Web Strategy

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It's very easy to get so caught up in the strategy, enhancements, special functionality, etc. online that simple things fall under the rug. We at Spartan some of that this week. Everyone learns from each other; sometimes earth-shattering revelations, sometimes not. Today, this is one of those humdrum bits of knowledge.

As more and more people are visiting, reading and learning from the regular online marketing and ecommerce business strategies, we're happy to see the volume of comments on new posts increase as well. After a bit of time patting myself on the back for such engaging posts, it became obvious there were two important items related to our blog's commenting functionality. One was working perfectly, the other was just plain non-existent!

We are proud to have the blog of Spartan hosted by WordPress.org. One of the great features built directly into the tool allows for moderation of comments. Wisely, we had decided to allow readers to make comments, but before they become live on the site, someone must approve them to appear. As long as you remain close to the blackberry or computer, comments can be easily reviewed and approved.

The second excellent feature unfortunately was not in use. Many websites deploy some form of CAPTCHA functionality. What's that? These are the slightly aggravating images with text you must enter into a box before your post can proceed. These systems are very effective at preventing spam and other automated comments. There are numerous free and effective tools to take care of this. But... the Spartan website wasn't using any of them, until NOW!

Effective websites will engage readers, entice them to continue to read and return, and most important - make a purchase. Don't neglect the small things that make this not only possible, but far less of a headache.

If you have questions about how to eliminate spam posts, or how to begin allowing your customers to comment on your website, contact Spartan today.

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Where do you focus your sales and marketing efforts?

Many businesses have traditionally selected either marketing directly to consumers or sales to trade/distributors. Prior to the blossoming of the internet, the primary choice had been to focus marketing effort on retailers and distributors of the product, who then invest their efforts and money into selling the products.

For decades, if someone wished to purchase an album from their favorite band, it was necessary to either find it in the stores, or pay to go to the concert where it might be sold. As a consumer, when I need to replace my dishwasher, the point of purchase will be a retail store. Of course, now there are dozens of research options to decide what option is best before heading to the store.

This distribution-reliant model in the current economic turbulence is wreaking havoc on most businesses. Due to depressed sales at Barnes & Noble , many book publishers have been shrinking staff, shrinking the amount of new products produced, and experiencing financial difficulties. Consumers instead are purchasing these products digitally through devices such as the ipad and kindle.  Yet this model is still based on the retailers' ability to sell the product to consumers, and continues to press the entire industry.

Some forward-thinking businesses are beginning to realize what successful marketers have known for quite some time. Marketing effort must be spent on both trade and consumer awareness. For example, no matter how hard you try, it is impossible to purchase a cold, refreshing Bud Light at Budweiser.com. Yet, it would be difficult to go a day without seeing some form of advertisement for a product they sell. Legal and logistical issues likely prevent direct sales from Budweiser, but they've come as close as possible to selling product directly to consumers.

I just read a recent spread on some new developments in New York's Fashion Week. The highly-visible, yet exclusive event has inspired fashion-lovers with the newest products from the new designers. The goal of the event has been to generate some consumer buzz, but is primarily an event to drive interest among buyers who will distribute the products. While quite effective, consumers then are left hunting for a way to start wearing the new fashions before everyone else. Now, many of the designers are hosting their own events, streaming the show live, and offering direct sales online - During The Show!

We can learn a lot from many aspects of the changing business and opportunities here.

  • If your business relies on sales to distributors or retailers to meet its bottom-line goals, start looking for alternatives.
  • It is not sufficient to merely drive interest among the buyers and retailers. Consumer desire for your products will ensure your distribution does increase.
  • Consumers love you and your products. There is little risk, but huge upside potential, in allowing your customers to purchase your product directly from you.
  • Whether difficult economic situations or just the desire to grow, it is critical to look for new means to reach consumers directly.

Are you investing in advertising and marketing directly to consumers? If not, contact Spartan to find out how you can move ahead in the game.

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Your hunt for expert, efficient ebusiness information and services may be over. Now that you've found Spartan, your online business is one step closer to the growth and success you've strived to find.

Whether you need an online strategy, a little help with some details, or perhaps just an expert voice in the industry, Spartan will provide that to you . Look around our website sections to find both information on services and helpful tips to expand your business for free.

Contact us today for any questions, or to find out how you can get your business running efficiently toward success.

Plus, register for a free site evaluation and you're business will never be the same!

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Building solid and loyal customers take patience, time, and a lot of effort. This must be a primary component of your online strategy. Yet, let's be honest. Sometimes, we just need visitors to the site, and we need them NOW!

What can you do to drive 1,000 new customers in a day, guaranteed?

Spend money

We should reiterate, sustainable and profitable website traffic comes as a result of a solid online strategy, and specific customer retention efforts. Short-term blasts of traffic in most cases result in short-term success. However, using some paid methods to drive specific interest in a hot promotion can be a valuable component of your strategy.

In our experience, Google's AdWords program is the most predictable and legitimate source of paid visitors online. You can read more about Google AdWords here  .

Why it might make sense for you

These are the most important elements of the program for your business success.

  1. Pay for performance. You only pay for visitors that actually come to your site.
  2. Control of your advertising. The promotional content and the keywords or phrases that trigger your ads are entirely within your control.
  3. Budget protection. There is nothing worse than discovering you've blown your budget by 10 AM. The Google tool makes it very easy for you to limit the total amount you will spend in a single day, by capping the total amount and evenly spreading it throughout the day.
  4. Access to all online searchers. Although you only serve your ad to people who search for keywords you purchase, Google's network covers the largest number of people online.

What negatives to consider

  1. Competitive situation. If you are selecting keywords in a very competitive space (such as electronics, finance, health), the price per click can be quite high. Take a hard look at the keywords you are purchasing to ensure the price will allow you to make a profit.
  2. Broad keyword selections. While it can be tempting to select very general terms (like "bookstore" if you sell books), these terms tend to produce very high cost and virtually no return. When researching your keywords, focus on terms that are general enough to drive significant volume, yet more specifically tied to your individual products.

Need help with your strategy?

These online tools offer solid assistance for those exploring entry into Google Keyword Advertising.

Or, contact Spartan today and we'll sort it all out for you.

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It's been said that customers decide whether to remain on a website within 8 seconds. Rather than dissecting the validity of the claim, let's examine the implications of this statement on your business. Why debate seconds when we can explore the truth behind the statistic?

First impressions online are as important (if not more) than meeting someone personally. Like a personal meeting, your guest scans you and your appearance for visual clues. Can this person benefit me in some way? Do I think we will share interests? What does this person think of me? The questions can be endless.

Let's translate this personal meeting to your website and its guests.

Can this person benefit me in some way?

On entering your website, customers should see instantly what you have to offer them. As tempting as it may be to show a fancy graphic, display your mission statement, or talk about how long you've been in business, few customers are interested in this. On the web, there are thousands of other search results, so make sure you make a valuable impression.

Give customers a reason to stay or connect with  you. What do online customers value?

  • Immediate and Free gifts
  • Valuable information or products
  • Sense of community

The easiest to implement and establish is providing your visitors with an immediate free gift. Offer your site visitors a discount (online or in your store) for joining your email list. This opens the value relationship focused on the visitor. Whether the person spends anything or not, by capturing the email address, you are now able to continue conversation with them until they are ready. Plus, having the email name on your file opens many more opportunities for monetization.

Check back for answers to the other questions.

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At the core of every business lies the same principle. Customers must generate more revenue for the business than is required to remain in business. Easily said, yet more difficult to accomplish.

Many businesses have relatively simple business models. Customers enter the store, website, etc. and leave having paid for some items. Managing that business model relies on very simple factors.

  • Constant flow of customers
  • Profitable pricing strategy
  • Effective conversion to purchase

Online, we have even more options. Of course we are all familiar with the ecommerce model made popular a decade earlier by Amazon. Yet, on the same website where we hope to produce product sales online, we have other options.

  • Cross-channel revenue
  • Passive-consumer profit
  • Affiliate business

The first step in any online strategy is to define the primary goal of the website. However, this need not be to the exclusion of any ancillary monetization strategy. The beauty here is if you fail at your primary objective, you may still produce revenue from the site visitor by another means.

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Welcome to Spartan eBusiness. Our goal is to create lasting successful business online, with expert and efficient tools and strategies. This is the introductory post, of what will become daily updates. We strive to provide small to medium-sized businesses and authors with the tips, tools, techniques and inspiration to capitalize on the success possible online.

  • Daily Tips for new programs and strategies to try.
  • Case-studies and examples of successful and effective programs you can do yourself
  • Commentary and guidance to bring the ever-evolving technology and strategies into focus

Plus, we’ll do our best to have a little fun along the way as well. Good luck!

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There are two things that always manage to bring a smile to my face. One is when I come home and am greeted with the resounding “Daddy(a)” from the kids as I enter the door. Priceless… The other is when someone launches a new website and expects everyone, I mean all 2 Billion people online, to come to the site. Tell me, why would someone who is interested in finding the best deal on knickers come to your site about where you talk about your latest struggle with the annoying Walmart greeter?

In both cases, the fleeting moment passes. My kids go back to fighting and whining, and everyone else keeps searching Google or Bing to find something useful. If you plan to find a way to make money, increase your exposure, or build a successful business online, it is imperative you find an audience.

There are some very simple steps to online success:

  • Define your audience
  • Create content suitable and interesting to your audience
  • Engage them so they come back over, and over, and over again

Let’s swing back to the kid analogy. I get home at roughly the same time each day. They respond in the same way each day as well. It doesn’t take a rocket-scientist to infer that people respond to regularity in a predictable way. How does this apply online? Very simple – “arrive home” every day at the same time and people will be there to meet you (if they care about you). If you put up new content Monday afternoon, Thursday evening and the Tuesday morning – why would you expect people to come look to see what you have to say?

Try as we might – people will always be creatures of habit. You can either ignore that, and post new items and news when you feel like it. Or, you can embrace human nature, put yourself on a schedule, and be online like clockwork. Trust me, it’s the step one in the recipe to success online.