Top Five Biggest Affiliate Program Mistakes

In this article I will show affiliate managers the mistakes they should avoid if they want to build a successful affiliate program.

I felt compelled to write this article after seeing the same mistakes made by most of the hundreds of affiliate programs I have joined since I started promoting them in 1997. I have made a nice living from affiliate programs over the years, so I know a thing or two about them. I would dearly love to make more money with affiliate programs, but affiliate managers don't make it easy for us affiliates. So hopefully this article will do a bit for the cause.

Here are my top five biggest affiliate program mistakes that I find today:

1. Competing With Your Affiliates.

This is by far the worst mistake made by companies that offer affiliate programs. I often see companies for products I am trying to promote compete with me in the search engine rankings and pay per click advertising programs.

Why companies invest money and resources in competing with their affiliates is beyond me. By competing with me, you're trying to put me out of business. Have marketing directors ever thought of it in that way? Because if you succeed, you will no longer have an affiliate network to speak of.

The money would be better spent on supporting your affiliate network by creating a better product, providing more referral statistics, higher commission payouts, faster support, and more, fresh promotional creatives.

So if you're an affiliate manager reading this article, tell your affiliate director at your next meeting to STOP competing with your affiliates, and support them instead!

2. Not Providing Your Affiliates With Useful, Real-Time Statistics.

All marketers rely on statistics to measure the effectiveness of any marketing campaign. Yet most affiliate programs only provide their affiliates with basic statistics such as number of visitors sent, number of sales, and commission earned. These statistics aren't much help to affiliates who want to measure the effectiveness of a particular pay per click campaign.

Affiliate managers - please consider providing these useful statistics so that I can market your products effectively:

• Archive of daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly statistics and by date range.
  Commission earned, broken down by product or service, and how the customer was referred to the site.


• Daily email update of all affiliate statistics.


• Instant email notification of a new affiliate.


• Instant email notification of a new free trial sign up.


• Instant email notification of a new sale and all relevant statistics. I love getting new sales notification emails!


• Number of free trial downloads or subscriptions.


• Number of returns and all relevant statistics.


• Affiliate links with trackable IDs, so that affiliates can tell exactly which site, or ad campaign is sending the referrals and sales.


• Unique clicks - which refers to the unique number of visitors referred - in addition to raw clicks - which refers to the total number of click throughs.


• A list of top performing affiliate statistics, so that affiliates can compare how they're doing and which areas they can improve on.


• Include the most important statistics at the top of the email and subject line. There's nothing worse than having to scroll down to see what the referral purchased or how much commission I have made.

The following only apply if the affiliate program offers more than one level of commissions.

• Commission earned as a result of referrals sent by 2nd-tier affiliates.


• Commission earned, broken down by commission level.


• Number of 2nd-tier affiliates referred.

I've been promoting products and services via affiliate programs since 1997 and I have yet to come across an affiliate program that provides anything close to these statistics.

3. Not Compensating Your Affiliates Fairly For Their Hard Work.

The #1 incentive for any affiliate is cold hard cash. Money sells! So tell your marketing director to fire the search engine optimization firm and advertising department, and redirect the resources to paying your affiliates a higher commission rate.

Another thing I hate is seeing my commissions go down the drain because someone I had referred signs up to the affiliate program and purchases the product via their affiliate link. It almost feels like I'm being robbed blind! I highly recommend affiliate managers deter this practice by making it harder for affiliates to pocket the commission from their own purchases, at least the initial one.

4. Not Providing Enough Fresh Promotional Creatives.

Most affiliate managers seem to give their promotional creatives little thought. All they offer is a handful of 468x60 banners, buttons and text links. What happens is that affiliates end up using the same ads on hundreds, even thousands of web sites.

Affiliate managers - what about these promotional creatives?

• Articles and tips with embedded affiliate links


• Classified ads


• Customer testimonials


• Direct email ads


• Email signatures


• Newsletter ads


• pay per click ads


• Pop-up/under ads


• Product photographs


• Product reviews


• Product screenshots


• Rich-media ads


• Skyscrapers


• Staff interviews

Listen up! Different ads perform better on different sites. And ads generally have a life span of a carton of milk. So offer your affiliates a greater variety of ads, more often.

5. Not Providing Fast, Quality Support For Your Affiliates.

This is the 21st century. Don't make your affiliates wait longer for an email reply than it takes to send a letter by snail-mail post.
Don't outsource your affiliate support work. If you have to, then at least train your support staff so that they understand the ins and outs of your products and affiliate program. I'm often dumbfounded by affiliate support staff who can't give me answers to simple questions.

Well there you have it - my five biggest complaints about affiliate programs today. I hope affiliate managers take note and take strides to better support their affiliates, because if you don't, affiliates will find other ways to make money on their site.

Streamline Your Business & Increase Your Profits with Autoresponders

Sometimes it’s tough to keep up with all your leads and customers. The great news is, there is a not-so-secret weapon that successful netpreneurs use..and you can use it too. Autoresponders not only make you efficient, they can also help you increase your recruiting rate and sales with constant follow-up.

What is an Autoresponder?

Simply put, an Autoresponder sends an automated response when someone sends a message to your email address. It can be just one message or it can trigger a series of email messages. Autoresponders can be personalized with people’s names and other information unique to that individual.

Autoresponders do not have to be impersonal, so banish that thought from your mind. You are likely a sole proprietor; think of autoresponders as your assistant that works for next to nothing.
How to Use Autoresponders in Your Online Business
-> Customer Follow-Up: When a customer makes a purchase through an online source, it’s easy to send an auto-reply that thanks them for their order.

But you can get more advanced than that and automate most of your customer service requirements. You can set up a whole series of follow up messages that show your customer that you are concerned with their satisfaction and even pave the way to further sales.
For example, send a thank you immediately after the sale, a day or two later to say the item was shipped and then a week later to ensure the item arrived in good condition. You can also send tips on how to use the product and subtly let them know about your complimentary products (more sales!).

Many Autoresponders are sophisticated enough that you can insert your customer’s name, what she bought and other information unique to that customer.

-> Support eMail Autoresponse: Many times people will email you to ask a question already found on your FAQ page, right? Include some of your frequently asked questions and answers automatically when someone tries to reach your support email. Often, her question will be answered before you even get a chance to look at the support request.

-> eCourses: Offer ecourses via email autoresponder. For example, set up an informative course on how to run a home business or how to create a baby scrapbook. Each day or each week (you decide frequency), your prospect receives a new informative lesson and is reminded of the business opportunity you have available.

You can put a sign up box on your website, offer the course in your email signature line or recommend that your downline sign up for the course. The possibilities are endless.

-> Potential Recruit Follow-up: When somebody requests more information from you about your business opportunity or affiliate program, what do you do? Call them, email them once and maybe follow up a few days later…if you remember? You can actually do better than that. Set up a whole series of messages to be delivered every few days for a couple of weeks giving your potential recruit more great information about your opportunity.

Your potential recruit is likely investigating a number of opportunities, make sure yours is always on her mind.

-> Automated Newsletter: When someone signs up for your mailing list, you can set them up to receive a series of pre-written emails. This means that "subscriber A" can sign up today and start receiving emails from the beginning of your series, while "subscriber B" and "subscriber C" can be elsewhere in the series.

By pre-writing your newsletter, you always have material to offer new subscribers and you can ensure all subscribers receive all of your great issues. Your newsletter doesn't need to be complicated, just some nice, short, sweet and to-the-point emails packed with some great tips (and of course topped off with some promotion of your company’s products) will do. When you have a sale or special announcement, you can easily send out special notices to your mailing list too.

How to Find a Good Autoresponder

Check with your company’s website hosting provider. They may already have some simple autoresponders available. Usually, these will allow you to send out a single autoresponse to incoming emails.
There are a number of good autoresponder products on the market that allow for sophisticated contact management and follow up. You can read autoreponder reviews on Internet Based Moms.

How To Setup A Successful Online Business In 7 Easy Steps

Do you want your own online business? No more than ever it is possible to start a business quickly and inexpensively. Below are seven steps you can follow that will help you start off in the right direction every time.

1. Find a product to sell. You can create the product yourself. You can sell an affiliate product on a commission basis, or you can find a private label rights product that allows you to edit and resell as your own product. The product can be an ebook in a pdf format, or audio format. Video or software could be the product as well. If you are enthusiastic about the product and believe in it, you will have an easier time selling it.

2. Register a domain name that fits your product. If at all possible, include the key words that relate to the product in the domain name. Since domain names are not very expensive these days register several similar names. The content would be basically the same in each one.

3. Find a web host that is reliable and affordable. Make sure the web host has an easy to use control panel so you can upload your web pages yourself. Many of the most popular hosts use CPanel which is very easy for you to master quickly.

4. Create a small website or have someone create it for you. Some websites are only one page long, although it's a very long one page. Others are only three or four pages of content. There are free website sales page templates you can search for and use in your site. When writing the content for the sales page stress the attributes of your product. Make sure your headline grabs the visitors attention and pulls them into the copy. If you include endorsements or testimonials make sure they are from real people. Ask for the sale more than once and include a link to the order page.

5. Set up a payment processor. PayPal is quick, free and easy to set up. There is a fee to process the transactions. This fee is taken right out of each sale so you do not need to keep records. Tell your visitors they do not have to have a PayPal account to use PayPal, they can use their credit card. You have access to your money and can withdraw the money nearly immediately.

Clickbank is another alternative. Clickbank takes longer to get your account approved and there is a fee to set up the account. Like Paypal, there is a fee per transaction and a percentage based on the price of the product sold through Clickbank.

6. Be sure to set up product delivery as instant and automatic. Doing this serves your best interest as you do not waste a lot of time emailing the product or download link to the customer after they have paid. And it serves your customer's best interest since they do not have to wait to download their product.

7. Drive targeted traffic to your website. You can use search engine optimization and keywords research. One fantastic approach is article placement in ezine directories. You can participate in discussion forums. And one of the newer marketing methods is social bookmarking.

True these seven steps do not go into any great technical, this is because to much detail would only slow you down in the beginning. There will be plenty of time later to learn the technical side of everything. For now, just get started.

New Internet Marketing Opportunities Through RSS

When it comes to new internet marketing opportunities for your business, RSS just might be the answer you were looking for. Here are just some of the new opportunities it can provide you with ?

1. Podcasting and Videocasting

Podcasting (delivering internet audio content) and Videocasting (delivering internet video content) allow you to communicate via rich media messages, not only making your content more attractive and powerful, but also enabling a more personal ?conversation? with your audiences.

Up until know, the internet was predominantly a textual channel. Adding audio and video to the mix, delivering both via RSS, goes beyond the basic capabilities provided by ?traditional? internet content delivery channels.
Rich media personalizes the internet experience and gives your company a distinguishable face, while at the same time providing you with a media platform to convey your message so that it is easier to understand, see and feel.

Think about ...

1. Delivering press releases in audio or video
2. Sending your customers a personal video message from the CEO
3. Doing audio interviews to expand your reach and provide more content to your visitors
4. Delivering video demonstrations of your products
5. Using video and audio to demonstrate how your customers and readers can easily resolve various issues that you are helping them with
6. Delivering important messages to your readers, customers and business partners via a more personal audio experience, instead of using impersonal e-mail communications
7. And so on ...

In addition, Podcasting and Videocasting form the basis of new business models, giving you the opportunity to expand your product base to include these formats with higher perceived value.

Customer education & support are improved as well, since you can now demonstrate key product usage points via online video  providing customer support content in a format, which can easily demonstrate everything you need to convey to your customers.

2. High Frequency Content Updates

High frequency content updates, even on a daily or hourly basis, are now finally possible with RSS. No more need to hold on your important messages, news and other content for a week or even a month to include it in your e-zine --- with RSS you can update your content as often as you want/need, and your subscribers won't mind.

3. Appcasting

Appcasting goes one step further, giving you the ability to deliver critical software updates and patches to your existing clients, without them having to visit your web site every week to see if the much needed update is already available or not.

4. Product News, Releases And Updates

Product news, releases and updates are now finally possible in an easy-to-consume way. Using RSS, you can provide your customers or prospects with simple tools to create their own ?product feeds?, through which they'll be immediately notified when new products that precisely match their interests are available.

As soon as your product portfolio changes, so does the content in the RSS feeds that your customers are subscribed to.

Just think of the following possibilities ...

--> The search tool is one of the most often used in larger web stores, giving your visitors an easy way to find the products they are interested. But the same search results can be delivered via RSS as well. Imagine your customer doing a search for one of your product categories, and then also receiving a link to the RSS feed for those very same search results, to find out immediately when a new product matching his terms is released or available for order.

--> This works for complex searches as well. If your customers are in the habit of searching for specific product categories, but only in a specific price range, you can deliver those very same results to them via RSS, but with a small twist ---> as soon as a new product matching their terms, including the desired price, is launched, they are notified about it via RSS instantly. No need to visit your site again to do the time-consuming search; the release comes directly to them.

--> Of course, the same approach that many are already using for e-mail alerts can be used for RSS. Give your visitors a simple form using which they enter their criteria, and then give them access to an RSS feed bringing them product updates based exactly on their criteria. Why not just use e-mail? Because no one really wants more e-mail messages in their inboxes and no one wants to give away their personal information, while RSS is anonymous, doesn't require an e-mail address and is read when the customer decides he has the time.

5. Personalized Content Services

Personalized/customized database listings are quite similar to product updates, but relate to any kind of complex information you provide to your visitors, such as ?

1. Job listings
2. Dating
3. Real estate
4. Etc.

Using RSS, your visitors can decide exactly what kind of ?content? (in this case, an individual content item could be a new job listing) they are looking for and then have that content delivered directly to them, via their own personalized RSS feed.

And yet, all of these are just some examples of what you can do with RSS. The possibilities for new content delivery & business development models are quite endless.

For example, some companies are already giving their visitors the opportunity to track their FedEx, UPS and other packages via RSS feeds. Yet others are creating new services that allow you to receive critical information from an RSS feed to your mobile phone via SMS (such as getting an SMS notifying you that a new job matching your criteria is available). Yet again other sites enable you to keep track of when you need to return your library material, and even when your holds are ready and when they are about to expire, all this using RSS.

All of these are new business opportunities made possible with RSS, and each of them in a way improves lives of end-users, without placing a larger burden (more e-mail messages) on them.

How to Get E-zine Subscribers

Forward: The e-zine related question I hear most often is "How do I build an email mailing list if I cannot email people first?"

I suggest several tactics, including putting an invitation to join on all invoices and in your email sig line. Here, Alexandria Brown suggests some others. Enjoy. - Bobette Kyle, Publisher and Author of the marketing plan and Web promotion book "How Much for Just the Spider? Strategic Web Site Marketing".

While I run my business completely online, I really enjoy attending in-person events and seminars here in Los Angeles and around the country. I'm sure you find these events valuable too. The problem most of us have with networking, however, is following up with the people we meet.

An easy way to follow-up powerfully and automatically is to turn these folks into e-zine subscribers. This ensures that you'll have the chance to repeatedly teach them how great your products/services are while building their trust in you.

But how do you "capture" people in person? Remember, you can NEVER sign someone up unless they specifically ask you to be signed up — it's unethical.

So you need to encourage people you meet in person to join your list, and make it easy for them. And I have three successful strategies to share with you.

1) Advertise Your E-zine on Your Business Card (or Brochure)

Nothing gets passed around at a networking event more than the good old business card. But what's on the BACK of your cards?

Nothing?

Well, from now on you're going to use that valuable real estate. Next time you print new cards, use the flip side! Create a brief message that promotes your e-zine and gives information on how to subscribe. When someone you meet looks at your business card again when she's back at the office, she'll be much more likely to subscribe when she sees the reminder on your card.

As an example, here's what I have on the back of my new cards:

"Promote your business with an e-zine! Sign up for FREE biweekly tips at www.EzineQueen.com."

BONUS: This strategy also gets these people to visit your Web site, which they may not have done otherwise.

If you aren't ready to print new cards for a while, use your computer to print your message onto labels, and affix them to the backs of your cards. Cheap and easy!



2) Follow Up With Each Person You Meet Via E-Mail

After each event I go to, I aim to follow up with every person I met with via e-mail within three days. In that e-mail, I remind the person that she can sign up for my FREE tips at my Web site. Here's an example of a note I sent out recently:

"Dear Margaret,

It was a pleasure to chat with you at [EVENT NAME HERE] last Thursday. I'd like to learn more about your business and how we can help each other. Perhaps we can meet for coffee next week?

In the meantime, you may enjoy my FREE weekly e-zine "Straight Shooter Marketing" that gives tips on how to market yourself online. I write it for small business owners just like you! You can learn more and sign up at www.EzineQueen.com

Take care and let's stay in touch.

Best, Alexandria K. Brown, 'The E-zine Queen'"

Once again, this strategy also gets these people to visit your Web site, which they may not have done otherwise. (Very cool, yes?)

3) Are you the Speaker? Pass Around a Signup Sheet or Collect Cards

Whenever I'm the featured speaker at an event, I make sure to give the audience members an easy way to sign up for my e-zine. I either pass around a signup sheet to collect their names and e-mail addresses, OR I collect business cards when I draw a winner for a free book.

If you use the business card method, tell the audience to write an "E" for e-zine on their card — this lets you know they want to be signed up for your newsletter. Some speakers do the opposite, and tell the audience that if they do NOT want to be subscribed to their e-zine, to put a "NO" on their card, but I'm more comfortable with the former method.

Remember, Your List Is Your Goldmine!

People you meet in person will be very valuable subscribers, because they've already met you. And we're all more likely to buy from others whom we know, like, and trust.

Your in-person meeting will start that process, and your e-zine will follow-through for you, automatically!

(c) 2003 Alexandria K. Brown

About the Author
Alexandria K. Brown, “The E-zine Queen,” is author of the award-winning manual, “Boost Business With Your Own E-zine.” To learn more about her book and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site at http://www.ezinequeen.com.

Jill Whalen is well known for her search engine optimization talents. She’s equally well known for her ezine, High Rankings Advisor. From its inception in 2000 until today, she has built an exceptionally loyal subscriber base of over 15,000 that would literally follow her to the ends of the ‘Net and back. How did she do it? We’re about to find out!

Karon Thackston: Hi Jill… thanks for your time.

Jill Whalen: No problem, Karon.

Karon Thackston: Let me start with this…. many people decide to create an ezine simply because “everybody else has one.” Why did you choose to launch a newsletter?

Jill Whalen: Well, for years, I was a heavy poster to many email discussion lists, and I had lots of people asking me to do a newsletter. Since I was always giving out free advice anyway, it made sense to share it with more people. When I made the decision to give it a whirl back in 2000, I had a partner. Together we decided on a name, created a Web site for it, and figured out how to host it, etc.


Karon Thackston: Now, you told me that you split from your partner later on. When that happened, how did you handle the "conversion”?

Jill Whalen: When we decided to part ways, we had over 9,000 subscribers, and there was no way I was gonna start over from zero! We agreed to each get a copy of the subscriber list and go from there. We mentioned what was happening to the subscribers, and that we would now have two separate newsletters. Anyone who wanted them both didn't have to do anything, and from that point forward, anyone could separately unsubscribe or subscribe to either of them on our respective sites.

Karon Thackston: Seems pretty easy. So basically, except for having some subscribers, you really had to start all over again, didn’t you?

Jill Whalen: Well, the experience was there, too. I had been doing the list admin work for the other ezine for years, so it was easy for me to simply contact the list host and have them convert it over to the High Rankings Advisor. The hard part was coming up with the new name! When I did finally come up with the High Rankings Advisor name, I was happy with it. I think most people don't spend enough time thinking about their newsletter names. We see the same names recycled between different newsletter publishers. I really believe it's important to be original and creative. Newsletter names don't come easy. They take a lot of time and effort to really come up with one that's exactly right for your publication. Like everything else you do with your newsletter, you should never just rush it. Once you do think of a name, you should check around to make sure nobody beat you to it. I had one I thought was great, but when I checked, someone else in my "space" was using something very similar.

Karon Thackston: I agree. Since the launching of Business Essentials, I’ve found three or four other email newsletters that have very similar names. Now, you have way more than 9,000 subscribers today. How have you gone about getting them? Which way(s) work best? Which way(s) stink?

Jill Whalen: At first, I contacted everyone who ever emailed me over the years (yes, I had saved them all!). I created a list of a good three or four hundred names, and sent out a mass email telling them that I was creating a newsletter and how to subscribe. I would never, ever, ever just sign people up. Nothing irks me more then when people do that. Grrrr!

After that, I put a little something about signing up for the newsletter in my signature line when I posted to discussion groups. That also worked well and still does.

One of the things that work best is the Moreover news feeds. Having news organizations spider your site and archives for new articles brings incredible exposure. You just have to figure out how to set up your own feed. I recently had a guest article on how to do that, which you can read here. If you provide high-quality content, it's definitely worth the trouble to syndicate it.

I can't actually remember anything I tried that stunk at getting subscribers. I'm quite Internet savvy and very picky about the things I try. I can usually spot something that seems too good to be true and don't bother with it. Word-of-mouth works extremely well, too!

Karon Thackston: Now, I can attest from firsthand experience that you have one of the most loyal subscriber bases on the entire Web. Jill, what are you doing to keep your subscribers? What contributes to your extremely high subscriber loyalty?

Jill Whalen: Thanks, Karon. I'd have to say that the biggest thing would be just being myself. It's pretty obvious when reading my stuff that I y'am what I y'am. People learn quickly that I'm a straight shooter and tell it like it is. They don't always agree with me, but at least they know where I stand.

Also, I never try to trick people. I don't pretend that affiliate links are not affiliate links, and in fact probably go overboard by making sure that everyone knows it is indeed an affiliate link. Plus, I don't just put in affiliate links for the sake of having them there or for the sake of making money. However, there are some really good resources out there that cost money, but are worth every penny. When I find them, and believe my readers will benefit by them (like your Copywriting Course, for instance!), I will then promote the heck out of them. It's a win-win situation all around at that point. People learn about something that can greatly help them in their businesses, I make a little bit of extra money to pay for my list hosting and time spent on the newsletter, and the author of the great resource gets paid for his hard work.

Karon Thackston: Excellent points, Jill. (And thanks for the plug. ) So then, let me ask you this…what would you say is the most important factor of consistently delivering a quality ezine?

Jill Whalen: I'd say you have to like doing it, because it's definitely a chore. If you think you can just rush something out the door cuz you have to get something done, it will show in the lack of quality. You really have to set aside a certain amount of time to do it right. Plus, you gotta proof, proof, and then proof it again.

Karon Thackston: I agree 100%! Well, Jill, I’ve taken up enough of your time. I truly do appreciate you letting us in on your success secrets. : ) It’s always helpful to see how others work.

If you want to subscribe to Jill’s ezine, High Rankings Advisor, you can do it here. You can also find past issues online at her site. Good info, I can promise you! I subscribe myself.

Author Information
Want to learn exactly how to create a quality ezine and how to build your subscriber base? You can! Karon will take you step-by-step through the process and give you over 70 free places to promote your ezine. Get three FREE bonuses with your purchase, too! Get all the details today at http://www.creatingezines.com.

Way of indexing your Site in Almost Search Engines with DiscountClick.com

Discount Click

For you all who are struggling to find a way to optimize your company site all over search engines and to be in top of the all your competitors, and also maybe you want your blog or your personal sites to be optimized in most search engines like Google, yahoo, msn and all other popular search engine, you don’t have to worry because DiscountClick.com will provide you with these valuable facilities in one site and all with quality assurance, which you can be in top of all.

In addition to that Discount Click will also provide for you with Affordable Search Engine Promotion with as low as $ 50 per month, and also they are providing for you with dedicated Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Consultants, Link Building Service, Search Engine Marketing, SEO tools which you can promote your site in search engines very easily with good result which you can then get unique visitors to your site more and more.

Moreover with their Search Engine Optimization they are offering the following other money valued services:

· Keyword Ranking Reports. Find out where your website currently stands in all the major search engines.
· Self Service Professional SEO tools, including a Keyword Density Analyzer, Traffic Metrics and both Organic and Pay per Click Traffic and Rank Reporting Utilities. Analyze dozens of URLs and perform effective on page seo optimization for your company site or your customers sites.
· PPC Setup, Tracking and Management Tools. Increase ROI, stay on target. Increase click through rates and have the online marketing industry work for your companies benefit. We can get your website ppc setup to produce targeted traffic to your site with pay per click sponsored listings.

And with some other services which you can look at them to www.DiscountClick.com , they got a good relationship with their partners which are include Yahoo Inc the most popular site into the internet which have more than a billion of visitors a day, the other partners are like FindWhat.com, Kanoodle, Inktomi and some other strong website.

Email Marketing Laws:

01/21/04 Update: I just received an email from Anne Holland of MarketingSherpa. She spoke with the FTC lawyer who is responsible for coordinating the CAN-SPAM rule-making, Michael Goodman.

To many of us it appeared only government agencies could sue under the law. Not so. According to Goodman (in reference to the the clause allowing "providers of internet access services" to sue you, as quoted by Holland):
'…the definition is fairly broad and I think it could include a company that offers networking services to its employees.' Which is basically anybody with an IT department."
Read the whole article here, along with some more useful links on the subject. If you are not already on Anne's EmailSherpa list, you may want to join. She's top-notch when it comes to marketing issues. --Bobette Kyle
Original "Email Marketing Laws: Keeping Updated" article starts here:

If you are new to online marketing, you might equate direct email to direct postal mail. The concepts are very similar; in both you broadcast a standard message to a large number of individuals in hopes of receiving positive responses. To the uninitiated, it is logical to assume you can approach the two in the same way. It seems like the only difference is the means of communication. If you are thinking this way, STOP! STOP! STOP!
An unsolicited email advertisement has a different connotation to the recipient than junk mail from the postal service. Excessive email ties up resources. It uses storage space, slows down systems, and can crash equipment. For this reason and others, many abhor unsolicited emails.
Most Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Website hosting companies have long enforced policies against unsolicited email advertisements. Until recently, however, there have been no US Federal laws making these emails illegal.

Unsolicited Email Law
Several US states have passed laws that regulate email. According to the SpamCon Foundation Web site, there are currently twenty one states with anti-spam laws. Internationally, numerous countries have passed laws limiting email advertising. Many of these laws are now pre-empted by a new federal law.

Beginning January 1, 2004 CAN-SPAM (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003) went into effect. You can read the full bill and more information here: http://www.spamlaws.com/federal/108s877.html
What Does The US Law Mean to Emailers?
In a letter to publishers, Topica Email Publisher (http://www.email-publisher.com) summarized the law by noting four standards commercial emailers must adhere to:
Senders must include a postal address in emails
Removal requests must be acted upon within 10 days
Subjects and other headers must not be misleading
Unsolicited messages with sexual content must be labeled

Who Can Sue?
If you publish an email newsletter or send advertising to an opt-in list, you may be concerned that those who forgot they signed up (or have a vendetta against anything related to marketing) could file suit against you even if you do everything correctly.

You may also have been concerned that if a virus or spammer uses your email address in forged message headers (both of which are beyond your control) you could be held liable.
There appears to be no need for concern about either situation (01/21/04 UPDATE: See Note at top of page). My interpretation (and I'm not a lawyer, so don't take this as legal advice) is your neighbor cannot sue you because he got an emailed virus claiming to come from your email address. A competitor cannot sue you under this law out of spite. Under Section 7, CAN-SPAM limits those who can file suit. Generally, lawsuits can only be initiated by limited government departments and officials.

How to Stay Updated
There are several sites you can monitor for news on email marketing. These include the SpamCon Foundation Law Center (http://law.spamcon.org), the Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email (CAUCE, http://www.cauce.org), and the spam section of The Open Directory Project (http://dmoz.org/Computers/Internet/Abuse/Spam/).
Additionally, David E. Sorkin, Associate Professor of Law at the John Marshall Law School, writes and speaks extensively on the subject of Internet policy, http://www.sork.com.

For the honest marketer, the new law is a positive step toward improving email marketing.
About the AuthorBobette Kyle draws upon 12+ years of Marketing/Executive experience, Marketing MBA, and online marketing research in her writing. Bobette is proprietor of the Web Site Marketing Plan Network, http://www.WebSiteMarketingPlan.com , and author of the marketing plan and Web promotion book "How Much For Just the Spider? Strategic Website Marketing For Small Budget Business,"

http://www.websitemarketingplan.com/MarketingBook/TOC.htm .
(Note: Small business management and marketing articles written by Bobette Kyle are generally available for reprint provided the byline and "About the Author" resource box remain intact. Please make at least one of the links in the "About the Author" resource section clickable. Also, your Web/publication must be non-offensive and appropriate as explained here and you may not charge a fee if allowing others to reprint the article.)

Increasing Conversions Through Action-Oriented Copywriting

Note from the Website publisher, Bobette Kyle: In this article, Karon explains a step-by-step process to increase conversion rates by improving your sales and marketing copy.)

I do site reviews. Needless to say, I see a lot of Web copy. One thing that always befuddles me is the lack of focus many site pages have. It's as if the writer assumes the site visitor will read the copy and automatically know what to do next. The fact is you have to know what action you want visitors to take before you get them to take that action. That means knowing what the preferred action you want visitors to take is, before you write the copy.

Think About It
Before you pen one word (for the Web or any other marketing medium), stop and think. "After reading this copy, what - specifically - do I want my site visitors to do?" Maybe you want them to click deeper into the site. Perhaps you want them to buy right then and there. It could be that you'd like them to call to discuss your product or service. Make a donation. Subscribe. Download. There are thousands of possible actions. Give some consideration to the question above and choose the action you most want your visitors to take.

Signposts Point the Way
The next step is to include signposts along the way so your visitors understand what they're supposed to do once they've read your copy. Leaving verbal clues helps prepare your visitors to take action once the time comes.

For instance, if you run a software site that offers a free trial download, you can prepare your visitors to get the trial version all throughout your copy by mentioning "free download" or "free trial." Your copy might read:

Email Lock software allows you to send emails and attachments securely through encrypted channels. With the free download, you'll discover just how easy it is to protect your messages and attachments from spying eyes. It's ultra-easy to use. You'll send emails just as you always have, and your recipients won't know anything has changed, either. The free trial version is fully functional and allows you to experience all the flexibility and simplicity of sending safe and encrypted emails and attachments.

What's happening as your site visitors read? They see phrases like, "With the free download, you'll discover…" OK, where's the download button? Then they read, "The free trial version is fully functional…" Wonderful! I want it! How do I download the free trial?

They begin looking for ways to take the action you want them to take. So tell them how!

Ready? And… Action!
Your job is just like a movie director's job. The director has to motivate and encourage his actors. He tells them why their characters are so important to the film. The director helps the actors understand the emotions involved with the parts they are playing. Then, once he has them all primed, he calls for action.

That's what you should do in your copy. Guide your visitors. Lead and nudge them in the right direction. Show them signposts that point to the action you want them to take. Then call for them to take that action.

Once you give your copy focus, once you define a goal for the copy and an action for your visitors, you'll find it easier to write copy that converts.

About the Author
Karon Thackston is a veteran copywriting pro who specializes in SEO copy. If your copy isn't getting results, let Karon teach you how to write SEO copy that impresses the engines and your visitors at http://www.copywritingcourse.com. Be sure to check out Karon’s latest ebook “How To Increase Keyword Saturation (Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy)” at http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword.

Generating Targeted Web Site Traffic.

An important question to answer when creating or revising a Web site is "What are the goals of this site?" because the answer will drive your Web site design and marketing decisions.

In Part 1, Understand the Decision Making Process, I took a look at understanding your site visitors' decision making process and providing them with the right information, thus converting more visitors to purchasers.

Here in Part 2 I will present some tips for attracting targeted Web site traffic and ideas for profiting through information sites.

Attracting Targeted Traffic to a Sales Web Site
In Part 1, Karon Thackston explained the multi-step buying decision and why many of your visitors may not yet be ready to purchase. If you own a sales site, those early in the decision process are not likely to buy from you.

There are ways, however, you can attract better targeted visitors to your site (i.e. Web site traffic composed of more people approaching the purchase stage). One way is to have a presence on information sites that attract visitors in your targeted audience. This because on the information sites visitors are gathering information and evaluating options. In other words, they are preparing to make a purchase.

Michelle Horstman, owner of Choice Promotional Products, www.choicepromotionalproducts.com, says, "I do get hits from advertising on 'informative' sites such as www.barmitzvahfindit.com, where they have a vendor area."

For those on a limited budget, Michelle suggests purchasing advertising on sites that participate in pay-per-click programs like Overture or Google AdWords.

"When you list with Google and others on your own, you may have to pay more than your ROI would justify." She explains. "However, when you advertise with an informational site, that site can afford to pay more for the clicks, since they are supported by multiple vendors/advertisers. Ask the site if they'll offer a trial period so you can see how much traffic it is producing."

Targeted Web Site Traffic for Information Sites
If you run an information site, the majority of your Web site traffic will be interested in researching the subject, too early in the decision process to purchase. So how can you both attract targeted Web site traffic (i.e. visitors in the early decision stages) *and* earn revenue?

You can attract information seekers by structuring each page in your Web site so it gives information on a specific topic. This expands the list of key words through which searchers might find your site.

Other ways to earn revenue from traffic to an information Web site:

Initiate the two step process James Maduk explains in Part 1.
Participate in a few select affiliate programs, which you can promote on topic-specific pages in your Web site.

Join a targeted advertising network such as Google's AdSense.
Sell your own advertising space.
In any case, targeting Web site traffic in the "right" decision making stage creates a win-win situation. Your visitors find the information they need and you profit - through sales, advertising, or affiliate revenue - by meeting those needs.

About the Author
Bobette Kyle draws upon 12+ years of Marketing/Executive experience, Marketing MBA, and online marketing research in her writing. Bobette is proprietor of the Web Site Marketing Plan Network, http://www.WebSiteMarketingPlan.com , and author of the marketing plan and Web promotion book "How Much For Just the Spider? Strategic Website Marketing For Small Budget Business," http://www.websitemarketingplan.com/MarketingBook/TOC.htm .
(Note: Small business management and marketing articles written by Bobette Kyle are generally available for reprint provided the byline and "About the Author" resource box remain intact. Please make at least one of the links in the "About the Author" resource section clickable. Also, your Web/publication must be non-offensive and appropriate as explained here and you may not charge a fee if allowing others to reprint the article.)

Start Your E-Mail Newsletter to Stay in Closer Touch with Customers

Can you think of any more convenient, thoughtful and inexpensive way to demonstrate your expertise in your business to your customers, prospects, relevant reporters, staff, colleagues at the business and civic clubs? Without the costs of layout, printing and mailing, you can provide helpful advice, offers, other ways to show people why they should buy or continue to buy from you, pass your e-mail onto their colleagues who might buy and become familiar with you.

If you aren't comfortable writing the newsletter, get a freelancer to interview you or take your first draft to polish your words. Get another consultant to help you with the small details of online design of a newsletter, and/or mass e-mailing it. Still your costs will be considerably less than with a traditional mailed newsletter. You can "mail it" more often, offer a poll, lead them to a web site where they can learn more, link your web site with valuable business and non-profit partners whose sites also serve your kind of customer so you gain access to each other's customers . .the list of benefits goes on.

To jump-start the introduction of your newsletter, offer prizes for the names to be drawn of the people who submit their email address to you. Offer to maintain their privacy, indicating you won't trade or sell your list of names. Tell them about upcoming topics, offers, etc.
When you announce the introduction of your newsletter, also announce an online poll on a topic of interest to your customers -- and the media that your customers read (local and industry). Offer poll respondents first glimpse at a summary of poll results, and offer reporters an extensive description of poll results, thus positioning you as a subject matter expert, for them to also call upon whenever they come across a story that touches on your kind of business.
The frequency of your e-mail newsletter will depend on how much time you have to write or find useful info. Ideastation (http://www.ideastation.com/) and/or Kevin Nunley (http://www.DrNunley.com) are a few places that will provide articles for use in online newsletters and on web sites.

You can publish daily, weekly or monthly or spontaneously. You can distribute your e-mail newsletter by using your e-mail program (e.g., Pegasus Mail) or a service especially designed for this purpose called Majordomo Listbot. Read other e-zines to get a feel for the kind of content your target audience finds important. E-zine fall into many categories ranging from purely organizational with updates about a specific company to general tips for a specific target audience and classified ads ezine that direct readers to specific products and services. Remember to focus and communicate audience benefits, and through word of mouth your e-zine subscription size will expand.

Building your list
From your web site you can advertise the benefits of your newsletter. Following your benefits should be a box or an e-mail link for people to click on or enter their e-mail address for inclusion in your mailing list. If you or your employees already ask people for their name, company, industry, address, phone and fax information, you now need to ask them for their e-mail address. If following up and keeping in touch with customers or potential customers is important to you, then all employees must ask them for their e-mail address. In addition to their email address, ask them what information about your company is most important to them. Do they want to be notified of new and/or updated products or services you offer? You may also want to add a line on all written materials sent out requesting the e-mail address of people who want to be notified of your company's services or products through your mailing list.

Additional ways to get your list noticed
Include mention of your new newsletter on all current promotional material such as your business cards, stationery, magazine, yellow pages or newspaper ads, etc.
Team up with another online newsletter and swap advertising space. My client Ben Kersen & The Wonderdogs has teamed up with an editor of a magazine called The Pet Gazette. They both cooperate to provide helpful material to the same audience.
Participate on discussion boards that are related to the topic of your newsletter. Position yourself as a helpful person by offering your assistance and this characteristic will draw new subscribers to your mailing list.

The benefits

• 
  constant contact with a list of people who have given you permission to send them your information. Always give list members the option of receiving notifications of sales or new products.
• 
  very inexpensive. no expenses for printing, postage, long distance phone/fax calls, paper you mail or fax
• 
  your newsletter can be used to remind your prospects and customers of your products and services - or to visit your web site for more details on them.
• 
  you may want to profit by selling ad space in your ezine

Off Line Marketing for On Line Results

So you’re all “Googled” out, are you? You’ve been working feverishly placing e-zine ads, paying for placement and position with search engines, buying online classifieds, and trying to optimize search engine rankings for your website. All of that effort and money may be paying off for you, or it may be your greatest source of frustration. Most new businesses on the Internet quickly discover that there is no magic formula to driving website traffic higher.
If you’re looking for innovative methods of marketing your on-line business, start thinking like an off-line marketer. The tried and true marketing practices employed by traditional businesses represent significant value to your on-line venture. Before placing your next bid with a Pay-per-click engine, consider some of these marketing initiatives:

Off-line Advertising
Yes, they still have advertising off-line, in things like newspapers and magazines. If you have an intriguing website name that is focused on one particular industry or profession, you have access to highly targeted publications that will do an excellent job of reaching your target market.
Imagine that you operate a website that sells an amazing new product aimed at the plumbing market. You can stretch your advertising dollars by placing ads that contain only your URL in recognized plumbing publications. An ad that reads www.besteverplumbinginvention.com would attract plenty of traffic from curious plumbers and industry suppliers.

While other companies are using their ad space to explain to plumbers why they should call them, you’ve provided a compelling reason (curiosity) for plumbers to hit your site. Since you only advertised the URL, you don’t require considerable space to explain your idea, hence the cost of your ad will be very reasonable.

Get Published
The mantra these days is to “get published” in various e-zines and e-newsletters by writing articles from your expert point of view and including your byline. The byline, or “resource box” acts as an ad for your company by providing your URL and e-mail address. Getting published is a highly effective, low cost method of promoting your on-line business. The question is: why stop at e-zines?

It seems everybody has forgotten the huge number of magazine and newspaper publications available in today’s marketplace. Getting published in print is just as effective, if not more effective, than on-line publication.

Let’s say that you offer a business to business service through your website. Almost every major city in the U.S. has a local business publication that discusses local business news and covers topics of interest to business owners. How many major cities are there in the U.S.? An informal analysis reveals that there are at least 50 (one for each state), plus many more….there are 5 in California alone!

Since you are on-line, geography is not an obstacle, so get your articles and news releases out to these publications no matter where they are published. There’s a magazine for just about everything these days, so whatever your area of expertise is, you’ll find an editor who might be interested in running your article.

Targeted Event Promotion
No matter who you are targeting, there is some type of annual event for them held somewhere in the U.S. From dental assistants to senior citizens to country music fans, there is a conference or convention that attracts thousands of them.

Promote your on-line business with an advertisement in the convention program, or better yet, distribute some promotional materials at the show, such as pens or note pads with your URL printed on them. If the event is out of town, don’t worry. Contact the facility where the event is being held. They will usually help out with this type of promotion for a small fee.
The on-line world is a tremendous place to market your products and services. But don’t forget about the rest of the world, or you’ll miss out on some tremendous marketing opportunities.

About the Author
Will Dylan is the Author of "Small Business Big Marketing" and owner of http://www.marketingyoursmallbusiness.com . Will also offers article and news release writing services through his website. You can contact Will at askwill@marketingyoursmallbusiness.com

Off Line Marketing for On Line Results

So you’re all “Googled” out, are you? You’ve been working feverishly placing e-zine ads, paying for placement and position with search engines, buying online classifieds, and trying to optimize search engine rankings for your website. All of that effort and money may be paying off for you, or it may be your greatest source of frustration. Most new businesses on the Internet quickly discover that there is no magic formula to driving website traffic higher.
If you’re looking for innovative methods of marketing your on-line business, start thinking like an off-line marketer. The tried and true marketing practices employed by traditional businesses represent significant value to your on-line venture. Before placing your next bid with a Pay-per-click engine, consider some of these marketing initiatives:


Off-line Advertising
Yes, they still have advertising off-line, in things like newspapers and magazines. If you have an intriguing website name that is focused on one particular industry or profession, you have access to highly targeted publications that will do an excellent job of reaching your target market.
Imagine that you operate a website that sells an amazing new product aimed at the plumbing market. You can stretch your advertising dollars by placing ads that contain only your URL in recognized plumbing publications. An ad that reads www.besteverplumbinginvention.com would attract plenty of traffic from curious plumbers and industry suppliers.


While other companies are using their ad space to explain to plumbers why they should call them, you’ve provided a compelling reason (curiosity) for plumbers to hit your site. Since you only advertised the URL, you don’t require considerable space to explain your idea, hence the cost of your ad will be very reasonable.


Get Published
The mantra these days is to “get published” in various e-zines and e-newsletters by writing articles from your expert point of view and including your byline. The byline, or “resource box” acts as an ad for your company by providing your URL and e-mail address. Getting published is a highly effective, low cost method of promoting your on-line business. The question is: why stop at e-zines?


It seems everybody has forgotten the huge number of magazine and newspaper publications available in today’s marketplace. Getting published in print is just as effective, if not more effective, than on-line publication.


Let’s say that you offer a business to business service through your website. Almost every major city in the U.S. has a local business publication that discusses local business news and covers topics of interest to business owners. How many major cities are there in the U.S.? An informal analysis reveals that there are at least 50 (one for each state), plus many more….there are 5 in California alone!


Since you are on-line, geography is not an obstacle, so get your articles and news releases out to these publications no matter where they are published. There’s a magazine for just about everything these days, so whatever your area of expertise is, you’ll find an editor who might be interested in running your article.


Targeted Event Promotion
No matter who you are targeting, there is some type of annual event for them held somewhere in the U.S. From dental assistants to senior citizens to country music fans, there is a conference or convention that attracts thousands of them.


Promote your on-line business with an advertisement in the convention program, or better yet, distribute some promotional materials at the show, such as pens or note pads with your URL printed on them. If the event is out of town, don’t worry. Contact the facility where the event is being held. They will usually help out with this type of promotion for a small fee.
The on-line world is a tremendous place to market your products and services. But don’t forget about the rest of the world, or you’ll miss out on some tremendous marketing opportunities.


About the Author
Will Dylan is the Author of "Small Business Big Marketing" and owner of http://www.marketingyoursmallbusiness.com . Will also offers article and news release writing services through his website. You can contact Will at askwill@marketingyoursmallbusiness.com

Small Business Website Design: Your First Website

You know you need a Website to help promote your small business, but don’t know the technical details to make it happen. Relax, creating a basic small business Website isn’t as mystical as it seems. There are four steps you’ll need to take in order to get a Website designed and "live" on the World Wide Web:

1. Register a Domain Name
2. Write and Develop Your Website Content
3. Hire a Website Designer or Developer
4. Sign Up for a Hosting Plan

Register a Domain Name
The domain name is the address you type into your browser: www.YourWebsite.com. There are several domain extensions to choose from. (.com, .us, .net, etc.) You will generally want to register one or more .com domains. Many businesses register versions of their own names (including common misspellings) as well as their brands.

You must go through a registrar (or one of a registrar’s affiliates) to register domain names. A domain costs from approximately $7 to $35 per year, depending on the registrar and current discounts. For a list of accredited domain registrars, type domain registrar into any search engine or visit: http://www.icann.org/registrars/accredited-list.html

Once you’ve chosen a registrar, search to see if the names you want to register are available. If they are not, the registrar will often suggest alternatives. After deciding on your domain names, purchase them by following the on-screen instructions.



Write and Develop Your Website Content
You will be responsible for Your Website’s content -- the text, pictures and logos. You may hire one or more copywriters, editors or graphic designers to help with the work. But, you and others in your company are the ultimate experts on your business, so must be intimately involved with content development and design elements.

To generate ideas and get your "creative juices" flowing, start by exploring Websites of close competitors and other Websites you find appealing. Make note of features you’d like to include or offer on your own site.

Other things to consider when developing Website content:
- Overall structure (i.e. which pages you will have in your site and how they fit together): Structure will be driven primarily by your site objectives. A Website that sells a product, for example, may have these pages: About the Product (as home page), About Us, Contact, Purchase, and Privacy Policy - Text on each page: On the Web, short paragraphs read better than long ones. Experts typically recommend 250 - 1500 words per page. - Call-to-action: Know what you want to accomplish with your Website and what actions you want visitors to take (read about your product, buy it, contact your sales people, etc.). Encourage visitors to take action with links in the navigation, within text and near the top of pages.

Hire a Website Designer or Developer
Website design and development involve putting together your Website’s overall structure and artistic look. There are several ways to accomplish this. You may find, for example, that your registrar offers an inexpensive site builder program that allows you to build your own Website step-by-step online. Site builders, however, rarely live up to expectation and/or meet your needs. Some common issues: frequent "glitches," slow program response, minimal directions or customer support, poor search engine optimization features and inflexible or limited design options. I recommend you avoid these site builders. Instead, hire a Website design firm or individual developer to help with your Website.

For a higher-end site you may want to hire a firm to create and develop your Website around a custom design. A lower-budget alternative is to forego custom Website design and hire a developer to create your site around an existing Website template. Some Website developers offer their own pre-made templates as part of their development packages. Others develop around a purchased template.

Website Design and Development Costs
Design and development costs for your Website can run the gamut from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on Website features, quality, size and design. In general, the more pages and the more custom graphics and design in your site, the higher the cost.

Finding Developers and Templates
Many people find a Website designer or developer through word of mouth. There is also a list of some St. Louis area firms here: http://www.marketingtool.com/channel/webfirm/b.435.g.6579.html (Other metropolitan areas are likely to have similar lists. Type your city’s name and "Website Development" into any search engine to find developers/designers in your area. Also note that because of the nature of the work, your Website developer does not need to be located near you.)

If purchasing a template, expect to pay anywhere from zero (for a very basic, one-page design) to a couple hundred dollars (for a multi-page, high-end site design). Type Website template into any search engine to find a variety of template options.

Sign Up for a Hosting Plan
A Website host "rents" file storage space to you on a Web server, generally provides email services (so you can have "@MyWebsite.com" email addresses) and takes care of the technical aspects of making your Website visible on the World Wide Web.

After choosing your approach to Website development and working with your developer to decide features, you have enough information to look at Website hosting packages. Most hosts charge a monthly fee, which varies widely depending on features and account size. Your Website developer or designer can help you choose a host and plan that fit your needs. You can also research numerous hosts at www.websitehostdirectory.com.

You know you need a Website to help promote your business. Now you know how to get one!

About the Author
Bobette Kyle draws upon 15+ years of Marketing/Executive experience; online marketing and Web development experience; and a marketing MBA as inspiration for her writing and Website services. Bobette is also author of the marketing plan and Web promotion book "How Much For Just the Spider? Strategic Website Marketing For Small Budget Business." Additionally, she offers starter Website development services. For more information, visit:

http://afghan-host.com/

Small Business Website Design: Your First Website

You know you need a Website to help promote your small business, but don’t know the technical details to make it happen. Relax, creating a basic small business Website isn’t as mystical as it seems. There are four steps you’ll need to take in order to get a Website designed and "live" on the World Wide Web:

1. Register a Domain Name
2. Write and Develop Your Website Content
3. Hire a Website Designer or Developer
4. Sign Up for a Hosting Plan

Register a Domain Name
The domain name is the address you type into your browser: www.YourWebsite.com. There are several domain extensions to choose from. (.com, .us, .net, etc.) You will generally want to register one or more .com domains. Many businesses register versions of their own names (including common misspellings) as well as their brands.

You must go through a registrar (or one of a registrar’s affiliates) to register domain names. A domain costs from approximately $7 to $35 per year, depending on the registrar and current discounts. For a list of accredited domain registrars, type domain registrar into any search engine or visit: http://www.icann.org/registrars/accredited-list.html

Once you’ve chosen a registrar, search to see if the names you want to register are available. If they are not, the registrar will often suggest alternatives. After deciding on your domain names, purchase them by following the on-screen instructions.



Write and Develop Your Website Content
You will be responsible for Your Website’s content -- the text, pictures and logos. You may hire one or more copywriters, editors or graphic designers to help with the work. But, you and others in your company are the ultimate experts on your business, so must be intimately involved with content development and design elements.

To generate ideas and get your "creative juices" flowing, start by exploring Websites of close competitors and other Websites you find appealing. Make note of features you’d like to include or offer on your own site.

Other things to consider when developing Website content:
- Overall structure (i.e. which pages you will have in your site and how they fit together): Structure will be driven primarily by your site objectives. A Website that sells a product, for example, may have these pages: About the Product (as home page), About Us, Contact, Purchase, and Privacy Policy - Text on each page: On the Web, short paragraphs read better than long ones. Experts typically recommend 250 - 1500 words per page. - Call-to-action: Know what you want to accomplish with your Website and what actions you want visitors to take (read about your product, buy it, contact your sales people, etc.). Encourage visitors to take action with links in the navigation, within text and near the top of pages.

Hire a Website Designer or Developer
Website design and development involve putting together your Website’s overall structure and artistic look. There are several ways to accomplish this. You may find, for example, that your registrar offers an inexpensive site builder program that allows you to build your own Website step-by-step online. Site builders, however, rarely live up to expectation and/or meet your needs. Some common issues: frequent "glitches," slow program response, minimal directions or customer support, poor search engine optimization features and inflexible or limited design options. I recommend you avoid these site builders. Instead, hire a Website design firm or individual developer to help with your Website.

For a higher-end site you may want to hire a firm to create and develop your Website around a custom design. A lower-budget alternative is to forego custom Website design and hire a developer to create your site around an existing Website template. Some Website developers offer their own pre-made templates as part of their development packages. Others develop around a purchased template.

Website Design and Development Costs
Design and development costs for your Website can run the gamut from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on Website features, quality, size and design. In general, the more pages and the more custom graphics and design in your site, the higher the cost.

Finding Developers and Templates
Many people find a Website designer or developer through word of mouth. There is also a list of some St. Louis area firms here: http://www.marketingtool.com/channel/webfirm/b.435.g.6579.html (Other metropolitan areas are likely to have similar lists. Type your city’s name and "Website Development" into any search engine to find developers/designers in your area. Also note that because of the nature of the work, your Website developer does not need to be located near you.)

If purchasing a template, expect to pay anywhere from zero (for a very basic, one-page design) to a couple hundred dollars (for a multi-page, high-end site design). Type Website template into any search engine to find a variety of template options.

Sign Up for a Hosting Plan
A Website host "rents" file storage space to you on a Web server, generally provides email services (so you can have "@MyWebsite.com" email addresses) and takes care of the technical aspects of making your Website visible on the World Wide Web.

After choosing your approach to Website development and working with your developer to decide features, you have enough information to look at Website hosting packages. Most hosts charge a monthly fee, which varies widely depending on features and account size. Your Website developer or designer can help you choose a host and plan that fit your needs. You can also research numerous hosts at www.websitehostdirectory.com.

You know you need a Website to help promote your business. Now you know how to get one!

About the Author
Bobette Kyle draws upon 15+ years of Marketing/Executive experience; online marketing and Web development experience; and a marketing MBA as inspiration for her writing and Website services. Bobette is also author of the marketing plan and Web promotion book "How Much For Just the Spider? Strategic Website Marketing For Small Budget Business." Additionally, she offers starter Website development services. For more information, visit:
http://afghan-host.com

Motivating Your Web Site Visitors To Take Action: Personality Targeting

The theory that I'm presenting in this article is a based on a variation of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Kiersey Temperament Sorters. The idea behind personality targeting is that people are generally motivated to different degrees by the following four qualities:
Power / StatusCompetition / Cutting EdgeConnectedness / CommunityMoney / Price
While some of the information you provide to each segment will be general and apply to everyone, other information will be specific to that particular segment.
So how do you decide which type to target? Well, you can either pick one type and go after those customers or try to cover all the bases in some way with your site. It's easier than you think.
Here's a rundown on the different personality types and some ideas on how to appeal to your specific audience.

Power / Status:
People who fall into this category want to be seen as important people. They look for products and services that reinforce that image. Targeting this group is great if you're selling high-value items. Try to position your product/service/message as an important, prestigious thing. Celebrity endorsements are given a lot of weight with this crowd. These people generally have newer computer equipment and run the latest operating system versions, so you have a little more leeway when using different technologies in your site design such as JavaScript and DHTML.
A website designed to appeal to the power/status segment should be very professional, and the copywriting should convey a tone of exclusiveness. Prices may not be published; after all, if you have to ask...! Examples would be high-end automobiles, wedding photographers, fundraising balls, etc.

Competition / Cutting Edge:
People in this group are fashion-forward dressers, video-gamers and technology enthusiasts. They seek challenge and creativity. High-ticket items are no problem for this crowd since they are willing to pay a premium to get what they want before the rest of the market. A sales message to these people should emphasize the latest, greatest, fastest and the most unique features of the offering.
This group also has newer equipment and the latest browser. Your website design might feature more "bells and whistles" such as flash animation, DHTML/JavaScript mouseovers, demos and movies. Colors and design may be slightly unsettling and cutting edge -- meant to be noticed. Customization, personalization and "skins" appeal to these customers. Examples of companies who would target this group would be electronics sites, website designers, art galleries, etc.

Connectedness / Community:
Those that fall into this group are the caretakers of the world. They worry about the environment, community issues, friends and family. They like familiar, accepted things. They are likely to wait until an item becomes a commodity that is in wide use before adopting it. Their browser and equipment are probably older, but still functional. A website catering to this crowd should emphasize content and advice and have simple navigation and a logical layout. The more information, the better. A comforting, simple color scheme is also important.
Recognition of events that affect our lives (e.g., 9-11, the Space Shuttle disaster) is appropriate and appreciated by this group. High-value items can be sold to this group if they are positioned correctly. They are glad to pay more for items that are environmentally-friendly or family-friendly, for example. This group likes it when you remember who they are the next time they visit, so website personalization can be helpful when targeting them. Some companies who would target this group might be "Made in the USA" products, Internet picture frame companies, chambers of commerce, etc.

Money / Price:
There are plenty of people in the world who shop by price alone, and for them you need to offer specials and discounts. Make it easy for them to buy so they don't wander off and find your products/services cheaper elsewhere. These people need to be grabbed and called to action when they first visit your site.
For the price-conscious, limited-time offers are a good motivator. A site design for them should make it easy for them to find what they're looking for, along with good information and prices. Be sure to include a site-search function and create the site so that it loads quickly and without gimmicks. Things like pop-up windows or slow-loading animations irritate this group and will make them leave. A huge plus for this group is a feature comparison chart. They also appreciate signing up for a newsletter that will notify them when items are on sale.
A fancy design could put this crowd off because they don't want to pay for *your* marketing. Bright, active colors work well. Examples of the type of sites that might target these people are software companies, printer ink sales, cell phones, etc.

It is easy to focus on one personality type with your design, layout and copy, but with a little creativity you can actually build a site that appeals to all four types. When outlining the content for any given page of your site, try writing a heading and a paragraph that would appeal to each type. Better yet, try linking to a page where you can write copy that specifically speaks to that particular personality type. This way, those interested can click to the exact information they're looking for!

About the Author
Scottie Claiborne is the owner of Right Click Web Services, a firm specializing in usability, search engine optimization, and internet marketing.

7 Things You Can Do to Improve

Increasingly, online marketing is a crucial part of any marketing plan. Executing the programs in your plan, however, is just as critical. For many, finding the time is difficult. To make progress, you must set time aside each day (or other regular time period) for marketing online. To that end, take a moment right now to block out time for online marketing over the next six months, beginning today.

Use that time today and over the next six months to execute Internet- based programs in your plan. No plan yet? No problem. You will, of course, want to finish your marketing plan so you can refine your activities, but you can begin improving your online presence today by doing one or more of the following ideas:

Volunteer for Online Interviews
Podcasts, Webcasts, blogs, RSS feeds and newsletters (ezines) are all venues for online interviews or discussions. You'll want to approach publishers who regularly conduct interviews with guests of your caliber, so finding opportunities will take some research. Do this by searching general search engines (such as google.com) or directories. Some directories to get you started: podcast.net (podcasts), ezinehub.com (ezines), sydic8.com (RSS feeds/blogs)
Identify 10 Bloggers in Your Category
Then send them your product as a gift. The idea is to expose your product to influencers in your category by giving them an opportunity to try it free. If they like it, they may give it a mention in their blogs. Note that this is a subtle online marketing technique. The idea is NOT to advertise to them, ask a favor of them or ask them to blog about the product. Choosing to mention (or not mention) your product should be solely up to them.

You can find and read blogs by searching blogging directories such as technorati.com.
Join an Online Network
Online social networks allow you to set up a profile page and interact with others who have your same professional interests. Each caters to a different type of audience, and there are do's and don'ts, so you'll want to read about a network before joining, read some of the profiles and learn a particular site's rules before plunging in. Some networks to explore: linkedin.com, ryze.com, myspace.com, orkut.com, friendster.com, tribe.net

Draft a Press Release
First and foremost, the release must be something newsworthy to the media (if you need ideas, read the article here: http://www.websitemarketingplan.com/pr/NewsAngle.htm). Also, be sure to include a link to your Website or blog in the press release. Finally, distribute the release through an online press release service such as PRWeb.com.
Begin Surveying Your Website Visitors
Surveys can help you identify opportunities for improvement. Since online attention spans are very short, try asking a single two-part question such as Fred Reichhold's Ultimate Question: "On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you to recommend __________." Fill in the blank with your Website name (or other relevant product). To those who reply with a 6 or lower, ask why not. Most likely you will see a pattern in the comments that will point to ways of improving your Website. There are software packages to help you set up an online survey. Also, surveymonkey.com is a popular Web interface for producing online surveys.
Put Your Product's or Company's Creation Story Online
Or work on conveying one or more of Patrick Hanlon's 7 Primal Branding pieces online -- creed, icons, rituals, sacred words, nonbelievers and leaders. According to Hanlon, these seven pieces form belief systems that inherently attract people who want to believe in a product. Those people form the communities that surround successful products and services.
Study Your 5 Closest Competitors' Websites and Online Marketing Activities
Aside from gaining a better understanding of trends in your industry, you will also gain new insights into promotional strategies and tactics for your own business. As you research, brainstorm a list of ideas and use that list to plan a new online strategy or tactic for your own business.
There you have it - seven ideas for improving your online marketing presence. Choose one and get started today!

About the Author
Bobette Kyle draws upon 15+ years of Marketing/Executive experience, online marketing experience, and a marketing MBA as inspiration for her writing. Bobette is proprietor of the Web Site Marketing Plan Network (http://www.WebSiteMarketingPlan.com). She is also author of the marketing plan and Web promotion book "How Much For Just the Spider? Strategic Website Marketing For Small Budget Business." You can search all articles on the network through the marketing directory by going here: http://www.websitemarketingplan.com/directory

8 Reasons To Get Your Local Business Online

ay © Sharon Fling

If you're a local business owner, you've probably been wondering what to do about the Internet. Maybe you have already have a website, but it's taken more money out of your pocket than it's put in it.
You might be thinking you should get online...but you've heard it takes too much time and money. It's tempting to ignore the issue and hope it goes away, but there are some very good reasons to get moving - and here are 8 of them:

1. Geographic Targeting
The ability to target online users by geography has improved, and it's a lot cheaper now. Local advertisers can now be sure that only local eyeballs will see their ad. The targeting capabilities and options are endless. It's also become more affordable for small businesses.
For example, here's an offer from one of the geotargeting companies.
For less than $10 per day, you can drive traffic to your website and build leads for your business.

Target your campaign to local audiences or to our entire audience.
Pricing plans range from $304 per month to $2,535 per month.
Plan sizes range from 25,000 impressions per month to 200,000 impressions per month.

2. It's Practically Free
It's so cheap to have a website now, why wouldn't you? You can get a domain name for $10, get a build-it-yourself website (more about this later), and you're in business for as little as $19.95 a month. Compare that to the outrageous prices charged for yellow page ads, which can range in price from $1,000 to over $100,000 per year.

Combine this with the fact that a growing percentage of the population is turning to the web for information every day and you have a powerful marketing tool. And as I mentioned earlier, there are tools available now that will allow you to build your own website just by pointing and clicking. So you no longer have to pay a web developer hundreds or thousands of dollars to get a great looking website.

These aren't tacky looking cookie-cutter websites -- they're very professional looking, and actually look better than a lot of websites built by "professionals." And as your business grows, your website can too -- add new pages, a message board, email marketing, ecommerce capability and more. You can add any or all of these features quickly and easily...all at the click of a mouse.

3. It's a Great Communications Tool
The Internet is the ultimate communications tool - fast and cheap. You can use it to communicate with suppliers, resellers, and of course, your customers. Some uses include:
Send discount coupons by email, reducing direct mail costs
Get customer feedback through email or feedback form on website -- it's quick and it's easy, so you're more likely to get customers to participate
Send product information or announcements
Send periodic newsletters with useful information and special offers
Put your brochure or catalog online, reducing printing costs
For some businesses, simply putting their catalog online has saved them thousands of dollars a year in printing and mailing costs. Of course there will always be people who want printed catalogs, and not every customer will have email.

But in terms of cost, you simply cannot beat the economics. To follow up with 1,000 customers through direct mail will cost $340 or more just for the postage...but with email it's virtually free. And being able to interact directly with a customer on a regular basis is priceless.

4. To Make Conections
There are lots of business people online, including people from your local community. People from the same communities have a way of finding each other online... and as always, it's not what you know, but who. Just as you might pass out your card at a local chamber meeting, you can do the same thing online with your signature file - and a lot more people will see it.
It's also a lot more time-effective than face-to-face networking. Rather than driving somewhere and sitting through another boring chicken dinner, you can get online and meet prospects and colleagues at any time of the day or night.
And you can develop a reputation very quickly online, adding to your credibility and opening even more doors for yourself - all without setting foot outside the house.
5. To Serve Your Local Customers
A website can be a worthwhile investment even if it's just an electronic version of the Yellow Pages: street address, phone number, business hours, forms of payment accepted, contact information.

Except...what happens if you move, or your area code changes, or your hours, or anything else that's printed in the Yellow Pages? You know the answer to that one.
But a website is dynamic -- information can be updated at any time, plus you're not limited to 2 or 3 lines worth of information. Plus there are so many ways to interact with your customer, which is a lot more interesting for them and potentially very valuable to you. Here are some very low-tech examples, very easily added to your website:

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions or FAQ, is a popular term on the Internet. And in real life, there are always questions you hear over and over from your customers. These are the questions people have about doing business with you, and you certainly want to make it as easy as possible. Why not save everybody some time and post often asked questions - and their answers - on your website?

Visitor Polls - Invite your customers to give their opinion about something of interest. For example, a business that caters to parents who home school their children posed the question: "Which question are YOU asked the most about home schooling?" This question is relevant to the target market and something they most likely have experienced. It invites them to participate and along the way, give their opinion about something. But most important to the business owner, it can be a source of incredibly valuable information about the customer - and it's free. It also makes your website more interesting (as long as the poll changes often enough).
Discount Coupons - What better incentive for someone to visit your website than to save money? Customers love getting a bargain, and the great thing about coupons is the customer usually has to buy something to get whatever goodies the coupon offers. Your coupon will especially motivate the prospect that was already thinking of doing business with you. If you're using a website building tool, it can easily be added at the click of a mouse, and unlike a yellow page coupon, you can change it anytime. These are a few simple examples, and this list can easily be expanded: order status, press releases, product information, a searchable product database. Again, the possibilities are endless.

6. To Get Publicity
Every business needs exposure, and one of the best kinds is media attention. If your business is something new and different, send out a press release that includes your URL -- you could get written up in the local paper. Even an ordinary business can get media coverage if you can come up with the right angle - perhaps a follow-up to a previous article? A human interest story?
The media is always looking for interesting stories and if you're creative enough, maybe yours could be one of them. And what better place for the public to get more information than from your website?
Perhaps you could sponsor a local event, or do some volunteer work. Your business will get the credit, along with a mention of the website URL. The more places the public can find information about your company, the better off you'll be. In our increasingly wired society, having a website makes it easy for more people to get information about your company. And they can get it more quickly and easily online.

7. Because Your Customers are Online
Did you know that 40-48 million adults went online last year looking for local content? The average local user is college educated, makes good money, and likes shopping online. They are more likely to make purchases than non-users of local content, either online or offline.
This demographic market is every business owner's dream. As more local information becomes available online, people are starting to look at the Internet as something useful instead of a passing fad. Consumers are getting online in record numbers, resulting in a critical mass of local users in top markets, and spreading across communities of all sizes. Chances are a number of your local prospects and customers are part of this desirable demographic - and that number will only increase.

8. So Is Your Competition
Seventy-eight percent (78%) of all U.S. small businesses are connected to the Internet, and nearly 50% will continue to maintain active, purposeful Websites this year. Analysts at www.emarketer.com have predicted that 72% of small businesses will engage in e-commerce by 2002, racking up an impressive $230 billion in total revenues.
Maybe you think nobody in your industry is using the Internet. But I guarantee, whatever your business, one of your competitors is successfully using the Internet to promote their business...perhaps not locally yet, but it's just a matter of time. If your competition is there, you should be too.

So there you have it - 8 good reasons to get your local business on the Web. Notice I didn't include the reason "to sell something". Too many people have made that mistake - going online with the attitude of "if I build it, they will come" - slapping up a website and expecting the masses to beat a path to their door, credit cards in hand.
It doesn't work that way on the Web. A website is not like a Yellow Page ad, where just by having a listing, people will see it and show up.

Many small businesses have had problems adapting to the Web. Fear, confusion, and business pressures have kept many owners from embracing the Net. For those that have tried, failure to understand the culture of the Web has often led to disappointment at the lack of results. To make matters worse, aggressive marketing by big brands is steadily eroding small business market share across many industries.

If small business is to survive, business owners must learn to harness the power of the Internet...or risk losing their remaining market share to competitors that "get" technology. For those who choose to ignore the "elephant in the living room", hoping the Internet will go away, it's only going to get worse in the days ahead.
What's the answer?
Make the decision to get started, then start small. Use do-it-yourself tools to build a little website, then add on. Let it reflect your personality and creativity.
Use the kind of strategies you'll find in "How to Promote Your Local Business On The Internet" to reach out to your target market and build relationships. Network with other local business owners.
Do these things with confidence and excellence...and online success will be yours.

About the Author
Sharon Fling is the author of "How To Promote Your Local Business On the Internet" (available at http://as.localbizpromo.com), and publishes an electronic newsletter that gives business owners tips, tools and resources for targeting local customers. To join her mailing list, send a blank email to: subscribe@localbizpromo.com or visit http://www.geolocal.com/.