• Some E-Commerce Sites will Change their Business Models

2011 saw the rise of daily deal websites such as Groupon. There have also been many other sites that followed the same business model, some were targeted towards specific geographic areas, while others were centered around a specific line of product or services. The issue with these sites is that many merchants didn’t get the results that they wanted from them. Instead of getting customers that would be loyal and be willing to spend more at their business, they ended up with many freebie and discount seekers, which simply meant a net loss for them. As such, starting a daily deal website in 2012 is not really a good idea.

For those interested in promoting savings and deals, a return to more “classic” methods is expected to happen. Websites that would offer both printable and online coupons are expected to get more popularity. Also, websites which offer merchandise by a subscription model, such as book clubs and other sellers of items that consumers buy regularly are expected to grow, due to the fact that they can be quite profitable for the owners and also mean good savings for their subscribers.

• Social Media Marketing Will Rise Up and New Methods Will Become Popular

It probably won’t surprise anyone involved in the online marketing and advertising industries that social media marketing will get a lot of attention in 2012. New advertisers are expected to appear on social networking websites, including smaller businesses. Many small business owners, which are looking for targeted advertising options are going to consider advertising on social networking sites such as Facebook in order to get the customers that they need to keep their business running successfully. Another thing that attracts small businesses is that social media advertising can be less expensive than paid search advertising while remaining just as profitable if done correctly.

Social networking sites are considering new ad placement strategies, such as including ads in the middle of users news feeds. Also, advertising inside social media apps, such as games, dating plugins and other applications is expected to get some more attention from those who use social media to advertise. With all of this considered, if you don’t currently run social media ads, now would be a nice time to start doing so.

Which Changes Will be Brought to Online Marketing in 2012 – Part 1 is a post from: Websites For Sale

Maintain Separate Lists On Your Website or Different Websites

One of the most common mistake is putting in email submission boxes and capturing the client’s permission to email them on the checkout pages of all your websites, then putting all of these email addresses onto one big list. If you run websites that sell products that are very similar and which all target the exact same type of buyer, then this might be OK. However, it is better to keep separate lists for separate sites. Also, keep the email list that you got from customers that just signed up for your newsletter on your site without buying anything separate from the newsletter that you have for your paying customers.

Keep Track of What Your Customers Buy

If you have an e-commerce website that directly sells products to your customers, then keep track of who buys what. This will allow you to specifically tailor your promotions to them. Buyers who have purchased a specific kind of item are more likely to buy that type of item again, so if you include promotions on your products as part of the emails that you send to your list, you should show them products that are relevant based on their past purchases. This is something that’s already done by the leading e-commerce sites out there and is something you should definitely do as well.

Use Demographic Information

The most basic piece of demographic information that you could collect would be the country where the subscriber lives in. If you include affiliate offers as part of your emails, then this will ensure that you only include offers that accept traffic from that subscribers country. It could also allow you to display prices in the subscribers local currency. As for other demographics such as age, gender, income level, etc. you could include this as part of an optional survey when signing up for your mailing list or making a purchase. To increase the number of visitors that fill it out, you could offer a small discount or promotion of some sort.

Ask What Made Your Visitors Interested in Your Site

This is something else that’s good to include as part of the sign up survey. Ask your visitors what they’re looking for on your site and what they hope to buy in the future. This would allow you to create sub groups in your email list and then include offers and promotions that are relevant to these subscribers, thus making them more likely to actually buy something.

How to Target Your Email Subscribers is a post from: Websites For Sale

Here are some useful tips to deliver powerful content in all the messages that you send to your email marketing list readers:

• Don’t Simply Repeat What You Already Said

Many online marketers, webmasters and entrepreneurs that use email marketing also use other ways to get content in front of the eyes of prospective buyers. Website updates, blog posts, as well as posts on social media websites are all excellent ways to connect to your targeted audience. But you need to remember that many of those who are on your email list will already be subscribed to your social media page, or reading your blog from time to time. So if your emails are simply a repetition of what you already deliver through other channels, your email subscribers will start viewing your mails as “useless” and stop paying attention to them, even if you later change your practices.

It’s OK to link to your other communication channels, such as inviting a subscriber to read a blog post of yours. But don’t simply make your email messages a “repeater” of what’s on your other channels.

• Include Special, Email Only Promotions

People like to feel like they’re getting something special. This is why including discount codes, virtual coupons and other advantages that are exclusive to your email list members is great to keep readers interested in what you’re saying. Even if they won’t buy right now, they have a higher chance of opening your next emails just to see if there would be an item of special they would be interested in.

• Keep Messages Brief

People receive dozens of email daily. They don’t always have time to spend 15 minutes reading each message. If there is a long piece of content that you want to present to them, then include a meaningful description in your email and post the rest of the content on your website or blog, which would be linked to in your message. This allows yours readers to quickly see if they want to continue reading.

• Include Calls to Action

Just like on landing pages, including a call to action helps guide the reader to do what you want them to do. If you want the reader to check out some of the products on your site, tell them to do so. If you want them to provide more information to get a quote on a service, let them know in addition to providing the link to the relevant page on your site. Including a call to action is a great way to increase your conversion rates.

Tips for Success in Email Marketing: Part 3 is a post from: Websites For Sale

• Use Quality List Management and Email Marketing Software

There are plenty of email marketing solutions out there, such as Aweber. These tools allow you to simplify your list management by automatically managing people opting in and out of your email list. Some also allow you to create sub groups within your email list, letting you segment your subscribers according to certain variables. Using software is quite useful if you have a large list, as it will automate many of the tasks and help you save time when you market by email.

• Choose the Subject Line Carefully

One thing that will determine whether or not a subscriber will actually read your email or not is the subject line. Sometimes, having a standard subject line such as “ACME Products – December Newsletter” will work, especially if your readers are looking forward to each newsletter as you provide them with news and updates that they find useful and relevant. You can also get more creative, of course, but then there are some things you need to keep in mind. Be as descriptive as possible in the subject line. Instead of “Super Promotion for You”, use a line such as “50% Off All Accessories and More”. This increases the chance that the reader will even bother opening your email. In any case, you need to consider the fact that your readers are probably on many other email lists as well, not just yours. So avoid using cheesy or deceptive lines such as “Your $1000 Payment is Waiting for You!”. Anyone who has used email has already seen this and this is a good way to get your mails ignored or marked as junk.

• The Message Content

Now, you need to focus on the actual content in your message. In order for your campaign to be an effective marketing tool, special attention needs to be paid to the message itself, so that your users will perform the action that you want them to, such as buying a certain product, reading one of the articles posted on your website or blog, requesting a quote or more information, clicking on an affiliate link for a product that you’re promoting, etc. Tomorrow, we will see some more information on how you can make sure that your message content is actually useful for your recipients and will give you a good chance of having the readers perform the action that you want them to do.

Tips for Success in Email Marketing: Part 2 is a post from: Websites For Sale

• Mind the Rate at Which You Send Out Your Messages

Unless you really need to send out daily updates for some reason (such as having a site that collects industry news each day), avoid sending out your newsletters too often. If they didn’t find anything too interesting in the first few days, many users will either unsubscribe or start ignoring your messages if you send them out too often. Remember, it is better to communicate with your list once a week and have some conversions on your products, rather than bombarding your subscribers with daily messages only to end up losing half of them before the month is over.

• Include a Calls to Action

This doesn’t only apply to items that you are selling, but also if you are just sending visitors to your website for something, such as to read one of your blog posts, or to watch a video. Including a call to action will make it more likely that they will go ahead and visit your site.

• Be Brief and Direct

Avoid making your email messages too long. People get dozens, sometimes hundreds of emails each day. They don’t always have the time to completely read each of them. If they see a wall of text, they just go into TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) mode and simply don’t pay any attention to the message. Keep your communications brief, direct and to the point. If you need to explain more or give additional information, link to a blog post or a page on your website. Websites and blogs are better made to convey longer information to your readers. Also, one of the goals of newsletters would be to get people on your site as well. From there, it is possible that they could buy something, or keep reading other things on your website for information on products and services that might be useful to them.

• Include Contact Information in Your Messages

It happens that subscribers sometimes forget who you are, especially if they are subscribed to many mailing lists. Include things such as your email address for questions, the URL of your main business website, as well as links to your social media profiles. It will remind your readers as to who you are and also will give a more “human” feeling to your message, with ways for people to contact you if they want to know more about something they saw in it.

Some Tips on Interacting With Your Mailing List is a post from: Websites For Sale

• Optimize your website for mobile visitors

Depending on the geographical location of the visitors that you are targeting, as well as your niche, anywhere from 10% to 25% of website visitors will be using mobile devices such as smart phones. What does this mean to you? Quite simply, you need to make sure that your website will work well to someone who is using a mobile device to access it. All parts of your site should be functional on mobile browsers, especially the checkout process. If a visitor that is using a smart phone notices that your website is not loading as it should, then they will obviously go somewhere else, which is definitely not what you want when it comes to your sales.

• Find ways to capture visitors contact information

In most cases, this will be limited to just their e-mail address. It is also a good idea to give visitors a certain incentives in exchange for getting their e-mail. For example, you could have a contest where one of your subscribers will win a free product. Or if you offer intangible products, such as e-books or software, you could give a free trial of your software, or a free guide in exchange for the user signing up for your mailing list.

Some of you may think: how does this increase conversions? The user is not buying anything right now… Well, even though they are not making a purchase at the moment, they may very well return to buy something later on. By getting their e-mail address, you will obviously be able to send them a newsletter which contains information about your business, updates on your products and current promotions.

• Include videos on your site

Including videos on your website can increase conversions by giving your website a look of authority on your niche. These can include instructional videos, a presentation of what your business is, as well as customer testimonials. Whether the video should play automatically when your page is opened is still the topic of debate. Some believe that it simply annoys users to have to hear your video if they didn’t want to, while others say that it will focus the customers attention to the video. In any case, you can put up a video on your site and simply put in a call to action for the visitors to watch it if they want to.

If you follow the tips that were presented in this series, you should definitely see at least some improvements in your conversion rates. But of course, there are many other things that you can do, which are left only to your own creativity.

Improving Conversion Rates on Your Website: Some Tips – Part 3 is a post from: Websites For Sale

• Create emails that are relative to your niche and products. You can include tips, new technology, and information about your products and what they can do for your consumers.

• Send regular emails. A good rule of thumb is one email at least every 90 days but not more than one in a two week period.

• Add images and graphics that relate to your article topics. There are email templates to use, or you can design your own email marketing pages

• Include a business email and encourage your subscribers to give feedback and ask questions about your business or products. Be sure to give prompt feedback on any emails exchanged.

Email marketing is a free way for you to begin marketing your online business and it doesn’t require an intense amount of technical computer knowledge. Begin your relationship with your clients as repeat consumers are a great way to consistently develop revenue to your business and in your pocket.

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Email Marketing for Beginners is a post from: Websites For Sale

     Aweber has a strong and accurate autoresponse system that will take the worry out of managing a successful email campaign. All you have to do is create and email and assign a day when it will reach the members on your subscriber list. There are even services available to let you know how many people actually open your business emails or merely threw them in the trash bin.

     There is also a subscriber list service offered by Aweber that allows you to generate lists of subscribers based on categories that you group them into. You can create categories for new subscribers, previously purchased clients, and so on. This service also allows you to personalize your emails with the name of the recipient, making the client feel a little more valuable to your business.

     Additional services offered by Aweber include template emails, in case you are not creatively-inclined there are great templates for any business. Blog to newsletter creation is a genius implementation that allows you to take information from your websites blog and place it into your upcoming newsletter, this is a great way to highlight an important conversation with followers to your other consumers, and a great way to advertise your blog to subscribers.
  

     Just these few benefits should be enough to consider seeking out some of the services Aweber.com has to offer online businesses, especially if you need just a little more help with your marketing campaign.

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Aweber Basics is a post from: Websites For Sale

• Use a reliable autoresponder system that can ensure your emails reach your intended subscribers at the appropriate intervals.

• Create subscriber lists that are appropriate to how you would like your emails sent. You might have a different email for previous buyers as opposed to new subscribers.

• Answer all concerns and questions of subscribers who email you. There is a level of respect that is generated between a consumer and seller, you expect subscribers to read your emails therefore you should do the same.

• Place links to your page in every email you send out that way if a product or idea peaks their interest you can direct them to the location on your site where they can purchase that product or find out more information.

• Keep your emails relevant to your niche or business interests. This will allow you to demonstrate your expertise in your area and can inform others of new and developing ideas related to your products.

     Remember that your emails should be informative and sent out at least once every 90 days to each subscriber. With these basic email marketing tips you can solidify your relationship with all of your subscribers.

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Keys to Successful Email Marketing is a post from: Websites For Sale

Make sure you are allowed to do it: If you are promoting an affiliate or CPA offer, be sure that the offer in question can be promoted by email and what the restrictions or rules are. Certain offers are barred from email promotions, while on certain others the messages and subject lines have to be entered exactly as provided by the merchant. If you fail to follow these instructions, at best you will be warned by your affiliate manager. At worst, you can get banned from the network outright and even lose all of the money that you have accumulated during the month.

Make sure you have permission to email these people: This means that they have opted in, either by entering their email on a dedicated box on your website, or were aware of the fact that they will receive promotional emails when registering for a site that you own. You should always keep the logs which include the timestamp, email and IP address associated with the subscription, as you may be asked for it if you are running affiliate offers.

Be wary of certain “email marketing” providers: Some companies may claim that they are able to send your message to “millions of targeted opt-in subscribers”. Unfortunately, in many cases these email addresses are simply scraped from the web to form a list. If not, they are sent to a list of emails that have opted in on a certain site (usually a contest or freebie site) which had a mention stating that “we may give your email to our promotional partners”. While this may not be against the rules of most offers, you will get poor results, as these lists have been sold and resold and resold again. Chances are your email will just end up in the recipient’s “Junk” folder or simply be deleted.

Don’t waste time with “paid to read” email providers: While all of these people did indeed opt-in to receive these mails, and the provider guarantees that people will click through to your site, you will once again get poor results, meaning little or zero conversions. Why? The people clicking on the link in your mail are earning points or a small sum of about half a cent to do so. They don’t care about what’s on your site and will close it just as soon as the timer runs out. You will indeed get a lot of traffic, but chances are none of it will convert anyways.

Email Advertising: The Do’s and Don’ts is a post from: Websites For Sale