"All I need to do is add some good meta tags to my website, buy some links, and then I'll have lots of traffic to my site, and people will then buy my products." I can't tell you how many times I've heard this, or something very similar. Many new e-commerce website owners are so eager to get on the search engines, and often naively think that once they have their meta tags inserted, buyers will flood their gates.
In reality, just like a brick and mortar business, it takes time to build the business and grow your customer base. It takes patience. It takes multiple forms of online marketing - search engine optimization, link submissions, e-mail marketing, and maybe also blogging and frequenting social media sites. It takes traditional forms of marketing - direct mail, print marketing, personal networking, and advertising.
Keep in mind - if it were just a matter of optimizing your site and adding meta tags, everyone would be doing it. And these days as more and more people are doing it, then the playing field has become leveled. Why should consumers buy from you rather than buying from a similar site? Likely they have never heard of you. Why should they trust you?
It sounds like it's easy, but an online business is no different than any other business, so treat it as such and you'll be on the right track.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Get Rich Quick!
Just an observation about what seems like the saturation of “get rich” and entrepreneurial books, CDs and TV shows lately: A good example is Donny Deutsch’s Big Idea, a nightly show on CNBC that shows entrepreneurs who have made it big, or would like to. Is it me, or is this show like always on? I know that these “get rich quick” or “become a millionaire”-type books aren’t new. In fact, they have been popular for as long as I can remember, but they seem to have had a resurgence lately. I wonder if it has to do with the faltering economy we’re in.
I’m all for people having big goals, going for their dreams and trying to make it – but it seems to me that our culture creates many “serial entrepreneurs” who risk everything they have to be the next overnight millionaire, often not realizing how long it can take. If it doesn’t happen quickly, they’re onto their next venture.
Many people fail to understand that many of the so called “overnight millionaires” worked their butts off for years, overcame countless rejections, and persevered for a long time before finally “making it.” Their seemingly “overnight” success took years! If anyone exists who really did make it “overnight,” then I’d say that he or she did all the right things, but was also at the right place at the right time, in the right industry, etc. These are the exceptions, though, not the rule.
Most entrepreneurs make it by steadily working at it, year after year, gradually reaching their goals, slowly but surely. That’s how you make it! Just as most financial planners will advise you to investing in the long term, the same concept applies to building a business. It’s a long, continual journey. But we don’t hear too much about the gradual way to build a business – that idea doesn’t sell and isn’t nearly as appealing as launching the next big product in the immediate gratification culture we live in.
Keep in mind - for every person that made it, there are hundreds who are flat out broke and in debt, their lives ruined from the reckless manner in which they “went for it,” and not having the persistence or patience to really build a business. But we don’t ever hear their stories on Donny Deutsch’s Big Idea. They don’t sell books about the tens of thousands of entrepreneurs who went into debt trying to launch a product, and are still in debt and haven’t made it.
If your product or service takes off quickly and makes you an overnight success, then that is awesome and more power to you. But if that doesn’t happen, that doesn’t mean that you should throw in the towel and look for your next overnight venture. Rather, work at your business, build it slowly. To use an old cliché, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and most successful businesses aren’t either.
I’m all for people having big goals, going for their dreams and trying to make it – but it seems to me that our culture creates many “serial entrepreneurs” who risk everything they have to be the next overnight millionaire, often not realizing how long it can take. If it doesn’t happen quickly, they’re onto their next venture.
Many people fail to understand that many of the so called “overnight millionaires” worked their butts off for years, overcame countless rejections, and persevered for a long time before finally “making it.” Their seemingly “overnight” success took years! If anyone exists who really did make it “overnight,” then I’d say that he or she did all the right things, but was also at the right place at the right time, in the right industry, etc. These are the exceptions, though, not the rule.
Most entrepreneurs make it by steadily working at it, year after year, gradually reaching their goals, slowly but surely. That’s how you make it! Just as most financial planners will advise you to investing in the long term, the same concept applies to building a business. It’s a long, continual journey. But we don’t hear too much about the gradual way to build a business – that idea doesn’t sell and isn’t nearly as appealing as launching the next big product in the immediate gratification culture we live in.
Keep in mind - for every person that made it, there are hundreds who are flat out broke and in debt, their lives ruined from the reckless manner in which they “went for it,” and not having the persistence or patience to really build a business. But we don’t ever hear their stories on Donny Deutsch’s Big Idea. They don’t sell books about the tens of thousands of entrepreneurs who went into debt trying to launch a product, and are still in debt and haven’t made it.
If your product or service takes off quickly and makes you an overnight success, then that is awesome and more power to you. But if that doesn’t happen, that doesn’t mean that you should throw in the towel and look for your next overnight venture. Rather, work at your business, build it slowly. To use an old cliché, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and most successful businesses aren’t either.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Digital Player Options for Telephone On-Hold Advertising
Confused by all of the different types of Digital Players for on-hold messaging these days? I’ll try to make it clearer.
Types – The first generation of digital players used a cassette-loading system. While cassette players are a thing of the past, the ubiquity of these digital players still make them an option, especially in the refurbished market. About 5 years ago, CD loading players came out, and these are still very prominent. The latest technology, however, uses a USB drive. The recording is e-mailed to the client as an mp3 file, which is then copied onto the USB drive and inserted into the player. Other digital players use proprietary media such as cartridges or memory cards, which means if you ever cancel your service and switch to another company, you’ll be stuck with a format that no one else can accomodate.
So which one do I recommend? There’s nothing wrong with getting a refurbished tape-loading system for the real frugal person – but you’ll get much better longevity and value with either a CD-loadable or USB system. With technology changing so rapidly, a USB-based system seems better and shouldn’t cost more than a CD loading system.
Pricing Plans – some on-hold companies sell the equipment outright, some lease it out, and other include it as part of the on-hold package. What’s important here is to compare apples to apples. Leasing may seem affordable – but how much are you really paying for the unit? Most often it’s three or four times the cost of buying it upfront, making leasing the least attractive option.
Many on-hold companies provide you with a digital player as part of the package. Is the charge for the player lumped onto a hefty start-up fee or monthly fee? You may be paying for it even if it’s not marketed that way. In addition, in almost all cases, when the player is included, you don’t own it, which means that if you ever cancel your service, you’ll have to return it to the company. Not an ideal situation. I’d recommend buying the unit outright. This way, the unit is yours and you’re not paying more than it’s worth in monthly leasing costs.
Warranties – Some players come with a 1-year warranty, many of the industry leaders offer a 3-year warranty, and only one that I know of offers a 5-year warranty.
At Watt Media, we use Nel-Tech Labs’ Messager USB player. This unit uses a USB drive, making it easy to use and the most technologically advanced system. It also comes with an industry-high 5-year warranty. We offer the unit on a purchase basis, eliminating leasing or monthly payment plans for the hardware. Our clients seem to prefer this to other options out there. The units are excellent and I can’t remember the last time one malfunctioned or failed, making maintenance for us a breeze, which means more happy clients.
Types – The first generation of digital players used a cassette-loading system. While cassette players are a thing of the past, the ubiquity of these digital players still make them an option, especially in the refurbished market. About 5 years ago, CD loading players came out, and these are still very prominent. The latest technology, however, uses a USB drive. The recording is e-mailed to the client as an mp3 file, which is then copied onto the USB drive and inserted into the player. Other digital players use proprietary media such as cartridges or memory cards, which means if you ever cancel your service and switch to another company, you’ll be stuck with a format that no one else can accomodate.
So which one do I recommend? There’s nothing wrong with getting a refurbished tape-loading system for the real frugal person – but you’ll get much better longevity and value with either a CD-loadable or USB system. With technology changing so rapidly, a USB-based system seems better and shouldn’t cost more than a CD loading system.
Pricing Plans – some on-hold companies sell the equipment outright, some lease it out, and other include it as part of the on-hold package. What’s important here is to compare apples to apples. Leasing may seem affordable – but how much are you really paying for the unit? Most often it’s three or four times the cost of buying it upfront, making leasing the least attractive option.
Many on-hold companies provide you with a digital player as part of the package. Is the charge for the player lumped onto a hefty start-up fee or monthly fee? You may be paying for it even if it’s not marketed that way. In addition, in almost all cases, when the player is included, you don’t own it, which means that if you ever cancel your service, you’ll have to return it to the company. Not an ideal situation. I’d recommend buying the unit outright. This way, the unit is yours and you’re not paying more than it’s worth in monthly leasing costs.
Warranties – Some players come with a 1-year warranty, many of the industry leaders offer a 3-year warranty, and only one that I know of offers a 5-year warranty.
At Watt Media, we use Nel-Tech Labs’ Messager USB player. This unit uses a USB drive, making it easy to use and the most technologically advanced system. It also comes with an industry-high 5-year warranty. We offer the unit on a purchase basis, eliminating leasing or monthly payment plans for the hardware. Our clients seem to prefer this to other options out there. The units are excellent and I can’t remember the last time one malfunctioned or failed, making maintenance for us a breeze, which means more happy clients.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Survey Your Customers via E-mail
Want to improve your customer service? Looking to offer a new service but not sure what the response will be? Are you curious to know what your customers are thinking? Conducting an e-mail survey may prove to be very effective for you.
E-mail marketing is very affordable and a short survey can be a real-eye opener. I recently e-mailed all of my company’s clients a 4-question survey about a possible new service offering, and got some very different results than I had anticipated, which saved us money and helped us decide on a different course of action than we had originally planned on taking.
Here are some tips for your next e-mail survey:
Keep it short. No one wants to fill out a long, time-consuming survey. If you want your customers or prospects to participate, keep it at 5 or 6 questions.
Ask follow-up questions. Often, asking “Why?” as a follow up to a question can give you some insight as to why someone feels a certain way.
Consider offering an incentive. It may be worthwhile to offer a free gift for anyone who participates in your survey. You’ll get many more participants, and the information gained could save you money and be very valuable in many other ways.
Ensure your customers' anonymity. Make your survey recipients feel comfortable with answering honestly by stating that their answers will remain 100% anonymous. Otherwise, you may not get the whole truth.
Lead them to your website. When the survey is complete, take the participant to a “thank you” page on your website, where she may browse your site and find offers and services that she may have been unaware of.
Don’t overdo it. Don’t send surveys to the same people too often – they may not participate if you overdo it. Once or twice a year is plenty.
Track your results. What are the results of your survey? What do they mean? What is your plan of action? What will you do – or not do – as a result of the answers you received?
Watt Media can help you send surveys to your clients or prospects! Contact us today for more information.
E-mail marketing is very affordable and a short survey can be a real-eye opener. I recently e-mailed all of my company’s clients a 4-question survey about a possible new service offering, and got some very different results than I had anticipated, which saved us money and helped us decide on a different course of action than we had originally planned on taking.
Here are some tips for your next e-mail survey:
Keep it short. No one wants to fill out a long, time-consuming survey. If you want your customers or prospects to participate, keep it at 5 or 6 questions.
Ask follow-up questions. Often, asking “Why?” as a follow up to a question can give you some insight as to why someone feels a certain way.
Consider offering an incentive. It may be worthwhile to offer a free gift for anyone who participates in your survey. You’ll get many more participants, and the information gained could save you money and be very valuable in many other ways.
Ensure your customers' anonymity. Make your survey recipients feel comfortable with answering honestly by stating that their answers will remain 100% anonymous. Otherwise, you may not get the whole truth.
Lead them to your website. When the survey is complete, take the participant to a “thank you” page on your website, where she may browse your site and find offers and services that she may have been unaware of.
Don’t overdo it. Don’t send surveys to the same people too often – they may not participate if you overdo it. Once or twice a year is plenty.
Track your results. What are the results of your survey? What do they mean? What is your plan of action? What will you do – or not do – as a result of the answers you received?
Watt Media can help you send surveys to your clients or prospects! Contact us today for more information.
Friday, February 8, 2008
New USB Mp3 Digital Player for On-Hold Messages
We now offer a great new digital player for on-hold advertising. Rather than load tapes or CDs, this unit comes with a USB drive. We e-mail our clients their on-hold recording as an mp3 file, and all they have to do is load it onto the USB drive, and simply insert the USB drive into the unit. And that's it! No waiting for the CD to come in the mail, no tapes, just a simple mp3 file via e-mail.We've been offering these players for about 6 months now, and our customers love them. These units come with a 5-year warranty, have no moving parts, and are made to withstand the long term continous play of your on-hold promotions.
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