Featured Columnists
Marketing QR Codes
Although I have not downloaded the app or used them, I’ve been getting more curious about QR codes and how we can use them in our marketing. I went to expert Steven Levine, President of Mission Mobile, and we had a discussion about QR codes and some of his recommendations for utilizing them to best advantage. To be perfectly honest, I just recently joined the smartphone users of the world, so I’m a little behind in most things mobile, but I’m working hard to catch up and spreading the word, and these QR codes are attracting a lot of marketing attention. Will they have a long life? So Steven started [...]
Is Social Ad Marketing Working for YOU?
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 [...]
Alternative Payments: Alternative or Necessity?
Back in 1993, when I first started in the ECommerce side of the payments industry, the only solutions for online purchases was credit cards, wires, checks and money orders. If the company was a non-US based company, it was almost impossible to even get a merchant account for credit card processing. The concept of Alternative Payments was still far in the future…. Because internet access blossomed in the US first and credit cards were the dominate payment method in the US offline, online adoption of credit cards for payment was an easy way to go for the online merchant. But, today, Ecommerce is now worldwide, and credit cards are not [...]
Marketers and the Mobile Generation Gaps
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 [...]
Pay-in-Payout Platform Checklist – Ask the Right Questions
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 [...]
Google Doesn’t Really Hate You
We’ve all heard our Web developers say something like, “Google hates me – I know it.” And for the most part, I think we’ve all felt that way at one time or another. The truth is, Google doesn’t hate you, Google may just hate your website. If your site has poor design elements and is not managed well, it just might be true. 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 [...]
Your Fitness: How Much Is Enough?
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 [...]
Web Form Success
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 Rewarding E-mail Marketing Strategy
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 [...]
Popular Sites and Now Mobile Apps – Loyal Interaction
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 [...]
Loading ...
