Smartphones Equal Smart Money for Retailers
February 2, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
According to a recent study from ABI Research, North American sales made via smartphones added up to about $544 million in 2009.
The fastest-growing activity on cellphones is shopping directly from the handset. Retailers in every niche — from Amazon to CVS have launched software applications that enable shoppers to browse many products and buy directly from their iPhones and Blackberrys.
Gartner Market Research reports that retailers are getting the applications right — shoppers are able to place orders and either pick them up, or have them delivered to their home or hotel without ever having to deal with crowds or salespeople directly.
Some apps deliver even more value. At book retailer Barnes & Noble, users can snap a picture of a book with their iPhone, and bring up reviews on the handset’s screen. Stores report they have seen increases in both reservations and purchases in stores, as well as purchases from the iPhone app.
Interested in creating an iPhone app for your business? This self-service solution may be just what you are looking for. For those who may prefer to have someone design an app for you, check out this service.
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From bubble-gum popping tweens to silver-haired grannies, a huge majority of households in the United States own at least one computer with Internet access.
The Internet has become an integral part of our daily lives — consumers use it for everything from looking up words on http://www.merriam-webster.com/, to checking email and stock quotes. Plugging in and logging on has become second nature.
As a home business owner, perhaps you convinced yourself that you don’t need to have a web presence. Nothing could be further from the truth. So, if you are one of those folks who are still riding the fence, let me be perfectly clear:
If you aren’t utilizing the tools that the Internet can provide to your business, you are leaving money on the table. Can you really afford to do that?
I didn’t think so.
So, c’mon, Desperado — hop off that fence and get on the program. There’s plenty of good reasons why your business should be on the web — and every day you delay is costing you money.
You Simply Can’t Beat the Exposure
Whether you are selling products you make yourself, reselling other people’s products, or providing a service, you do not have to limit your sales to customers in your area and neighboring towns. With a website, you can start selling your products to customers from out of state or even in other countries. If you offer your writing and editing services, you can expand your client base and reach more customers with a website.
You’re Always Open for Business
Your home business website isn’t only good for posting photos or information about your products or services. It can also include information about you and your home business. A website can be a place where prospective customers can go to learn more about what you do. You can also post the latest news about your business, as well as new product or service offerings and even special offers.
Best of all, your website is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your website can be generating business for you even while you sleep. This is particularly true if you decide to create an online store and make your products available to online shoppers, no matter where they are located in the world.
Overhead Costs are Low
Advertising and marketing your products or services via traditional methods can be quite expensive. The costs of printing banners, paying for magazine ads, and putting up billboards can quickly rack up and drain your funds. On the other hand, you do not need to spend as much when you put your business online. You will only have pay for a domain name and a website hosting fee that rarely exceeds $75 a year, which is even less than what you have to pay for a month’s worth of running your ad in newspaper. Blogging platforms have made website design and maintenance much more manageable, with many service providers offering startup packages that are well within reach of startup business owners.
Fast & Efficient Communication with Customers
When customers have questions or want to place an order, all they have to do is fill out an online form or leave you a message on your website. You will not have to worry about missing out on customers when your phone line is tied up or you do not have people to entertain their queries. You can even create a Frequently Answered Questions page on your website where customers can go to if they have a question about your business.
Levels the Playing Field
Practically everything these days is on the Internet and there is a huge chance that your competitors will also have a website of their own. If you are not convinced by the other advantages of creating a website for your home business, this one should. Without a website, you will find yourself lagging way behind your competitors. If you want to achieve success in your home business, there is no better time than now to get online and get your home business noticed by more customers.
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October 6, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
From mommy bloggers and affiliate marketers to big brand infomercials on late-night television, the new FTC guidelines governing endorsements and testimonials have widespread implications you need to know about.
The last change to these guidelines came in 1980 — long before the internet had risen to such mainstream prominence among consumers. The 1980 Guides did not explicitly state that endorsers and advertisers could be liable under the FTC Act for statements they make in an endorsement. The revised guides, however, reflect Commission case law, and clearly state that both advertisers and endorsers may be liable for false or unsubstantiated claims made in an endorsement – or for failure to disclose material connections between the advertiser and endorsers. In addition, the revised Guides also make it clear that celebrities have a duty to disclose their relationships with advertisers when making endorsements outside the context of traditional ads, such as on talk shows or in social media.
The new guidelines will take effect December 1st, 2009.
Keeping an Eye Out
The revised Guides also add new examples to illustrate the long standing principle that “material connections” (sometimes payments or free products) between advertisers and endorsers – connections that consumers would not expect – must be disclosed. One such example that I recently noticed was for the prescription eye drops Restasis®. Dr. Allison Tendler, a board-certified ophthalmologist from Sioux Falls, SD, appears in the commercial, and lauds the benefits of using Restasis®, a product she herself uses “twice a day, every day.” Within the first few frames of the commercial, a disclaimer noting that Dr. Tendler was paid for her endorsement is shown.
A Weighty Issue
Weight loss is a perennially popular market, and there are an abundance of programs and products that serve this “hungry” niche. From Marie Osmond touting the taste-tempting menu from NutriSystem®, to Valerie Bertinelli’s new beach bikini bod (courtesy of Jenny Craig), readers have grown accustomed to seeing the fine print in these ads noting “results not typical.” Under the revised Guides, advertisements that feature a consumer and convey his or her experience with a product or service as typical when that is not the case will be required to clearly disclose the results that consumers can generally expect. The safe harbor notation of “results not typical” is no longer permitted.
Why this Should Matter to You
If you do any affiliate marketing, you’ve probably already received notices from your advertising partners regarding the new guidelines, and how it will impact their program. Don’t be too quick to hit the “delete” key on these messages — advertisers will no doubt be much more diligent in enforcing these guidelines moving forward. As the guidelines hold both the affiliate marketer, as well as the advertiser responsible, it doesn’t take an MIT grad to deduce that advertisers would sooner drop an affiliate than drop a small fortune fighting a deceptive ad practices case with the FTC.
Taking Lemons, and Making Lemonade
Like many site owners, I do a fair amount of affiliate marketing. At first blush, several of my friends and clients responded quite vehemently that this was just another example of unwanted government intervention — and I was inclined to agree. After giving this additional consideration, however, I changed my mind. Indulge me a moment, and I’ll explain why.
Good-old-fashioned word of mouth advertising has taken on a life of its own. The dawn of social media has given consumers an unprecedented all-access pass to discovering brand data and consumer evaluations with the ease of a mouse click. With so much at stake, is it any wonder that reputation management services are cropping up all over the country?
In all honesty, full disclosure need not be a sour business. In fact, you may be surprised to find that such honesty may be welcomed by your customers, and actually improve your conversions. Of course, how you choose to convey your disclosure is up to you, but make no mistake — it is something that you need to take the time to do. Whether you add fine print to your outbound newsletters, beneath product reviews, or on your policies page (or perhaps in all of these places), taking the time to meet these new guidelines now is sure to save you time, frustration and money down the road.
Oh, and for the record…your affiliate purchases help keep me caffeinated — a fact that my husband is most appreciative of.
UPDATE: 16 October, 2009
In an open letter to FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz, Randall Rothenberg, CEO of Interactive Advertising Bureau, states that the new FTC guidelines “unfairly and unconstitutionally” impose a set of ethics rules on bloggers and other social media practitioners, while giving traditional media a pass. Read the full story here, from PaidContent.org.
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Growing up in the 70s, I used to love listening to my collection of Disney book and record sets.
My sister and I amassed quite a treasure trove of titles — including all of the most popular princess stories, as well as many of the popular cartoon characters of the day.
Regardless of whether the story centered around a hobbit, a princess or a heroic pair of mouse detectives, one thing they all had in common was the opening instructions.
“You will know it’s time to turn the page when Tinkerbell rings her little bells like this: (sound of ‘chimes’ ringing). Let’s begin now.”
We’d sit for hours in front of a red briefcase-style record player, and anxiously await Tinkerbell to cue us to turn the page.
If you were reading along with the story, you probably didn’t need the little chime reminder to tell you when to turn the page — but for those who weren’t yet able to read, or ones who simply got swept up in the story, it was nice to know that Tinkerbell would be there to remind you.
You see, knowing when to turn the page isn’t always easy, particularly when it involves your business.
Over the last ten years, there have been occasions when I have struggled with turning the page. There was the particularly expensive display advertisement that didn’t perform as well as I’d hoped; or a business idea that just missed the mark. Or, maybe it was a website that I never found the time to fully develop. Each of these examples were costly in their own way — yet, each of them provided me with valuable experience that has strengthened my business, and my resolve.
I wasn’t able to see that until I turned the page.
Some of the greatest minds of our time have long and storied histories of failed attempts before they enjoyed the success for which we now know them. Imagine how different our lives would be today if they had simply decided not to turn the page, and keep on trying!
It’s easy to get caught up in the daily stories of our businesses — what with the deadlines, the technology to learn, and the endless to-do lists. Understand that you will inevitably make mistakes…everyone does.
Magical as she is, I doubt that Tinkerbell can make the rounds and get to all of us when we need her. My advice would be to find your very own “Tinkerbell” — someone you know will tell it like it is (even when it hurts). Sure, it would be easier to find someone who will always sugar-coat it for you — but then your business would be nothing more than a fairytale.
Get mad if you need to. Have a good cry if that helps. Then get over it and turn the page.
The real tragedy would be if you allow the record to get stuck there. You could very well be standing in the way of your own happy ending.
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August 11, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
It’s that time again.
It’s time for school age children to begin dreading every sunrise, and for the parents of said children to begin the countdown…
Yes, my friends — it’s back to school time.
For the record, I never minded back to school time when I was growing up — but that was primarily because I loved the thought of getting new paper, pens, and various and sundry organizational school supplies (strange, but true — explains a lot, doesn’t it?).
Last week I had the rare pleasure of having possession of the remote control. During my cursory scanning of the channels, I happened to catch a Staples commercial that employs some of the most savvy back-to-school marketing that I have seen in quite some time. In trying to locate this clip, I came to find out that this commercial isn’t new — in fact, it originally aired in the 90s. It just goes to show that when you have a great concept, it will often stand the test of time.
Aside from giving you a nearly-midweek-chuckle, why am I sharing this? Well, I’m glad you asked. This commercial is a fantastic (and brilliantly creative) example of how you can cash in with seasonal marketing. There are certain times of the year when it is easy to tap into the collective mind of society — and whether you are underscoring the shared joys (such as the holidays), or the shared headaches (tax season) — a bit of creativity can often make your message resonate even stronger.
Without ruining the clip for those who may not have seen it, I will set it up just by saying that I swear I saw my folks do a similar dance when I was young…and I sincerely doubt it was because my mom was hopped up from sniffing markers.
I’m just sayin’…
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July 14, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Who doesn’t recall playing a rousing game of tag as a kid? I can remember playing a revised version with the neighborhood gang — we’d gather just after the sun went down, and we’d play tag with flashlights until someone’s mom invariably ended the fun when she called out the dreaded phrase, “bedtime!”
Ah, those were the days.
These days, tag has taken on a completely different meaning to me — but strangely enough, it is still just as much an integral part of my life.
Considering Your Tagline
Truly, nothing says more about you, or your business. Just think about some of the world’s largest brands, and I’d be willing to bet you can rattle off their taglines with ease. From Nike’s “Just Do It,” to Coca-Cola’s “The Real Thing,” to McDonald’s “I’m Lovin’ It.”
Your tagline is another facet of your brand. It is you — just as much as your logo, color scheme, and mission statement are.
Taglines are something that lots of business owners struggle with. One thing I routinely tell my clients is not to overthink it — the best taglines are simple and straightforward, and convey a sense of what a potential customer can expect from you. Knowing this, it often helps to put yourself in your potential customer’s shoes — what would they be looking for? What would convey that you are the right choice for their needs?
Okay, so we know we need a tagline. But, not everyone can afford a highfalutin agency to help them hammer out the intricacies of their brand equity. So, for those without the branding bankroll, here are a few tips to help you brainstorm some ideas:
- Start with the obvious. Quite often, the winning idea is right there in front of you.
- Investigate the competition. Do this not only to spark ideas, but also to make sure you don’t brand yourself too similarly. Particularly if you plan to trademark your tagline, it is important to make sure that there is no confusion in the marketplace. Such confusion will invariably keep the tagline from being able to be trademarked. If it does get trademarked, you want something you will be able to defend if it were ever challenged. This happens more often that you may think!
- Consider your color scheme and logo – they may help spark that “a ha!” moment.
- Survey your friends, family and colleagues. They know your vision and your passion, and can offer a unique perspective that you may lack due to how close you are to the subject matter.
- Make a list. Jot down what your business products or services are. Take that list of keywords, and run them through your favorite search engine. This may yield some gems you haven’t considered.
- Use available resources. Two of my favorite books that I always have within arms reach are “Phrases that Sell,” and “Words that Sell.” I would recommend that you consider adding them to your reference library — as they will pay for themselves multiple times over. From verbiage for web copy to sales ads and taglines, you will get plenty of mileage out of these two resources.
Employing a tagline for your business offers another way for you to position your brand with your customer — and make yourself memorable. In a loud and crowded marketplace, it is important to take advantage of every opportunity that you have. Don’t delay putting this useful tool to work for you.
Besides, the last one home is a rotten egg.
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