5. Send Periodic Email Newsletters. Email newsletters can prove to be effective communication tools for existing customers, prospective customers, and other key audiences. What are the hallmarks of effective email newsletter programs? Here are 6 tips:
· Keep it reasonably short. Nobody wants to read lengthy emails.
· Make it well designed and visually interesting. Include photos and graphics Provide multiple links back to your Web site.
· Make it look professional. Don't have typos, a sloppy look, or broken links.
· Include an easy way for the viewer to contact you and to unsubscribe from your email list.
· Constantly test and track how your newsletters are doing.
Email newsletter programs can be established through companies that provide turn-key solutions, such as Constant Contact
6. Buy Banner Ads. You can enhance visibility and traffic to your site by buying banner ads. The keys to effective banner ad campaigns are:
· Make the ad visually interesting with links to a particular offer or "landing" page on your site.
· Place the ads on sites relevant to your business.
· Constantly monitor and test the efficacy of the ads, measuring not only click-throughs from the ad to your site, but also the actual resulting sales and return on investment ("ROI").
7. Optimize Your Site for Search Engines. Hundreds of millions of searches a day are performed on the Web through Google, Yahoo, and other search engines. The search engines "spider" billions of Web pages. There is a fast growing area called "search engine optimization" that refers to efforts you can employ to get your Web site to show up higher in search results. To get more information on this, go to the search box on the AllBusiness home page, select "the Web" from the drop-down menu, and type in "search engine optimization."
8. Buy Keyword Ads on Search Engines. Many businesses are finding that key word advertising on search engines can be quite beneficial. Here's how it works: If you sell computer books from your Web site, you might buy a small ad or listing on Google that would show up when someone types in the search box a term that you design (such as "computer books" or "PC books"). If the searcher sees your paid ad and clicks on it, he is transported to your Web site and you pay on a "CPC" basis to Google (a cost per click, such as 30¢ a click). The goal is to get qualified prospective customers to your site.
The key elements of successful key word ad buying programs include:
· Purchase the most relevant key words.
· Write the ads in a way to compel qualified buyers to click on the ad.
· Send the user from the ad to a landing page to your site that sets forth the precise product or service related to the keyword ad. Sending a viewer to your home page is generally not as effective as sending them to a specific product page.
· Constantly review the amount you are paying per click, and the conversion of that click into buyers.
· Constantly test different ad copy and different landing pages to determine what works best for your site.
9. Make it Easy to Buy From Your Shopping Cart. If you are selling products from your site, you will need a shopping cart system and a credit card authorization process. Many companies provide such systems off the shelf, such as Yahoo! Small Business. The key here is to make sure the shopping process is fast and efficient. Many Web sites have found that their checkout process was too cumbersome, and that they lost potential buyers who became frustrated with the amount of time and effort involved.
10. Provide Great Customer Service. A satisfied customer will return to your site. So go out of your way to give great customer support and service. And for those who are not happy with their experience, try to turn them around with an offer of a discount, a free product, or some other benefit.
