In today’s digital world, we are becoming increasingly dependent on the internet for the fulfillment of our needs. Whether we are planning a holiday or buying a plasma television, we increasingly rush to the internet to gather product information and shopping discounts. While consumers are becoming dependent on search engines like Google, Yahoo etc., marketers have developed savvy methodologies to fully exploit their advertising capabilities.
One of the most effective tools of Internet marketing is the use of keyword articles. The word or phrases used in online searches are called keywords. Increasingly, any website that hopes to draw traffic and sales towards it, has come to employ the use of strategic placement of keywords or phrases on its pages. There are different types of keywords. Some are purely for academic use example, ‘Articles on Shakespeare’s Macbeth’. Others signify the preliminary research conducted by a consumer before undertaking a major purchase decision. For example: conducting research on the price-point and features of mp3 players. However for internet marketers, most important are those keywords which actually translate into a sale or money transaction.
When a user types in a keyword into a search engine, the engines employs an ‘algorithm’ to sort out the most relevant web pages from its database and rank them in an order dependent on utility (which the engine determines) and then displays them. Type in ‘motorized lawn mowers’ and the search engine will display literally thousands of sites for your perusal. It is here that strategic keyword placement really pays off. It optimizes the text of a website for any of the major search engines. This results in a much higher-ranked listing and increasing the likelihood of the page being viewed by the consumer.
Thus choosing the right keyword is of the utmost importance. It is imperative to conduct proper research for your keyword. Guided by your instinct you might commit the folly of selecting a wrong keyword. Think like your targeted consumer, what is their methodology in approaching a service or product offered by your website. It is not useful cram the first page your website with numerous keywords because search engines do not operate in that manner. A much better strategy is to separately optimize each page because search engines rank pages on the basis of a rich and relevant content coupled with an effective use of good key words.
Avoid extremely general keywords, for example, ‘big screen television’. It is important to realize that consumers are highly selective about their own searches. So a much better keyword would be ‘Sony big screen plasma television’. Similarly websites targeting local area traffic should use specific regional markers to reach their customers (like ‘realtors in salt lake city’).
The keyword should be placed in the page title, sub-titles and dispersed in the content of the web copy. The keyword can also function as a link to your site from some other relevant website. A search engine specially looks in these locations to determine display ranking. By the strategic employment of keywords, marketers can effectively optimize their sales potential.
Jakob Jelling is the founder of Sitetube.com. Please visit www.sitetube.com/promotion.shtml and learn how to promote your website.
Quite simply, organic baby food is that which is processed without the use of artificial pesticides and/or synthetic fertilizers. While many note organic food as being either store-bought, garden grown or gathered in the wild, the correct association is certified organic foods, which are produced and labeled according to strict regulatory standards. In a number of countries, including the United States, the use of the word ‘organic’ in the commercial market, without the proper certification, is prohibited by law.
Organic baby food is most commonly found in a supermarket and will be labeled accordingly. Because of it’s nature, organic baby food is more expensive than other types. Processed organic baby food typically includes only those ingredients that are organic and has no artificial food additives. While there seem to a number of benefits to using organic baby food, the most common reason for purchasing this type of product is the overall quality. Increased nutritional value, the absence of residues from artificial pesticides and better taste are all positive benefits of organic baby food.
Organic baby food, because it is believed to be fresher, often carries an improved taste over other baby foods. Because organic farms are small, their products are most commonly sold close to home. Therefore, organic baby food and other products feature a fresher taste simply because they are fresh.
By 2003, organic food products were available in 20,000 natural food stores and 73% of commercial grocery stores. While many believe that organic baby food is helpful, others are not as certain. Some believe that farming and organic fertilization may carry it’s own risks that may be passed along in organic baby food.
The main debate lies with the better approach to manufacturing organic food. Is it more healthy to use artificial and synthetic products in food processing or natural fertilizer and organic farming methods? There are both sides to any debate and the questions surrounding organic baby food is no different. There is legitimate concern over contamination and safety of organic food and products, but an exact determination as to which side of the table is right has yet to be decided.
The information in this article is to be used for informational purposes. It should not be considered as, or used in conjunction with, professional medical advice or recommended feeding for your infant, toddler or young child. Prior to beginning any food preparation involving the use of organic baby food, consult your child’s physician for additional information and/or a recommendation regarding the use of organic baby food as part of your child’s food intake.
Want to learn more about organic baby food? Make sure you visit our site at: www.organic-baby-food-guide.info for access to additional organic baby food tips and information.
What does your product, service or business do better than any other?
Why would someone want to purchase from you rather than your competition over at site x?
If you don’t know, you need to find out!
Start by having a look at what you have to offer and compare it with the competition. Is yours as good, are their improvements that can be made? Maybe your product is similar to another but by asking the consumer how it could be improved you could do better, make changes, be in the forefront rather than lagging behind.
Amazingly enough, many products online (and off) no matter what they are sell better only for the fact that they have a few more features, more benefits, seem bigger, have more information, a few extra testimonials.
Does this mean that the consumer really needs all these extra items, in many cases the answer is no! But the consumer “thinks” they are more valuable only for the fact that they are getting “more” even if the price is higher.
If you are selling a service, how do you do it differently and better than any other? This may not always be additional add-on products or services that come with you main service, it may be an intangible benefit, a philosophy or way of doing business.
What do you as the owner of the business bring to your business? What uniqueness of “you” does your business have that others are lacking, can not or are not willing to bring to their own businesses?
Once you know what makes your business stand out from the crowd, your “unique selling proposition”, you then need to advertise this to your clients. Your “unique selling proposition” is at least one benefit but can be more.
So how do you know what your “unique selling proposition” actually is or could be?
For most people it comes from “current knowledge” and or a “gut feeling” (intuition).
Have you looked at your own product or service and you “know” intuitively that it could be much better?
Have you looked competitor’s sites and picked a whole heap of problems but you know your own site could also be so much better?
Have you seen a “need” in your industry that isn’t being filled but haven’t acted on it?
Maybe you already have a “unique selling proposition” (which you could not be aware of) but you’re just not advertising the fact which if done, would result in higher profits?
And then there’s this last one which is more common then you think especially if you are a solopreneur trying to start online. You know that something, a product or service could be done so much better or differently to what it’s being done now but up to this point you haven’t had the confidence to step out and start it your self?
People really underestimate this online. Now if you are reading this and you already have a successful business, online or off it may not matter to you so much. However if you are new to business, been working for someone else on a average wage, there is a confidence barrier you will need to eventually break through.
I personally know as I have seen many marketers hit this wall myself included.
Once I decided that I was going to present my business in my own unique way, or utilize my own “unique selling proposition”, that’s when things started happening.
So with that being said, what is your “USP” and get promoting it today!
Chris Taylor - helping web based business achieve unique distinction & maximum growth by building “life-time, client based relationships”.
Visit one of my online resources and I will show you how to increase your business profits and clients quickly and easily starting today - http://www.thewebtrafficco.com/adb/
Copyright © CATDynamics - Catdynamics.com 2005.
Do your remember when you first ventured out in the online business world? You probably had questions and problems along the way. Wouldn’t it have been easier if you had help? When a newbie asks for your advice, educate them; answer their questions and help them solve their online business problems. If you do not have the knowledge to help them out, point them in the right direction.
You’ll get many benefits from helping online business newbies. Below are eight possible benefits you could receive:
1. You will feel good knowing that you had a part in helping them build their business. You can sit back and say “I had a part in their success.”
2. They may become one of your best friends. Most people can use new friends, even business owners. You may even become business partners and create a totally new business together.
3. You could end up being strategic business allies in the future. You could regularly do joint venture and cross promotion deals with each other.
4. They may help you out with your business. Maybe they will give you some testimonials or endorsements for your products or services.
5. You might gain some valuable referrals from them. They may also join your affiliate program and make sales for your business.
6. They might offer you some free advertising space on their web site or in their e-zine for your help. You could also exchange advertising with them.
7. You both could end up developing a new product or service together. The product or service could be a combination of your current ones.
8. They might purchase the products you sell and become one of your best customers. You could sell them many back end products or services in the future.
There are probably many other benefits you could get from helping a new online business owner. Always remember to help them out because it’s the nice thing to do and not just to benefit your own business.
Copyright 2004 Rudy Cline
About The Author
Rudy Cline publishes “Home Business Tips”, a fresh and informative newsletter dedicated to supporting people like YOU! If you`re looking for the *best rated* home business opportunities from an honest friend in the business, come by and grab a F-R-E-E subscription today at: http://www.homeworkforyou.org
Remember trading stamps? If you’re over 40, chances are you will. Every time you shopped at a participating grocery store or gas station they gave you stamps to paste into a book. When you’d accumulated enough stamps, you could cash them in for “free” gifts.
These stamps were one of the first loyalty programs. They kept customers loyal to a particular product or merchant because they offered an incentive that encouraged the customer to keep coming back - and spend more money.
While trading stamps are a thing of the past, a wide range of industries still use loyalty programs to establish long-term relationships with their customers. By far the most successful and well known is the frequent flyer program.
On the surface, frequent flyer programs appear to be all about rewarding customers with free flights just because they choose to fly with a particular airline - the more miles you fly the more free miles you get. But, if you asked the airlines who really benefits from these programs, chances are you’d hear a resounding, “We do.” Ask them to explain, and they’ll likely tell you that frequent flyer programs allow them to collect data on individual customers, help them tailor their mailings and special offers to the customer’s specific needs, allow them to promote higher fares, and ultimately increase their sales.
But, as popular as frequent flyer programs have become they only work if the service offered by the airline is good enough to earn the customer’s trust. And that means not only offering a quality flying experience but great customer service and on-going communication.
For smaller businesses, the benefits of establishing a loyalty program are no different to those enjoyed by the major airlines. And equally, the program’s success depends on first establishing the three most important elements of building that loyalty:
1. Treat your customer’s right, and they’ll be yours for life.
Your customers will not only judge your company by the quality of your product, but also by the level of service you offer. Offer one without the other and you may as well give up now.
Great customer service includes, among other things:
Credibility: Your customers should be able to trust you. No one wants to be on the alert for the small print or hidden charges. They want to know that your company can be trusted and has their best interests at heart.
Flexibility: Never use the words, “I’m sorry but it’s not our policy.” Always solve your customer’s problems, even if it means losing the sale. There’s nothing worse for a customer than a company that will not go out of their way to accommodate their needs.
On-time Deliveries: If you’ve ever ordered a product and been told that the delivery time is 6-8 weeks, you’ll understand the frustration a customer experiences. Unless the product is out of stock, or is an international delivery, there’s no earthly reason why a product should take 6-8 weeks to deliver. Similarly, if you promise a certain delivery time, you must abide by it. If you say the product will be shipped within 72 hours, then ship it within 72 hours. If for some reason you find you can’t meet the delivery time, notify the customer and give them the option to cancel their order.
Accurate Billing: We all know mistakes happen. But when you make a billing error or you overcharge, you immediately lose credibility. Add to that the time is takes for a customer to contact you to complain or get you to adjust the bill, and you may well have lost a future sale - and the potential sales of friends and family they’ve complained to.
Hassle-free refunds: We’ve all been there. For some reason we change our minds about a product, or it doesn’t work properly, or it’s not quite what we expected. And we want our money back. Make sure your customers know this is an easy process, up front.
2. Obtain Customer Information
If you want your loyalty program to succeed you must obtain background information from your customers. A program that only requires a name, address, and proofs of purchase isn’t building a long-term knowledgeable relationship with them. And it makes sense that a customer who will take the time to complete an enrollment form is going to be more interested in the product than a casual purchaser. When designing your enrollment form make sure you get information on product usage, purchasing habits, attitudes etc. That way you can tailor your products and services to your customer’s specific needs. And build a database of customers who actually want a long-term relationship with your company.
Keep Communicating
One of the easiest ways to keep customers loyal is to establish on going communication. This can be in the form of emails promoting special offers, letters announcing new products, electronic or print newsletters or even offering educational materials. Another good way of continuing communication is to send them something useful with your company name on it. These simple, inexpensive gifts keep your name in front of a customer, and help to keep them loyal.
Need some help thinking up a loyalty program for your business? Here are some suggestions.
- Gift certificates: Offer your customers a gift certificate when they spend a certain amount of money. For example, if they buy $200 worth of goods during a six-month period offer them a $25 gift certificate.
- Offer point programs: Give your customers points for every $10 or so they spend. When they’ve acquired a certain amount of points they can exchange them for selected goods or services.
- Free Shipping: This incentive is a sure-fire winner for mail order and online companies. Offer free shipping on orders over a certain amount or on future orders.
- Communications: Newsletters, pamphlets, direct mailings, postcards, magazines, white papers etc. All these can be used to increase customer loyalty. They don’t need to include a special offer or discount, but it will help.
Properly implemented loyalty programs are a long-term marketing strategy that takes a lot of work and commitment. But, getting new customers takes a lot of work too. So, it makes sense to do everything you can to make sure that every one of those customers keeps coming back time and time again, and recommends you to others.
About The Author
Julia is an independent copywriter and consultant specializing in advertising, search engine optimization and search engine marketing services. To learn more about how Julia can help boost your company’s profits visit her site at www.juliahyde.com. You may also like to sign up for Marketing Works! Julia’s monthly ezine. Visit www.juliahyde.com/form.html to sign up or email Julia at mailto:info@juliahyde.com for details.
If you are going to go on budget holidays, but you’re well past using Greyhound as a single mean of traveling, finding good, but inexpensive lodging on the course of your travels may become a problem. Those who found themselves sleeping in creepy dark closets that were advertised as “sunny inexpensive apartments” know that problem very well.
Fortunately finding good, but inexpensive lodging is still possible and in most cases it’s not even difficult. There are three main ways in which you can get it: Internet search, tourist boards and gossips.
Internet searches
The easiest and the most common method is just to go online and search for the hotels or hostels in the area. The best way is, however, not to use any search engine, but go for some dedicated lodging directory (in every even remotely popular holiday destinations there is at least one such website) and browse it carefully, looking for the cheapest offers. The strong point of this method is the fact that in most cases you will be able to see some reliable customers’ reviews. They will tell you more about general ambiance and quality of the place than anything else. What’s more, all the information you need are at the same website, saving you a lot of time and nerves.
“Rumor has it”
If for any reason you can’t find the information you need on the Internet, you can turn to your friends and workmates. Maybe someone has heard about a good lodging in the area or has even been there. While such information is usually somewhat outdated, they may be found helpful.
Tourist boards
When you are out of ideas, the last thing you can do is to contact the local tourist board. They will surely have the list of lodgings in their area and probably will be able to give you the contact information. In most cases being a member of a local tourist board gives a hotel some level or reliability - they will need to keep some standards or they risk being kicked off the board.
Interested in finding out more about inexpensive, high quality lodging in New Jersey and other states? Visit http://www.victoriasmountaininn.com for useful information.
On Mother’s Day, we celebrate the most important job on the planet.
Most moms appreciate being acknowledged, but many still feel overwhelmed by the pressures of daily life. They would like to fit more time with their children into their busy schedules, but don’t know how.
The solution may be easier than you imagine.
The most important thing you can do for your child is to create and nurture a strong, loving relationship between the two of you.
Here are 17 easy ways to strengthen your connection with your child:
The good news is: they don’t take much time.
- Always smile when your child comes in the room.
- Hug at least once a day. For older children and teens, who may be embarrassed, do it in private. Try telling them YOU are the one who needs it.
- Schedule time every day to connect with your child - to talk about how their day went or perhaps read together or play a short game of his or her choice. Regularity is more important than length of time.
- Include your children in your daily activities: Let them help in the kitchen or the garden, but keep the atmosphere light and the conversation easy - no scolding or criticizing.
- Make up poems or stories together - taking turns adding a line. Laughs are guaranteed.
- Use words of encouragement rather than criticism.
- If your child needs correcting, do it gently, in a way that teaches, without scolding or put-downs.
- Ask your children’s opinions often - about little things and also more important issues. Let them know you value their ideas.
- Watch TV programs together that will help your children to learn about life, then ask their opinion and talk about the issues from the show.
- Speak to them with courtesy: Say “Please” and “Thank you,” and use kind words.
- Apologize when you have been wrong. Show them we all make mistakes.
- Write a note to let them know you’re thinking about them - perhaps with a joke or funny message - and hide it in their lunch box, book bag or a dresser drawer.
- Don’t expect them to be perfect.
- Forgive easily - then gently help them learn from their mistakes.
- Let your children over-hear you praising them to someone else.
- Create a bed-time ritual. It may include reading a story or poem, saying a prayer, remembering loved ones, talking about the day, singing a song, making funny faces or anything that helps you end the day in a positive way.
- As you are falling asleep, think of something you appreciate about your child. Feel your love, and send some of it silently to your child.
Sweet dreams.
For a free e-book, “How to Get the Best from Your Children,” and for more information on how to create harmonious relationships with your children, you may go to: www.feelgoodparenting.com.
Pat and Larry Downing of Asheville, NC, have many years of experience counseling teenagers and their parents, conducting family mediations and leading workshops and support groups. They are co-authors of the e-Book, “Feel Good Parenting: How to Use the Power of Your Heart to Create an Extraordinary Relationship with Your Child.”
Copyright © 2005 by Patricia Downing
PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters and on websites, provided you include ALL the above information about the authors, as it appears, including copyright information and live website link.
