You should think of your e-commerce site as the cash register or cashier of your business. Online business is no different than an offline or “bricks and mortar” business. You would not place a cash register in the middle of a retail store and expect to make sales without the support of talented sales staff and advertising. Why do you expect more from an e-commerce site?

The fact is that social media, link building, blogging, email marketing and advertising is akin to your sales staff and is necessary for the success of any e-commerce website. A shopping cart is not meant to be a stand alone website.

Three Steps To Generating More Sales:

1. Optimise every page of your website. You want to be sure that every product in your store is visible to the search engines and that you are targeting the right keywords.
2. Set your online sales force into action. Whether you are going to do the selling yourself or hire it out to a marketing expert, you need to start interacting with potential buyers the same way a sales rep would work the floor. Setting up a blog and actively promoting your website is essential. Joining and participating in social networking sites is a key factor in bringing customers through your doors.
3. Advertising is a necessity. Whether you are using paid advertising or not, getting the word out to the masses that your business exists is a vital piece of the puzzle. This may be through link building, paid advertising campaigns or promoting on forums. The most effective plans will include all of these elements.

Just as it is important for any business to have more than just a building to house your cash register, your online business must be more than just an e-commerce site.

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Unfortunately, most business owners and web designers do not consult with an SEO expert before the design process begins. They create lovely websites that have no chance of success online and the designer gets paid handsomely for the work they do.

Do not get me wrong, they earn their money. It takes great skill to create the kinds of sites they make and they are not overcharging for the amount of work that goes into the site. The trouble is, their main emphasis is on leading-edge design because that is what they do. Little or no thought is given to what happens once the design process is completed.

Web designers will also tell you they have done the site SEO. All this means is that they have thrown a bunch of generic, non-effective keywords into the META tags of the website. True SEO is not in their skill set because they have not studied search engines. Business owners are left wondering why their costly website is not getting any visitors because they believe they have done everything necessary for online success.

The truth is that having a website built is only the first step necessary for growing your business online. The second step, although I believe it should be the other way around, is to have an SEO expert take over and optimize the site so it will perform well in search engines. Once that is done, another key piece is needed to complete the process.

That key piece is off-page SEO. Social media and link popularity is the third step that will take a dormant website and breathe new life into it. Even an ugly website can dominate a market if it is properly socialised. So before you hand over your hard earned pounds for a website, set up a consultation with an SEO expert. They will advise you during the design process to make sure that your completed website will not lay dormant but will instead earn you money.

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• Primary and Secondary Traffic. Primary traffic is the large amount of visitors directly from social media websites while secondary traffic is the referral traffic from websites that link to and send you visitors from your content through social news sites.

• High Quality Links. To get a large number of links, which is topically important, be popular on social news websites like Digg, Technorati or Reddit.

Here are two tangible benefits to using viral marketing strategies:

• Links = Better Search Engine Rankings
  Authority is developed when permanent links from trusted domains are received to websites. Optimizing your link bait and website structure properly can help you to rank for competitive keywords and in turn bring in search engine visitors. When done often your search traffic will increase. Because the community and buzz has certified the value of the site, a trusted social news resource makes it simpler for links to come in. It is important to note that the chief relevance for all is the actual strength and quality of the article.
• Primary + Secondary Traffic = Community/Supporters
  It is the common case that people regard social news websites as useless traffic because visitors tend to view a specific webpage and click away. Digg is infamous for their poor bounce rates, while StumbleUpon is better in this piece.There will often be loads of social users who will follow your bookmarks for future content if your entire site is significant to the general market they are interested in. Common sites or blogs in the same niche are linked to a popular story on social sites and are usually updated regularly. This adds value for the readers or users.

  Secondary traffic is more valuable since primary traffic usually comes in bulk and links from other websites bring in visitors who may be interested in your content. Through these, your site will be recognized by others, therefore building your brand.

If you wish for a chance to be heard or read, even for a brief moment of time then think of the social news site as a platform or a soapbox. People drawn by your message will visit your site and recommend it to others.

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There are effective and inexpensive social media strategies available to you. But you have to understand that cheap doesn’t mean easy. It may take a lot of time but as soon you make progress, it will be easier for you then.

Here are four steps to get started in effective social media marketing:

Step one: Commit yourself to communication

It is necessary that you know the distinction between selling and communicating. Never sell. Just tell, help and listen. You will be ineffective if you directly advertise through social media. Sales come after building relationships with your prospects and gently guiding them to opt-in to your email list.

You can think of social media as a grand cocktail party. Your purpose of going there is to work the room, mingle and mix but don’t attempt to sell. You can also give your calling cards. If people are fascinated with your knowledge and understand you, they may call you.

Step two: Start a blog

Your blog will help you build credibility. Most people are comfortable in buying things from people they trust, respect and know. There are social media sites where you can post your blogs like on Tumblr and WordPress. Make sure that you choose the right social media site that would complement the needs of your marketing campaign.

Step three: Lurk

Start lurking while you are doing the step two and sign up on social media accounts. Lurking is same as “working the room”. You have to listen first before going into the comments on social media sites. By listening to conversations, you will find out what they are interested in. Lurking also will help you find the style of post that appears to get the most response.

Step four: Participate in the conversation

After making an interesting blog, you can now participate in the conversations or comments. Having an engaging and humorous answer to your post will invite more people to follow your blog. Your blog brings information and the brand of your online shop. You will then get new ideas from other people.

Most online sellers are uncomfortable with the idea of social media. Maybe they do not understand or they are not familiar with it. Many small businesses succeed in social media marketing just like with the large businesses. By working hard and following these guidelines, your online sales will most definitely increase.

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Technorati Tags: Social Media Marketing, social media sites, social media tools, Social networking

Small and big businesses are now using social sites as tools to spread brand awareness and discuss their products and services. The best part of these applications is that they are free of charge. It is a great advantage for small business operating on a low marketing budget.

Social media requires long term commitment and consistency. Business owners should also have done research on selecting the appropriate social applications in line with their company’s mission and goal. Here are some popular and successful social media tools for small business.

• Create a Blog
  The sites that receive the most traffic are blogs. A blog is like a journal that is written by an individual and is regularly updated. Your company can use or create blogs to share multimedia, news and information about your business.

  Through the use of blogs, a small business can develop a specific image or personality and educate people about their products and services or the industry in general.

• Use Twitter
  Twitter is a micro blogging and social networking service that allows users to read and send messages to the public. By using Twitter, you can promote your products and broaden brand awareness. Twitter is a fast-growing online community and its popularity is still on a rising trend.
• Facebook Fan Page
  Most people are now using Facebook. Facebook is the most well-known social networking site in the world today. It is not only known for personal profiles but also for business profiles. This social media tool allows you to share your company’s videos, photos, event posts and concise wall posts. By replying to the fan’s questions on your wall post, your customer service will be enhanced.
• Use LinkedIn
  LinkedIn launched in May 2003. It is a business-oriented social networking site and is usually used for professional networking. You can post your resumé and receive approval or recommendations from fellow employees, clients and business partners. This is also an efficient way of hiring competent employees and recognizing business opportunities. Users can make connections and interact through LinkedIn Polls, LinkedIn Groups and LinkedIn Answers.

Social media is now a fascinating tool in the world of business today and is modernized to meet the consumer’s demand. It is highly recommended to do research on the effective tools in social media to promote your company’s services, products and brands to your target market.

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• Be an active member of online communities.
  Millions of people worldwide are using social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and forums. Establishing your presence on these online communities can bring about wonderful benefits to your business. Also, these networks will help you strengthen your relationship with existing customers as well as build rapport with your potential clients.
• Look for quality websites to exchange links with.
  This is a common practice among webmasters. Exchanging links has been proven to remarkably increase website traffic especially if you choose a relevant website with good ranking and quality content. You can ask the webmaster if he is willing to exchange links with your website by sending him an email. If your website features quality content, webmasters will accept your offer with pleasure.
• Use direct email advertising.
  Before starting with this method of advertising, you need to have a good email list first. And when you send direct emails to a group of people or a particular niche, your marketing message can be customized thereby persuading the recipient to respond positively to your offer.
• Offer ezines or newsletters.
  This is a good way to build your email list because people who subscribe to your newsletters or ezines are those who are genuinely interested with what you have to say. Since they subscribe on their own free will, you have a greater assurance that these people have a greater likelihood of purchasing the products or service that you offer.
• Optimize your websites in order to get favored by search engines.
  Highly optimized websites will get better placement in search results. And when you land on the first pages during a search, it will cause a dramatic increase in your website traffic. Just imagine the sales you can generate every time a potential buyer clicks on your website.
• Look for pay per click ads.
  Pay per click ads have the ability to reach a wider audience because they are distributed to different blogs and websites. With an increased online exposure, your business can achieve a bigger customer base.

The internet can truly work wonders in your attempts to promote your business. Just try most, if not all, of these time-tested strategies and you will see that the results are worth your efforts.

Technorati Tags: marketing campaigns, site promotion, small business marketing, small business website promotion

Before getting something from someone, first you need to give a reason for him or her to give it to you. This is the art of giving before getting. Since everyone has experienced having their money and feelings exploited, they become hesitant to trust what you say or claim. They build walls around them. They tend to be cautious and careful not to snap on buying immediately. Before buying, they do a careful research online because they do not want to waste their money on crappy products and services. When they regard you as a scammer or spammer, you cannot get them to take out their wallets. This is a defense mechanism developed for self-preservation in a vicious and brutish life, a defense built with walls strengthened by bad experiences.

One way to get people to lower their defenses and make them commit is to properly manage their impressions of you. Make them feel that you are a passionate individual who cares and loves to help people in achieving their goals and not a money-hunker. Let your product be known as something that will satisfy your prospective buyer’s needs.

Combining value and trust, a single actionable guideline is produced: Always focus on giving before receiving. This ruling can be demonstrated through giving your prospects free content or freebies, pleasant surprises, answers to their questions, tips they can instantly apply into their lives or businesses, and promises you will keep. This way, you will develop a history of giving and you will be known as a reliable source of information.

When trust is built between you and your prospects, you get to see their inner dialogues, like “I like him/her,” “I have benefited from these gifts,” or “ I think I will trust her words.”  These thoughts are exactly what you want them to think as they look at your proposition. Once this is established, you get them to agree, subscribe, buy and take actions on your offers. Remember, you are selling to people who care about the seller. So give unconditionally and you will get what you want easily. Build trust and you will see your business prosper in due time.

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The following are the top four reasons why you should use social media:

• Low cost/high returns. Costs are limited only to time especially if done personally but possible expenses are entailed when hiring a freelance programmer/designer. Oftentimes, the profit will usually beat the cost. One could spend thousands of dollars to purchase many links but social media has the ability to provide you them for free.

• Natural. Your websites can be freely represented to large groups of people in a natural fashion. If done right, word of mouth will always pay better dividends than traditional advertising. This is different from paid advertising which has obvious business overtones.

• Traffic. On top of any traffic you are already receiving from search engines, social communities can be a great supply of web traffic when mastered effectively. Also, social media traffic is easily controlled through strategic marketing when you cannot increase your search engine traffic.

• Complements other efforts. Typically, social media optimization and marketing is community-specific. It will generally complement any other systems of getting traffic to your websites therefore balancing every other advertising campaign that targets other websites and search engines.

DOES SOCIAL MEDIA HELP MAKE MONEY?

Social media does not help you make  money, at least not directly. A core group of supporters who will be completely willing to make purchases or recommend the site to others is needed for every site or business that wishes to increase, expand, and become profitable. This strategy can raise awareness and strengthen your brand.

If you have more supporters, your site will perpetuate faster.  If you want to get people to visit your site and explore what you have to offer, then social media marketing is an excellent way. Your chances of growing is likely greater when you have a large group of loyal and dependable visitors ready to always respond to what you are offering.

Most importantly, social media websites can greatly increase your site’s income potential as they can be a leverage for links and better search rankings. If you are not using this technique yet, give it a try and see amazing benefits for your business.

Technorati Tags: facebook for business, social marketing, social media, twitter for business

• Use Twitter to know what people have to say about your business.

People will always talk. And much of what they say will have a great impact on businesses especially when it has something to do with an opinion about a certain product or service. Word of mouth can affect your sales directly. When people hear or read positive feedback about the products that you offer, you can expect more and more consumers being coaxed into buying your product and experience the benefits themselves. On the contrary, what do you think would happen to your business if an unsatisfied customer posts to Twitter stating that he or she received a defective product or the service rendered did not produce the desired outcome?

• Use Twitter to snatch customers from your competitors.

This is an extension of the first item. When you monitor discussions about the industry where your business belongs, you will find a good number of discontented customers. You can play the hero by assisting miserable end users thereby stealing them from your competitors. These are instances that you need to take advantage of in order to have more customers who will stick with you for a long time.

• Use Twitter to get opinions from consumers.

Instead of making a wild guess, you have a better way of knowing what customers would prefer and that is by giving them a choice between A or B. Get their feedback and take note of their reply. Doing so will aid in making the right decision as to what new products will be a sure hit when you offer them to the market.

• Use Twitter to connect with leaders in your industry.

Industry leaders are less likely to respond to letters, answer your calls and it is next to impossible to speak to them without an appointment. And with their schedule jam-packed with meetings, conferences and other business-related concerns, you would have to wait forever to even get an appointment. But with the help of Twitter, you can follow these high-profile experts and, post questions and get a direct reply, thereby building a relationship.

Twitter’s popularity is still on the rising trend. And to make the most out of it, you can try these suggestions as well as look for more ways. This list just includes 4 ideas and there are still hundreds of ways that Twitter can offer benefits to your business.

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• Consumers have control over the market.

Unlike consumers in the past, present day consumers are more demanding and want results as fast as possible. Their expectations are often too high making them more difficult to please. You need to make their buying experience as quick and easy as possible.

• Consumers consider the Web as an efficient model.

Obviously, modern consumers go for online shopping because of the convenience and efficiency that it can offer. With the amazing experience offered by most e-Commerce outlets, you have to make sure that your online business will be at par when it comes to online shopping experience.

• Having the best technology is not an assurance of making a sale.

No matter how innovative you website may be, like having a live chat to answer customers’ questions, you still won’t do well in making sales when the products you offer are rubbish or priced too high.

• Customers will prefer saving time and convenience over price, but overpricing will cause customers to run away.

A lot of online shoppers marvel at how fast and easy it is to make a purchase on the internet and have the items delivered at their doorstep. However, if there is a big margin between buying the item online and going to the department store to make the purchase, consumers will not hesitate to choose the latter.

• If practiced appropriately, selling through cross-channels can work wonders.

Marketers who can successfully integrate traditional and online marketing practices will have a competitive edge against competitors. There are just those customers who would refuse to understand why an item purchased online can’t be picked up at the store. Therefore, applying a cross-channel approach will improve customer satisfaction.

• Old rules still influence consumers in making their decisions to purchase.

For instance, offering featured products and top sellers is still a very effective technique for merchants. Shoppers will still be drawn towards products which are the latest trends in the market.

Technology will always have its fair share of limitations. But it is up to the small business marketer to meet the demands of the purchasing public as best as he can. By making the most of the resources available, an online merchant will always be able to find ways to satisfy consumers.

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Technorati Tags: internet marketing services, online marketing for small business, selling products online, small business marketing