In the Small Biz News

Check out the latest headlines in Small Business Internet News.

Privacy Data Systems launches new Service.
Free service to help individuals and business professionals to communicate easily and securely online.

John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing always has timely, applicable articles for small businesses. 5 ways Social Media can drive local business.

I love eye-tracking heatmaps that show what people are looking at on Web pages. It's always eye-opening. Here's an eye-tracking heatmap from Mashable.com that shows what users are looking at social media pages such as FaceBook. No surprise - images are powerful! It's interesting...worth a quick read.

Check out these 8 small biz social media tips from Social Media Examiner.

Need some help knowing what will motivate your employees? Here are 9 things that motivate employees more than money from Inc.com.

And last, but certainly not least, Marketing Profs top 5 marketing trends for 2012.

Ciao for now, Paula

Mobile Commerce: PayPal in Stores

PayPal is making its move to be a payment option in-store. It has set up a demo showcase in a New York storefront to take visitors through different purchasing scenarios.

One example in the showcase has a customer buying a grill at a retail location, paying with PayPal and choosing to have it shipped to their home. Cool and hassle-free! I'd use that -- would you?

image courtesy of office.microsoft.com

PayPal says its technology envisions being part of the purchase decision by targeting a users location and displaying a local merchant ad.

All the details are a bit unclear at this stage of the game. It looks like the consumer will have a digital wallet with PayPal that is used to pay for goods. The wallet may even automatically keep track of loyalty program points from participating retailers.

More details will likely follow in the coming months as PayPal slowly rolls this out to a few merchants this fall, and up to 20 more in 2012.

Read the complete article here:

Mobile Commerce - PayPal dramatizes how it plans to get into stores - Internet Retailer

Free Shipping for Holidays

According to Internet Retailer, 92% of e-retailers are offering or plan to offer free shipping this holiday season (up from 85% last year).

This fall there is already a 10% increase in e-commerce traffic, leading the experts to believe that a healthy holiday shopping season is to come. I'll wait and see if that will be true. I think that many people are simply shopping early (I know I am) in an effort to spread out holiday expenses during this busy season.

74% of online consumers said that free shipping is the primary incentive to shop online (results of a holiday survey from consulting firm Accenture according to Internet Retailer). I know it's a driving factor for me. If I can get it to my door without extra costs, it saves me the time of driving to the store, as well as saving me gas money.

Look for e-retailers to begin promoting holiday offers as early as October 31; well before Thanksgiving! Heck, some of the big box stores have had Christmas decorations, toys and gifts out for weeks now.

Are you ready? If you're selling online, get your free shipping offer ready to roll.

Happy Holiday Sales :-D
Ciao for now, Paula

eTailers: Got Free Shipping?

If you sell online or ship items from your store to customers, do you offer free shipping?

There is a growing trend for e-Tailers to offer free shipping, not just on special occasions or seasons, but ALL the time. Think about it. How many times do you shop online and put things in your cart only to bail at checkout because the shipping and/or handling costs have added too much to your total order? I know I have!

Think this is only for big companies? Think again. As a small business, we must do everything we can to "keep up" with the way big companies do business. Customers come to expect a certain big store experience whether shopping online or in your store. And they ARE comparing you to the big stores, whether you know it or not. They're walking through your store comparing prices, deciding to buy with you or deciding it's worth the drive to a large retail store to save a few bucks.

While you may not be able to convince all your customers not to shop at bigger stores, try to do what you can to sway their buying decision in your favor.

What ways can you shave costs so that you can affordably offer free shipping?

Can you offer free shipping to your local area? Beyond? 

I know an eTail business who offers free shipping worldwide. This particular business ships small items that don't weigh much. So it was an easy decision. They don't sell at retail locations, but occasionally sell at shows. When they see customers who just can't quite pull the trigger to buy something, they are handed a card and are told "you can buy it later for the same price since we offer free shipping". Smart business! LEAVE NO MONEY ON THE TABLE! Brainstorm ways you can offer free shipping, today!

Ciao for now, Paula

Mobile Commerce: Amazon's version of a tablet

In August a lightning strike fried my computer hard drive and my wireless modem, forcing me to fast-forward my decision to buy a new computer. Each time my husband has to patch my hard drive, he reminds me that I need a new one. He's graciously lending me his home computer, so I've bought some time to make a decision...PC, laptop, tablet, or a combo? There are SO many choices that I'm not even sure where to begin!

I really think I'll go laptop with a docking station for working at home. That way when I'm traveling, I'll simply unplug and go. But which brand??? Apple? Sony? Toshiba? HP? Dell? Yikes.

Then I thought, maybe I can make a desktop and a tablet work. But have you seen the price of these babies?! I knew the iPad was big bucks, but Samsung's Android-powered Galaxy Tab is no bargain either at approximately $565. That cost is prohibitive for me. Like you, I have a budget to stick to. I want to get the best possible solution for the least amount of money. Not cheap; quality at a good price.

In the fast-paced evolution of the tablet world, Amazon plans on launching the Kindle Fire, it's version of a tablet, on November 15, just in time for holiday sales.

Amazon Kindle Fire

 image copyright Amazon

®

While it's not the iPad, it's going to be hard to beat at $199. It will have only 8 megabytes of memory compared to iPad's 16 (basic version) and it's about 1/2 the size of the iPad at 7". But, Fire connects to Amazon Cloud, the web hosting service where Kindle owners can store all their digital content at no cost. Apple charges a monthly fee. With the low initial investment and no monthly fees to store digital content, Amazon will be a contender in the market for mobile digital content.

In other Kindle news, Amazon has reduced the price for the basic Kindle e-reader to $79, introduced Kindle Touch, a $99 touch-screen version of the basic Kindle, and debuted the Kindle Touch 3G, which adds 3G wireless connectivity to the basic Wi-Fi offering, for $149. Best Buy will sell all four new Kindles this holiday season.

Read the full article about the Amazon Kindle Fire at Internet Retailer:
Mobile Commerce - Amazon aims to set the tablet world on Fire - Internet Retailer

Amazon, Kindle, iPad, and Samsung are all registered trademarks.

The Scoop on New Facebook Changes

Here's the scoop on the newest changes that Facebook has rolled out this week. It's not over yet...there is much more to come!

Prepare Yourselves: Facebook To Be Profoundly Changed

Online Retail News: Internet Security, Fraud

This week's top news stories from Internet Retailer:

• An online arms race rages between attackers and defenders
• Retailers have to be on guard
• Consumers like free computer security tools
• Social media and mobile devices present security threats
• Retailers can't relax when it comes to fraud—especially around the holidays

Debit Card Fees Drop on October 1

image courtesy of zedomax.com

Many e-retailers* are not aware that the Fed (US) will drop debit card fees starting on October 1. According to a recent survey published on September 9 by IRNewsLink, the Fed will be capping the debit interchange at 21 cents per transaction plus .05% of the transaction amount.
*You are an e-retailer if you have a brick-and-mortar store AND you also sell online, or if you sell strictly online.

What does this mean for you? It may be wise to begin steering online customers away from using credit cards, which will cost more than accepting debit cards.

You'll have to weigh the benefits and judge consumer reaction if you decide to entice customers to use debit instead of credit. How much impact will depend on your transactions specifics like the percentage of debit vs. credit cards and the average sale amount. As a buyer, I'm more inclined to use my credit card since I'm protected against any fraudulent charges. If I use my debit card, I risk my bank account being drained if it's stolen!

If you decide you want customers to use more debit than credit, try what some e-tailers are planning to do:

• offer a discount for using a debit card
• if a customers uses debit, give your savings to a local charity
• have a note during checkout that states "using debit instead of credit helps keep our prices lower"
• begin to offer alternative payment options like PayPal, Google Checkout, or WorldPay.

The more payment options you can offer, the better. Less reasons to bail at checkout means more dollars in your pocket. And the fees may average out overall; you may not need to make any big changes. But it's worth a look to see if your business can benefit by this fee reduction.

The Internet Retailer Online Payments Table graphic from the survey.

QR Code Craze

No doubt by now, you've seen the 2-dimensional QR or smart codes gracing everything from cars, to commercials on TV, to business cards and direct mail.

If you're not familiar with them, they are like the bar codes you find on all types of products. Bar codes can only hold 20 numeric digits; QR codes can hold thousands making them practical for use by small business owners. Any consumer can use a QR code if they have a smartphone app and an Internet connection.

QR codes most commonly link to URLs. You can use it to direct your customers to many things like coupons, visits to your Facebook page, visits to your Web site, your contact information, etc. The only limit is your imagination. This would be a great way to get feedback from your customers by linking to a place where they can provide a review or take a survey/poll.

Practical uses for QR Codes:

• Business card
• Marketing brochures and materials
• Receipts
• Event name tags or tickets
• Products
• Car or business vehicle
• Signs

Link shortening services goo.gl and bit.ly automatically generate QR codes for sharing your shortened links. And email services like MailChimp automatically generate QR codes for sharing links to your most recent email campaign.

How can you adapt the QR code strategy to engage customers? (...on products, in e-mails, in direct mail...for directions to your business, a map to your business, product instructions, coupons/offers, downloads, and more.)

QR code that links to my Web site

QR code generator (beqrious)

Don't make the mistake I saw a small business owner in Wisconsin making. Be logical about how you use it. Instead of listing their hours on the door of the business, he simply had a QR code where it said "Store Hours". That's all well and good if your only customers are tech-savvy individuals with smartphones! But what about the people with regular cell phones or no cell phones? They'll never know when your open and will most likely leave and never come back. Be sure to provide information for as many customers as possible. Having the actual hours on their door along with the QR code would have been much better!

Free QR Code Generators:

• http://beqrious.com/generator (this is the one I used to generate the QR code above)
• http://qrcode.kaywa.com/
• http://2tag.nl/index.php
• http://www.morovia.com/free-online-barcode-generator/qrcode-maker.php
• http://www.azonmedia.com/en/qrcode-generator

Create a QR code that links your mobile device to a fully functioning LIKE button for your Facebook page: http://www.likify.net/

Microsoft Technology also has a similar code called a Tag. So far, it doesn't seem as widely used, but is showing up in many retail markets. It can only be read by a Microsoft Tag Reader and is just as flexible as the QR code.
Free Mobi Tag Generator: http://tag.microsoft.com/my-tags/getting-started.aspx

Link to my Web site

Download the Tag app at http://gettag.mobi and scan this Tag.
 
I hope you have fun using this new technology in a way that will drive more traffic to your business. :-)

Ciao for now, Paula

UPDATE: After going to print, I received a trade magazine in the mail.(The article is not online yet or I'd link to it for you.) 
On the cover was a GNC store using QR codes on the face of their storefront and in their windows advertising "Deal of the Day". A quick scan takes the customer to a mobile-optimized page detailing the QR-exclusive content.
Source: Internet Retailer

Using Facebook to Drive Fans to Your Web site

image copyright Social Media Examiner

Sharing a link with you this week to Social Media Examiner. It's a good resource for all things in the social media realm including Facebook and Twitter. 

In a recent post, Ben Pickering shares 5 Tips for Driving Facebook Fans to Your Website.

Check it out - it's a short read and will give you some ideas for connecting these 2 areas of your Web presence.

Ciao for now, Paula

Mobile Commerce

Mobile is moving at a speed you can't ignore! Are you ready? Is your Web site optimized for a mobile screen such as a smartphone? Can visitors easily purchase from you or find out how to get in touch with you?

I thought you'd like to see these mobile commerce stats.

• In the first quarter of 2011, according to Nielsen Co., 36% of mobile phones were smartphones, up from 23% in quarter 1 of 2010. That 36% is expected to soar to 50% by the end of this year. 
• Apple introduced the first tablet to the market, the iPad, in April 2010. By the end of this year, Forrester Research predicts that 26 million tablets will be in use. That number is expected to double next year.
• Forrester also projects that mobile commerce sales will double this year and grow by $4 billion in 2012 to a whopping $10 billion.

Internet Retailer is holding its 2nd Annual Mobile Commerce Forum in October. Make plans to attend to get the latest trends and best practices in all areas of mobile marketing. Find out more about this 3-day conference here.

Stay tuned to this blog for more tips and resources about mobile commerce as part of my ongoing effort to keep your small business informed.

Find information about using text messaging as a marketing tool for your business.

Ciao for now, Paula

post sources: internetretailer.com, forrester.com, nielsen.com

Propel Your Business

For the last week, I've been reading Launch, a new book by Michael Stelzner.

In it, Michael reminds us that our business is not about selling our products or services, it's connecting and building relationships with people.

He introduces something called the Elevation Principle and it goes like this:

Great Content + Other People - Marketing Messages = Growth

Michael encourages us to leave the "marketing message" out by creating opportunities for your business without selling or actively marketing.

You see, while technology is changing business at an alarmingly fast rate, people don't really change. They still want to trust a person and that trust leads to them doing business with you. Lay foundations for sustainable growth by deepening relationships with your customers.

"The book was crafted to help small business owners figure out how to respond to an ever changing world without performing the types of activities people hate to do (like selling)." -- Michael Stelzner


Read more about what this book is about and download Chapter 1 FREE.

Ciao for now, Paula

Your Digital Data: Is it Backed Up?

Sadly, I attended a funeral for a friend and business associate last week. She and her 2 daughters died tragically when the Bed and Breakfast she owned and operated caught fire and burned. Her living space was on the 3rd floor and they were unable to escape. A truly sad day.

I worked with her several years ago enhancing the user experience of her Web site and looking to the future of blogs, social media, etc. deciding where she needed and wanted her business to be. That made me think of the many accounts she held - Web site, blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Who will be able to get into these and remove them? Or post a notice of the recent events?

courtesy of blog.forbes.com

I was reminded of a post I wrote some time ago about including all your digital data information, passwords, URLs and so on in your end-of-life documents. Include them with your will, or at the very least, put them in a safe place away from your business so they can be obtained by another should anything incapacitate you, or in the event of death. 

It's not something we like to think about, but it is more important today than ever with all the technology we use to operate our businesses. Personally, I have PAGES of protected documents that contain all my digital data!

Please, make plans to put all your digital data into secure hands today!

Ciao for now, Paula

Google Launches Additional Local Search Features

Haven't claimed or listed your business in Google yet? Do it today!
If you aren't there, Google AND your customers won't be able to find you. 90% of Web users go to the Internet to find a LOCAL business; no more phone books. And what about mobile users in your area? Can't find you if you don't create or claim your listing.What's stopping you? It's free! OK, enough lecturing. :-)

Google continues to update the features for local search so that your local business can have a rich listing. Soon they will drill down to search for city pages which is already active for many large cities across the nation. City pages will act as landing pages to help people find businesses within a certain area and category such as restaurant, office supplies, etc. It will be a local search engine for each city.

Additional features that have already been added to Places/Local Listings -

• Descriptive terms in listings:  Places Pages now have additional markup to indicate common feedback in reviews about a business. It's important to get consistent, positive reviews of your business. You don't have any control over what appears under your listing, so if there is negative feedback it could show here along with the positive.
• My Places tab in Maps: People can star and bookmark Place Pages of interest. Having a strong Places Page that stands out will increase your likelihood of getting bookmarked.
• New features in Mobile search: Mobile searches often have a local intent. Icons appear on the bottom of Google.com's mobile page for easy access to Places and for an increased focus on local. A similar interface for tablets should be coming soon. Expect to see more developments, as local and mobile (often referred to as “LoMo”), continue to be an area of high importance for Google.

Read the full article with screenshots of the features above.

Source: Nick Roshon is a natural search strategist at iCrossing (via Google Reader)

Are You Using Facebook Advertising?

If you are a web-only merchant or a brick and mortar store and have a Facebook business page, why not consider giving Facebook advertising a try.

Since Facebook knows a lot about its users from data shared on profiles and pages, you have a great opportunity to target only those that might have a specific interest in what you sell. Now where else are you going to get advertising that focused? You can set your budget and choose very specific demographics so you can get the most for your dollars.

Consider these facts about Facebook:

• People are hanging out and spending an inordinate amount of time on the social network; users spend on average more than 6 hours on the social network, nearly 5 times the amount spent on Google.
• Users share information about themselves, share photos, comment on posts, make updates, and like products/posts.
• Users aren't looking for anything specific, you have the ability to to spark their interest in something they didn't know they wanted.
• Advertisers have the opportunity to invite customers to a private Facebook-only sale or promotion - there's no better way to track your advertising ROI.
• Facebook is also a way to grow your network for hiring, networking, etc. by using the app BranchOut

These facts make it a must for any retailer's marketing strategy making the social Web a crucial part of e-commerce.

Don't want to advertise? There are other Facebook marketing tools you might consider to engage friends and Web visitors.

Like Button
By now you've probably seen what many Web sites are using to get visitors to interact. They've implemented a Facebook plugin that allows your Web site visitors to click a "Like" button and spread the word to their friends right from your site. Put it anywhere on your site. In less than 1 year, 2.5 million Web sites have integrated a Facebook Like plug-in.

Comments Box
If you have products, put a Like button or Comments Box on each product page so users can quickly provide reviews and endorse the product. Clicks and Comments are broadcast to the clicker's Facebook friends.

Places
Another Facebook marketing tool is Places. A mobile user can broadcast their location by "checking in" to your place of business, thereby letting their friends know their location, similar to FourSquare.

Dig into Facebook today and see how it can help your business grow!
Ciao for now, Paula

Facebook fact source: Nielsen, May issue of Internet Retailer Magazine

5 Content Strategies for Small Business

I use these strategies in my business and consider it one of my work smarter, not harder processes that, as a small business and solopreneur, I must utilize to optimize efficiency.

It may take a bit of time up front, but in the long run it's a time-saver. Good habits and discipline go a long way. See if this might help you too.

1. Plan content ahead of time
If you have a seasonal business, this should be relatively easy since different times of the year warrant different promotions. But it works even if seasonality isn't a factor.

Brainstorm a dozen or so titles/ideas and then go back and add bullet points to expand your thoughts. Write them in the appropriate month/day on a calendar to keep yourself on track.

Here are some ways to dig up ideas for do-ahead content:

• Look through your analytics or Web site traffic tracking program. See if you can get some ideas by seeing what pages people are looking at, where they came from geographically, or what keywords they plugged into a search engine to find you.
• See if there is any current news that might be relevant to your business that will help you connect with your customers.
• Peruse the forums, blogs, Twitter or Facebook for chatter and conversations that relate to your business.
• If you have a bunch of content already produced, repurpose it to make it fresh, and reuse it. Think customer service issues, frequently asked questions, information you received at a conference/seminar, or read recently in a book or trade journal.

That way you won't be staring at a blank screen or blank paper trying to come up with new ideas.
 
2. Create brief content that is attention-grabbing
Visitors to Web pages often stay less than 1 minute. They are doing a quick scan of your content. Try giving it to them in easily consumed

• short bullet points 
• small paragraphs 
• formatted text -- font changes, bold text and/or italics. 

If more details are needed, link them from the short bullet point to another page, so they can read more if desired.

3. Optimize your content for the SE's
Use your industry keywords/key phrases in your file names, headings, links, images, META data, and naturally throughout your content. This makes it easy for the search engines to determine what it's about so it can be properly indexed.


4. Create links to your content
The search engines like to see back links to your content. Do this by

• leaving or responding to messages in forums, blog posts or other related industry sites. But don't be spammy just for the sake of a link. Be sure you have something relevant to say!

Other ways to create back links to your site or blog:

• List your site or blog URLs (domain names) in your Google profile, Merchant Circle, Yellow Pages accounts or any other place where you maintain a business listing.
• Look for opportunities in your new content to link to something you've already created.

5. Go social with your content

• Promote your content through all your social media accounts -- Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
• Post your content in any groups or forums you participate in.
• Use social sharing plugins/toolbars so others can spread your content for you.

Ciao for now, Paula


I adapted this post for my small business audience. I read the main article at Mashable. The original content appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.

3 Steps to Brand/Rebrand Your Company

1. Why brand or why does my brand need an update? Whether you're branding a new business or rebranding your existing business, ask yourself these questions to help you fully understand your purpose for doing so:

*What prompted me to update my brand?
*Am I going through a transition like a merger or growth?
*Am I introducing a new product or service? 

It's imperative to conduct research with your customers, competitors, and marketplace to help define your strategy and build a story that will resonate -- and differentiate you -- with your target customer.

*What do I want this company to be?
*Why should people do business with me/us?
*What's my value proposition? (What differentiates me from my competitors?)
*Who are my customers?

Keep this down to one page to simplify the process and make it as straightforward as possible. When your strategy and story are crystal clear, developing a brand name and identity will be easier than you think. The right choice will present itself if your decision is built on a smart, solid strategy.

2. Design the customer experience Stating your claim and lip service doesn't cut it -- customers need to experience your brand. Review all customer touch points; the space where you interact with customers. Review your sales processes and even your product or service design. Make sure all your touch points are aligned and designed to tell your brand's story. Develop processes for you and your team to assure that your message is consistent.

If you have employees, be sure they are on board making sure they understand and believe in your brand. Train them so the right customer experience actually occurs.

3. Start spreading the news
Now it's time to go public. Do what is right for your business' strategy and goals - advertising, public relations, target marketing, special events, social networking, etc. Review your brand strategy to determine what's the best fit to reach your target customer -- and get them to take action.

Be sure to track your success for each campaign so you know what worked and listen to what your customers are telling you to further define and refine your brand.

Related posts:
Someone Has Visited Your Web Site Once, What About Again?
Market Your Biz Online: Local is Key Area of Focus for Search Engines
Step by step process to create a viral marketing strategy


This content was adapted by me for local small business for this article post. 
Original content created by Molly Rice, Spyglass Creative, in a May article for iMediaConnection.com. Read the full article here.

Overstock Offers $1 Million Dollars

Overstock.com is offering $1 million dollars to anyone who can create a better algorithm for recommending products to their shoppers.

Following Netflix's offering in 2009 that offered $1 million for a better method for predicting which movies subscribers would like, Overstock is offering the same to any researcher, or team of researchers, who can develop an algorithm that can produce a 10% increase in sales.

Wow - that's no chump change! If that weren't enough, if the team works for a university, Overstock will donate an additional $25K to the university. Now that's tapping into the masses for a better solution.

Imagine if we could apply the same principle to solving some of the government's problems? Open up problem-solving and solicit solutions from the general population and we'd come up with some radical changes.

Please forward this to anyone you know that might have the knowledge to work on this project. Full details here.

Ciao for now, Paula

Text by Paula Bonelli based on an article in Internet Retailer Magazine, June issue.

Easier Online Advertising?

There may soon be an easier way for small businesses to advertise online. If you have an account and local business listing at Merchant Circle, look for a less complicated way to locally target your customers using a cost-per-lead and cost-per-click advertising model.

Merchant Circle will be merging with Rely Inc., a marketplace focused on local web advertising. The combined company will provide a practical and scalable solution for small, local businesses to market their services and products. Look for the deal to be finalized in the third quarter of this year.

If you've been frustrated by the complexity, effectiveness and cost of the major search engine's advertising models, maybe this will be the answer for you. Merchant Circle will surely be contacting it's current customers when this is available. If you don't already have a listing (basic is free), sign up now.

Founded in 2005, MerchantCircle serves 1.6 million merchants, Reply says. Ben T. Smith IV, MerchantCircle’s founder and CEO, will become president of Reply Media and report to Zamani.
 
Information adapted from the May 26, 2011 Internet Retailer article,Web advertising firm Reply buys MerchantCircle in a $60 million deal.

2011 Top eCommerce Trends

If you sell online or are thinking about it, check out these top eCommerce trends from Americaneagle.com

1. One Page Checkout
   Streamline your online checkout experience  - it's one of the best ways to improve online sales. While many e-commerce websites still employ a multiple-page checkout system, a simplified one page checkout system reduces the number of steps needed to checkout and can dramatically improve conversion rates. 
2. Mobile & M-commerce
   Mobile has taken off this year and will only continue to grow, especially for online retailers. Companies are finding great success with their m-commerce storefronts by taking advantage of some of the leading mobile technologies. If mobile is not something you have looked to, now is the time to develop your mobile strategy. 
3. Intelligent Search
   Online shoppers can become easily frustrated and leave your site if they are unable to find what they are looking for. Intelligent Search is a great tool which instantly queries your entire site, allowing your customers to quickly and easily locate products. See Google Custom Search, a free custom search engine you can add to your site with the help of your Webmaster.
4. Video
   Online video has been growing steadily over the last several years. Video is a staple on many e-commerce websites. Examples of how to use video on your site  - to introduce your company, for product demonstrations and to boost your brand.
5. Customer Loyalty Programs
   One of the biggest challenges an online retailer may have is keeping a loyal customer base. By developing a strategic customer loyalty program you can encourage first-time customers to become repeat customers.
6. Personalization
   By personalizing your website to each individual visitor or to segments of visitors, you are ensuring they see content that best suits their needs or wants. Take advantage of personalization by displaying items similar to those your customers have viewed or purchased in the past (think Amazon). This tactic will enhance the customer experience on your site and help grow sales.
7. Social Media Integration
   Social media has been a growing trend for several years. In 2011, we have seen many retailers leveraging social media sites like Facebook to not only grow awareness, but also to implement social shopping tools.
8. Interactive Solutions
   Customers visiting an e-commerce website are often discouraged if they cannot find what they are looking for in a timely manner. Interactive solutions, such as live chat, enable you to instantly engage with a site visitor and get their questions answered immediately so they can complete a purchase.  
9. E-commerce Blogs
   Many online retailers have discovered that blogging can be a very successful marketing tactic to help increase customer loyalty.

How many of these are you doing? What is working for your business? Share your comments below.

Ciao for now, Paula

Content adapted from a whitepaper developed by Americaneagle.com, a leader in website design, development, hosting, and marketing. Americaneagle.com has developed over 5,000 Web projects for online retailers and wholesalers.

Get More Local Customers with Google Boost

Soon local business owners will be able to create a simple ad from within their Google Places account. With Google Boost you can advertise your business on Google search and Google Maps.

• You can do it in just a few minutes - Simply choose a business category, choose ad text, and set a budget

• Automatically managed - Boost manages everything and figures out where to show your ad
• You only pay only for success - Pay only if a customer clicks on your ad

If you have already listed your business in Google's Local Business Center (Places), then you can use this new feature. [Not available to all yet. Google has rolled it out to some business categories; more will be added soon.]

Log in to your Google Places account. On the Dashboard tab you'll see a sign-up link for Boost. If Boost is not available for your business category yet, you'll see a message that says "email me when it is available".

View this 1 minute video for more information:

Ciao for now, Paula

Attending the Chick-fil-A Leadercast seminar @ Living Word Christian Church today!! Great stuff from John Maxwell, Dave Ramsey, Seth Godin and many more.

What a wonderful way to end the week!

The Internet is Changing Our Brain Patterns

The Internet has transformed our existence. The barrage of information coming at us and all the ways we're "connected" has changed the way we think and process information.

Have you noticed that

• you're less focused and it's harder to concentrate for long periods?
• you've gotten much better at scanning instead of fully reading?
• you feel more rushed?

Marketing in this landscape is different than it used to be. This can be a bit discouraging for the small business owner. 

• How in the world do I keep up? 
• What should I be focusing my energy on? 
• Where should I be spending our marketing dollars?

I'm sure you'd agree that competition is tougher today than ever before. New marketing media is constantly emerging. And some simply isn't affordable for small business.

It's important to establish business goals that help you stay focused and weed out the clutter. Have you taken time away from your business to establish some priorities and goals for where you want to be 6 months from now? 1 year? 5 years?

I've found this activity has really helped me focus among the distractions. I map out exactly where I want to go and what I want to focus on. For my business, I find this works best if I I do this quarterly. Your review time-frame may be different; do what works best for you.

To read more about the ritual I use and to help you begin your goal-setting, download my goal planning workbook. It's an affordable $4.95 and you can purchase it here: My Goals

It will help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, establish your short- and long-term goals, and measure your success.
Download your copy today

Ciao for now, Paula

Social Media: Should You Be There?

In recent weeks, this question has come to me multiple times from my local, small business clients. Should I be on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.? Should I be participating in the whole Social Media craze?

My answer has always been, IF your customers are there, then it makes sense for your business to be there. Otherwise, don't bother. Let's face it, we all have many things we must do in a day. If there is no business purpose for you to be there and you're just following the latest trend, you'll be wasting time. And time = money!

Since it's a question so many of you have, I developed a one-page planning worksheet. You can use it to determine if it makes sense for your business to be in the social media world. If you're already there, you can use it as a tool to revisit and re-focus your efforts.

Get the free download on this page of my site:
Social Media Planning Worksheet

*adapted from Jay Baer's Social Media Strategy Worksheet, Convince & Convert

Ciao for now, Paula

Google +1 Modeled After Facebook Like?

Soon Google will begin showing a "+1" next to some search results. In Google's own words, "it's the digital shorthand for this is pretty cool". Or I think it's similar to the Facebook "like" button you find on their site and around other sites across the Web.

It's highly personalized showing you stuff your Google contacts have +1'd. To use +1, you need a Google profile and be logged into your account in order to +1 something.

It's a slow roll-out. Initially, Google's +1’s will appear next to search results and ads. In the coming weeks, it will begin to appear more places including other Google products and sites across the web.

Find out more and watch a 1 minute video here: Google's +1

Ciao for now, Paula

Private Social Networks

This is intriguing. Private ways to keep in touch with small groups you establish - family or business - using a mobile app.

Most of us participate in some form of social network whether it's for personal use or for business. And the mobile world has allowed us to do so on the fly from our portable devices. This new way of using social networks will allow us to do more of what we're doing already, but faster and in a more private manner, from our mobile devices.

Group texting apps like GroupMe and Beluga allow you to have a private chat (group messaging), conduct a conference call or share photos with any groups you create using the app.

I can see how these private social networks can be valuable in my own business and family. How about you?

I'd use it to chat with my kids (who both live in different states), conference call with the immediate family or share photos family-wide. I'd also utilize it to communicate with some of my client groups that have more than one decision-maker or multiple team members. This app could be a great time-saver!

I read about this at DuctTapeMarketing.com (John Jantsch). Read his full blog post here.

I'm in the Internet Retailer Magazine

Well, the back of my head is! I'm in the March issue of Internet Retailer magazine. The article, Designs of the Times, hits the conference highlights and included a picture of the main presentation room. Here I am (the back of my head):

Pretty funny considering there were professional photographers running around the entire time snapping photos, recording sessions, etc. The conference was attended by nearly 900 people and somehow I made it in a picture. LOL

To read the recap of how times are changing for the Internet retailer today, click here: Designs of the Times It's worth the read.

Ciao for now, Paula