Building eCommerce

By Cathy Goodwin

Every year, thousands of independent professionals promise themselves, “This will be the year I get more clients and really start to make serious money online.” Or they say, “This is the year I will use the Internet to do the work so I can enjoy serving clients, relaxing with my family and doing what really matters.”

But about halfway through the year (starting somewhere in April), most of these business owners begin to feel discouraged. The challenge seems overwhelming. You have to get more subscribers. You need to recruit clients to sign up (not just ask for a free call). You need to maintain your social media presence, write articles and maybe overhaul your website.

So they stop trying. Maybe they invest more time in their day jobs or turn to live networking. Or they work with so-so clients because hey, the good ones seem to be going somewhere else.

Others decide to hang in there and wait for the economy to get better. Or they vow to burn more midnight oil. Or they lower prices and offer more free stuff.

But “free stuff” and “fear” won’t lead to success in any economy. Often they are related. Feel scared no one wants what you offer? Just give it away.

Now you’ve got a vicious spiral. You’re known for free stuff. So you attract weak clients (or no clients). You get even more scared. Now you really don’t want to raise prices.

What’s the alternative? Create a game plan, piece by piece, with a solid foundation based on delivering value, not reacting from fear. Make sure your market is hungry.

Learn the basic skill you need to survive and thrive on the Internet: online copywriting. It’s different from other types of writing, such as tech writing and even how-to books.

Online copywriting is different because website visitors aren’t strolling past a storefront in the local mall. They don’t walk past a shop window and think, “A new type of cookware! I never thought of buying those things for my own kitchen. But I’ll go in and see what they’ve got.”

Instead, visitors arrive at your site for a reason. For example, their dog has been chewing up the furniture. They are searching for specific solutions to this specific problem and they want answers to specific questions. Will your product or service solve their problem?

Your online content has to reach these hungry clients by mirroring their emotions. They aren’t looking for the word “free.” They’re looking for strong sentences that relate directly to their own challenges. If you can respond, you’re on your way to making significant money on the Internet.

About The Author

And now I invite you to find out more by visiting
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7 secrets of websites that *really* attract clients. From Cathy Goodwin, The Website Makeover Pro.
http://www.copy-cat-copywriting.com

By Charles McDuffie

An e-mail marketing service is an essential pre-requisite of your Internet based business. Just as a brick and mortar business can’t do without offices, warehouses and associated stuff, an Internet based business can’t hope to manage without an e-mail marketing server.

Outsourcing Is An Option

When you start off initially, you may be better off hiring space and server management services on the server of an ISP. This is because with limited cash flow and a small staff (if at all) you don’t want to divert precious resources into setting up servers, E1 lines and system administrators.

However, you still are a user of an email marketing server albeit one that you share with a number of other users like you. You also have the option of setting up your own desktop e-mail marketing server. However, this means that you (or an associate) will have to shoulder some of the server management tasks.

As your business develops and your traffic and revenues grow, there’ll come a time when you’ll find that a third party e-mail marketing server may not suffice. At that stage, you have the option of either procuring your own systems or outsourcing your e-mail marketing server to a service provider, who can dedicate a part of his facility and staff to your business.

Ensure A Minimum Service Level

At the very outset, you must ensure that your e-mail marketing server provides you with at least a basic set of capabilities. It should be able to gather, analyze and display detailed records about how your mail is being handled, how much of it bounces, what percent of your leads give you a response, how the replies are being handled, and in what timeframe. Without this kind of detailed statistical data, you’ll not be able to optimize your e-mail marketing efforts.

The server should also be able to generate details on how many people choose to unsubscribe from your mailing lists. This will give you an idea about the effectiveness of the message you’re sending, and whether your prospective clients are finding any value in them or not. Besides this, check with the service provider about the anti spamming precautions they take. You shouldn’t buy a service from a server farm that’s listed on many ISPs as a source of spam.

Test Your E-mail Server Quality

Find out more about the quality of service provided by the e-mail marketing service provider. Often, you can get a good idea by simply calling up their help line and posting a query. Talking to other clients will also help. Most service providers will provide you with a client list if you ask. Finally, the quality of your e-mail marketing service, is one of the determinants of your success. Don’t take this service lightly.

About The Author

Charles McDuffie is an author and entrepreneur for ASB Enterprises, a continuing education and business development company showing people how to build business success in mail order, network marketing and affiliate marketing. To learn how to succeed in your own Internet business, visit LegacyOfWealth.com.