses without their knowledge or participation. Those listings then must be claimed by the business owners, who must verify ownership of that listing in order to make changes and update the listing. Ownership of a Google Places listing can be accomplished through either US mail confirmation to the address of record in the existing listing or through a phone verification system using the phone number in the listing which can allow businesses to claim the free listing in real-time.

These are just a few of the reasons why businesses are strongly encouraged to claim their free Google Places listing today.

Rick Noel is a Local Search Submission Expert for eBiz ROI, Inc. To find out how to claim or create your Free Google Places Listing, see Claiming a Free Google Places listings, an illustrated informative step by step guide for businesses, written by Rick Noel. We thank Rick for his wonderful contribution to Retailers Forum Magazine.

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E-COMMERCE MARKETING NEEDS A PLAN. HERE’S YOURS!

Friday, April 29th, 2011
  • I know how to get a blank stare from just about any e-commerce web site owner. All I have to do is ask them about their web site marketing plan!When I ask them about their web site marketing plan, I get that look. First the eyebrows go up. Then the eyes glaze over for a minute. And then the stammering begins.

    “Uh, well, you know – I have my URL on my business card.”

    “I, ah, I’m going to start an e-mail newsletter.”

    Some of them may even mention something about “search engines.”

    But practically no one has a plan! And you know how the old saying goes: “Failure to plan is a plan to fail.”

    Most small business owners I talk to are frustrated. They think their web site is a big waste of money. An “online business card.” A “marketing expense” that doesn’t return any of its investment.

    And no wonder:

    You’ve spent thousands on a pretty web design. You shell out dough each and every month for web site hosting. You may even be paying a webmaster to update the web site regularly. And month after month, year after year, the sales barely trickle in.

    Marketing your web site is frustrating. It’s confusing! So we end up doing what all of us do when we’re frustrated and confused: deal with it “later.” And later never comes.

    Know what? It’s not your fault! No one ever taught you how to market on the Internet, this new medium. (They sure didn’t cover that in my marketing class when I was in school.) And there’s all that hype on the Internet – so called web marketing gurus who’ve made millions online. But guess what? The only thing they’ve ever sold is reports and e-books on – what else – “how to market on the Internet.” They’ve never packed and shipped a box or ran down the street after the UPS guy.

    But what if there was a formula you could follow, a step-by-step guide to creating an online sales machine?

    After 10 years of marketing and selling on the web, I’ve boiled it down to a winning eight-step formula. This formula works for any web business, for any product from amber gemstone jewelry to zebra-print home accessories. In a nutshell, the eight no-fail steps of this formula areDefine Your Goals: With no clearly defined purpose, your web site can’t succeed. Be specific with each goal, adding both an amount and a timeframe.

  • Take a Snapshot: How’s your web site performing now? Know your traffic stats and your “three magic numbers.”
  • Define Your Market: Who are you talking to? Be specific about who your products are for, and where these customers exist.
  • Get Them There: Build targeted web traffic by getting your target audience’s attention and creating an ongoing dialog.
  • Turn Site Visitors into Customers: Once you’ve gotten them to your web site, make sure you seal the deal before they leave. Know what they’re looking for, and what information they need to make a purchasing decision. Give it to them, then ask for the sale.
  • Increase Their Spending: Would you like some fries with that hamburger? Since they’ve got their wallet open, ask for the add-on or upsell.
  • Get Them Back: It’s cheaper to get an old customer to buy again than it is to recruit a new one. Make the experience memorable, and make the next one convenient.
  • Get Their Friends: A happy customer can be your best sales tool. Empower them to spread the word about your products and web site.

When you work each of these steps, your e-commerce marketing can’t fail.

Author Bio
Jamila White, “The E-Commerce DivaTM“, helps small business owners develop their web marketing strategy to attract new customers and sell more products during her six-week “Supersize Your Web Sales”TMTele-Bootcamp. Learn more at www.ecommercediva.com/supersize. Retailers Forum magazine offers our readers great information every month on running their wholesale merchandise business.

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CREATING YOUR OWN BRAND ON THE INTERNET

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

I remember when I first embarked on the massive adventure called the internet, the one thing I constantly heard about was branding. What is branding? Why is it important? How do you brand online? Let’s consider these questions. What name brands come to mind when you think of the word branding? For me, I love Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, and Marc Jacabs just to name a few. If I were shopping for a new purse and I was presented with two, one from Marc Jacabs and another from an unknown company. I would initially be drawn to the Marc Jacabs purse because of a few reasons: I know the quality of Marc Jacabs, I am familiar with their customer service of so if something were to happen to it I can trust I would be taken care of, and of course I know that whatever the price I will pay for the purse it’s worth every penny. With an unknown company brand these basic necessities become a guessing game.

Although this is just an example, it is easy to see that creating a brand name is very important. When talking about the internet there are millions of people online that are trying to sell their products, trainings, and systems. What will make you stand out from all the others? Why should someone listen to you? Before you can approach someone with your business idea, they must already like, know and trust you. If this doesn’t happen you risk getting lost in all of the noise.

So how do you create a brand that people will know & recognize? How do you get people to like, know, and trust you with their wallets open? You offer people value. You show them that you are worth listening to, and you show them what you have to offer is important. You show them that you want to help. People like to know that someone is on their side and that you genuinely want to see them succeed. When you are able to do this you have created a brand for yourself, and have attracted people to you that are looking for what you have to offer, which is by the way, attraction marketing. If you remember from my Limited Budget post that Attraction Marketing is the art of attracting people who are already in need of what you have to offer. People want to join your business, buy your products, and look at you to help them find the things they need. I know for myself, when I am looking for a particular product, I do not buy from someone I do not like if I can help it. People love to buy, but people hat to be sold.

Okay, so now you may be asking how do you start making a brand of yourself online? Where do you start? This can be done in a multitude of ways. The key is to offer value. You can begin by making videos of yourself and educating people on marketing strategies. You could write how-to articles on a particular marketing system, and/or you could join forums and other social networking sites connecting with people there and offer value. I advise you to begin by choosing one strategy and mastering it first before going on to another one. Think about which one agrees the most with your personality and then, market like crazy all over the internet by offering value and education wherever you go.

Just remember, it’s not all about you. Yes, I’ll say it again. It’s not all about you. Even when you are branding yourself , it’s important to do it with integrity and to show that you genuinely care about others. If you do not, it will come across. So, have fun and create a brand of yourself.
Victoria Matea lives with her husband in Canton, Ohio. They are internet marketers and specialize in helping people market their businesses on the internet.Learn more about how to brand yourself online by using the best marketing system on the internet by going to her website.http://www.workwithdanielandvictoriamatea.infoGet. Every month RetailersForum.com offers readers the opportunity to learn to start or grow their businesses with informative articles like Victoria’s.

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5 TIPS TO DEAL WITH THE STRESSES OF INTERNET MARKETING

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

Internet marketers are no different from their offline counterparts insofar as they too are dealing with stress. In fact in many ways for anybody who works online the need to manage stress is even more important because of the lack of physical activity and human contact.

Here are 5 tips for anybody working online to help better manage stress resulting in a healthier lifestyle and likely a more productive business effort as well!

Avoid Junk Foods

It is way too easy for anybody who works online to snack on junk food since it is convenient when sitting in front of the computer. Sure it saves time but eat enough of it and you can cut your time short on this planet. Not only does junk food trash out your figure but it also can aggravate stress. You must learn to eat properly and yes that may mean ‘tearing’ yourself away from your keyboard but view this as a welcomed and needed break!

Get the Proper Rest

Quit burning the midnight oil and thinking you can still operate at your best the next day. This will catch up with you, guaranteed! If you have to spend that much time sitting in front of the computer it is likely you probably spending more time goofing off then working online. Do yourself a favor and only take your position at the keyboard when you know exactly what it is you have to do. Finish your business and log off! By working more efficiently like this you will be better able to manage stress and enjoy more free time as well.

Exercise

You knew this was coming so do not put it off. The longer you put a ‘hold’ on physical fitness the harder and longer it will take to undo the damage! For anybody who works online this is especially true and important due once again to the physical inactivity. Walk the dog or take a casual stroll but get up and move around, get the blood flowing, you will feel better and be glad you did!

Family & Friends

Keep friends close and family closer. It is good for the mind and spirit while not to mention their input and ideas from which you can also benefit.

Step Back From the Keyboard

Indulge yourself in other passions you may have that are offline, you do remember that world right?Always make time to pursue hobbies, sports or other interests of yours especially if they give you pleasure! Also this time away will help relax your mind so it can function more creatively for you!

Dealing with stress for anybody who works online is of critical importance due to the lack of physical activity commonly associated with internet marketing. Although the need to manage stress may not seem as obvious when working online the isolation and inactivity actually can promote and aggravate the situation. The 5 tips offered above are easy and hopefully enjoyable to implement. In fact by doing so your family, friends, health and business will all likely benefit!
TJ Philpott is an author and Internet entrepreneur based out of North Carolina. For more tips about dealing with stress when working online and to also receive a free instructional manual that teaches valuable niche research techniques visit:http://affiliatequickstart.com. Retailers alleviate their stress in finding sources and information by using the number one magazine for wholesale merchandise, Retailers Forum Magazine every month.

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USING FACEBOOK TO HELP YOUR BUSINESS DO MARKET RESEARCH

Friday, February 25th, 2011

There’s been heavy buzz about Facebook for business ads – and with good reason. Created properly, they can be an effective tool in rocketing your popularity like a meteor, or branding your business.

But almost no one talks about using Facebook ads in reverse – as a source of valid ideas for market research.

Think about it. If a subject is on Facebook, and it’s got an ad, it’s likely viable. Are there groups? Fans? Often you can find out exactly how many Facebook fans a strong group or website in your niche actually has.

You can also see if people are actually interested in a particular product; how passionate they are about the subject; and what age group, gender, education background and more its members display in their profile.

That’s instant targeting! No more fumbling around in Alexa, trying to figure out what the actual human demographic is likely to be. Right there on Facebook you can see:

What the fans are talking about

If the niche is actively “hot”

If it is growing

You can also get an idea of its size from the number of fans. Fans in the millions? It may be too broad for your purposes. Only 6 fans? Watch that niche to see if it grows – perhaps even join the Facebook Group, if it’s something you’re particularly passionate about. But don’t invest any ad money yet.

Once you’ve found a likely niche on Facebook, set up a profile page for yourself using highly specific keywords. Pay attention to the ads served up to you and you’re spying on your competition. Click on their ads, visit their sites, view their source pages and see what keywords they use in their META tags (if any).

Using Facebook ads for market research is one of the best ways to see if a niche is really on fire!

This informative article brought to you by the leading magazine to find wholesale merchandise, Retailersforum.com

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HOW TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY WHEN MARKETING ONLINE

Friday, February 25th, 2011

For any entrepreneur working on the internet it is vitally important to continually make strides to improve efficiency of effort. Most successful online businesses can attribute their accomplishments towards their ability to increase their own work efficiency. In a nutshell they have learned how to build a business by tapping into various available resources other than just their own efforts!

Here are 5 perfect examples as to how to build a business online without relying completely upon the investment of your own time and effort!

Reach Out

By seeking the help of others who have already been where you want to go you will save yourself a tremendous amount of time and frustration. One of the best ways to learn how to build a business correctly is from those who have already done so. It makes little sense to try and figure things out on your own when there are those who already have the answers you are seeking!

Automate What You Can

There is no better way to increase your work efficiency than to take advantage of the technology available on the internet to do so. There are many software applications you can find for free or purchase that will automate many of the time consuming tasks you currently perform.

Adjust and Adapt

Do not try to fight the changes you may face online since in most cases they are inevitable. The internet is very dynamic and is constantly evolving so evolve with it since in most cases these changes will be for the better. Most successful online businesses achieved their status by their willingness to quickly adapt to many changes which resulting in giving them a competitive edge. Remember, to evolve is to get better!

Maintain Your PMA

Always maintain a positive mental attitude since this will keep you motivated and make your efforts seem effortless! Doubting yourself or what you are doing will only serve to decrease your work efficiency while increasing your stress!

Keep It Real

Ambition is an admirable trait however by not keeping your expectations realistic you can quickly become frustrated thereby losing motivation. When setting any goals always take into consideration your own skill sets and the resources you have available. In this way you will avoid investing time or effort into something that is not within your capabilities!

The key for any entrepreneur working online is to improve efficiency in any and every area of their business that they can. For the most part this can be accomplished by ‘mimicking’ what most successful online businesses have done and that is to tap into resources other than just their own ‘physical’ efforts. By improving upon your own work efficiency you will learn to become more productive and in less time as the 5 examples of doing so as discussed above have hopefully demonstrated! Most successful online businesses are not the result of simply ’sweat and grit’ but more often than not have achieve their status by ingenuity and resourcefulness!

TJ Philpott is an author and Internet entrepreneur based out of North Carolina.  To learn more about how to improve efficiency when working online and to also receive a free instructional manual that teaches valuable niche research techniques for your online marketing needs simply visit:http://blogbrawn.com. We thank TJ for this wonderful article brought to you by the number one magazine for wholesale merchandise, www.retailersforum.com

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USING MOBILE MARKETING TO INCREASE YOUR SALES

Friday, February 25th, 2011

Mobile marketing is a method of promoting your company or product through mobile phones. This might include SMS marketing, mobile application development, and mobile site development among other things. This form of new breed marketing is becoming more and more common due to the staggering numbers of people who use cell phones at this time.

The percent of people using cell phones in countries like the US has skyrocketed to levels as high as ninety percent in the last couple of years. These aren’t the cellular phones of a decade ago, they are quite advanced. These machines are capable of sending and receiving instantaneous messages form half way across the globe and have the capacity to remotely access the internet from almost anywhere. What’s more is that consumers are very dependent on this type of technology. Most often, around ninety percent of users have said that they never let their cell phone out of their sight, even sleeping with it at a distance of no more than a couple of feet.

An SMS is a message that is sent from one cellular device to another. When utilized for marketing these programs can be acquired to provide clients with special promotional messages. The task is quick and easy and it will almost certainly have to be read at some point. This is an incredibly efficient way of gaining instant access to a huge percent of your clientele.

Mobile apps are a variety of different types of product that are created on computers to be utilized on phones. Sometimes these are for educational or utilitarian reasons. Other platforms consist of small games are something of the identical nature. These systems can give company heads ample opportunities to promote themselves to future clients, when properly acted on. For instance you could create a fun cooking game to promote your real life restaurant.

Another method of increasing business awareness through these devices is referred to as mobile website development. This means having a version of your page adjusted so that it can be easily and effectively read over a mobile device. For this reason several companies have invested in having a specialized version of their website created that is entirely compatible with the browsers most commonly utilized on cell phones and similar creations.

The use of mobile marketing is incredibly efficient in attracting clients as well as keeping current clients around. It is something that businesses within every industry should look into. As consumers become more and more technologically advanced, businesses must do so as well.

The author invites you to visit: http://www.mobilozophy.com. The Publisher of Retailers Forum magazine thanks Kathy for her wonderful article designed to enlighten fellow businesspeople to increase their sales. For the best selection of wholesale merchandise for your business, please check back with www.retailersforum.com every month.

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