E-Marketers

In this section the E-marketers were asked to go online and browse the Internet. FOOD’s researchers assisted the E-marketers in visiting some popular Internet sites. This enabled the E-marketers to get a feel of browsing and using the browser software.

Activity 2: E-mail communications

In this section the E-marketers were introduced to e-mail programs and the steps to using those programs through hands on sessions. FOOD’s researchers assisted the E-marketers in their exploration of e-mail. The notes prepared for this section are provided below.

Features of e-mail

Email, considered by many users to be the most important Internet application, enables you to send and receive messages both inside and outside your organization. The speed of email is its key benefit. E-mail's convenience has made it an increasingly popular mode of communication and has changed the way we communicate with individuals and groups. Email can be used to promote discussions, to pass on quick notes, to compose formal letters, or even to negotiate contracts or other projects requiring a lot of communications to go back and forth. Unlike the telephone, email allows for the transfer of files and documents.

Communication can also be done whenever and wherever the users choose, freeing correspondents from the tyranny of the 9-5 office and minimizing the time difference between correspondents in distant locations. Email can reduce time spent in meetings by educating staff on issues before the meeting, or by using email to bypass the need to meet entirely. Email enables the user to contact many users at once, eliminating production and postage costs. Email has already changed the way in which we exchange information. Email has renewed the importance of clear and concise writing in the workplace. Used properly, email can promote an online community and be an effective advocacy tool.

Email can encourage users to correspond with the organization by making it as convenient as filling out a feedback form on the web site or the site can provide the email addresses of the members of the organization.

Writing effective email

Writing email can be tricky. Remember that you do not need to be as formal as you would be in a letter, but do not forget that you are being documented.

Subject headings for email are essential. Use descriptive subject headings - do not use “Info” or other vague description lines. Use abbreviated attention-getters in the subject line, especially if the recipient gets a lot of email. E.g. “RE: Product Photo Shoot”, “Urgent: need confirmation of your order”, ”FYI: New products addedat India Shop”, etc.

The main fact to remember with email is that once you hit send; the message is out of your hands. This seems quite obvious, but it is often difficult for people to remember that once they send an email, it can be transferred, transposed, or misdirected. So take a minute to proof your email and run the spellchecker. Due to the rapid response time of email, things can easily become confused and messy. Sarcasm and humor often don't translate in email, and a flippant remark could hurt both the sender and the receiver of the message. If you wouldn't say it to the person's face, think twice before you commit it to email. Keep in mind, whatever you send is recorded permanently on the server!

And then, there's the painful and sometimes damaging experience of sending email to someone other than the intended recipient (most often a problem with replying to messages which have been sent as part of a mailing listdistribution, so that everyone on the list receives the answer meant for one person). There's an easy way to avoid this - stop and look at the To: line before you hit "send" – always.

Email communication can easily become overwhelming. It is not uncommon for a staff member to receive one hundred or more emails a day. This can be overwhelming, and it can inspire a very counter-productive email rebellion. The only way to avoid this nuisance is to filter your email into different mailboxes. If you are a subscriber to mailing lists, you will receive large amounts of daily email. You do not need to read your email immediately. And you do not need to leave it all in your in inbox. It is also a good discipline to clean out your main inbox every week or so. This keeps the box from getting too full, removes storage pressure on your organization's server, and helps you to throw away things you don't need (and discover important messages you forgot to answer before it's too late!).

Uses of e-mail

Building web site traffic: Want to get people to revisit your web site? Provide a way for visitors to the site to register if they want to receive email updates when there’s something new of interest to them posted on the site. E-mail updates save on design, printing and postage, and the cost is the same whether you are sending them to 10,000 people or 150.

Action Alerts: If non-profits represented at India Shop are working on an advocacy issue then you can build an email list of activists and alert them quickly and cheaply via e-mail.

Surveys: Using electronic surveys via E-mail one can find out what the customers or potential customers think about a new product or service.

Housekeeping: Users can be asked to send in changes of address, requests for materials, or other correspondence, via email.

Autoreplies: An e-mail auto-responder can be set up in the e-mail program (using filters) to respond automatically when someone mails to an address such as info@xlweb.com. Have different autoreplies for different purposes.

Fundraising: So far, few organizations are asking for funds via email, although at least one public radio station has used email successfully to solicit pledges. At this point, email is probably best used as cultivation, or to let donors know that you will soon be contacting them by mail or telephone, for financial support.

Activity 3: Introduction to search engines and directories

In this section the E-marketers were introduced to the different types of search engines and directories available online. The notes prepared for this section are provided below.

Directories

A directory is a listing of sites on the Web arranged in a hierarchy. For example, the top level will consist of very general headings like Entertainment. Click on Entertainment, you'll get a more detailed list of choices, let's say Books, Movies, and Television. Click Movies, and you'll get another, more detailed page, along with some general movie sites. Click Jackie Chan, and you can see Jackie Chan sites.

The most famous directory on the Internet is Yahoo! (www.yahoo.com), which originally started as a university project in 1994. (The acronym stood for "Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle".) Another newer directory is the "Open Directory Project" (www.dmoz.org). Spearheaded by Netscape, the Open Directory Project is freely available for other sites to use.

New sites are added to directories by hand. When you submit a URL to a directory, someone actually looks at your site and decides whether or not you should be added. This has its pluses and minuses for the user. On one hand, sites in a directory tend to be better than average since the "junk" has been weeded out. However, because they have less content than search engines, your search queries will typically produce fewer results.

Search engines

A search engine catalogs websites automatically, using a software program called a spider (or robot, or bot, or crawler). Some of the best-known search engines include AltaVista (www.av.com), HotBot (www.hotbot.com), Excite (www.excite.com), Google (www.google.com) and Infoseek (www.infoseek.com). When you search for information on a search engine the site actually searches for the keywords you provide in the huge database of pages that the spider has collected while “crawling” the web.

When you submit a website to a search engine, it schedules it for a visit by the spider. Sometimes this occurs almost immediately, but often it takes anywhere from 1 week to 2 months. When the spider visits the site, it uses a special algorithm to catalog all the content of the page. They then record information about the page such as how often “keywords” are used on the page. Some spiders

will also follow the links on your page to other areas of your site, and beyond to sites you're linked to (e.g. AltaVista does this). Some will only catalog the main page (like Infoseek).

Metasearch engines

Metasearch engines are a more recent addition to the Web. Instead of being a search engine, they actually link to many different search engines. The user enters a single search query, and the metasearch engine fires it off to the Web's most popular search engines, then returns results from every one. Two popular metasearch engines are AskJeeves (www.ask.com), which lets you ask questions in English, and DogPile (www.dogpile.com).

Activity 4: Searching for information on the Internet

With an estimated 250 million websites on the Internet, searching the web is intimidating at best. There are an infinite number of search engines, and even the largest individual search engine databases only cover less than 20% of the Web.

The most effective searching strategy is to be specific. Don't be afraid to tell a search engine exactly what you are looking for. Many real language search engines like Ask Jeeves will facilitate this by allowing you to enter the exact phase you want. The most important tip that will make your search smoother is: Pick your search service appropriately. There are three basic types of search services available on the Internet: search engines, directories, and meta-search engines.

Search Engines

o Best used for finding a specific item (for example: HP Deskjet 895Cse printer)

o A good place for looking up a specific website

o Usually do not have sites grouped by subject

o Results tend to be larger than a subject directory and may include non-relevant sites

Directories

o Best used for finding general information (For example: Printers)

o A good place to begin a search, if you don't have many specifics

o Information is selected and grouped by a human intermediary

o You can see what other people most often choose in your particular subject area

Metasearch Engines

o Search several sites at the same time

o A good place if you want to go to a specific site (but you don't know the URL)

o Although they are convenient, they allow less control than a search engine

o Some allow you actively to choose the specific engines you wish to search, which can be good if you want to limit the results

Picking your Search Engine or Directory

o Go with a subject Directory if you are starting from scratch

o Go with a Search Engine if you know the name of a topic or site

o Go with a Metasearch Engine if you want to compare the results of several search engines/directories at once

Although all engines operate in generally the same way, they each have their specialties. A closer look will reveal differences in the number of websites contained in an engine's database, the thoroughness in covering particular topics, the speed of the search, and the relevancy of the responses returned as a result of a search. Different search engines tend to catalogue their information in different ways. The place you are in your research should determine your searching strategy. You may also want to study the information on use of symbols and Boolean Operators that is available on the help pages of the respective search engines.

The Major Search Engines and Directories

Why are the services below considered to be the Major Search Engines? They are all either well known or well used. For E-marketers, these services are the most important places to be listed because they can potentially generate so much traffic. For searchers, these well known, commercially backed search engines generally mean more dependable results. These search engines are more likely to be well maintained and upgraded when necessary, to keep pace with the growing web.

Not all of the services below are "true" search engines that crawl the web. For instance, Yahoo and the Open Directory both are "directories" that depend on humans to compile their listings. In fact, most of the services below offer both search engine and directory information, though they will predominately feature one type of results over the other.

· AOL Search – aolsearch.aol.com

AOL Search allows its members to search across the web and AOL's own content from one place. The "external" version, listed above, does not list AOL content. The main listings for categories and web sites come from the Open Directory (see below). Inktomi (see below) also provides crawler-based results, as backup to the directory information.

· AltaVista – www.av.com

AltaVista is consistently one of the largest search engines on the web, in terms of pages indexed. Its comprehensive coverage and wide range of power searching commands makes it a particular favorite among researchers. AltaVista opened in December 1995. It was owned by Digital, then run by Compaq, then spun off into a separate company which is now controlled by CMGI.

· Ask Jeeves – www.ask.com

Ask Jeeves is a human-powered search service that aims to direct you to the exact page that answers your question. The specialty of this search service is that it allows you to ask questions in the English language instead of entering keywords as in the other search engines. E.g. you can type in a search query “Where can I get details on icecream recipes?” and the Ask Jeeves service would list out site relevant to your question.

· Direct Hit – www.directhit.com

Direct Hit measures what people click on in the search results presented at its own site and at its partner sites, such as HotBot. Sites that get clicked on more than others rise higher in Direct Hit's rankings. Thus, the service dubs itself a "popularity engine." Aside from running its own web site, Direct Hit provides the main results that appear at HotBot (see below) and is available as an option to searchers at MSN Search. Direct Hit is owned by Ask Jeeves (above). Some Direct Hit information appears at Ask Jeeves as well.

· Excite – www.excite.com

Excite offers a medium-sized crawler-based web page index, as well as access to human-powered directory results from LookSmart. Excite was launched in late 1995. It grew quickly in prominence and consumed two of its competitors, Magellan in July 1996, and WebCrawler in November 1996. Magellan was discontinued in April 2001. WebCrawler continues to operate as a separate service, but it provides the same results at the Excite.com site itself.

· FAST Search – www.alltheweb.com

FAST Search claims to have one of the largest indexes of the web. FAST also offers multimedia and mobile/wireless web indexes. The site is a showcase for FAST's search technologies. FAST's results are provided to numerous portals, including those run by Terra Lycos. FAST Search launched in May 1999.

· Google – www.google.com

Google is a search engine that makes heavy use of link popularity as a primary way to rank web sites. This can be especially helpful in finding good sites in response to general searches such as "cars" and "travel," because users across the web have in essence voted for good sites by linking to them. The system works so well that Google has gained widespread praise for its high relevancy. Google also has a huge index of the web and provides some results to Yahoo and Netscape Search.

· HotBot – www.hotbot.com

HotBot is a favorite among researchers due to its many power searching features. In most cases, HotBot's first page of results comes from the Direct Hit service (see above), and then secondary results come from the Inktomi search engine, which is also used by other services. It gets its directory information from the Open Directory project (see below). HotBot launched in May 1996 as Wired Digital's entry into the search engine market. Lycos purchased Wired Digital in October 1998 and continues to run HotBot as a separate search service.

· Inktomi – www.inktomi.com

Originally, there was an Inktomi search engine at UC Berkeley. The creators then formed their own company with the same name and created a new Inktomi index, which was first used to power HotBot. Now the Inktomi index also powers several other services. All of them tap into the same index, though results may be slightly different. This is because Inktomi provides ways for its partners to use a common index yet distinguish themselves. There is no way to query the Inktomi index directly, as it is only made available through Inktomi's partners with whatever filters and ranking tweaks they may apply.

· LookSmart – www.looksmart.com

LookSmart is a human-compiled directory of web sites. In addition to being a stand-alone service, LookSmart provides directory results to MSN Search, Excite and many other partners. Inktomi provides LookSmart with search results when a search fails to find a match from among LookSmart's reviews. LookSmart launched independently in October 1996, was backed by Reader's Digest for about a year, and then company executives bought back control of the service.

· Lycos – www.lycos.com

Lycos started out as a search engine, depending on listings that came from spidering the web. In April 1999, it shifted to a directory model similar to Yahoo. Its main listings come from the Open Directory project, and then secondary results come from the FAST Search engine. Some Direct Hit results are also used. In October 1998, Lycos acquired the competing HotBot search service, which continues to be run separately.

· MSN Search – search.msn.com

Microsoft's MSN Search service is a LookSmart-powered directory of web sites, with secondary results that come from Inktomi. RealNames and Direct Hit data is also made available.

· Netscape Search – search.netscape.com

Netscape Search's results come primarily from the Open Directory and Netscape's own "Smart Browsing" database, which does an excellent job of listing "official" web sites. Secondary results come from Google. At the Netscape Netcenter portal site, other search engines are also featured.

· Northern Light – www.northernlight.com

Northern Light is another favorite search engine among researchers. It features a large index of the web, along with the ability to cluster documents by topic. Northern Light also has a set of "special collection" documents that are not readily accessible to search engine spiders. There are documents from thousands of sources, including newswires, magazines and databases. Searching these documents is free, but there is a charge of up to $4 to view them. There is no charge to view documents on the public web -- only for those within the special collection. Northern Light opened to general use in August 1997.

· Open Directory – www.dmoz.org

The Open Directory uses volunteer editors to catalog the web. Formerly known as NewHoo, it was launched in June 1998. It was acquired by Netscape in November 1998, and the company pledged that anyone would be able to use information from the directory through an open license arrangement. Netscape itself was the first licensee. Lycos and AOL Search also make heavy use of Open Directory data.

· RealNames – www.realnames.com

The RealNames system is meant to be an easier-to-use alternative to the current web site addressing system. E.g. Those with RealNames-enabled browsers (like Internet Explorer) can enter a word like "Nike" to reach the Nike web site. To date, RealNames has had its biggest success through search engine partnerships.

§ Yahoo – www.yahoo.com

Yahoo is the web's most popular search service and has a well-deserved reputation for helping people find information easily. The secret to Yahoo's success is human beings. It is the largest human-compiled guide to the web, employing about 150 editors in an effort to categorize the web. Yahoo has well over 1 million sites listed. Yahoo also supplements its results with those from Google. If a search fails to find a match within Yahoo's own listings, then matches from Google are displayed. Google matches also appear after all Yahoo matches have first been shown. Yahoo is the oldest major web site directory, having launched in late 1994.

Activity 5: E-commerce store design

In this section the E-marketers were trained on web designing including preparing HTML layouts, manipulating graphics, etc through hands on sessions. The guidelines provided to them on web and e-commerce store design are provided below.

Essential qualities for a good e-commerce site

a) Professional look and feel - Ultimately, the goal of an online store is to sell. To be successful, a store has to have a professional look and feel that inspires enough confidence to turn site visitors into buyers. Even non-profit stores need to have a well-structured, professional appearance to succeed online.

b) Web-friendly products - The variety of products and services sold over the Internet is truly amazing. However, when planning to set up an online store one should keep in mind that some products and services are more Web-friendly than others. Usually, the fewer unknowns, the more Web-friendly a product will be. Brand-names, books and CDs sell more easily over the Web than do products like jewelry and fine art because buyers know exactly what to expect. Even though one can still be successful selling unique and one of a kind items over the Internet but we should aware of the added challenge, so that we can properly plan and compensate for it. Also for specialty products we need to ensure that product photos reproduce features clearly on the Web and also include detailed product descriptions.

c) Easy site navigation - It's important to make it clear, right from the home page, what types of products or services are available. Easy site-navigation links are essential, so shoppers can find the products they need without wasting time or feeling frustrated. Of course, it's also important to make it easy for shoppers to browse the site and buy on impulse.

d) Fast loading pages - Most online shoppers connect to the Internet from their homes, and still use relatively slow modems. Therefore, it's important for online stores to be fast loading and not bogged down by overly long content or large file-size graphics. One useful strategy is to show a small product "thumbnail" photo with a brief product description. Then, give the shopper the option of clicking on the thumbnail to see a larger photo and more detailed information.

e) Shopper privacy - When purchasing online, shoppers are usually required to provide personal information, including a mailing address, phone number, e-mail address and billing information. Requiring overly extensive disclosures can discourage shoppers from purchasing online. To reduce privacy concerns, successful sites provide guarantees that shoppers' personal information will not be sold or used for mailing lists or other solicitations.

f) Return and exchange policies - Since online buyers don't have the benefit of seeing a product in person, the online merchant has to go the extra mile to inspire confidence and guarantee satisfaction. We should keep in mind that colors displayed on a computer monitor are sure to vary from their actual color. For example, the deep red shirt you just purchased online could turn out to be bright orange when it is delivered. Successful online stores post an unconditional exchange or refund policy to ensure satisfaction.

g) Customer service - Smaller online merchants tell us that about half their orders are processed by phone, after consumers have browsed their online store. Therefore, in addition to providing an online credit card processing mechanism to encourage online sales, part of the e-commerce strategy needs to include a plan for providing personal phone and online support. Since the Internet is "open" 24 hours a day, the hours during which shoppers can expect to reach a live person must be mentioned right next to the phone number or “live help” link on the site.

Web design guidelines

Large Useless Graphics: Web users have the need for speed. Yet far too many home pages open with Large Useless Graphics (LUGs) that load slowly and make no contribution to the effectiveness of the page. Your home page should be 40K or less in file size -- including graphics. Spinning globes, stock photos, massive company logos, etc., take up precious real estate that could be better utilized for benefit-related information.

"Welcome to My Site": Phrases like this, repetition of your organization name and other self-serving statements only cloud your message. Your home page and virtually every other page on your site should begin with a compelling, stimulating, interest-generating, *headline* or opening equivalent that tells your viewers "what's in it for me if I read this page."

Blinkers, Spinners, Scrolling Marquees, Counters, etc: There was a time (that lasted about fifteen minutes) when these things were new and unusual. Now they are passe -- and in many cases, distracting and annoying. Counters especially have lost their usefulness. They are self-serving devices that have no purpose because most visitors really don't care how many alleged hits your site has gotten.

Avoid external links (especially on your home page): This is equivalent to having an office or storefront that leads to a choice of doors that go to other businesses. When a potential customer arrives, why give that person an immediate opportunity to leave and never return? If you must link externally, do it on a page that's buried deep in your site that can only be accessed after viewing the important pages on your site.

Avoid typographical or grammatical errors: Seems obvious, yet many, many Web pages contain common spelling and grammatical errors. Your copy is a reflection on your professionalism (or lack of it), your attention to detail (or lack of it) and your commitment to excellence (or lack of it.) Why give visitors any reason to doubt you? Use spelling and grammar checkers to make sure your copy is first-rate.

Don’t overuse "We, Our, Us, My, Me, Mine" and your organization name: These are self-serving words that turn off readers. Instead, you should use words like "you" and "your." Before you post copy to your site, run a "find and replace" utility and check for the number of "you-words" against the number of "us-words." The ratio should be 4-5 "you-words" for every "us-word."

"Name, Rank and Serial Number" information: It's amazing how many home pages begin, "The Acme Company is a family-run business located in…" What does this have to do with the benefits of your products or services? Statistics like these must be placed on an "About Us" page giving some reasons why these statistics are important to site visitors (e.g. to explain the non-profit cause for which an organization is working).

"Under Construction" Signs/Notices: What good does a page that isn't finished do for your visitors? It just wastes their time and could possibly frustrate or annoy them. Every page on your site should have a purpose or reason why it's there. Every page should also have a "call to action" - what you want the visitor to *do* after reading the information.

Broken links: This should be obvious, but broken links are all too frequent. Broken links are either due to incorrectly entered URLs or because the page to which you are linking to is no longer online. Make sure you go through each and every page on your site checking for broken links, or alternatively use a links checking program (many of which are available for free download on the Internet).

Missing graphics: This should also be obvious too, but missing graphics are all over the Web. A good links checking program can automatically trace out broken links as well as graphics on your site.

Incomplete contact information: To maximize your credibility you should include complete contact information on every page of your site – preferably through a link to a “Contact us” page. Use a physical street address, not a P.O. Box. Provide a phone number as well as an online live help link if possible. List your fax number, and toll-free ordering number if you have one. And, of course, list an email hotlink.

Avoid pages that "scroll into Oblivion": Despite the universal quest for information by visitors, most of them will not read long pages that scroll into oblivion. You should break up your web page to a maximum of three complete vertical page scrolls on a 14" monitor. Give visitors links and benefit-related teasers that lead to separate pages.

Avoid non-secure or confusing ordering procedures: Many e-commerce sites have non-secure or confusing ordering procedures. Better to not request credit card info, etc. if you can't do it securely. Offer a mail-in, call-in or fax-in alternative. If you have more that 2-3 items for sale, install a shopping cart ordering system and make it easy for customers to buy from you.

Is the site easy to find?: It doesn't matter how neat a site you've got if no one can find you. So, the first thing that needs to be done is see how easy it is to find your site. Start with the major search engines. There are over 300 search engines now available on the World Wide Web, but only a few of them matter. People don't just find you on the World Wide Web. In fact, the most powerful way you can get people to your site is by telling them how to find you. For that reason look at your business cards, stationary, brochures, and ads should contact the web site address.

How good is the design?: Now we're down to the nitty gritty's of how the actual site is put together. We're mostly looking for ways that the design and functionality of the Web site help achieve goals that we've already established. We're also looking for some specific things that we know about what makes a good effective Web site and Web page. The first thing to look for is whether entry pages load in 10 seconds or less. That's a very rigorous standard. Designers often ask the reason for the 10 second timeframe. The answer is simple. When web visitors are on a site that they do not already know has high value and that site takes a long time (more than 10 seconds) to load, they tend to hit the stop key and go somewhere else. The final question on site design is whether or not the graphics and technology support the goals of the site. There a lot of neat things you can do with the technology of designing Web pages. You can make things blink and move and make sounds. But every time you do that you use up precious time and resources. The result is that you don't want to do things unless they help serve your purpose. Graphics should load fast enough that they don't get in the way of experience. Technological devices such as animation's and sound should be on a site to serve a particular purpose.

Web site structure

A solid foundation for your website means designing a layout that makes sense to both humans and search engines.

· Choosing the right domain name

What's in a name? For search engines, quite a lot. Different parts of a Web page are given different weight by search engines. Content in an image ALT tag, for example, is not very important, while titles and domain names are given the most weight. When you are choosing on a domain name for your site, try to choose a name that includes the main keyword for your site.

· Choosing the right layout

Just as keywords in a domain name are valuable, so too are keywords in the rest of the address. By creating subfolders and creatively naming your HTML files, you can stuff a few more keywords in prime real estate. As an example, let's take a look at the India Shop website (http://xlweb.com/indiashop/). One way we can organizethe product pages to maximize his keyword usage is to have a /kanchi/ sub-folder for Kanchipuram sarees, /blouses/ sub-folder for the blouses and so on.

As the customer digs deeper into the product catalog, the directory goes deeper as well. This style is not only good for search engines but by organizing a site in this manner, it makes it easier for your site visitor to navigate as well.

Use the webmasters tools

Usage statistics, what’s new area, auto responders, bad URL checkers, and search engines are some of the tools webmasters should utilize. Part of web marketing is gauging the effect your pages have on the public. Sophisticated site usage tools allow site developers to see the popularity of different pages, stay duration, where visitors come from and where they go, etc. Include a what's new area to give frequent visitors a way to see what has changed since their last visit. Maintaining a large Web site can be a daunting experience. Use automation tools where possible for site maintenance. Use URL checking programs to help check for out-dated URLs. Using search engines is covered in detail elsewhere in this document.

Activity 6: E-marketing and online customer relations

Site promotion introduction

Everybody wants to promote their web site. Dispensing advice to webmasters who want to increase their traffic is big business these days and is one area rife with bad advice, questionable deals, and plain old rip-offs. Of course, it's vital to promote your site, and there are a lot of legitimate resources that can help.

Good marketing begins with site design. Keywords should appear often in body text, headings, page titles, and even file names. Don't go overboard - keep headings and titles readable and sensible. Pages should also include meta tags that include appropriate keywords describing your site.

Never submit your site until it's ready for visitors. "Under construction” signs are silly.

Once the site has been thoroughly tested and proofread, submit it to the top 40 or so general search engines and directories. Every search engine and online directory has a page where you enter your site's title, URL, description, and other information. A good auto-submitter like getsubmitted.com can save you time, because you only have to enter most of the information once. However you may want to submit to each site manually, since that way your entry can be more precise. If you take this route, create a document with all the pertinent information, so you can easily copy and paste it into the various search engine forms.

Also seek out specialty directories that fit your site's subject matter, such as directories of online shopping sites, online non-profit site directories and so on.

If your site has an international angle, it's wise to submit directly at each appropriate foreign search engine. There are also several directories that only list sites from a particular region, so if your site is based outside of the United States, seek them out.

Exchanging links with other related sites is one of the best ways to increase traffic to your site but is only worth doing with sites that have a logical connection to yours. Human nature being what it is, he name of the game for some is getting as many links as possible to their site and squirreling the reciprocal links away on a links page that no one ever sees. It would be far more useful to have a short page of carefully selected links of keen interest to your customers. For example, a company selling cookware might have links to cookbook and epicurean sites. Another common approach is to link to sites that have favorably reviewed your products.

Participating in a mailing list can be a great way to spread the word about your site, and it costs you nothing but time. Always monitor a list for some time before posting anything, and make sure you understand the list's attitude towards commercial messages.

Setting up your own mailing list can be an even more powerful marketing tool. You can encourage repeat business by sending customers news about new products, special offers, and more. Moderating your own mailing list will also expose you to what's going on in the market and give you a much clearer idea of what customers are thinking about. You can have an announcement list, which means you can send mail only to people on the list, or you could try a discussion list, which means that anyone on the list can send mail to the whole list. The two most popular programs for setting up lists are Listserv and Majordomo. You can also use various web based mailing list services like e-groups.

Web marketing checklist

· Develop clear, written e-commerce sales objectives

· Register a domain name

· Write and design a website that sells

· Arrange reliable, cost-effective hosting and email strategy

· Setup secure, credit card capability for online, international sales

· Setup a proven, effective search engine strategy in the html codes

· Post the site and test it and test it again

· Manual indexing individually with the big eight search engines

· Automated indexing with specialized search engines and directories

· Prepare a search strategy for contacting organizations, associations, distributors, retailers, and consumers online via acceptable, effective direct email

· Immediate personal response mechanism for each new prospect and customer

· Maintain automated customer and prospect email database

· Setup monthly, merged, automated email newsletter to all prospects and customers

· Design and promote affiliate program to pay commissions on referral sales

· Design effective Internet advertising campaign for websites and publications

How people find you on the Internet

1) Using search engines

Search engines attract two kinds of folks. First, there are general browsers. For most people they're not really the prime audience. There are, however, business browsers as well. These are the sort of folks who go out looking for a specific purpose. They're going out looking for a particular type of organization or for a particular organization itself or a product, or for something else. To make sure that you get the most out of search engines, you have to do two things.

First, you have to design your site in a "search friendly" way. That means making sure you know how to write the code for you page in such as way that it's easy for sites to index and find the words you want them to find.

Your second tool is registering. For most sites, there are only a limited number of search engines that cover most of the web. They're the big popular search engines. You should register with all of them.

2) Using links

In addition to search engines, people will find you using links from and ads on other sites. The strength of the Web is the links both within and between sites.

When you think about getting people to your site think about other places that qualified visitors to your site might visit. Then see if you can get a link from those sites to yours. Those links will come in two forms: paid and free.

Paid links are a form of advertising. You're going to a site that's drawing people you want to reach, and because they're delivering the audience, they will charge you for a way to reach that audience. Ads normally incorporate links. Generally paid links, including those from ads, are not reciprocal.

Free links, on the other hand, generally are reciprocal. Who's a candidate for this kind of linking? Think about people who might logically refer you. Think about other organizations that are part of the process that your site visitor uses to solve a problem. A resource site for non-profit organizations, for example, will include links to other non-profit organization sites on the Internet.

Once you get them to your site, your job's not over. You've got to work on getting them back. That's mostly a matter of having a site that offers them value. If you've done good analysis about who you're trying to reach and what matters to them then this design should be pretty easy. You should be providing information in various forms that meets their needs.

You should make the site interactive and have enough features that almost any individual can find what they want even if they visit several different times.

Most important, you have to realize that the two key things you're dealing with are benefits and value. Benefits are the answer to the question, asked by everyone, "what's in it for me?" Just like any other aspect of your activity, if you focus on the benefits involved, you'll increase the repeat traffic on your Web site. The second concept that applies to Web sites is value. Basically, value is the ratio between what people expect and what they actually get. Try to give people more than they could possibly expect, deliver on your promises, and you're likely to have a site that people will want to return to.

Some of the interactive tools you can incorporate in you Web site are contact Information opportunities to email you and ask questions or provide valuable suggestions,email-on-demand or auto-responders that will automatically deliver text files of any variety containing any variety of canned information such as articles, promotional literature, product or service updates and so forth, RealAudio/RealVideo clips that will allow your visitors to hear and see messages on products sold on your online store, chat rooms that allow real time text chat, mailing lists focusing on your products and topics of interest, newsletter subscriptions that can be either made accessible on your Web site or emailed to site visitors and interactive data collection forms such as questionnaires that supply you with information on your site visitors preferences.

3) You tell them where to find you

The third and final way people find your web site is because you tell them how to do it. Make sure that your URL is on your business cards, brochures, and other collateral material. And, especially, make sure that the people who answer your phone know about the website and what the URL is. Make sure you include your Web site address and email address in all the traditional forms of marketing and advertising media you use to generate business.

Finally, don't forget to update any contact data collection forms or questionnaires you use in your organization to include those two magic questions, "What is your email address?' and "What is the address of your web site?"

Ways to sell your products faster

Give prospects a deadline to order : Tell people that if they order by a certain date they will get a discount or free bonuses. This will create urgency so they don't put off buying.

Offer prospects a money back guarantee : The longer the guarantee the more effective it will be. It could be a 30-day, 60-day, 1-year, or lifetime guarantee.

Publish testimonials on your site: They will give your business credibility and you'll gain people's trust. It's important to include the person's full name and location with the testimonial.

Give people free bonuses when they order your product or service : The free bonuses could be books, reports, newsletters, etc.

Allow people to make money reselling your product or service: Tell people they can join your affiliate program if they order. You could pay them per sale, per click, per referral, etc.

Offer free online and offline help with all products you sell: Allow customers to ask you questions by e-mail, phone, fax, online chat etc.

Provide free shipping with all orders: If you can't afford it, you could offer free shipping on orders over a specific dollar amount.

Give away a free sample of your product: You will gain people's trust when you allow them to try out a free sample of your product. If they like it they won't hesitate buying it.

Offer a 'buy one get one free' deal: If you sell more than one product, this type of deal works great. People will feel they are getting more for their money and order quicker. Increase your ranking in search results.

Search engine tips

It's best to work with search engines, not against them. Ideally you want search engines to place your Web site high in the list of sites found. Here are some tips to increase your ranking on search results.

· Keywords matter most

Keywords are what people use to search with. Your job is to guess which two or three words your target visitor will type before clicking SEARCH. Search engines then scan their entire index of millions of Web pages looking for that exact bunch of words. They scan every word of every page, but they regard certain places as being 'prominent'.

First choose a lead key phrase. Imagine somebody asks you, "What is this page about?" Answer with a phrase: 'shoeing horses', 'free email', 'New Zealand lighthouses', 'choosing light bulbs', 'Jane Austen' or whatever. That's your lead key phrase. Now write or edit your Web page so that the lead key phrase appears in all these prominent places, preferably at the beginning of each of the following:

The page title (you write this in the head code, and it shows in the title bar at the top of the web page);

The very first heading or sentence of body copy;

The meta keyword tag (meta tags are in the <HEAD> section of your Web pages' HTML code);

The meta description tag.

To make this strategy work, you have to know what every page is about. If you answer, "what is this page about?" with a long burble, then your page is not sufficiently focused to get good search results. Note: unless they're told not to, search engines scan every page they can reach on a Web site.

It's not sufficient to know what the Web site is about - every page must have a specific reason for existing.

· Secondary keyword power spots

Certain unexpected spots on your web site are treated as 'prominent places' by search engines. Keywords in those places can boost your search results. Include some searchable ALT text for every image. ALT text acts like an invisible caption. In the photo of a product the ALT text can have the product name and short 4 or 5 word description. But don't stuff the ALT tag with keywords.

Some search engines give extra weight to keywords in headings, whether they're in <H1> or <H2> or <H3> tags, in bold or in a large font. So write plenty of strong and clear headlines to explain text sections, format them as headings, and always include keywords.

· Popularity is its own reward

Ask other popular Web sites for a permanent link to your site. Chase them- the more the merrier, it's worth spending energy on this. E.g. your ranking with Excite, Infoseek, Lycos and WebCrawler will improve if popular web sites have links to your Web page or if many web pages have links to your web page. Google goes even further and uses such links as its chief criterion of relevance. Another new trend in search engines is to reward Web sites for their popularity within search results. The more people click on your description, the better your ranking next time.

· Doorway pages

Webmasters are sometimes told to submit "bridge" pages or "doorway" pages to search engines to improve their traffic. Doorway pages are created to do well for particular phrases. They are also known as portal pages, jump pages, gateway pages, entry pages and by other names. Doorway pages are easy to identify in that they have been designed primarily for search engines, not for human beings. There are various ways to deliver doorway pages. One way is to create and submit a page that is targeted toward a particular phrase. Some people take this a step further and create a page for each phrase and for each search engine. One problem with this is that these pages tend to be very generic. Also, the pages may be so similar to each other that they are considered duplicates and automatically excluded by the search engine from its listings. Another method is to deliver a doorway page that only the search engine sees. Each search engine reports an "agent" name, just as each browser reports a name. The advantage to agent name delivery is that you can send the search engine to a tailored page whereas direct site users to the actual content you want them to see.

· Make regular changes

As search engine robots roam the Web, they notice and approve of changes. Static web sites where nothing changes are likely to slide off the bottom of every search result list. So for good results keep updating your Web content and adding new pages.

Search engine algorithms

Search engines want to promote Web sites that people really appreciate. They want to feature quality sites that increase their own prestige. They do not like spam and waste of space. Their mysterious algorithms appear to work on these assumptions:

· Domain names really do describe their Web sites;

· Titles, meta keywords and description tags really do describe each page;

· Headings really do describe what follows;

· IMG ALT text really does describe a particular graphic;

· A Web site that changes is alive and worthwhile;

· Good pages have unique, high quality content;

· Popular sites are good sites.

Web developers who work on the same assumptions are on the right track to getting the best search results.

How To Use HTML Meta Tags

Meta tags provide a useful way to control your summary in some search engines. Meta tags can also help you provide keywords and descriptions on pages that for various reasons lack text. However, simply including a meta tag is not a guarantee that your page should suddenly leap to the top of every search engine listing. They are a useful tool but not a magic solution.

Two Important Meta Tags are the Keywords and Description meta tags.

The description tag returns a description of the page in place of the summary the search engine would ordinarily create. The keywords tag provides keywords for the search engine to associate with your page.

The keywords meta tag gives your page a chance to come up if someone types in any of the words listed. For example, someone might enter "kanchipuram saree," which will match with one of the keywords in the tag.

Here’s an example meta tag,

You should definitely add meta description and meta keyword tags to your web pages. Some search engines will give you a boost if you have them. But don't expect that to necessarily be enough to put you in the top ten. Meta tags are mainly a design element you can tap into, a crutch for helping information-poor pages better be acknowledged by the search engines.

You can also use a web site called the Meta Medic (http://www.northernwebs.com/set/setsimjr.html) to submit any page and check to see if the meta tags are valid. The site will also offer advice about length and warn of possible problems it believes the tags may have.

Tips on getting listed in Yahoo (and the other big directories)

The big web directories like Yahoo, LookSmart, Open Directory etc are a great source of hits. But most people don't properly submit to them, and even if they do get in, their listings are substandard.

Proper submission to these directories is becoming even more crucial because there is a pronounced trend towards using "human-edited" indexes in search results. In particular, many of the major search engines are starting to use Open Directory index listings in their search results, making it the #2 most important place to list your site, behind Yahoo.

Another thing to consider is that more and more search engines are using link-popularity as a ranking method (Google is the originator of this technique). Under this system the ranking of your site depends on how many other pages link to yours, and how important those links are. That means that a secondary benefit of getting a link on major indexes is that it can improve your ranking on some search engines. You can even hurry this along by, for example, submitting the pages containing your listings to the search engines!

Here's how to optimize your listings for the big directories:

1) Yahoo

Yahoo is without a doubt the single most important index on the Internet (though Open Directory is rapidly gaining on them!), and it is an absolute must that you get listed here. Don’t use automated submissions to Yahoo, because getting listed is so important, and such a "delicate" process, that it is better to do it by hand.

Yahoo comes in three flavors; the main (original) Yahoo; the international Yahoo sites; and the regional (city) Yahoo sites. The original site is by far the toughest to get into, so if your site is in, or relates to, a country or region served by one of the other Yahoo indexes, you should first try to get listed in them. If you get accepted by one Yahoo index, you almost always get into them all - and if for some reason getting into a regional Yahoo index doesn't get you listed in the main Yahoo index, then the fact that you are in the regional index can be a big help when you apply to the main index - and you should point it out in your application. Note however that if your site isn't truly regional, and you do get it into a regional category, that Yahoo may leave it there and not give you a main index listing.

First, be patient. It often takes 6-8 weeks for the overworked Yahoo staff to even look at your site. Second, don't even think about bothering them until your site is 100% up and running, with nothing "under construction." A good rule of thumb - if it hasn't won several awards, it won't be good enough to get into Yahoo. Good site design, fast loading pages, and content are important. A subtle gotcha when it comes to getting commercial sites listed on Yahoo is that Yahoo requires that the site list the physical address of the business somewhere on the site (and the easier it is to find, the more likely it is that the Yahoo reviewer will find it and you'll pass this test). Third, be gently insistent. If you apply and don't get in after two months, submit again. But before you do, go look at your site once again, and see if you can't improve it.

Whatever you do, do NOT bombard Yahoo with submissions. If you apply more than once a month, they'll ignore you until the end of time. Another good way to get banned from Yahoo is to submit a site to a regional index that has nothing to do with that region, or isn't really a regionally limited site.

To apply for a listing on Yahoo, visit the main Yahoo site or a regional site (as appropriate), and do a search (your site title is a good one) to determine if you are already in the Yahoo index or not. It is crucial to understand that Yahoo search results have several components; Yahoo Categories that match your query; Web Sites that are in the Yahoo index; and Web Pages that are drawn from the Google database. Your site may appear in a Yahoo search and not be in the index!

If your site does not appear under the heading Web Sites, it isn't in Yahoo. Many people get confused by this. They see their site appear under Web Pages and think Yahoo has listed them.

The reason you want to be in the Yahoo Web Sites index (and not just Google), is that Yahoo lists these results first when people do searches. For popular searches, you may have to drill down through several pages of Web Sites listings before you even see Google Web Pages results. A decent Web Sites listing in Yahoo will massively increase your traffic from Yahoo.

Assuming you are not in the index, take your time, and find the category page that best fits your site. At the very bottom of this page will be a small "Suggest a Site" link. Click on it to get to the site submission page.

A good method for finding the right category page is to do some searches that you think people looking for your site will do, and see what categories are listed. In the past, the trick was to submit to the topmost category (so your listing would appear higher up), but this no longer works. Instead, look for a category that has the least number of entries in it, to reduce your chances of being "buried" in a huge category. This usually means a very specific category. The exception would be if your business name is alphabetically very high (ie: starts with a number or the letter "a"). Then you'd want to be in the most general category possible.

If your business is geographically limited in scope then you'll want to be in the most specific category you can find in the regional directory section. This is because Yahoo searches take into account the words in the various category and subcategory names under which your listing is placed -- it is as if these words are in your title and description. So by being in such a specific category, you get your state and city names "for free" - they don't have to be in your description. Use those precious description words to mention other geographical locators (county) and services.

Take your time, and carefully read their suggestions on how to submit. They really mean it. Follow their instructions to the absolute letter, as if they were inscribed on stone tablets handed down from Heaven. If you break the rules (for example, using numbers or brand names in your descriptions), forget about getting in. Read those rules. Re-read them. Re-read them again, out loud.

The #1 mistake people make when submitting a site to Yahoo is that their title and description read like promotional ad copy. What Yahoo wants is a descriptive title and description. No hype allowed! And if you can make your description one sentence of at most 15-20 words, you're less likely to have it edited down.

Apply with an eye to making the job of the Yahoo reviewer easier; for example, use the “comments" field in the application form to point out special things about your site that the reviewer ought to look at.

Searches on Yahoo will find your site if the search words appear in the title, description or URL. So make sure all the important keywords are in the description and title. Work them into the text in a natural way -- a list of keywords isn't acceptable! Because your title will often get edited, make sure the really crucial keywords are in the description. And if you can get a domain name that has your major keywords in it, even better, because they can't edit your URL!

Yahoo has made available a special email address that you can use to let them know of problems with your listing (or with getting listed). While not exactly top-secret, it isn't widely known, so do not abuse it. To get extra assistance with a new site listing, submit the site normally, and if the site isn't listed within a few weeks, then do a resubmission. If the site still doesn't appear after a few weeks (and you've followed the guidelines above to the letter), then e-mail url-support@yahoo-inc.com for assistance. You must send the exact URL that you submitted, but you do not need to send the categories you submitted to or the actual dates you submitted on.

2) LookSmart

LookSmart is very similar to Yahoo in scope (though they can't yet match Yahoo's level of traffic). The same basic rules of thumb apply when submitting to LookSmart. LookSmart charges a fee for submissions, though non-profit sites can still get listed for free. Paying the money doesn't guarantee listing, so read their guidelines carefully. If you get into Yahoo, your

site should be able to get into LookSmart as well.

3) The Open Directory Project

The Open Directory Project (ODP), formerly called NewHoo, is an "Open Source" directory much like Yahoo, but edited by volunteers. As ODP is now the directory listing source for Netscape, AOL Search, HotBot and Lycos, and will soon be used by many other search engines, including Altavista, it is in the "big leagues" and is a must to submit to.

Note however that ODP's current search facility does WORD searches, not string searches, so that the keyword embedding technique does not work. So your description for ODP should avoid pluralized words unless they are likely to be in search queries. On the plus side, you can have longer descriptions than on Yahoo, but the category editor may edit you down. Like Yahoo, Open Directory asks that you only submit your homepage URL, to the most appropriate category.

To submit to Open Directory Project, first visit the major search engines that use Open Directory (e.g. Lycos, Hotbot, AOL Search or Altavista). Type a simple query that is likely to be used by someone searching for the contents of the page you are submitting. When the search results come back, look for the list of Open Directory categories. If there are no categories, then your query was too specific. Try a more general one. After you've viewed the results of several searches, click on the single category that you feel is most appropriate for your site. This link will take you to the category page. Somewhere on the page will be an add URL link that will bring up the Open Directory submission form to submit your site. All the usual techniques are appropriate. Make a note of the category you submitted to. The current "official" waiting period for Open Directory is 3 weeks. If you don't get in after 3 weeks, you may resubmit if you want to.

Waiting to get listed

Most of the Web lives on "Internet time", where change occurs at lightning speeds. However, search engines and directories often seem to exist on "watching grass grow time", where even the simple act of getting listed seems to take forever. The goal of search engines and directories is to catalogue as much of the World Wide Web as possible, and in the process hopefully bring a little order to the chaos of the Internet.

But because the Web is already huge and still growing at such an accelerated pace, search engines and directories often get stuck in a constant game of catch-up. And that translates into long waits to get listed. When you submit your Website to a search engine, your URL is added to a list of sites to be crawled by the search engine's spider. When the spider visits your site, it scans your content then adds it to the search engine's index. And voila, you're listed!

Sounds pretty easy but unfortunately, there are quite a few hitches and snags that can drag the process out, sometimes for months.

The Web is BIG, and trying to organize as much of it as possible is a major undertaking. Consider this: many search engines have indexed anywhere from 200-500 million pages, and still have barely scratched the surface! Search engines are scrambling to fill up their indexes, and all this catch-up work means backlogs, which lengthen the time it's going to take for their spiders to visit your site.

Search engines usually update their databases on a set interval, which can be anywhere from every several days to a couple of months. The average seems to fall within the 4-8 week period. However, it's not uncommon for a search engine to miss an update (for example, if the update comes while they are upgrading their software), so instead of updating after 6 weeks, 12 weeks might pass before any new sites are added to the index. It's not that unusual for a search engine to miss a few updates, so the wait can stretch out to months.

So what can you do to help make sure you get listed? As a general rule, it's a good idea to keep resubmitting every 6 weeks, whether or not you are listed. This helps ensure that your listing stays fresh, and doesn't accidentally "drop off" the list (which can occasionally happen with search engines). However note that some search engines like Google rank your site based on how “old” it is (i.e. the amount of time that has expired from the date it was first added to its index) – so you should be resubmitting often once you get into such search engines.

Submissions to directories are processed by humans, so the waiting game is a little different. After you submit your site, an editor will eventually look it over and decide if it deserves to get added to their directory. As with search engines, there are a few things that can drag out (or derail!) your submission. The major directories, such as Yahoo!, get swamped with submissions every day. That means mountains of work for the editors, and of course, long waits for the user. The wait can stretch from a few weeks to several months. Verify that you've chosen the best category for your site BEFORE you submit it! If you submit your site to the wrong category, the submission will be rejected every time. Same as with the wrong category, if you have ANY part of your site that is not complete, do not submit it. Also, be sure to proofread your site, check for broken links, and make sure that your site is available 24/7.

The trick to getting listed in a major directory is to remember this: unlike a search engine, a directory only wants to list the best of the Web, not the most of the Web. If you make sure your site has good content and contains no errors or broken links, that's half the battle. And when submitting your site, try looking up similar sites to yours, and see which categories they are listed under. If you've got a great site that's been submitted properly to the correct category, then you've just gotten a lot closer to getting listed! And like search engines, if you haven't appeared after 6 weeks, it's a good idea to resubmit. However, once you're listed, don't resubmit anymore to that directory. You'll just be creating more work for the editors, and you don't want to make them angry at you! If you ever need to change your listing in a directory, use the special online forms available at the directory's site.

Getting listed often requires equal parts persistence and patience. By keeping your site as professional looking and updated as possible, and following a steady strategy of resubmitting, you'll eventually find your site appearing on more and more search engines and directories.

Offline ways of promoting your site

Make sure that all of your staff know your website address. They know your telephone and fax numbers, they know your snailmail address - they should ALL know your web site address too. Make sure that any new staff have this information along with the usual contact details.

Print your URL and email address on all letterheads, business cards & compliment slips, in the format http://www.yourcompany.com, this way everyone that you ever come into contact with has your web address.

Include your URL in your answering machine, or line holding message. Let people know that they can find information/buy products/enquire about services via the World Wide Web.

Type your URL into your screensaver to remind staff of the address while they are on the telephone. Better still, create interesting screensavers on various topics with your URL on one of the screensaver and give them away for free.

When potential customers call for information about your organization, ask them if they have Internet access and send them to your website. This means they can have the information immediately, without waiting for the postal system, and may help cut down on your postage bills.

Have T-shirts printed with your web address and logo - then give them out as prizes or promotional items.

Make sure that any newspaper and other offline articles feature your URL prominently - don't hide it away in the small print!

Important things to ask your visitors

Ask visitors to subscribe to your e-mail newsletter. This will remind them to visit your web site again and also get details of your organization activities and its products in front of them a repeated number of times. This will increase chances of them buying your products.

Ask visitors to link to your web site. Make sure you give them a good reason to link to your web site.

Ask visitors to order your products. Your sales will increase by simply asking for the sale.

Ask visitors to sign your guest book. You'll get compliments and ideas on how to improve your web site. Get free advertising by sending them a thank you e-mail with details of your products included.

Ask visitors to give you testimonials after they buy your product. This will remind your customers to give comments. Using testimonials on your site can skyrocket your sales.

Following up on potential customers

With a web based store you have customers inquiring about your products or services from around the globe. When you get an inquiry via email or your website you try to rapidly send more information to that hot prospect. By satisfying that person's need for information quickly you can dramatically increase the likely hood of making the sale. Once you deliver the first bit of information to your prospect do you send any further information?

When you don't follow up with additional information you are letting valuable customers slip from your grasp. These are customers that may have been very interested in your products but simply lost your information or were to busy when your first information letter was sent. Some customers even purposely wait to see if you find them important enough to follow up with. When they don't receive a follow up message they take their business elsewhere.

Follow up is more than just a process, it's an art. To do it effectively you need a system and then you need to stick to that system every day! If you don't follow up with prospects consistently and in a timely fashion regarding their individual information request then you might as well forget the whole process. Consistent follow up gets results.

Individual follow up at preset times with pre written messages will dramatically increase your sales. To setup this system you need to do some planning.

First you'll need to develop your follow up messages. If you've been marketing on the internet for any length of time then you should already have your first information letter. Your second letter (or first follow up) should go into more detail than the first letter. Fill in with additional details where you didn't have space to do so in your first letter. Make sure you stress your product benefits.

Your next 2-3 follow up messages should be rather short and stress the benefits. Make lists of benefits and potential uses for your product and services. Write the letters so your prospect can skim the contents and get the full force of your message.

For your last couple of follow up messages you should create a sense of urgency in your prospect's mind. Make a special offer to give them a reason to order now instead of waiting longer. The key is creating urgency so you'll need to look at your product and see how you can make your prospect want to order immediately.

The final 1 or 2 follow up messages should be in the form of a question. Ask your prospect why they haven't ordered? Try to get them to respond. Ask if the price was to high, the product wasn't the right color, not the right features, or were they looking for something else. By this time it's unlikely the person will order from you but their feedback could help you modify your follow up letters or product and services so that other prospects will order from you.

The timing of your follow up letters is also important. You don't want to have one prospect receive a follow up the next day when another prospect waited over 3 weeks for a follow up. You should always send the first follow up 24 hours after the information request. You want a hot prospect to have more information quickly so they can make an informed buying decision. The next 2-3 follow up messages should be sent between 1 and 3 days apart. Your prospect is still hot and is probably still shopping around for information. Provide them with the benefits they want and you will make the sale. The final follow up messages should be sent with much more time in between them. You don't want to annoy your prospect so make sure the letters are at least 4 days apart.

Turning browsers Into buyers

There was a time when e-commerce meant throwing a database of your products online, setting up a secure server, and putting an order form online. And while some ventures were profitable, those success stories were few and far between. It was as if people thought the medium demanded a new model of commerce – and everyone was scrambling to find that best approach.

Funny thing is, the most profitable electronic commerce web sites sites look more like bricks-and-mortar stores than anything else. One of the most effective ways to convert browsers to buyers is by cultivating a merchandising mindset in your site. Here’s how.

· Scramble your shelves

First, get past the myth that shoppers want to search for products. Though they may insist otherwise in polls and focus groups, the fact is as shoppers, we like being led by a store.

In-store strategies of many offline stores are fairly simple: group like products together on the shelves, even if they’re technically from different product categories. Wet-naps beside baby food, extension cords beside TV sets. This means that some times when a customer walks in to buy an extension cord they may well walk out with a TV set too!

While executing this "scrambled shelf" strategy online may take some effort, you will see an immediate and significant jump in your revenues. E.g. amazon.com takes this model one step further – rather than relying on a detailed database of likely topical matches between books, the site uses previous shoppers as the base. While reviewing Book A, you’re shown the titles of Books B, C, and D – purchased by others who bought Book A at the same time.

· Offer smarter searching

Lots of web sites have search engines that will search for a product name, but few allow shoppers to search a store the way we actually shop. For instance, when you go into a video store, you likely aren’t there with a particular title in mind. You want to tell a staff person there "I’m kind of in the mood for an older, deep drama but nothing too weepy." Once you’re directed to the right section, shelf-talkers with big arrows suggest "If you like this movie, you’ll probably like these too."

Some sites have a Personal Shopper feature that lets shoppers look for gifts based on any set of criteria: age, gender, price range, type of toy, or occasion. The finished search will include a list of appropriate products complete with photos and accessible descriptions.

· Take advantage of seasons changing

Each year, we’re afforded more than a dozen opportunities to boost sales - it’s surprising how many online marketers ignore them. Holidays like Mother’s Day, national holidays, and Valentine’s Day offer the chance to bundle some offerings and promoting them on your entry screen. For that matter, if you can capture a visitor’s birthday, why not offer them a discount that day? (Just be sure they’re not allowed to change their birthday!)

· Don’t forget about the low-tech

The common misconception is that to sell online means you have stay within the bounds of the medium. Many sites ask for a mailing address but never do anything with it. Why not ask your visitor if they’d like to be advised by email if the products that they’re looking for becoming available on your online store?

· Leverage the impulse buy

Providing an impulse buy is one of the most effective ways of generating revenue. Some products can turn an ordinary ad banner into a fully functioning standalone shopping robot that can process secure transactions without ever leaving the banner. Set up your software to recognize certain products or shopping patterns and offer a "this-visit-only" special. For instance, if your visitor has just bought a saree, offer them a discount on the saree blouses - but only if they buy now!

· Handling Customer Support and Service

Repeat customers now account for more than one-half of total revenue among many electronic commerce sites. And while quick-loading sites and a good mind for merchandising help it’s customer service that is bringing those buyers back. Some of the most effective ways of giving your customers the comfort and support to start and (more importantly) keep buying are:

1) Sending follow up email after an order is place besides the warm and fuzzy benefits to thanking your customer, it’s also an effective way to check for fraud. If the email bounces back, flag that order as suspicious.

2) The most critical steps to making a sale is to overcome the prospect’s objections. You can do so on your site itself by offering a link to "Your Questions Answered" or similar wording. The top five objections between your visitor and a sale are safety (will my credit card be safe?), stability (will you be around in a year?), return policy (what happens if I don’t like it?), and real people (I want to talk to a human being first).

3) The E-marketer must be online - With the new pull medium of the Web, shoppers are in complete control of when they ask for help – question is, will the E-marketer be available to help when the consumer needs it? Go beyond the frequently asked questions list, and ensure that as an E-marketer you are online as much as possible to answer customer queries.

Detecting and preventing fraud

Whenever you hear about e-commerce these days, the topic of credit card security is invariably tied to the topic. But what usually goes unreported is that consumers are not the ones who should be concerned - they’re protected by an upper limit of liability (usually $50) on items purchased from a stolen card number, and VISA says it has not had a single incident of a card number being compromised on the Internet. Merchants, on the other hand, have a lot at stake. The credit card companies offload responsibility in fraud detection to the seller, who is held liable for any unauthorized charges (plus, to add insult to injury, a chargeback fee!).

That’s why you need to have a solid fraud detection and prevention program in place for your e-commerce initiative. Things to watch out for in an order are - Shipping address and cardholder address are different, Shipping address is a P.O. Box number, Customer’s name is something like John Smith or Jane Qwerty, Mailing address different than their area code, A large dollar amount order, Strange patterns like a number of orders from the same city in a short timeframe, etc.

Of course, none of these indicate a con-artist is on your site. Remember that your goal isn’t to reject the order on the spot, but rather flag suspicious orders for human review. After all, the real John Smith could indeed want his shipment sent to his P.O. box, but it is suspicious.

If you detect a fraud, whatever you do, don’t tell the visitor that their order is rejected because of fraudulent use. If it’s a legitimate customer, they’ll assume your site is broken and probably never return. If it’s a scam artist, you’ve just tipped them off and sent them back underground. Instead, display a friendly message saying there was "a problem with the order" and give the visitor your phone number to complete the order.

Let’s be clear, the risk of fraud can never be reduced to zero - at least not without encumbering e-commerce with a series of awkward, time-consuming, and annoying safeguards. Online fraud prevention is about tradeoffs - remember that eliminating all risk is eliminating commerce. That being said, done properly, online merchants are seeing fraud rates below one per cent.

Adding a human touch to your e-commerce site

According to a September 1999 study by Jupiter communications, 53 percent of people are more likely to buy online with the addition of real-time customer interaction.

When it comes to making an actual purchase, many customers need the reassurance of human interaction. By providing live help from a customer response executive, one can boost e-commerce sales. Despite the growing acceptance of the Internet as a vehicle for conducting business, E-commerce still tends to be regarded as something of a stepchild. Visitors do come to E-commerce sites. They even poke around. But the web site owners often find themselves wondering why more of the visitors are not actually offering up their credit cards and buying.

The reason stems from one simple fact: Most people prefer doing business with other people. So Web sites are great for doing research. But when it comes to making an actual purchase, many customers need the reassurance of human interaction. By simply providing a method for customers to get real-time answers (on the Web) to their questions, conversion rates can skyrocket and raise customer service levels to an all-time high.

Web-based customer service should include both self-help (FAQ) and live-help capabilities. When the buyers face a problem, first thing they tend to do is to look for the FAQ section (Frequently Asked Questions). They may not need a live person to help, but the fact that there is a live person who is willing to offer help anytime makes my shopping experience more satisfying. In their minds, they are no longer buying from a virtual company running off a server in some dark warehouse. Instead, they are buying from a reliable company, staffed by live representatives (E-marketers) who are available at the click of a mouse.

Lets say you walk in to a shop to buy a Louis Philip shirt. How would you feel when there is no human being there to help you with your purchases? You’d feel a little odd, right? The same psychology holds true when you are purchasing from an E-commerce Web site. Real-time interaction with an informed representative encourages completion of the sale.

The ability to have a conversation with a live representative also makes customers feel more secure. No matter how much Web-based security is assured, many customers are still hesitant to enter credit card information into an online form. These very same individuals will hand their credit card to an unknown waiter in a restaurant. The difference, of course, is human interaction.

In today's economy where service equals success, organizations need to provide a better option for real-time E-commerce service and support. The answer lies in allowing customers to help themselves to the information they need without leaving the Web site.

By combining customer self-help and the option of live help from an e-markter the E-commerce process becomes much more engaging, user-friendly, and successful.

Online customer service

Online customer service consists of two components – self service and assistance offered by e-marketers.

Empower customers to help themselves: Internet savvy users want to be able to take care of themselves first, without resorting to contacting customer service. Various methods such as online help, FAQ's, and online product information serve as the first level of support for the customer. When those tools aren't enough, tools like e-mail, live chat and telephone assistance come into play.

Live assistance: Providing live chat assistance provides instant access to customer service. When a customer e-mails a company, they don't know how long it will take for a reply. It may take one hour or 100. By providing real time assistance in a chat format, we can give a powerful first impression of exceptional customer service. On the Web, real time customer service is critical to succeed.

Response time: The interesting thing about e-commerce is that customers can shop with you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and customers therefore have the expectation that you have personnel available to serve them 24/7. Hence responses to e-mails must be done within a maximum of 24 hours. E-marketers must also be available for online chat as much as possible.

Customer feedback: Quantifying the effect of customer service can be difficult. Putting in place methods like soliciting customer feedback at different stages, like before and after a purchase is made is vital to gauging customer satisfaction. Every month or every quarter, sit down and take a hard look at your site. Take a hard look at the tools you give your customers and make sure that you are continuing to develop the experience and support they have along with the rest of your business.

How to listen to your customers

Listening effectively greatly improves your chances of understanding your site visitors. Here are some tips you'll be able to use to boost your listening abilities so that you can better know your users. If you want a great Web site, you simply must listen to your users regardless of whether that communication is over e-mail, online chat or over the phone.

The first step is to drop your other activities and concentrate on your users' activities. That is, you simply must stop being self-centered. There's no need to be selfless, but the reason you have your site is probably to please other folks or to get them to buy your goods and services. Your users are your lifeblood; your users give you a reason to have a Web site. To listen effectively, you must be user-centric not ego-centric.

Now, let's take a look at the three global things you must do: (1) understand your users' goals and needs, (2) listen dynamically, and (3) help your users speak to you.

How can you better understand your users' goals and needs? As mentioned earlier, you need to focus on them. You need to know how your users see the world. For example, you should try to understand their population stereotypes. Pay attention to their language and manner of speaking and writing. Are they organized or disorganized? Do they know their own goals? Do they know what they want? (Helping clients who know what they want is different than helping those that do not.) Are they asking for your help or are they looking for a strategic partnership with you? And so forth.

Moving beyond these business-like issues, you can ask your Web patron (and yourself) other questions too. For example:

· Why are you at my site?

· What information do you need from my site?

· What would make your visit to my site better?

Obviously there are many, many other goal-oriented questions. There are other ways to evoke goals from users. You can mirror their behavior. People actually like it when you are like them. It makes them comfortable. This goes for person-to-person contact as well as email correspondence. For example, if your users write their email in a formal manner, you might do the same. This helps to establish a rapport. However, be sure not to fake this - people smell a rat in no time, so be genuine! Your prospects will communicate better with you, and vice versa.

If you want to effectively listen, and communicate, you must decide what you need to hear. Collect all kinds of information. Listening to your users goes beyond talking and email. You must dig deeper and seek data to understand their products and services requirements.

The third global thing you need to do is help your users speak to you. Get them started, get them talking to you. Ask them about their work, their families, their jobs. People love to talk about themselves. You can be business-like or informal, whatever fits the person and the occasion.

Be cheerful, pleasant, and helpful. Be efficient and courteous. These things foster trust in users. Since in online conversations, you are dealing with people one-to-one, you will find these tips to be important to grease the wheels.

Some people need help talking -- so, being fast and helpful is the way to go with those users. Ask questions that they can easily answer at first, then get to the details as the conversation (cheerfully) moves on.

Be dynamic and positive in your listening. Your users don't have time for anything else. Above all, seek to know your users. Know everything you can about them. Ask questions and accept questions. Finally, if all these things seem to fail, you should fall back on this simple advice: shut up, ask a good question, or finish the conversation.

Ways to retain an online prospect or customer

1) Respond promptly to customer replies for more information: Three days from now the prospect will have forgotten everything about your product. Strike while the iron is hot!

2) After you receive a credit card order through email, acknowledge it with a reply: The biggest myth about the Internet is that crooks are lurking everywhere just waiting to rip off your credit card number. You and I know better. But Mr. or Ms. Average Internet User believes all the hype what they hear on the news magazine shows. Reassure them. Give them some warm fuzzies. Let them know via email that you received the order and it is on the way.

3) After receiving an order by email, don’t send the customer a reply that you are out of town and will ship his order after you return -- sometime in a week or two. When someone places an order by email you should put this customer's name at the TOP of your customer list. Cherish him. For he will return many times more over the next few years. BUT, DON'T MAKE HIM WAIT. A standard policy must be to ship the product the same day or the next day the order is received.

4) Don’t ignore customer complaints or requests for refunds: Some of the best customers are people who initially complained about a product or service. When you get a complaint, immediately contact the customer and assure her that you will have an answer for her within 24 hours. If the mistake was yours, let the customer know and bend over backwards to correct the problem.

5) Don’t ignore customer's requests that information be sent by snail mail: When a prospect replies with his mailing address instead of his email address, there is probably a good reason. Maybe he is using a friend's computer and doesn't have an email address. Always have a printed catalog of your products that can be sent to your prospect via snail mail.

Measuring the impact of your World Wide Web marketing program

· Using feedback forms

With a properly designed feedback form on your web site you'll be able to get a picture of your Web site visitor base. Perhaps you'll find that the wrong types of people are coming to your site, which will help you target your promotional activities more precisely. When designing web site forms, consider modeling them after tradeshow visitor slips. Forms that are too long or ask too much information about a user may not get used as often as you'd like. Make it obvious which sections of the form are mandatory to validate the form, through the use of some icon or symbol next to required fields.

· Using web tracking software

To more accurately measure Web activity, you'll need to rely on some type of web tracking software or log analysis tool. Before you research Web site analysis software, ask yourself, "What do I need to measure and why?" Web tracking or log analysis software can report "hits" or page accesses; daily, weekly, or monthly accesses; visitor domain names; geographical locations of visitors; and types of browsers used. Some specialized, more advanced programs will also allow you to review visitor "clickstreams," or the actual patha visitor took from page to page within your site. Measuring hits is a very elementary step in determining if your Internet site is generating any interest. Measuring an increase in hits over a period of time will help you determine if a recent news release or promotion has had any impact on your visitor activity. Web statistic programs like Web Trends Live (www.webtrendslive.com) can demonstrate how your site is reaching national vs. international visitors. If your Web presence goal includes increasing your international reach, this would be one way to demonstrate your success.

Measuring the impact of your Web marketing efforts will help you address such issues as your efforts' impact on revenue and expenditures, including those elusive aspects of time and pre-existing resources. By planning in advance, you can increase the chance that your Internet activities will continue to support your overall marketing communications program.

Internet Marketing Strategy summary

Here is a summary of primary marketing strategies. You can use this as a specific check-list things you can do to become more successful on the Internet.

· Be findable on search engines & directories

__ 1. I have inserted meta tags in my home page.

__ 2. I have used the right words in the meta tags to attract the right visitors.

__ 3. I have put meta tags on every page of my website.

__ 4. I have used a descriptive title for each of my pages.

__ 5. I have listed my site on the top ten search engines.

__ 6. I have listed my site on Yahoo.

__ 7. I have tested how well my site ranks on the search engines.

__ 8. I have listed my site on at least 5 directories related to my field/interests.

__ 9. I have learned how search engines work and have adjusted my meta tags/format to attract more visitors.

__ 10. I have listed myself on at least 25 relevant directories.

· Arrange for crosslinks and increase your exposure

__ 1. I know how many links to my site there are.

__ 2. There is a link from at least 10 others sites to my site.

__ 2. I have a favorite links page with at least 20 listings on it.

__ 3. I am part of a web ring or am hosting a webring.

__ 4. I have applied to get my site linked from the awards/cool sites.

__ 5. I post to newsgroups.

__ 6. I get on to the online chat interface of India Shop

__ 7. Offer a membership and give people a reason to link your sites from theirs.

__ 8. Contact 50 colleagues and get them to link to your site (and yours to theirs).

__ 9. I have listed my site on professional association's directories.

__ 10. I've approached writers/editors of 20 ezines and ask them to put me on their quote-contact list.

· Provide valuable content at your website

__ 1. I share knowledge I have about my subject/expertise.

__ 2. I have identified the top 4 types of people who will visit my site.

__ 3. I offer a track for each of them to follow, or solutions to their concerns, at my site.

__ 4. I have included RealAudio files at my site containing valuable information.

__ 5. I offer a FAQs/Q&A section to answer the most often asked questions about my product/service.

__ 6. I have included a searchable index of my newsletters.

__ 7. I offer advice to anyone visiting the India Shop site.

· Offer a free newsletter

__ 1. I have selected a topic for my e-newsletter

__ 2. I have chosen the format and frequency of my broadcast.

__ 3. I have written 3 'issues' and sent them out to at least 100 people who I know.

__ 4. I have automated the subscribe/unsubscribe process for my newsletter.

__ 5. I encourage subscribers to pass along the newsletter broadcast to anyone they wish.

__ 6. Subscribing/unsubscribing instructions are at the top/bottom of each broadcast.

__ 7. I ask my subscribers for feedback, comments and questions and I respond to these.

__ 8. I offer free stuff or sell stuff as a plug at the bottom of each broadcast.

· Have a well-designed website

__ 1. My site gives visitors immediate access/answers to 90% of visitors.

__ 2. My site looks professional, not hobbyish.

__ 3. The graphics of are a high quality.

__ 4. I prompt visitors to subscribe to my newsletter.

__ 5. I offer a bulletin board/discussion list where visitors can post comments/questions

__ 6. I've designed my site to lead people through it, step by step.

__ 7. There is at least one free product or service that visitors can download at my site.

__ 8. I've designed my site to lead people, step by step, to buy something at my site.

· Work with the media

__ 1. I've written a press release announcing my site, product or service.

__ 2. I've broadcast/distributed this press release.

__ 3. I am giving something away for free and have let the media know about this.

__ 4. I have let everyone in my network know that I am available for media interviews on a particular subject.

__ 5. I've gotten my web site mentioned or featured in someone else's book or article.

__ 6. I've written a pitch letter to the local news media suggesting a story that relates to my work/site.

· Advertise and promote

__ 1. I've arranged for owners of mailing lists to let me plug my site/services/products via their e-newsletter.

__ 2. I've put my web and email address on my business cards and letterhead

__ 3. I've had at least one banner ad created

__ 4. I use a signature on my email announcing all that I offer.

__ 5. I have run classified ads selling my product or service.

· Become the host of a network

__ 1. Offer a e-newsletter on a topic of your interest

__ 2. Offer a directory/portal web site

__ 3. Host a discussion group

__ 4. Run a contest.

__ 5. Offer free support/advice.

· Keep experimenting

__ 1. Create a website that reflects/expresses what is most important to you

__ 2. Keep experimenting to see what draws people in

__ 3. Add more websites, just for the fun of it.

__ 4. Offer links from your site to cool/new resources that your visitors may want to know about.

__ 5. Sponsor a brainstorming session once a month with your colleagues/friends.

__ 6. Keep testing the ranking of your site on the search engines (and keep tweaking).

__ 7. Spend an hour a month surfing other related sites and using/adapting some of their ideas to improve your own site.

__ 8. Identify a need that the public has and create a website to serve/solve that need even if unrelated to your current expertise or service/product.

Online Marketing Maintenance Plan

Daily

Answer email: If this is not already your number one priority online, it should be. People expect answers quickly in cyberspace. If you show them that you are ready and willing to help, you'll earn their trust and their business.

Perform one marketing-related task: Even if it is fifteen minutes to register at a search engine or post to a mailing list, make a commitment to perform at least one marketing-related task per day.

Weekly

Add a page to your web site: Even if it is a short report about your area of expertise, adding pages regularly will increase your exposure by giving your site more points of entry. This will also show customers that your site is not stagnant.

Monthly

Submit any new web pages you've added to at least 5 new search engines.

Once you're in the major engines likego for the "next level" engines. Your site needs to be listed with as many search engines as possible.

Quarterly

Set up one completely automated marketing tool: An automated marketing tool is something you implement, which promotes your site 24 hours a day and does 100% of the work. An excellent example is letemknow.com - this site sets up a referral form for you to post on your site. Your visitors can then refer their friends and associates to your site with a few clicks.

Sign on one joint-venture: Joint ventures work great on the Internet. There are two ways you can utilise this to add profits. First, you can contact webmasters who market similar products and services and ask them if they would be interested in offering yours. Give them a percentage of the profits and it's a win-win situation. Another way to use this strategy is to promote another webmasters' product or service to your customers. No matter which method you choose, doing this quarterly can double your yearly income. If you haven't tried it yet, start by keeping a notebook of possible joint venture candidates and contact them on schedule.