Often I find clients completely confused about ecommerce and shopping carts. They want to know if the steps of the purchase need to be built onto their own site, not always grasping that it's all built on the back end.
They need a solution that allows them to add and remove products so easily they don't need a programmer. So, I highly recommend 2Checkout. Details are at the box labelled "Our recommendations", which I've scrutinized or used myself http://www.allisonbliss.com/resources.htm.
This solution is easy to set up, has good tracking, low cost and really helpful customer support. Then, when companies have much more complicated inventory management requirements they can pay big bucks for those solutions.
I use my shopping cart to manage class sign ups, too. It makes it much easier for registrants.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
I Need It Right Now! Marketing Coach to the Rescue
I've noticed that a Marketing Coach is most helpful when someone needs an answer RIGHT NOW and you can respond when they're stuck on an issue.
One of my clients, a massage therapist, is opening a new wellness center expanding her offerings with partner practitioners. Naturally, I suggested as part of her expansion strategy to let her existing clients know about her new center.
She needed to get an invitation in print today so emailed me asking for an edit check on her text. It was fine, just needed some minor tweaking which I handled just while awaiting a callback. ahhh, mission accomplished.
So what does everyone else do when they don't have a coach standing by for them? Or the answer isn't available immediately on google? I'd certainly like to have someone standing by to help me but not sure where to find this mentor.
I'm always curious on sources. After all, Knowledge is Bliss, right?
One of my clients, a massage therapist, is opening a new wellness center expanding her offerings with partner practitioners. Naturally, I suggested as part of her expansion strategy to let her existing clients know about her new center.
She needed to get an invitation in print today so emailed me asking for an edit check on her text. It was fine, just needed some minor tweaking which I handled just while awaiting a callback. ahhh, mission accomplished.
So what does everyone else do when they don't have a coach standing by for them? Or the answer isn't available immediately on google? I'd certainly like to have someone standing by to help me but not sure where to find this mentor.
I'm always curious on sources. After all, Knowledge is Bliss, right?
When You Need Help Right Now: a Marketing Coach!
I've noticed that a Marketing Coach is most helpful when someone needs an answer RIGHT NOW and can respond when they're stuck on an issue.
One of my clients, a massage therapist, is opening a new wellness center expanding her offerings with partner practitioners. Naturally, I suggested as part of her expansion strategy to let her existing clients know about her new center.
She needed to get an invitation in print today so emailed me asking for an edit
check on her text. It was fine, and just needed some minor tweaking which I handled in between other duties today. ahhh, mission accomplished.So what does everyone else do when they don't have a marketing coach standing by for them or the answer isn't available immediately on Google? Sure a qualified coach will create a marketing plan with the right strategies, but sometimes you just need immediate help getting information to the media, preparing a proposal, fixing a website, writing a brochure, dealing with a difficult client or situation, or getting new projects in the door fast! That's where a responsive marketing coach comes in.
Trying to do it all by oneself is one of the top reasons for failure of small businesses, which I call the "lone wolf" syndrome: we feel we're smart and capable and should be able to do it all ourselves. In reality, we need help with those strategies, writing, design, websites, or even plumbing that we haven't the experience to do ourselves.
And for those who just need some marketing tips, here's a few to get you start:
We've an entire agency of writers, designers, web experts who are here to help when you're ready to ask. Wishing all readers huge successes this month!
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Is Publicity All It's Cracked Up to Be?
Again I got a call to do some publicity for a colleague's client. Why? Because often people think marketing is just publicity, that getting your name in print will create that tipping point to make a company a huge success.
However, doing publicity without the marketing strategy behind it can be very costly without producing sustained results. Sure your web traffic can skyrocket from a great article about your company, or your phone can ring off the hook for a day or two. But without solid marketing tactics to sustain that hit, results wane quickly.
For business owners trying to do their own publicity, I found Jill Lublin's co-authored book on guerilla publicity quite useful along with Bulldog Reporter's moderated interviews with the media.
But to do PR properly you must devote solid time and effort (gee is there anything worthwhile in life that doesn't require that?) to build a media list, do some media relations, create an editorial calendar of strategy for what you'll pitch to whom and when, plus craft astoundingly fascinating pitches that command attention with the right kind of follow up.
So few people do this correctly. Many business classes teach students to spam all publications with press releases that are basically sales pitches about their business. What a waste.
So, before spending huge sums on publicity, or conducting campaigns that waste time, take a look at your overall strategy to ensure it's the right one. A marketing coach or consultant can advise on that direction, and should be able to refer a good publicist when the strategy is sound. Once you know what to do, the actual doing of it is easy. Here's a free article that might offer some traditional print media tips, too. Or "Knowledge is Bliss" as we say.
However, doing publicity without the marketing strategy behind it can be very costly without producing sustained results. Sure your web traffic can skyrocket from a great article about your company, or your phone can ring off the hook for a day or two. But without solid marketing tactics to sustain that hit, results wane quickly.
For business owners trying to do their own publicity, I found Jill Lublin's co-authored book on guerilla publicity quite useful along with Bulldog Reporter's moderated interviews with the media.
But to do PR properly you must devote solid time and effort (gee is there anything worthwhile in life that doesn't require that?) to build a media list, do some media relations, create an editorial calendar of strategy for what you'll pitch to whom and when, plus craft astoundingly fascinating pitches that command attention with the right kind of follow up.
So few people do this correctly. Many business classes teach students to spam all publications with press releases that are basically sales pitches about their business. What a waste.
So, before spending huge sums on publicity, or conducting campaigns that waste time, take a look at your overall strategy to ensure it's the right one. A marketing coach or consultant can advise on that direction, and should be able to refer a good publicist when the strategy is sound. Once you know what to do, the actual doing of it is easy. Here's a free article that might offer some traditional print media tips, too. Or "Knowledge is Bliss" as we say.
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