Juliet Was Wrong
By · CommentsGuest post by Jennifer Tanzi (learn more about Jennifer at the end of this post)
Names matter … especially when it comes to your online business.
High atop her balcony, the love-struck Juliet laments her lover’s problematic surname, declaring, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” While technically she’s right, you wouldn’t want to put Juliet in charge of your online branding efforts.
In fact, when it comes to your online business, choosing a domain name is the first big step — and truly the most critical — in securing your brand and growing your business. So what separates the good, the bad, and the ugly? Let’s take a look.
Five Tips for Choosing the Right Domain Name
TIP #1: Choose a name that attracts type-in traffic.
How can the right domain name help you increase sales? Well, say I own a pizza place in Peabody, Mass. If someone in Peabody is looking for a pizza place, what’s he going to do? Probably type Easton + Pizza into Google, right? And guess what? If I own the URL peabodypizza.com — even if that’s not the official name of my pizza shop — I’ll come up first in the search results. That’s because most search engines give priority to domains that contain the search criteria in their name (to increase your traffic even more, see tip #5).
The most effective way to ensure that you get plenty of type-in traffic is to choose a name that combines your service or product with your geography. For example, ConcordFlowers.com for a flower shop in Concord or LynnDogGrooming.com for a dog-grooming place in Lynn. You get the idea.
Now, you might pay a higher price for these keyword domain names, but it’s a smart move. Names like these promote this “type-in traffic” and prevent you from having to rely on search engine advertising or other potentially expensive branding campaigns. This makes them a huge bargain in the long run, and even the short run! Read More→
Kill Your Little Darlings
By · CommentsPost by M.J. Ryan, contributing Women On Business writer
William Faulkner once said that writers needed to “kill their little darlings.” It’s a message about how, in order for inspiration to enter, we need to let go of the ideas we’re so in love with to make room for something better. It’s a willingness that everyone in business needs these days.
I was reminded of this when I read a story on why J.P. Morgan did better in the financial meltdown than other investment banks. The article points out that the CEO Jamie Dimon is known not only for holding strong opinions, but letting go of his passionate position when someone on his team presents a compelling argument. His leadership meetings are like “Italian family dinners,” with everyone throwing out their opinions vociferously. Said Bill Daley, the head of corporate responsibility and a former Secretary of Commerce, “People were challenging Jamie, debating him, telling him he was wrong. It was nothing like I’d seen in a Bill Clinton cabinet meeting, or anything I’d ever seen in business.”
This willingness is a huge competitive advantage during times of change. It allows us to be open to new information rather than stay loyal to our own surety or status as “the one in charge.” Contrast that to a CEO I know who is leading his organization into bankruptcy. He refuses to listen to the people he hired to advise him because he’s so attached to the belief that he knows best. The people around him are quietly looking for other jobs. Read More→
Live your Plan A
By · Comments“Make it a lowercase ‘A’ if you have to, but live your Plan A. Anything else belittles the importance of life.” – Vin Diesel, actor
Lately I’ve been musing on my own quality of life and what it means to me to be alive. Every day when I wake up, I am so grateful and thankful for yet another opportunity to do what I love. As I understand it, if I’m still alive, then I still have work to do. If you’re still alive and if you’re reading this blog, you have work to do — your work is still in process… and I don’t mean dreary, rote, office work, but the actual work of crafting the life you were born to live.
Each of us has unique gifts and talents, and our mission while we’re here on the planet is to live our lives in a way that expresses and hones that unique skillset, than only we have.
Most of the women in business that I know, as well as the women who aspire to start, run, and own their own business, have clear goals, ideas, beliefs, and values. Many women in business realize that their ability to succeed in business is unlimited — they have unlimited potential and unlimited earnings, it is only a matter of laying out the groundwork and walking the path, finding good help and relying on good friends along the way.
Has Email Marketing Become Obsolete?
By · CommentsEven though we are bombarded with thousands of emails per week, email marketing has not become obsolete. In fact, email marketing is one of the most effective ways to stay in touch with existing customers as well as attract new customers if it used correctly.
However, many business owners waste countless hours putting together email marketing campaigns with weak copy, bad graphics, and inadequate offers, which end up in the trash bin. So what’s the point of spending countless hours and money on marketing that isn’t going to work?
To prevent your emails from getting tossed in the trash bin, keep the following tips in mind:
1. Build a subscriber list. To get started collecting email addresses, offer a sign up page on every page your website or blog. Offer a newsletter, a promotion, or an exclusive offer. Once you develop a robust list of subscribers, you can send as many offers as you want. You can also offer affiliate products to increase scalability.
2. Deliver thought-provoking and informative content- People don’t like to feel like they are being sold to, so it is important that to provide resourceful and valuable information. The whole point is to differentiate your business from the rest of the competition.
3. Don’t get in trouble for SPAM. To make prospective and existing subscribers feel like they are protected, post a privacy policy. Prospects may get turned off if they feel that you might sell their information.
4. Personalization – Personalizing your emails makes your subscribers feel special. You can customize emails by greeting subscribers by their first name. You can personalize the layout – with pictures, the header of the email and the colors of the background. Most auto responders (email marketing companies) offer a variety of template options for no additional cost. However, if you want to have a template customized, these companies will design the template to match your brand for an additional cost. (Check out www.aweber.com, www.constantcontact.com and www.getresponse.com for more information).
5. Call to Action/ Special offer- If you are pushing a promotion or special offer, a strong call to action is necessary. Make it clear and simple such as “Click here for a 25% discount off your next purchase.” You have to tell your subscribers exactly what they should do in order to join in on the special offer or promotion.
6. Unsubscribe – Make the unsubscribe button visible in every email. You don’t want to frustrate your readers by making it difficult to unsubscribe to your newsletter or email promotions.
7. Getting Prospects to Subscribe – Offer a bonus if they sign up. Offer an e-book or coupon for their first purchase.
If email marketing is used correctly, you can keep existing customers in the know of the latest trends or styles; offer your latest promotions and sales, and anything else that is relevant, just as long as prospects and customers don’t feel like they are being sold.
For help on designing your email campaign, contact Kristin at km@marquet-communications.com.
Prisoners making great workers in New Zealand
By · CommentsEx- prisoners can struggle to find employment once they are back in the real world again. Faced with the benefit they find themselves turning back to crime to be able to afford to live.
Use Your Web of Influence
By · CommentsYears ago, I went through a training program on customer retention that emphasized the importance of identifying a web of influence within a client account. The web of influence not only included that main contact or champion, but other individuals within the company that could “influence” your success. Having more than one contact is of utmost importance to maintain stability and ongoing communication to retain the account and hopefully expand the current business. After all, what if your main contact leaves the company? Without more influential contacts in that organization, you are very vulnerable.
Of course, the same web of influence approach is vital for client acquisition as well. Early in any sales activity with prospects, identifying the key players and communicating consistently with all these individuals broadens your scope of influence and enhances your chances of landing the account.
Now let’s transition to the the topic of career advancement. Identifying your own web of influence at work is key to your own success. What are your career goals? Who a re the major players in your organization that you need to be in front of consistently to advance your career? Read More→
