e-commerce storeWhen setting up a digital store you need to do a lot of checks to make sure you have covered all of your bases. You might have heard of the many online success stories where people have set up stores and within a year have become millionaires, but the reality is not as easy as it sounds. Read on for a few considerations that need to be made when setting up an ecommerce store.

Pay Attention To The Competition

It is imperative that you keep a close eye on your competition because ultimately you will be going against them when you are trying to win over some customers. If you see that your competitors are adding a certain product range, or are offering products at lower prices then you need to take note. An expert from Miva Merchant suggests how you can keep an eye on your competition:

Know who your competition is before you open up shop. Like a hawk, watch every move they make, so you don’t get caught by surprise on anything. Google alerts on company names is a good place to start.

At times researching what your competition is doing can be a great way to give yourself ideas on how to improve your store. Simply copying what your competition is doing can be seen as poor practice, so what you could do is get ideas from your competition and then put your own unique spin on them.

You Need To Advertise Your Ecommerce Store

The “build it and they will come” mentality is one that is not valid for the online world because the importance of marketing your store is just as important as supplying your customers with high quality products. Online you could have the best products in the marketplace but if nobody knows about them then how can they possibly buy them?

You need to take advantage of advertising methods such as PPC, SEO and social media in order to compete with the big boys of your marketplace. Then as your turnover rises, you need to re-invest some of your income into more advertising so that your traffic grows each month and hopefully, so will your sales.

You Must Have a Business Plan

No business can be successful for a long time if they don’t have a business plan that they can stick to. Every company needs direction and targets that give them something to aim for, otherwise how does a business owner know how well the enterprise is performing?

There are a lot of tracking tools available to measure the level of success that an online businesses is experiencing. In addition to monitoring your sales you need to see where you traffic is coming from because that will allow you to see what forms of marketing are working well so that you can invest in them on a bigger scale and hopefully get more traffic as a result of that investment. An expert from Business 2 Community explains that having a business plan is important:

When you write a business plan you are fully familiarizing yourself with what you’re proposing to start. The process gives you a chance to finely hone the ideas that will propel your eCommerce company toward success.

Motivation is a big key for business success and a lot of motivation can be derived from positive results that you might get. For example, during the first few months it might be difficult to know if the company will be a successful and if all the hard work done will bear fruit. However, once you begin to receive a steady rise in profits the belief that everything will work out will be there and so will the motivation. So make a business plan with goals so that when they are met it will give you a sense of achievement.

Facebook MarketingFacebook marketing can be extremely profitable when you go about it the right way. Their PPC program can provide hundreds, if not thousands of hits daily at a low price, and if you choose to create a fan page and engage in social media marketing then you can get a following that is loyal and very large. However, having said that if you don’t watch out for the Facebook marketing myths then you could be led down the wrong path with regards to how to market your business on there, and that will hurt your bottom line significantly, so read on for some myths you must avoid.

Do Not Buy Fans

When building a fan page you want to get as many fans as you can get, as this will increase interaction with the fan page, and the more fans you get the more chances you have of your page getting shared. The more interactive the fans are the better it is for you because people on Facebook are attracted to interactive fan pages where they can interact not only with the fan page, but also with other members of the community. Furthermore, because your fans will lack interactivity you will as a result have a smaller chance of appearing in the news feed, as an expert from iMedia Connection explains:

Interactions create the affinity score that is then factored into the EdgeRank algorithm. If you’ve bought fans who do not engage, it’s less likely that you’ll earn a spot on the news feed. So, not only can you rank yourself right out of the news feed, but it also isn’t authentic.

Facebook Marketing Doesn’t Have To Take A Lot Of Time

One myth that needs to be dispelled is that Facebook marketing has to take a long time when in fact all you need to do is create a fan page, and then update it a few times a week to get some results. Of course, it would also help if you respond to comments that your fans make, but if you get a lot of comments then this can get very time consuming. What you could do instead to save time is to look at what kind of questions your fans are asking and post updates that answer those questions. Social Media Examiner explains when you compare Facebook marketing with other forms of marketing it really isn’t that bad:

If you think about comparing it to traditional business networking and the traveling and time commitment that takes, you’ll begin to realize that networking on Facebook is great because it can be done at your convenience.

You might even be able to outsource your Facebook marketing to an internet marketing company that specializes in such forms of marketing. Usually any investment in social marketing that you make will be worth it in the end because of the increase in visitors that you get to your landing pages.

You Don’t Own Your Facebook Account

You need to understand from the outset that anything that you do on your fan pages is not yours by rights, it is the property of Facebook, which at any point they can take away from you. An An expert from Jeff Bullas reports a fan page with an extremely high number of fans that was taken down:

Break the rules and you pay the price. Recently the pop culture blog and website “The Cool Hunter” had its Facebook page with 700,000 fans shutdown. This was due to “copyright issues” according to Facebook.

This goes to show that it could happen to anyone and you need to be prepared for it, which is why you shouldn’t base all of your marketing efforts on Facebook alone. Other companies such as Twitter and Google have their own social media platforms that you need to utilize in order to get even more exposure.

Also, read the Facebook terms and conditions so that you know what the rules are. You cannot be ignorant about them when you have acquired a horde of fans. Any asset that you have online such as a very big fan page you need to protect, and a way of doing that is not to step on the toes of the Facebook moderators. Perhaps a safety measure would be to e-mail the Facebook staff with questions if a certain change or addition to the page that you want to make is acceptable. You don’t have to do this for every change that you make, but only for those that you think are in the gray area.

Facebook Marketing Can Be Cheap

Marketing on Facebook doesn’t have to be a very big investment, because fan pages require no hiring of an app developer, writer, and you don’t have to buy advertising space. All you need to do is create a comprehensive fan page that clearly describes what your business is about, and post updates that are of value to your target audience. For example, if you own a fishing store then you could post updates that explain how to catch different fish, and what fishing rods are best used for certain types of fishing. Then you would plug in a link to your store where you offer those fishing rods. This way you provide helpful information to your audience and get to make some sales. The thing with online marketing is that the main competitors in your niche can always outspend you, but if you are creative you can still get a significant volume of traffic; as an expert from CBS News suggests:

The reality is that the big brands will always be able to outspend you. So you have to outsmart them. Work the local angle and create content that really speaks to your customers.

Even if you cannot outsource your Facebook marketing in the beginning then you should still create a fan page, then as you increase your profits you can re-invest them into a marketing company that can handle the Facebook marketing for you.

More People To Complete An E-mail Opt In FormAre you experiencing low conversion rates with relation to the amount of visitors that complete an e-mail opt in form? Then you need to take steps in order to increase your conversion rate as that could be significantly hurting your bottom line. There are a lot of tested methods for increasing your opt in rate and if you want to know what these are then read on:

Increase The Quality Of The Lead Magnet

The lead magnet is the thing that you are offering for their e-mail addresses and it might be that it is simply not attractive enough to even bother completing an e-mail opt in form. The squeeze page needs to indicate what they will get in return if they hand over their e-mail in great detail so that they are convinced they will get something of value. E Marketing Journal suggests the importance of a high quality lead magnet:

You need to show them that you truly want to create a relationship with them that’s worth their while to give you their email address. Make sure you give away something valuable. This will stack the odds of you getting their address in your favor.

Just because you are giving away the lead magnet for free doesn’t mean that it can be of an average quality. The lead magnet needs to be of a quality that is equivalent to that of your product because it will get them thinking they want more of the same and that will increase your conversion rates for you products, which is just as important as increasing your e-mail opt in rate.

Understand Your Audience

A big mistake that people often make is not understanding their audience adequately enough, and this is bad because you cannot target your advertisement for your lead magnet in an effective manner. Furthermore, the lead magnet might not be the thing that most people of your audience need, they might have another problem that is way more pressing and you can only know what by doing the proper market research. An expert from Campaigner suggests that knowing your audience is important:

When someone opts in, ask only a few questions, like company name, industry, or location. You can also include a survey in your emails to gauge interests. Understand where people are coming from so you can make adjustments in future communications or promotions.

One way that you can do market research is to ask your current e-mail list what they thought about the lead magnet, and what information they would have preferred instead.

Clean Up Your Website

Sometimes your opt-in rate can plummet when you have too much clutter on your webpages such as pictures, videos and other visual distractions. If the main thing that you want to achieve with your website is generate e-mail opt-ins then what you need to do is place your lead magnet advertisement and opt in form above the fold where visitors can clearly see them. Furthermore, the color scheme on your website needs to be one where the lead magnet can stand out instantly. Also, using arrows to point to your opt in form can give it the attention it needs to get that increase in conversions you are looking for.

If no matter how many changes you make to your website and you still cannot seem to get much of an increase in conversions then it might be that the traffic that you are going after isn’t ideal. Not all traffic converts well, for example, traffic that you get for guest posts on related authority websites tend to convert significantly better than from social media traffic.

SendReach LogoAlthough the recession is said to be well and truly behind us, the general public is still incredibly nervous.  Most of us look for ways to become self-sufficient without having to rely on a boss, as you never know when you end up getting laid off.  One direction many people turn to, therefore, is the internet.  It is a fantastic initiative and, if the stories are true, make it possible to earn millions.  However, the only way to be able to do this is if you have a really strong list of customers that you can email, creating excellent conversion rates.  This is also the greatest difficulty in online marketing, but one that SendReach claims to be able to solve for you.

Email Auto-Responders

Everybody who is involved in building a business online understands how important it is to have a strong email list, with which to build strong relationships with your customers.  Indeed, being able to send a targeted email is a great way of creating better conversion rates.  However, this is a lot of work.  Although there are a number of auto-responders available on the market, most of these require you to do a lot of manual work, sorting your emails or social media contacts into different groups.  This is where SendReach is different, however.

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What Is SendReach?

How it WorksSendReach is a true next-generation email service provider.  It helps those who use email marketing in order to sell their products or services, a technique that has long been hailed as the best on in terms of gaining internet riches.  However, auto responders are often incredibly expensive, something that SendReach fully eliminates.  Indeed, they claim that these payments are a complete waste of money, which will interest those who do make these payments.  Instead, the program helps you to build lists in much quicker ways, thereby maximizing your revenues.  They currently have 14 patents pending for their next generation features, which no other provider currently offers.

What matters with this particular program is that it looks at social media demographics, in particular Facebook.  This means that you are able to target your advertising to specific age groups, geographical locations, genders or anything else that is included in a social media profile.  By doing this, you no longer have to have lists full of email addresses that are of no benefit to you.  You will be able to market to the right people at the right time.  Additionally, you could even use it to build bigger teams, targeting other marketers with the right material.

As an auto-responder, SendReach truly is a cut above the rest.  This is because its unique feature is that you can segregate your database.  As such, you can have a much clearer focus, always only sending out information interesting to the right customers.  With SendReach, you are able to build real relationships of trust, only sending out appropriate material and other relevant content.  This, ultimately, will massively increase your conversion rates, and grow your email list exponentially.

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Cost and What You Get

There are five different packages on offer through SendReach.  Each of these packages requires a one-time only payment.  After that, the system is yours to use for life.  The packages currently cost:

•    $297 for up to 1,000 subscribers.
•    $397 for up to 2,500 subscribers.
•    $497 for up to 5,000 subscribers, which includes the mentoring bonus.
•    $697 for up to 10,000 subscribers, including the mentoring bonus.
•    $1,397 for up to 25,000 subscribers, mentoring bonus included.

All these packages include the same features such as unlimited Facebook connected lists and unlimited auto list cleaning.  The difference between the packages is only in the number of subscribers that can be added to your lists.

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What I Liked about SendReach

Master Autoresponder•    The Optin forms are fantastic, as you can reach all your social media accounts with just one click.
•    You can use QR codes, which is the way of the future.
•    It uses an open API, so you can incorporate a range of applications.
•    The system comes with excellent statistical reporting options, which are very important in terms of figuring out how your business is doing.
•    Listing works, we know this from years of studying the world of online businesses.  SendReach makes it possible to build the most amazing lists.
•    There is full protection from spam including in the package, which means you will never be penalized for sending out spam.
•    You can easily segment your lists, based on age, gender, geographical location or any other issue.
•    There are various training videos available through the SendReach website, which means you never have to feel as if you don’t know what you are doing.
•    The program is incredibly advanced, using next generation technologies, with 14 patents pending.

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What I Didn’t Like about SendReach

TargetThe only real thing I could come up with in terms of what I don’t like is the price.  Although a one-time only payment, it is relatively high amount and definitely not the best investment for those just starting out.   On the other hand, for 1000 subscribers to Aweber it’s $29/month, so in 10 months SendReach is the same cost (but you don’t have to pay again!)   Additionally, we must spend money to make money.

Final Verdict on SendReach

It cannot be denied that signing up to SendReach requires a higher initial investment than other email services.  On the other hand, it is equally likely that you are currently already paying monthly fees for your auto-responders, which can now be completely eliminated.  You also have to consider your return on investment, which is said to be incredibly high on this particular program.  Over time, it is actually very friendly on your budget, because you will be able to build a list that is truly valuable and actually works for you.  As such, I feel the product may be expensive, but you get amazing value for money.

Additionally, SendReach was created by real professionals.  It pays tremendous attention to detail and it is clear that it has been designed to help marketers truly pursue excellence.  As such, the program can be used by novice and advanced marketers alike.  This also means you can keep the program with you forever, throughout your online career.
Last but not least, the program is continuously updated and developed.

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why you need a blog for your businessThere are a number of good reasons why you should start a blog. And not the least of these reasons is the fact that it is a very important part of any content management strategy and if you get it right it will play a role of central importance in building brand loyalty amongst your customers. As Johngary says:

Google has made a number of changes [in judging]… content and poor quality content will no longer rank well… a high quality blog that has a niche bias will pay dividends. You can look at such things as discussing local events and having quizzes and competitions that have local themes.

Let’s look at some other reasons for starting a blog for your business.

Blogs Help With Search Engine Optimization

As I mentioned above, a good blog is a central part of any content management system. A good blog will be something that customers and potential customers want to read. A good reason for a blog, says Anita Pravitasari,

Is to drive new traffic to your website and to improve your rankings within Google. Google loves content and it loves new content. Here is some good news: You can make changes and consistently add fresh content to your site simply by adding a blog.

Of course, the content of your blog has to be quality material. The days are gone where you can get away with low quality spun content. Put yourself into the shoes of your customers. Be ruthlessly honest with yourself. Are your blog entries something that your customers are going to find valuable, relevant and useful? If not, you’re not quite on the right track.

Become and Be Seen As an Expert

You don’t have to be an expert to know that customers like to know that they are dealing with experts. Look to your own experience if you want any convincing of this point. You know that when you are looking to buy your own goods and services you want to deal with people whom you can trust to give you sound advice.

One of the great things about a blog is that it gives you a medium through which you can develop your expert credentials. This really is a continuation of the previous point above. If you are writing blogs that your customers find helpful it helps to secure in the mind of your customers that you are a company which can be trusted. Smod.com puts it succinctly:

A blog lends an opportunity for you to establish your expertise in your field and updating it regularly with relevant content reinforces that idea. It also paves the way in establishing your leadership quality while gaining people’s trust at the same time.

It’s a very simple equation: trust builds brand loyalty.

Hold a Conversation With…

…the people who count: your customers and potential customers. People like high quality information: that’s a fact. People also like to know they are being heard: that’s another fact. Your blog gives you the opportunity to get feedback from your customers – blogs, of course, are not the only way to get feedback, but they are certainly an effective way.

The important thing to remember with feedback is that it may not always be positive. Some customers will be critical. Whatever the feedback, good or bad, do not ignore it. If the feedback is critical, you have an opportunity to answer it. There may be little or nothing that you can do about it but at least your customer will know that she is being listened to.

To summarize what has been said above, a blog should be a central part of your content management strategy. It offers you a number of opportunities to enhance your search engine optimization and grow your brand loyalty amongst your customers. A blog will involve a small investment in time that could reward you with a significant dividend in the fullness of time.