• Names that identify the source of products or services in the marketplace are trademarks.
• Trademarks that are clever, memorable or suggestive are protected under federal and state law.
• Trademarks that are descriptive and have achieved distinction through sales and advertising can be protected under federal and state law.
• One trademark legally conflicts with another when the use of both trademarks is likely to confuse customers about the products or services, or their source.
• In the case of a legal conflict with a later user, the first commercial user of a trademark owns it.
• If a legal conflict is found to exist, the later user will likely have to cease using the mark – and may even have to pay the first trademark owner damages.

Dan told me if you can answer ‘no’ to every one of these questions you can feel reasonably confident to proceed to use your domain name without fear of creating a legal conflict. If you answer yes to any of them, you will always be at risk of a legal challenge down the road. If you are uncertain, you should run your concerns by a trademark attorney for an opinion. He said you can anticipate that the attorney will be more conservative than is actually necessary [!], but you still may benefit from having a trained eye go over your choices and reasoning, and you will surely gain a better understanding of what your options and expectations are.

Daniel A. Pepper, Esq. is the managing member of the New Jersey-based law firm Pepper Law Group, LLC, and has been practicing law since 1994. His practice areas include First Amendment rights, obscenity law, Internet Law, software and technology licensing, electronic commerce, and intellectual property protection. Mr. Pepper regularly advises his clients on cross-border technology transfers, affiliate, distribution, and marketing, technology deployment, e-commerce and Internet strategies, including compliance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and data security and privacy management. The Pepper Law Group website can be found at: www.informationlaw.com, and the firm can be reached at 908.698.0330.

So Steven started by telling me that QR (Quick Response) codes are the small barcode squares showing up in an increasing number of print ads, billboards, business cards, and other media. Mobile users scan the QR code with their mobile device and then are automatically redirected to a website (preferably, a mobile site), a video, a social media page, and so on. Steven told me QR codes were invented by Denso Wave of Japan and were originally intended to be used in the automobile industry. As soon as the advertising industry realized the codes could be used as marketing tools, their popularity took off. At present, QR codes are free of any license fees and to date Denso Wave has chosen not to exercise their patent rights.

In a study by comScore, 14 million mobile users scanned a QR code or barcode in June 2011. Some 58% of these users scanned a QR code or barcode while they were at home, while 39% scanned them in retail stores. Also of marketing note, 53% of the 14 million users were men between the target ages of 18 and 34.

As the statistics show, QR codes are perfect for advertising materials and packaging. They can provide users with a more interactive experience. Mobile users often feel that they will gain access to more exclusive information if they follow the code.

As I said above, I haven’t done this yet, but to scan a QR code you need to download a QR code reader for your smartphone. These readers are available free of charge from any app store.

Steven continued our discussion saying there are other types of codes used in the market today, the most popular being QR codes and Microsoft tags. QR codes are the more popular choice, and this is especially true in the United States, where QR codes have gained a lot of traction with client companies including The Mobile Payment Conference, the Los Angeles Downtown Art Walk, Real Estate Giant Keller Williams, and Sempra Energy that have started incorporating them into relevant packaging, events and advertising.

Steven did have a cautionary point to make: Although there are websites that will create free QR codes, there are multiple benefits to choosing a paid provider for this service. He said you never know what kind of quality you are getting with a free service. It’s important to note that a QR code from a free service provider may not scan as readily as one from a paid provider.
His second recommendation deals with the marketing and tracking management of multiple codes. If you are running a number of campaigns concurrently, you may discover it difficult to manage and track them without a platform that organizes everything for you. It can also be difficult for you to share information with employees and coworkers in different locations if you have teams working on the campaigns. Some providers also give you the ability to change the URL. This comes in handy because it allows you to print codes, put them in your ads and marketing materials, and then specify the URL you want the code to lead to. You want to be able to do this on the fly if you are tracking social or viral trends and trying to influence the message! …And this minimizes the problem of the code leading to a wrong URL, as has happened to a number of companies. You really need to exercise care as to which professional company you choose to partner with to take advantage of all the marketing opportunities available through QR code marketing and advertising, and many of the existing providers do not leverage the interactivity of mobile messaging to the extent possible, as a way for product brands to interact with their target markets. The Mission Mobile messaging software enables companies to generate a more unique mobile experience. This includes interactive replies maximizing consumer interaction with your brand.

When all is said and done, by choosing a paid provider for your QR codes, you receive reporting and analytics tools that allow you to track all your campaigns and quantify how effective your QR code advertising really is. These tools can also help you determine in which advertising medium you are getting the best responses.

Steven’s real-world list of applications for QR codes:

• In Print ads: Use QR codes in print ads to direct the mobile user to your website (preferably your mobile site).
• In Magazines: Use QR codes to let readers access exclusive info on the website or mobile site.
• In Social media: QR codes make it easy for users to connect with your social media pages.
• For Downloading: QR codes make it quick and easy for users to download your apps.
• Exclusive material: Direct readers to exclusive videos using QR codes.
• In Existing advertising: Use QR codes to help leverage your existing advertising and make it interactive.
• In Videos: Use QR codes to connect customers to video tutorials.
• At Tradeshows: Add QR codes for an interactive element in your booth and on tradeshow materials.
• On Business cards: Use QR codes on your business cards to display your contact information.

QR codes can:

• Deliver an interactive marketing experience to your mobile audience.
• Measure various media effectiveness.
• Improve integration of online and offline campaign components.
• Keep you at the forefront of the technology advertising curve.

QR Code Marketing Tips from Mission Mobile:

What is the goal of your QR code?

• To provide product information.
• To provide easy access to a mobile app.
• To generate leads.
• To create a call-to-action response.
• To retain customers.
• To drive traffic.

How will you add value for your mobile users?

• Save them time.
• Reduce costs.
• Enhance the user experience.
• Deliver mobile-friendly content.

What kind of user assistance will you offer?

• How-to steps.
• Links for downloading a reader app.
• Provide an SMS text messaging alternative for users without the scanner.

How will you ensure that your QR code works?

• Test to ensure codes are accurately scanning.
• Examine code size and placement across different readers and handsets.

Steven Levine is the President of Mission Mobile and I want to thank him for providing me with basic foundational information on the QR code phenomenon. It’s a great place to start. His Mission Mobile is a mobile marketing company specializing in QR codes, text messaging and mobile Web development. He can be reached at Steve at missionmobile dot net.

Talk to me about some mobile billing options I’ve recently come across utilizing interactive elements to generate more revenue from your own mobile site traffic, as well as Anonymous and global cash options, and many other payment solutions that help you capture every possible sale on your sites.

Mail me at: traffic at giant sense dot com.

Okay, the reviews are coming in – and they are certainly mixed! Are you finding successful ROI from your Google, Facebook and Twitter ad campaigns? Is it really worth the investment, or is social ad network marketing proving a disappointment for you?

Many marketers feel that when you build up an official presence in one arena and find success there, that you should also achieve successful results in advertising within that same market. Well, that is unfortunately not always the case. Google search engine listings and Google AdWords advertising has given many marketers proof of that theory in-action, while not nearly as many have seen joint success between Facebook fan pages and Facebook Ads – or similarly Twitter accounts and Twitter advertising.

I’m a big fan of eMarketer.com and investigate and pursue many marketing theories based on their research and reports. They recently observed that because of the huge success to marketers who have used Google AdWords over the years, many have had high hopes they will see similar results with Google+. Sadly, the experts believe that because of the social networking similarities between Google+ and Facebook, Google+ advertising will ultimately have all of the same drawbacks and benefits experienced with Facebook advertising. The problem, it seems, is not just in the type of people who use social networking, but the very behaviors of those individuals.

EyeTrackShop researched and published a study that tracked the eye movements [Do you believe they are an online eye-tracking solutions firm?] of Swedish participants on a typical Facebook newsfeed layout with all advertising placed on the right-hand side of the page. Then they tracked the eye movements of these same participants on a mock-up of a Google+ newsfeed layout – with, you guessed it, advertisements similar to those seen on Facebook on the right-hand side of the page. Google+ still does not feature ads, but EyeTrackShop added them in the mock-up so they could simulate and track user behavior.

Users viewed both pages in much the same manner, maintainign their focus primarily on the center of the page, moving to the left first, and then to the right where we know the ads were located. According to revenue estimates from eMarketer.com, Facebook will receive as much as $4 billion in global ad revenue for these ads, so if Google was to recreate the same format they could yield similar results. With the right-hand column being viewed last, however, Google+ may well want to consider placing ads in the left-hand column instead! All this from Eye Tracking

Real Results: Tracking Social Network Ad Engagement

Tracking eye movements of typical social network users is one thing, but tracking the engagement and activities of those users within the social ad network is quite another. How many of those users are clicking on the advertisements, watching videos, following calls to action or interacting with the advertising brands in some fashion? Share your real-world experience and results…

Which mobile device do you prefer, and what does that say about you and your generation?

A study conducted by Affinity Research revealed a generational gap dividing users based upon their mobile device preference – which was the most comfortable for them? Despite the differences, eMarketer said that over 91 million consumers in the US are now accessing the Internet via their mobile device at least once a month. This is a big jump from the end of 2010 figure – 77.8 million US-based mobile Internet users. This is important to know for your retail sales marketing, but also very important in targeting these generational groups through all of your social media marketing efforts as well.

The study and analysis revealed some interesting measures, including stats showing different mobile device preferences attributed directly to the generational group to which one belongs. Older consumers favored tablets and e-readers as their Internet-connected mobile devices of choice while the younger users gravitated toward the use of their smartphones.

According to Affinity, more than any other consumer age group, Generation X users are most likely to own a tablet. However, another study conducted by GfK MRI showed that the addition of e-readers into the tablet category showed that the usage rate by Gen Xers could be much higher. For example, the GfK MRI report revealed that Gen X users were actually 25% more likely than other US adults to own either an e-reader or mobile tablet device.

So what drives the tablet-based mobile device preference of the Gen X users? All these studies would suggest that income may be a big influence – compared to older senior users, as well as younger users who might not be able to afford the tablet devices. Further study of the results show that wealthy Gen Xers were more likely to own newer more powerful devices across the board, with 63% of Gen Xers with annual household incomes of $100,000 or more, much more likely to own a tablet PC than other lower-income Gen Xers. It is important for marketers to note that more Gen X males were likely to own tablets than their female counterparts.

However, both the GfK MRI and Affinity studies showed a strong preference among Baby Boomers to own e-reader type devices. The GfK MRI study further showed that Baby Boomers were more likely to own a Kindle than Millennials and Gen Xers. The Affinity Research report showed that on average, Boomers were 19% more likely to own an e-reader than other consumers. Industry experts feel the growth in e-reader ownership within the Baby Boomer generation might be due to the basic and straight-forward nature of e-reader devices – so think ease of use! Again, marketers should also note that within the Baby Boomer generation, e-reader use is slightly more prevalent with the female consumers than with their Boomer male counterparts.

Both studies showed that the Millennial group was less likely than either the Boomers or the Gen Xers to own a tablet PC or e-reader. This younger generation surpasses both groups in its adoption of smartphone devices for Internet access. Among the many labels attributed to this group by marketers are the aptly descriptive “Gadget Generation” and “Digital Natives.” Millennials are shown to be 28% more likely than other consumer group to own a smartphone. In fact, 46.5 million Millennials already own one and use it regularly to access the Internet. Another 24 million Millennials are planning to purchase one within the next six months. According to a study published by the folks at Pew Internet & American Life Project, marketers should note that the younger end of the Gen X spectrum and the Millennials own more smartphones than device users over the age of 35.

The Boomers were born generally between 1946 and 1964, from there to 1981 encompasses Generation X, which is followed by Generation Y or the Millennials until about 2000, and then Generation Z mostly born in the new century and also known as the Internet Generation or Generation Text! There is a lot of overlap based on many factors, but when digesting all the new mobile device data available to marketers understanding access and motivation for each of these groups is essential. Experts at eMarketer had previously predicted that US-based advertisers would spend over $1.6 billion on mobile digital advertising through 2012, but the actual expenditures are proving up as much as 80%, and expectation now is for the US mobile ad spend to be more than $2.6 billion with about half going to Google! Mobile marketers can make certain that they spend wisely enticing these four generational groups if they take into account the usage preferences and demographics published in these studies. Now get busy analyzing and adjusting your mobile plan!

I am the CMO of NetCash, and in addition to providing the best in Anonymous and Cash payments online, I am interested in sourcing and combining multiple financial services into flexible secure payout and pay-in systems, e-wallets and pre-paid card programs. This includes payroll or commissions for organizations required to pay participants, members, 1099-contractors or employees on a global scale – any currency, any where, any time.

If I can help you solve a problem or reach a goal, please contact me for more information HERE, or complete my form below so I can assess your sites, send our brochures and even set up a demo.

The questions you ask when considering a pay-in-payout system for your Company are many and varied. If you are researching and analyzing a commission payments or payroll platform now, making comparisons or upgrading, or think you may in the near future, consider the following in your due diligence:

• 1. What is the biggest payments challenge you face in your organization that once removed would free up resources?
• 2. What is the biggest commission related complaint from distributors and representatives that once solved would improve relations?
• 3. How has past experience influenced your current thinking and payments practices? Improved, limited, or are you even avoiding a decision?
• 4. What kind of pay-in-payout solution would best fit your current needs if it were available for you to consider?
• 5. What contributes to the challenges you face in your payments department that if removed would decrease your costs and increase your revenue?
• 6. Who needs to be involved for optimal results with any payments solution considered by your organization?
• 7. What would it take right now to motivate you to change your pay-in-payout, e-wallet and prepaid card solution?
• 8. Which facts should a commission payments provider consider before approaching your specific concerns?
• 9. Were minimal technical resources required to effect a change of pay-in-payout providers, how much would this influence a decision to change?
• 10. Do you stick with a platform ‘that works’ out of fear of change or the unknown?
• 11. How much does distributor or representative loyalty contribute to your success and how do you motivate and retain them?
• 12. Would both speedier delivery of commissions and lower fees help you to attract and retain more distributors and representatives?
• 13. If you had the ability to pay commissions to distributors efficiently in over 240 countries would this help you meet global expansion goals and drive more traffic and revenues?
• 14. Would the availability of live customer service for your worldwide distributors influence your payment platform choice?
• 15. If you already have a platform in place, what is the one factor that might motivate you to make a change?

Whether you are adding a pay-in-payout platform or are operating with one already, your distributors are the lifeblood of your organization, and keeping them happy and productive is at the forefront of your concerns.  Swift arrival of commissions into their e-wallets and multiple options for delivery and use of the funds is a primary distributor concern, as well as a prime factor in their loyalty and retention.  If your distributor base is confined to the US or UK or EU only, worldwide coverage is not as important, but if you want to access key drivers of online traffic around the globe, research pay-in-payout platforms with the greatest coverage and ease of use and options for all your distributors.  After your statements are generated, how long does it take your distributors to see their funds available?  This is important to them!  Make certain settlement times are an element of your comparisons.

I am the CMO of NetCash, and in addition to providing the best in Anonymous and Cash payments online, I am interested in sourcing and combining multiple financial services into flexible secure payout and pay-in systems, e-wallets and pre-paid card programs. This includes payroll or commissions for organizations required to pay participants, members, 1099-contractors or employees on a global scale – any currency, any where, any time.

If I can help you solve a problem or reach a goal, please contact me for more information HERE, or complete my form below so I can assess your sites, send our brochures and even set up a demo.

If your goal is a higher rank on Google there are quite a number of different things you can do. However, your site first has to have the most basic of things, including your best design efforts, structure, navigation and management. Without this foundation, there’s no point in working hard to jockey for a top position – it’s never going to happen. This post features a list of the most basic elements you can fix today that will have Google stop hating you, have Google learn to like you and maybe even one day love you.

#1 – Your Website – Clean It Up
Would you say you have a messy website? You should be thinking here about banner ads, pop-ups and other garbage that would irritate your average site visitor. Google “views” your site in much the same way your visitors see it, so chances are if you’ve got all that interference going on, you’ve disrupted the spiders and irritated Google too. Clean up banner ads and try a more straight-forward approach. Make it easyr for your site visitors to view your content, deliver what they are looking for and perhaps even make a purchase. Keep your visitors happy – and you can measure that in conversions and return visits – you’ll be making Google happy too.

#2 – Target Relevant Keywords and Key Phrases
You’ve got to tell Google you have relevancy for specific keywords and key phrases – otherwise it does not know. You must target your primary keywords by placing them prominently on your page. The title bar and the header is a great place to start, but you can also use heading tags to attract some attention. You just can’t expect Google to decipher that you have a specific type of content based upon a small, text-based tagline at the bottom of an inner Web page. Use your relevant keywords strategically and well – don’t just throw them into the mix and hope that they’ll do some good.

#3 – Do Not Duplicate Content
You and I, we have our pet peeves, well, this happens to be Google’s. Google hates it when you post duplicate content to your website – anything that has already been posted on other websites or blogs. There are tools you can use to check for duplicate content, such as the one available at Copyscape.com. If you want to see the Google love, infuse your site with unique and original content that can’t be found anywhere else. The more original your Web page content, the higher your page will rank in the Google index. If you really must re-use an article, make certain to re-write it yourself or you can hire a professional re-writer to get the job done effectively for you.

#4 – Make It Clean from the Start
Cleaning up a messy site can make a difference in the appreciating of yoursite, but like all things in life, it’s best to do things the right way from the start. If from the first day you’ve launched a great SEO-friendly site, that’s much better than attempting to clean up a bad site to get back in Google’s good graces. Make your site user-friendly – it must be easy to read, navigate direct and simple, and filled with relevant content that is frequently updated on a regular basis. A major concern of disabled users is accessibility and these days it’s vitally important to cater to the mobile visitors to your site – create site versions for all major devices so the user experience is the best it can be for all who arrive.

#5 – Take It Easy on the Flash
Now – for the last point. If you include elements in the construction of your site that cannot be viewed by the bulk of your visitors, or shut out specific demographics altogether, you might want to reconsider your original design. Sure, these sites with Flash look great, but Flash has virtually no SEO value. You have to be heavy on the text-based content that the engines can read and love to devour. If they can’t index your content and scan your keywords they will rank your site accordingly – that’s where the hate comes in. When working with your developers or playing with site creation yourself, keep your site design simple, create easy to read content, and emphasize quick clean loading.

I am the CMO of NetCash, and in addition to providing the best in Anonymous and Cash payments online, I am interested in sourcing and combining multiple financial services into flexible secure payout and pay-in systems, e-wallets and pre-paid card programs. This includes payroll or commissions for organizations required to pay participants, members, 1099-contractors or employees on a global scale – any currency, any where, any time.

If I can help you solve a problem or reach a goal, please contact me for more information HERE, or complete my form below so I can assess your sites, send our brochures and even set up a demo.

You know we have 168 hours each week in which to live our lives. Most of us sleep for 48 hours, work for 45 hours, and spend eight hours a week eating. When you add the hours devoted to hygiene, to the getting ready to sleep, work and eat hours, we have a very limited amount of time left over…and if you are involved in global payment processing or commission payment services…well most of us probably work 65 hours plus…

The government has stated that an hour of exercise per day is recommended – WHEN!?

My friend Fred Williams at The Fitness Clinic here in Fort Lauderdale says the most common excuse people use for not being fit is, “I just don’t have time.” The question he likes to answer is, “how long does it really take to maintain a respectable level of fitness?” The question he asks as a fitness professional is “with the time you can personally allocate, what should you do to maximize your own fitness?”

In answering this and other questions, he gathers information on which types of sports or physical activities you have participated in – in the past. He says that a person has to find some enjoyment in an activity in order for there to be any chance of them sticking with it for the time needed to see results – and of course sticking with it is the whole key – consistency. Next, there must be a realistic goal – not looking like the girl or guy in the magazine or on television, but looking at ones overall potential coupled with the time that can be invested in exercise, to determine an achievable goal. He believes most people can attain their realistic goals by spending three hours per week on a fitness plan. This amount of time can be incorporated into a well-balanced lifestyle, and if the activities are properly conducted, there will be significant changes. He tells people to expect to experience within 30 days: more energy, better sleep, improved muscle tone, and fat reduction when this amount of exercise becomes a part of their week. The great part is that when a person does commit to 30 days of a three-hour-per-week fitness plan and sets up a proper program, the expectations above do occur, the motivation level swiftly rises, and making this regimen a lifestyle becomes the reality – and then a committed certainty.

Sounds simple, right?

Determining the correct frequency (how often), intensity (how hard), and duration (how long) for the program, as well as what types of exercise to include is crucial. He always incorporates a combination of cardiovascular, Resistance and Flexibility exercise, depending on the needs and goals of the individual. His goal is always compliance, and finding creative ways to increase compliance [kind of like the payments industry!]. No one who starts an exercise program expects to stop, yet according to fitness industry statistics, 90% of all people who join a gym quit within 90 days. Not with Fred, which is why I’m doing one or two sprint triathlons every weekend in addition to the resistance training ;-D

The area that obviously needs to be a part of this whole successful approach to fitness and a healthy lifestyle is the food plan – that’s what he calls it, he never says diet. The choices made when it comes to what to eat and drink, and when to eat and drink, are the very foundation of being fit and healthy. Food planning has a tremendous effect on energy level as well as body fat percentage. Portion control and evenly distributing caloric consumption throughout the day along with moderation, are all steps in the right direction. Too many people desiring fast results fall into unhealthy diet programs and fail with quick weight-loss products. Although initially the scale weight may drop quickly (most likely due to water loss), it rarely if ever lasts – and this can cause disruption to the metabolism resulting in more frustration later. People who choose this method often end up weighing more a few weeks after this type of diet than before they started it, and definitely more frustrated.

Fred’s partner Nick likes to say, “New Concept! Diet and Exercise!”

Many people in their attempt to “get back in shape” will take up an activity, perhaps one they were involved in many years ago, and promptly injure themselves – thus defeating the whole purpose of beginning again. The recommended approach would be to exercise properly for a period of time by incorporating specific stretching, strengthening, and cardiovascular exercises, with a short-term goal of resuming or beginning their sport of choice. In other words, get in shape to play ones sport versus playing ones sport thinking it will get one in shape. Not only will this be more enjoyable, but they’ll probably play it better for longer at a better level, with less chance of injury. As time goes by the sport can be used as a good part of the exercise program, and because they enjoy it and are now able to perform it safely and effectively, they will most likely stick with it – which was the original goal. Of course, this is not the American way! We can do it ourselves, right? As a result of our methods to “lose 30 pounds in 30 days” or “eat all you want and still lose weight,” as a nation we are more unfit and overweight than ever before.

Fred’s proven thousands of times with all ages and types of people over the past 20 years, the real truth about being fit and he sums it up in the following sentence, “All you really need is three hours per week, some quality initial instruction, a 30 day commitment – and you can be on the road to achieving your goals.” Wherever you are, working in direct selling, payment services, prepaid card services, global ACH or ewallets, get fit and do your best work. We all labor in an intensive hi-stress vertical, and I know in my case working out and keeping fit keeps me balanced; I don’t know what I would do without it. If you are in the Fort Lauderdale area, stop in and see Fred so he can stop or reverse the aging process through a personalized approach to exercise and healthy eating – he guarantees it, and I’m the living proof.

If those New Year’s resolutions have already faded into oblivion, we’re still in Q1 and there is plenty of time to reassess your personal work and fitness regimen, and get started on a more productive you now. You can still make 2012 your best year yet.

It doesn’t matter what type of business you do on the Web, or whether you cater to B2B or B2C markets, creating a quality form for your website should always be a top priority. But let’s talk about what makes a form good or bad. Some developers think that if they cram in a bunch of colors, add well-written text and lots of plug-ins, they’ve got the whole thing covered and nailed down. The fact is if you focus on just those areas, you will only solve a small portion of the problems that most developers face with regard to form usability.

Let’s agree that forms are essential to increasing your online business. They help you to establish a method for contacting potential customers or clients – by adding them to newsletter mailing lists, alerting customers through shopping cart abandonment notifications or other essential marketing tools. They also help you to zero in on what your customers want from your website and brand. Understanding what people want is most of the battle. Once you establish a clear picture of your site visitors and their needs, you can adjust your marketing tactics and increase your conversions.

Define Usability
Standard website usability is defined as the effectiveness and efficiency with which users are able to achieve specific goals within a Web-based environment. You should always establish a goal for your site users – either to make a sale or sign up to receive free content or information. In order to accomplish both of these actions, you’ll have to require your users to fill out some type of form. The viability of your form and its ability to elicit key information from your visitors is essential to the success of your online business. Forms are used to help your visitors achieve their goals – and to help YOU achieve YOUR goals – so they must be effective and easy to use.
There are six primary ingredients necessary to create an effective form. I want to help you understand these essential ingredients and find ways to implement them effectively in order to get the best results from your forms. Once you understand how these elements work, and why they are so important, building a productive form will be easier than ever.

#1 – Actions

Actions are the buttons or links that help the user to perform an ‘action’ like submitting the form or continuing on to the next part of the purchasing process.

#2 – Help

Always provide a help section to give users information on how to fill out the form and to answer any questions they might have regarding why certain information is required.

#3 – Input Fields

These are the fields where users can provide feedback and information and include fields such as check boxes, radio buttons, basic text fields, password fields, etc.

#4 – Labels

You use Labels to describe what is required from the user in each field.

#5 – Messages

You use Messages to give instant feedback directly to the user based upon the information they input into the form, such as an indication that the form was completed and submitted properly or that more information is needed in order to complete the form.

#6 – Validation

Use this element to validate that the information submitted by the user is acceptable, such as properly formatted phone number or email address.

Different Types of Forms
You will ultimately use different methods or approaches – these will be dependent on the type of form you are creating. What are your goals with the form? Do you want to elicit feedback from your customers? Do you want the user to sign up for a marketing newsletter or maybe establish a customer account? Do you want to create a point of contact for potential clients? The majority of businesses use three basic types of forms. Read on to find a basic description of each to help you determine which approach could be best for you and your specific goals.

Appearance Forms
These forms will help you to establish a conversation and relationship with your site visitors, customers and clients simply by their appearance. Design plays a vitally important role in the development of these forms. Make certain you adhere to the guidelines posted above and include those six elements in your design. When you have created a well-planned, aesthetically pleasing Web form, you will get better results. Pay particular attention to the alignment of your fields, labels and actions. It is important to create a form that not only looks good, but performs well too.

Conversation Forms
If your goal is to establish a dialogue between yourself and the people who visit your website, this is the form type for you. Remember that a conversation is a two-way street – it’s not just about customers giving you information and interacting with you about their experiences on your website, it’s also about you communicating back with them to answer questions, solve problems and let them know about new products or services that are available. Be responsive and don’t use aggressive wording. Make sure there is a natural flow of conversation to ensure that your customers feel comfortable with this type of form.

Relationship Forms
Some forms are designed to help create the relationship between your business and your customers or clients. Because online relationships especially must be built on credibility and trust, it’s important to establish this trust right in your form. You can achieve this through the use of proper wording, color, imagery and a well-placed and respected logo. Users feel much better when they know the form they are filling out comes from a trusted source. Use this form to get to know your visitors, asking appropriate and effective questions that will help you to paint a clearer picture of what your customers want and need from your business. Branding is key here as well; the better known your brand, the more trust that will be placed in your form.

Experiment and innovate – you know forms are a necessary evil and most savvy customers these days must first trust your brand before divulging any personal information. Polls, surveys, purchases…Web forms have become a central element of our Web interactive experience. Make yours as simple, easy and painless as possible!

I am the CMO of NetCash, and in addition to providing the best in Anonymous and Cash payments online, I am interested in sourcing and combining multiple financial services into flexible secure payout and pay-in systems, e-wallets and pre-paid card programs. This includes payroll or commissions for organizations required to pay participants, members, 1099-contractors or employees on a global scale – any currency, any where, any time.

If I can help you solve a problem or reach a goal, please contact me for more information HERE, or complete my form below so I can assess your sites, send our brochures and even set up a demo.

A study completed not so long ago by the good folks at Marketing Sherpa showed us that 70% of visitors to your website will end up making a purchase. Unfortunately, they won’t all make the purchase from you; some will buy it from your competitors, but most of them won’t do it right away. What this shows is the vital importance of building a relationship with your site’s visitors so you will be at the forefront of their minds when they are ready to finally make a purchase.

The popular name in the marketing realm for this strategy is “lead nurturing,” and it’s the process of developing a relationship through the use of specific e-mail marketing mailers that are targeted, relevant and valuable to your customers in some way. The goal of the e-mails is to elicit some type of action from your recipient list as a means of engaging with your business of their own volition. Another study conducted by the folks at Forrester Research showed that companies can increase their sales-ready-leads by 50% and save 33% per lead just by taking advantage of the lead nurturing techniques.

Here are some tips to help you increase your e-mail marketing results:

On Building Your List

Before you can successfully market to your list of prospects – you need a list of prospects!
You should build your e-mail marketing list by offering lead forms on your website and encouraging opt-in e-mail address submissions. The best way to do this is by giving your visitors a reason to opt-in on your list, such as a free e-book download, a request for additional information or some other type of free content. Make sure you specify what you will be giving away to them. You don’t want to create a negative relationship with these prospective customers before you even get started!

On Sending Your Mailers

The most important thing to remember when creating and sending your mailers is to keep them relevant to your prospective customers. Categorize your leads by the topic(s) they were interested in at the time of opt-in. If they downloaded one of your e-books with tips for a specific type of product or service, make sure to send them mailers on related topics. You can also include links to additional products, services or resources that are similar to what they initially marked an interest in learning more about. Make them as personal as possible and include your name and return e-mail address in the “from” line of the e-mail, personalizing the message so that you are also reminding visitors why they visited your website in the first place.

There Is Something for Everyone

Make sure to always include a little something special in your e-mail that will appeal to your recipients. Offer a solution to a problem or fill a need with a product or service. Always avoid sending spam-filled mailers that just tout the benefits of your business – your goal is to solve something for your target or fill a need not yet met, so they are the focus. Another good tip is to make certain your e-mail can be read by everyone. Don’t just create an image ad and send it, because some mailing services and most mobile-based e-mail clients won’t allow images to be shown on-screen. Some of your customers will have also opted not to receive HTML-based messages for added security. Be sure to review all regulations and laws regarding spam and make sure you are complying with them 100%.

Research Conversion Tips

Make sure your call-to-action in your mailer is crystal clear. Whether you want them to click a link to read a blog article on your website, or have them click for a special unique deal, or you want them to download your latest e-book – make it obvious. Then route your visitors to a landing page where they can fill in a form, sign-up for additional information or download the Web-based content you are offering. It’s all about building and nurturing the relationship, encouraging clicks and other actions, and establishing yourself as a trustworthy resource delivering on every promise.

Are Your Efforts Working?

Some developers just measure their success based on the total number of sales they tally at the end of the week. If you have several different marketing programs in the works – and most businesses do – this type of analytics just won’t tell you what you need to know. Always measure specific data, such as your CTR or click-through-rate, counting how many people clicked on your call-to-action link in your mailers. This will help you make adjustments as necessary to improve your CTR. Other data you should look at includes your “open rate” or how many people opened and viewed the e-mail, particularly if there are images or HTML to load; conversion ratios – based not just on sales but on overall clicks and actions; and your unsubscribe rate – it’s important to know how many people are opting out of your mailer, when and why. Study the ratios and make adjustments, try some A-B testing, experiment with everything.

In the end, the most important thing you can do to improve your business and build a solid reputation within your industry is to develop a solid relationship with your leads. E-mail communication is not the only way this can be accomplished – there are many ways to communicate with your leads – and customers. Take advantage of every opportunity to connect via social media, comments, feedback forms and more, so that you can be pro-active rather than reactive!

Developing successful mobile applications of all kinds has been the rage for over a year now. Let’s talk for a moment about what happens after you’ve offered that app to all your loyal brand followers and your up-and-coming brand converts!

Website visitor retention is more important than ever every year. There may be millions of users out there who might be potential future customers, but the successful marketer today knows that the one truly smart investment is in keeping already existing customers happy, consistently engaged and hopefully recurring evangelists for your brand…well, in a perfect world

How engaged are your customers? Are they really loyal to your brand? Have you made every possible effort to offer services that are preferred by your customers? …Special services and intriguing upgrade options will keep them coming back for more – what have you offered?

This is a now elemental area of every successful marketing campaign or brand engagement project. Consider how you might wish your customers to utilize your mobile site and app. Do you want them to access your mobile site or app daily to get updates on news, information or maybe to view fresh content offerings? Will you focus on ease of use that will help encourage them to connect with other aspects of your site and product offers? Here are some stats that you should consider in order to optimize customer engagement and loyalty:

• VISITOR FREQUENCY – You must know the ratio of visits to actual users over a period of time. Check this weekly, monthly and quarterly. This statistical metric will assist you to know how frequently your mobile site or apps are being used – and this is essential to begin to understand your overall customer loyalty.
• DEPTH – How deep do your visitors go into your site? Do they bounce or just look at one page and then move on? You must track the number of screens viewed by the average visitor, potential customer really, and then compare this figure to the total number of visits. This will be instrumental in helping you to easily determine the level of engagement your site inspires in your visitors.
• BOUNCE – This statistic can be a hard one to look at, but it is vitally important just the same. Having a ratio of the single view visits to the total number of visits is important because it shows you just how many potential customers are launching the app and then closing it right away again, versus how many are launching it and then actually using it.
• DURATION – You need to know how much time your users are spending on your mobile site or using your mobile app. Again, this will show the level of engagement your visitors have with your properties.

What is a Conversion?

Another metric that you need to stay on top of is your conversion ratio. You must establish the actions you want your customers to take when they use your app and then measure how many of them have “converted” – in other words, done exactly what you desired them to do. A conversion can be any action that you want it to be, such as the purchase of a product, a membership, a registration for a promotional campaign or even the viewing of a gallery or video promotion. Measuring the level of engagement in this area is extremely important if you truly want to measure the success of your mobile marketing campaign. This is true of any mobile property – websites, apps or other SMS promotional campaigns.

To measure the success rate of your mobile project, you must identify all the different possibilities for your app to help you to achieve your goals. By strategically tracking and applying the measurement to individual customers who have completed the activities required for conversion, you will be able to see the true value of your project. Think about the various demographic characteristics of your target audience and how you might reach them through your mobile site, app or SMS promotion. If you maintain a strict focus on your target market, you will be able to easily identify the critical elements of success. Also, think about the activities you want to make available for your customers, how they will generate additional revenue, save you costs or help to brand your business in some way, shape or form – also priceless.

Retaining Customers and Encouraging Usage

If you own a smartphone, then you understand how it’s possible for people to download dozens of apps that they ultimately never use! Retaining your customers and encouraging them to use your apps is one of the most important aspects of a successful mobile property marketing campaign. You want to offer features that will be useful and relevant to your users. The best place to start is to think about how your customers will use your app. If your app is highly useful, they will use it more often and will keep coming back on a daily or weekly basis. Here are some things to think about that will help you to encourage use, and retain active customers:

• BE STICKY – We’ve all studied the development of sticky websites for year – you have likely been successful if you are ready this, or will – and the sticky concept is no different when it comes to mobile property development. You need to find unique ways to keep your app at the forefront of your customers’ minds and you need to stay on top of innovation and development and keep it fresh! You can’t stay comfortably sticky forever – there’s always a newer, bigger and better app being launched. Take measures to make certain you remind your customers that your app exists, keep them informed about the present and upcoming features using the app provides, keep it easily available and stay ahead of your competitors by launching the newer, bigger and better app yourself!
• FEEDBACK – You need to keenly aware of what your customers think, and feedback is an essential part of gaining insight into the true customer-experience. Make certain you offer opportunities for your customers to give you feedback, either a simple thumbs-up or thumbs-down metric or an option to send you a paragraph or two in their own words. Utilize Web forms wherever you can and watch for an upcoming blog on that subject. You can do this via your online app store showcase or via your main or mobile websites – just remain unique and creative in how you accomplish it and build a following.
• DISTRIBUTION – You may not be surprised to know you can’t just count on the expectation that your customers will find you via the online app store. You must make your app readily available and distribute your app freely to as many markets and in as many opportunistic ways as possible. Market your app via traditional websites, mobile websites, offline print marketing – anything you think will get new customers to download and use your app.

You’ve all learned over the years how to successfully market your websites, now apply everything you’ve learned about site marketing to your app marketing efforts!