Marketing, Social Media & Technology

June 19, 2007 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

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Customer loyalty programs work and many of us are members of them.  Airlines reward us, restaurants give us free meals after they punch our card ten times, and many big box retailers give us our own little plastic card to carry on our keychain.  The objective is easy:  create a program that keeps customers coming back to buy and then reward them for doing so.  

1. Consider your budget.  How much will the free meals cost you in the long run?  How much merchandise will you have to give away?  Can you afford to do so?  Factor this into your financials first.
2. How will you attract and motiva

June 19, 2007 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

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There are many ways to promote yourself without spending a lot of money:

1. Ask your faithful customers to write a referral letter about you to hang at the store and post on your web site.
2. Hand out as many business cards as you can wherever you go.
3. Team up with another business that complements you and perform joint promotions.
4. Offer to speak to local civic organizations.  Perform a search for your area to find the most relevant and reach out to them with a short proposal of topic ideas. Most meet weekly and n

June 19, 2007 | Link This | Email this | Comments (1)

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I ordered a bouquet of assorted colors of roses for my mother's birthday from 1-800-Flowers.com.  I chose them because the transation was easy to complete, it took me five minutes to select what I wanted and to check out. They sent me my confirmation email and two days later I got a phone call from Mom saying she just received them.  I love sending flowers because it's easy. Actually, I love buying most gifts online because I can select, pay for, and send them to their designation without having to leave my office chair.  For someone with limited time, it's the best thing since sliced bread.

A week after I sent the flowers, I...Read More

June 14, 2007 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

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Researching your target market online is a good idea every six to nine months.  Research sites that offer statistical data about the demographics, what they're buying, and the growth of internet use by segments makes your discovery phase easier.  Here are some sites to investigate:

• MarketingSherpa benchmark guides
• Harris Interactive
• eBay Research   even if you don't sell on eBay, it's good to see who is, what they're selling, and

June 12, 2007 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

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When designing your web site, or debating an overhaul, begin with defining who your target audience is.  This will determine whether you use a lot of techical elements (features that would appeal to teenagers or young adults) or keep things at a minimum.  Ask your customers what they like. To ensure you stay focused on your customers, think about this:

1. Prospects will have objections to what you want them to do.  Do you want them to buy now or place an order within