My 2¢ Worth

ast week I made reference to my "offline life." Yes, it's true. I do indeed have a life offline.

ow I'll be the first to admit that it's not much of a life, however, it does exist. Sadly, however, I am addicted to the Internet. The Internet has opened up whole new worlds for me. I use it for research of various subjects I am interested in. I use it to play games, download software and sometimes to just simply waste time. And of course, I have my various online businesses.

hen I was a senior in high school I wanted to become a computer programmer after graduation. This was back in the days when a computer less powerful than todays average PC filled a whole room. A modem was a cradle which held your telephone handset. Telephones had actual handsets in those days.

 joined the Army after high school. I not only wanted to be a programmer — I also wanted to serve my Country.

ell the Army had filled its quota of computer programmers or something so I got side-tracked. I ended up working in communications. I have a quite extensive knowledge of electronics, microwave technology, telephone and other more complicated communications technologies.

  truly enjoyed what I did, however, computers weren't a very large part of the communications field in those days, let alone programming.

he Internet has filled that niche for me as well. It's a part of my Web design business. And with the Internet evolving as fast as it is, programming is playing an even larger role in the Web design business.

t's not exactly "computer programming" as such; it is, however, "Web programming." What do you think makes shopping carts, Guest books and even simple forms work on the Web? Somebody has to program those things.

o, I don't have much of an offline life, but my online life is in some ways perhaps larger than my offline life ever was.

Feature Article

Toll Free Long Distance

by: Bob Osgoodby Tip of the Day

Much has been written about the value of “Toll Free” long distance numbers, commonly referred to as 800 numbers. Basically, an 800 number is like calling someone collect, since they pay for the call instead of you. Does an 800 number increase the chances of making a sale? Let's explore this a bit.

Suppose you read an advertisement, or visit a web site that lists an 800 number where you can get more information. Many times you get a "canned" spiel which, if you bother to listen to the whole thing, asks for your number so they can return your call. At that point, many people simply hang up as they don't want to give out their private number. This tactic is used extensively in network marketing. Does it work? The jury is still out on this one.

Some make you fight your way through a maze of options - press 1 for this, 2 for that, and so on. Some don't even give the option of talking with a live person. If you don't select one it simply starts the option selection process again. - The jury is in on this one. The owner of this 800 number will pay for a lot of calls, that simply frustrate the caller and will never result in a sale. What a waste!

If you're lucky, you get a real person who answers the phone, and who can help. Now let's switch the focus here a bit, and make believe you are the person who answers. Is the caller a serious prospect, a bored teenager with nothing better to do, or what they refer to in the automotive trade as a "tire kicker?

Trying to determine if they are a serious prospect is a challenge. If they are, you might make the sale. If they aren't however, how do you gracefully end the conversation? Many small businesses are a "one horse" shop, without the staff, and equipment necessary to handle multiple calls. Every minute you are on the phone, with someone who is not a serious prospect, is not only wasting your time, but may cost you another customer, who can't get through because the line is busy.

Some people, who may have a slight interest, think that because it is a toll free number they don't have anything to lose, so they make the call. It doesn't cost them anything, so why not. These are your "tire kickers", who are usually not serious prospects, and are wasting your resources.

How do you avoid these types of problems? Simple, don't have an 800 number. If a person has to spend their "nickel" for the call, they have already pre-qualified themselves as a serious prospect. You know that time spent with them will be productive. Now the small entrepreneur must have a separate phone line for this.

If you are involved in several businesses, you should have a line for each one. That way, when the phone rings, depending on the number called, you can answer the phone in a businesslike manner.

We used 800 numbers with our businesses. As an experiment, we took the 800 number off our website, and put in a non-toll free number. Two things happened and they were both good. First, the number of calls received decreased by almost 80 percent. This of course concerned us at first. Secondly however, we saw our sales dramatically increase. Why? Because the prospects were pre-qualifying themselves, and we were not wasting our time, or losing calls due to lines being busy.

Do 800 numbers have a place in your business plan? Sure! If you are product oriented, a toll free order line is essential. People may hesitate to pay a toll for a product they wish to order. If you are service oriented, it is a must for technical support. With long waiting times for help, it would be a real turn off if one wasn't available.

Long Distance costs however, have been coming down over the past few years, and many people today have unlimited calling plans. An 800 number may not be as important as it was just a few short years ago.

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Did you know that subscribers to Bob Osgoodby's Free Ezine the "Tip of the Day" get a Free Ad for their Business at his Web Site? Great Business and Computer Tips - Monday thru Friday. Instructions on how to place your ad are in the Newsletter.
Subscribe at: adv-marketing.com/business/subscribe2.htm

Automatic Print Link

Here's a nice little script that you can use to form an automatic print-page link on your site. Just insert this code where you want the link to display and your visitors can choose to print the page they are viewing. You might want to add a printer icon for a nice graphical display.

< a href='javascript:;' onClick='window.print();return false'>Print this page.</a>

* Get these syndicated tip feeds for yourweb site, free. *

Second Article

Marketing Strategies

by: Scott F. Geld Marketing Blaster, Inc.

You need to identify your principal target markets and then design a strategy to achieve maximum marketing exposure. To develop an effective marketing strategy, you must first identify your main markets and the type of web services you are offering. For example, if your company offers application or managed hosting your marketing campaign will be different than if your company offers co-location and shared hosting.

Figure out what separates your company from the crowd. What do you offer as a web host that makes your company stand out in the industry? Then decide whether your approach should be narrowly targeted or have a wider focus. Develop a consistent method and message in all your advertising, and design a campaign that will make your company known both on the Internet as well as in the offline world.

Your marketing campaign should advertise the specific ways your services satisfy the needs of your primary markets and it should be aimed at increasing your brand awareness. Make sure your web pages are optimized with effective tags to insure high ranking in major search engines. Consider placing banner ads on a few of the most popular search engines either on a pay-per-click arrangement or a page ranking basis. This will get you quality targeted traffic based on the specific key words you have incorporated into your web site.

Offline, make the best use of newspapers, billboards, television, radio, and magazines. This should also include network and cable television, direct mail, and the yellow pages.

A successful marketing plan must be comprehensive, flexible, carefully monitored, and innovative. It will include different markets, target audiences, and components which work together to increase your overall exposure.

In order to launch an effective online and offline advertising campaign, you must figure out your place in the market, your particular specialization in the field, and the potential customer's perception of the market. Your advertising must communicate your unique identity using the components of conception, layout, design, logo, and execution. Then you must be consistent in your approach across multimedia, including magazines, television, letterheads, presentations, newspapers, brochures, etc.

A dazzling logo and intriguing advertisement will catch potential customer's eyes and help establish a branded presence in the market. Use positive feedback and testimonials from existing clients to reinforce your identify. Stay in touch with your existing clients by utilizing customer surveys to find out what services they are happy with and what services they would like to see added. The more personal the service you offer, the more loyal your customers will be in the long run. Television offers exposure to the broadest audience, especially if you advertise in national markets. To make your money go far, buy commercial space around a popular television program or a special show that focuses on computers. Use a professional advertising company that specializes in making commercials to convey the professional quality of your service.

Ads that run in trade magazines that focus on the computer industry are a good source for reaching potential customers. Newspapers in metropolitan areas that run on a daily basis often have a more targeted audience, and your ads can be modified easily to reflect changes in your business, added services, or special promotions. Also consider using targeted mailings and press releases. Press releases are effective particularly if you are just starting out or adding a new service. They help establish a presence in the market, and can be used to report anything of significance about your company.

Press releases should be short, precise, direct, and only one page in length. If you are reaching out to global markets, prepare your press release in several languages. The most common way of disseminating press releases is through email. Do not send it as an attachment, however, but make the body of the email text the press release. Make sure that there is only one address indicated in the recipient line, no matter how many you are sending out. Then follow up in a day or so with a phone call to confirm receipt of your press release. A phone call will garner you a much better chance of actually having your press release read.

Putting together a marketing campaign requires diligent research and a comprehensive plan. Your aim as a web hosting company is to increase brand awareness of your company. In order to do that, you must be able to emphasize what makes your company unique, and you must keep your marketing strategy flexible to adapt to the changing marketplace. Coordinating offline advertising with online advertising will double your chances of increasing your brand exposure.

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Scott F. Geld is the Director of Marketing for MarketingBlaster.com, a company providing targeted traffic and direct links starting at just $5: www.MarketingBlaster.com

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