The Client Angel

Guest Blog: Internet Marketing for Online Businesses

20 May

Most business proprietors understand the concept of marketing and what it can do for their businesses. Internet marketing for online business is essentially a backbone for online businesses to prosper.

This article looks forward to tackling the importance of internet marketing for any business to prosper online and survive the competition in the market.

Promoting your business online is maybe inundated by a lot of information all over the World Wide Web. Thus, it is sometimes hard to distinguish which one is the right option applicable in your case. A big chance there is you just resort to something you are not so familiar with and end up with nothing but spending your money, time, effort and hopelessly waiting in vain for results you are unsure of.

Are you looking for cheap, but simple internet marketing options suitable for your needs?

Match Their Needs – Newsletters

One of the most effective and inexpensive internet marketing option today is the so called Newsletter advertising which will allow your customers or clients to match their needs with your products and or services because it delivers news and updates on a regular basis. This will acquaint your audience with what you are offering.

Utilizing newsletters as a means of communication is frequently being overlooked by many people but it’s just among the least costly and most effective advertising option available. You can actually make a purchase for backlinks for less than $10.

Off the Beaten Path – Pay Per Click

You can also try the Pay Per Click (PPC) method. This, however, is kind of budget-needy. You will be the one to pay for your visitor’s clicks. The good thing here though is that you will be able to monitor the advertising programs carefully and you can also tweak your ad copy. This is often a very costly option but with careful planning, it should work.

Old School – Email Marketing

This one may sound ancient but let’s not take it for granted – email marketing. This method of campaign has been forgotten by some because a lot of people don’t read email messages; even worse if they see messages in their spam folder. But email marketing just usually requires consistent and persistent efforts to produce curiosity with regards to your message. You need to simply make certain that nobody receives mail except those who request for it. And if you do not abuse your subscribers list, you’ve got a higher chance of them reading your emails over and over!

Maybe, Maybe Not – Banner Advertisements

Banner advertisements possess a bad status simply due to the proliferation of banner farms that wiped out the entire banner swap programs. Remember those banners flashing across a website? It’s funny, but a lot of internet surfers think this way. When they’re not a scam, they could be viruses. If they’re not viruses, then they could be something else.

However, ad banners are still good for marketing campaigns. You just need to be careful with it. Take note, you do not need to play with very flashy and colorful banners to attract attention. It is actually more recommended to use more compact simple advertisements that may fit easily in to the sidebar or special box on an internet site to allow them to be noticed and work better. Also you should consider what particular site you will be displaying your banner in.

About the Author:

Andrew Hiddleston is a top notch online marketer and strategist. He is also an online entrepreneur who operates his own online marketing video blog. Visit his site and talk to him about internet marketing.

Categories : All Blogs, Building Awesome Customer Relationships, For Direct Sales Friends, Guest Blogs, Simple Marketing

Tags : Andrew Hiddleston, banner advertisements, directsellers, email marketing, improve, marketing, Newsletters, pay per click, The Client Angel

Five Rules for Above and Beyond Customer Service

by Jennifer Fitzgerald

16 May

There will always be rules wherever you go in life and of course, this applies to your business. Follow these five rules and retain a happy customer network!

Rule #1: NEVER Argue

Even if they’re wrong. Of course the customer isn’t always right! We’re all human, aren’t we? We can never all be right all of the time! However, instead of narrowing in on what goes wrong in a situation, establish a solution. Most people will be happy to do business with you again, even give a great review, if you’re willing to resolve the complaint (remember, it should be in their favor!).

Rule #2: You Must Commit

Commit yourself to giving quality service to your customers. You will be lost without it. You, plus your employees, need to create a positive environment and experience for the customer. Go above and beyond their expectations. Ask yourself, “How do I want to be treated as a customer?” and exhibit EXACTLY that behavior.

Rule #3: Never Back Out

Don’t break your promises. In other words, don’t back out of a deal they already secured with you. Do this and you lose your credibility and most likely, more customers (word of mouth spreads like wildfire!). Always keep in mind… guarantee something, and you HAVE to follow through! Otherwise, it could mean a string of bad reviews.

Rule #4: Focus on Them

Who are “them?” The customers of course! Sales are important, yes, but making customers is even more important. Without customers, there won’t BE sales. How often have you been in a store where you are bombarded by a salesperson asking, “Would you like to purchase this? That? How bout this?” All they care about is the quantity of the sale, not the quality. Keeping their business is way more important than the sale because chances are, even if they don’t buy something this time, next time the purchase will be a big one. And remember, it costs more to attract new customers than it does to keep one that already exists!

Rule #5: Details, Details, Details

This is the most important rule! Tailoring your customer service is the key to your business. When you tailor your service to that certain customer, they realize how closely you pay attention and then get to feel like your star client. Plus, their buying habits are important because once you know their buying habits, you can send them coupons and deals for those products. Don’t forget to ask for feedback from your customers. This is vital because if you never know how you’re doing, how will you improve? If you’re asking for it, most likely it will be constructive criticism, not complaints.

Categories : Building Awesome Customer Relationships, Customer Service Tips, For Direct Sales Friends

Tags : appreciation, client, client angel, commitment, customer, customer appreciation, Customer Service, details, direct sales, feedback, five rules, focus, rules

Guest Blog: Four Easy Steps to Refresh Your Marketing Campaign

by Jennifer Fitzgerald

09 May

Staying on top of your competition is about paying attention to the trends. If you can implement the latest thing before your competitors, you’ll be able to utilize the best new research and methods to reach people in our ever-changing social landscape. As you take a close look at your marketing strategy for 2013, refresh your efforts with several techniques that will help you build your business in the coming year.

1) Rethink email marketing. If you only have one email marketing mailing list, you’re missing out on a significant strategy for better reaching subscribers. Instead of sending the same emails to everyone, create targeted subscriber lists dividing your subscribers into specific segments. You may want to send separate types of emails to repeat customers, people who abandon purchases in their shopping carts and people who got on your mailing list through social media. Email marketing services are available to help build your lists and provide strategies if this task seems overwhelming or you don’t understand what types of lists would be most effective for your business.

2) Attend to your mobile strategy. The number of people who encounter your online marketing on their phones and other mobile devices is only going to increase in the coming years. Therefore, incorporate more specific mobile marketing into your strategy to ensure you’re reaching this segment of your customer base. For example, your website needs to be optimized for mobile and your emails should be short so they’re easy to read on a small screen.

3) Implement omnichannel marketing. If you’ve been focusing most of your marketing attention on just one channel, or type, of marketing, it’s time to expand. Launch marketing campaigns on several channels at the same time to get the best reach, because not all of the people you’re reaching are going to be looking in the same place. The best omnichannel marketing campaigns have the same overall message or theme, but with different features for each channel to best take advantage of the medium and to capture the attention of people who may use multiple channels.

4) Leverage social media. Give your brand a human feel with interactive social media campaigns. These days, you can’t just make a page on Facebook and call it a day; you’ll need to be connected on a daily basis to post new updates, upload photos, add videos, link to interesting articles and blog posts, and respond to customer feedback. In addition, be active on Twitter, Google Plus and maybe even Pinterest to make the most of social media marketing. All types of social media do well with up-to-date, newsworthy and witty content that encourages people to share with their contacts and expand your reach.

Throughout all of these steps, utilize technology to track how your campaigns are doing. If you have the tech in place, you can find out how visitors are getting to your website and what they do there to learn which of your campaigns is most effective. Focus on these campaigns and strategies while continuing to experiment with new methods to revitalize your other marketing campaigns until you’re effective in reaching customers through a wide array of techniques.

About the author: Dawn Altnam lives and works in the Midwest, and she enjoys following the business tech world. After furthering her education, she has spent some time researching her interests and blogging of her discoveries often.

Categories : All Blogs, Building Awesome Customer Relationships, For Direct Sales Friends, Guest Blogs, Simple Marketing

Tags : Dawn Altnam, email marketing, mobile strategy, omnichannel marketing, refresh, social media, The Client Angel

Seven Tips for the Woman Entrepreneur

by Jennifer Fitzgerald

02 May

The late owner of the LA Lakers, Jerry Buss, has had much success with his basketball team. He himself was a great entrepreneur, and it’s because of his success that we should listen to the tips he has to say for reaching your goals. In the article below, Jerry’s seven tips that guaranteed his success is given and guess what? It doesn’t just relate to basketball! This article has inspired me and I hope it inspires you as well (and maybe even learn something new!).

Lessons for Smart Women from Jerry Buss

P.S. Thank you to Sales Mom Network for posting this!