Business Thought of The Day: November 2008 Archives

Small Business Thought of The Day - Email List

An email list is your connection to new and repeat business. Designed correctly, an email marketing campaign rewards your readers for their interest and loyalty. It builds repeat business and keeps your name in the mind of your consumers.

First, you have to attract your readers. Do not buy a generic list of emails; it is a waste of money because your conversion rate will be low and your reputation will server. Instead, offer an opportunity to opt-in to receiving your emails on your home page or on your product receipt. If you sell on eBay, offer it on your "About Me" page.

You may want to include an incentive for people to subscribe to your email list. Discounts or free offers are enticing. Offer your visitors a newsletter or similar correspondence for signing in. Give people a reason to want you to contact them and assure them that their information will not be sold.

Next, keep your readers. The more customers read your name, the more quickly they will recall it when they want to buy something. Build your reputation with them so they trust you and your business. Make your emails interesting so that your readers don't just opt-out of them later.

Fill your emails with interesting, relevant content. Provide coupons or special deals in your email. Include puzzles or contests to engage your readers more actively. Share useful information so that your email becomes a resource for your customers.

Use a consistent design so your readers become familiar with it. Your email should be designed and written well. Preferably, your email color scheme and graphic design echo your existing web page to create continuum between the two. An effective email campaign will increase your conversion rates considerably.

See Also:
e-Mail List Building Techniques That Suck In Subscribers

Small Business Thought of The Day - What to Do With Website Analytics

In business, it all comes down to numbers. Your sales, your expenses, your ROI - all of these add up to a larger picture of your total success. To be successful in business, you have to know how to collect and interpret many types of data and how to use that data to improve your operations.

Fortunately, tracking the success of your business website is pretty simple with website analytic programs. Website analytics give you a full view of the effectiveness of your website and the behavior of its visitors. You can make changes based on concrete facts to increase the conversion of visitors to customers.

With website analytics, your online marketing campaign can't help but be a success. You will know exactly which keywords are bringing visitors to your site and where visitors are spending the most time. This information is invaluable for your advertising campaign.

Knowing the keywords people are finding you through helps you optimize your site more effectively. You can increase those keywords on pages where traffic is low and incorporate them into your pay per click search engine marketing.

Discovering where visitors spend the most time lets you place your products where they are most likely to be seen and bought. 

You can take advantage of existing traffic patterns to display your best money makers. You can also optimize the pages visitors spend most often and be sure there are calls to action on the most popular pages.

Website analytics measure and improve your conversion rate. Successful marketing depends on knowing your customers; analytics let you get to know them exceptionally well.

Small Business Thought of The Day -  Business Letter

A business letter is a permanent record of your company's professionalism and attention to detail. Mistakes in style, grammar, or tone glare out from a written page. When corresponding with customers, investors, partners, or vendors, your business cannot afford to appear unprofessional because of small mistakes.

Your business letter should always follow the correct business letter format. Know your purpose in writing and state it clearly within the first two sentences of your letter. Write an introduction, the body and the conclusion, and then review it to make sure you have not wandered from your original intent.

Keep your business letter short, sweet and to the point.  A page is the generally accepted length for most business letters. Additional information that supports your letter should be added as an enclosure, not crammed into the body of the letter.

Maintain a business tone throughout your letter. A business letter often serves as an official record of a transaction, procedure, or bidding process. Avoid chatty or conversational letters, especially if your letter will be saved and filed. If you want to personalize your letter, simply mark out the recipient's name with a pen and write his or her first name above it. Sign your name with the same pen.

Ensure your spelling and grammar is correct. Do not rely on spell check features to catch every mistake. Ask another person to proofread it after you are done. Hire a freelance writer or proofreader if you do not have one on staff.

Presentation is everything for a successful business. To impress potential customers, retain new ones, and increase your professional partnerships, showcase your company's poise and talent through a showcase business letter.

See Also:
Write A Business Letter People Will Read