Ecommerce Shopping Cart Blog by InstanteStore » Email Marketing

Ecommerce Shopping Cart Software Service – Autoresponders

desmond — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 10:25:34 +0000

So what actually are autoresponders and how can merchants take advantage of this feature?

Autoresponders are part of the email marketing arsenal and this tool is available as an ecommerce shopping cart software service feature with the InstanteStore shopping cart solution. There have been tons of articles written about autoresponders as this feature is such an essential part of email marketing campaigns. The concept of autoresponders is fairly simple – remind subscribers through email about your products, offers and the store itself while subtly convincing them to buy your product.

There are a couple of strategies when it comes to autoresponders. Some are more direct than others. But they all share one thing in common – a killer headline or subject line.

Although autoresponders have proven to be effective and are a basic secure ecommerce shopping cart marketing tool, many merchants still overlook it. In this ecommerce shopping cart software service feature article, we will take a brief look at autoresponder strategies to turn subscribers into customers.

Experts state it often takes 7 or more messages before prospective customers make a purchase. The process may be a bit slow but the bottom line is what matters — more sales. When making use of this ecommerce shopping cart software service, it is important to remember a few things, apart from writing a killer subject line that will hook the reader.

Keep It Simple

Do you read all your email? No one does. This is why it is important to keep messages short and sweet or you can be assured that they will end up in the trash. A killer subject line will get the reader to at least open the email but the hook must continue within the body of the message.

Personalize It

Personalizing a message has proven to be more effective than generic ones. An easy way to do this is by mentioning the reader’s name. The mention of a name establishes a connection with the reader at some level and will at least buy a few minutes of reading time, which is a good start.

Emphasize Benefits

Merchants still make the mistake of highlighting the features and not the benefits of a product or service. If you have spotted a feature that a product or service you offer has that your competitors’ do not, tell your readers why they need this feature. For example, if a pair of shoes have anti-microbial Ortholite insoles, runners can benefit from comfortable cushioning and odorless shoes. In other words, mention the ‘What’ but explain the ‘Why’.

Include A Gift

To further entice the reader, include a small gift like a discount coupon or a free shipping waiver. This will at least give the reader something to consider and a reason to give your store another visit.

Removals

Do not be afraid to honor all removal requests. That said, make sure the removal link is easily found. Remember, you want to be seen as professional as possible. This is also necessary in order to be fully compliant with anti-spam regulations.

Avoid The Spam Filter

Many messages never make it past the spam filter. There are 2 ways to overcome this problem. The first, as soon as a subscription is completed, instruct the subscriber to “white list” you by adding your email address to his or her address book. The second way is to use a Spam Checker tool. There are many free Spam Checker tools available on the Internet and it only take a few seconds or minutes, if the content is heavy, to get a report.Recent Posts:

Similar Posts:

Online Business Opportunity Internet Online Marketing Tips For 2010

desmond — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 10:21:04 +0000

What a difference a year makes. It seems like only yesterday everyone was putting email marketing at the bottom of their “to do” lists but now it’s back in vogue. Some online business opportunity Internet online marketing tips from yesteryear have made a comeback, while some others are now less relevant.

If you’re looking to start an online business Internet marketing should not be an afterthought. You need to write marketing strategy that will integrate everything the best elements available on the web in order to rank high search engine-wise and successfully convert visitors.

The Email Juggernaut

Email was the first form of social media. It’s been around for over 15 years now. Friends, relatives and colleagues were sharing product reviews, gossip and recipes long before the advent of forums, social networking sites and micro blogging arenas.

To many, email is their primary form of communication. These people do not want all the apps, widgets and other bells and whistles that are the trademark of social networking sites. Think of email as Social Networking Lite. Email has so many good things going for it. It’s safe to say that almost everyone has at least one email account. Email marketing registered the highest ROI last year; not surprising since sending out email costs hardly anything. It is also the most effective and measurable form of online marketing.

So it’s not surprising that our top online business opportunity Internet online marketing tip is to make sure that you keep those marketing email efforts going. But remember to use A/B split testing to make sure your email converts at its most optimum level.

Going Realtime And Mobile

Our next online business opportunity Internet online marketing tip is not unexpected. In fact, it was touted by many to take off … last year. Well, better late than never.

Realtime reviews and and promotions are expected to be hot this year as smart phones and built-in social networking widgets become more commonplace. Restaurants are tweeting lunch specials right before lunchtime to help the hungry masses decide what they should fill their tummies with. Customers can then make reservations from wherever they are. This is a clear example of potential customers being offered realistic options at a calculated time.

Experts say that more people will buy from sites that feature reviews and also welcome user reviews. And some sites will take this further by allowing viewers to contact reviewers directly in order to get further information. This will escalate customer interaction to a whole new level and dimension.

Take A Course Before Buying

Sony came up with an ingenious idea a couple of years ago to boost sales and try to improve customer loyalty in an increasingly disloyal market. Looks like their plan worked and the bandwagon will soon fill up this year.

What Sony did was create an online tutorial, providing tips and information on digital photography. The content was generic to the industry and basically free from Sony marketing propaganda. Well, maybe not totally free: once in a while a pop-up would appear displaying relevant Sony products. But overall, the course seemed sincere in educating the viewer in the finer aspects of photography, which was what made it so successful. The numbers speak for themselves. 90% of people who followed the course gave it the thumbs-up with those who took the course being more likely to purchase a Sony product they just learned about.

What do you think of these ideas? Leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you.Recent Posts:

Similar Posts:

Tips For Creating Effective eNewsletters

desmond — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 04:49:19 +0000

People spend as much as 6 hours a day on the Internet, according to ecommerce statistics. Rain or shine, as long as the connection isn’t on the blink, chances are quite a few of the 1.6 billion people with internet access will be online.

If you have subscribed to an ecommerce shopping cart software service and are running a web store, you’ve probably spent quite a bit of time marketing your store. A typical ecommerce shopping cart provider usually includes lots of features to help you market your products. One such feature is eNewsletter Broadcasting.

Find out more about creating effective eNewsletters…

eNewsletters are great because they are (usually) free, yet have the potential to increase sales from existing customers by as much as 30%. Although some clients praise this feature, others say it is a waste of time. When this happens it is always good to compare the eNewsletters that work with the ones that don’t.

Here are a few tips to put you on the right track:

Lowest Price Automatically Equates To Higher Sales

That assumption is a fallacy. Just because your product is cheap does not necessarily mean people will buy it. Just having the lowest price doesn’t get you very far these days. Many merchants use the “Low Price” caption as their main and only feature or USP (Unique Selling Point) in their eNewsletters without realizing that low prices are just bait. You must present other features and explain their benefits in order to convert eNewsletter readers into buyers. You can bet your competitors are doing the same.

Unique Selling Points

No product can remain truly unique indefinitely. It’s just a matter of time before a competitor’s product emerges which can better your product on all fronts. This is why you should always promote your product in a way that ties into other features as well. Leverage your strengths and make sure you feature them next to the products you are promoting in your eNewsletter. Don’t be too vague. “Money back guarantee” sounds good initially but it won’t make the grade. Sometimes you have to spell things out in order to dispel any concerns. “Money back guarantee – No hidden fees, No contracts, No cancellation penalties” – might work better as you’ve backed up your bold statement with an assurance. Always put yourself in the shoes of your customers and try to figure out what would prevent them from buying a particular product. Address those concerns and voila! — a sale.

The Little Things

Don’t waste too much time coming up with clever tag lines for your eNewsletter. If people want to read something funny, they’ll do a search for jokes. People have a tendency to look at product images first before they read anything else on an eNewsletter so make sure those images are attractive. Use all the tips mentioned earlier – explain features and benefits, address concerns immediately – to try to close the sale as early as possible.

Try to avoid featuring too many products in your eNewsletter. Remember, it’s not a catalog. Feature one main product – a new product, for example – and offer it at an introductory price. As a bonus, customers can use a discount count code included in the issue to get a further discount on top of the introductory price. You can display smaller photos (thumbnails) of “on sale” items below the featured product’s prime area. However once again, do not display too many.

Once you’ve got your eNewsletter ready, you can make full use of your ecommerce shopping cart provider Newsletter Broadcasting feature to market your products and hopefully, pull in some sales.

What are your experiences with eNewletters? We’d love to hear them.Recent Posts:

Similar Posts:

Generate More Product Sales Through e-Newsletters

desmond — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 10:05:32 +0000

“49% of email marketers said their newsletter routinely justified themselves.”

- MarketingSherpa, Email Marketing Benchmark Guide 2008

After SEO, the next most effective conversion tactic for smaller marketers is e-mail and newsletters.

The InstanteStore newsletter broadcast feature is not only a great customer retention tool but more importantly, it has the potential to boost sales by up to 35% if done correctly. There are so many good things going for this feature. Best of all, it’s FREE. All it takes is a little work and you have a proven sales-getter.

So, how do you get this working?…

When a visitor subscribes to an e-newsletter from a web store, it means the visitor is just one step away from making a purchase. The interest is already there; all it takes is a little push to close the sale. That’s very good news to a merchant.

Content

e-Newletters are great for introducing new products, special on-sale items, store updates and new features. But in order to convert an interested reader into a paying customer, you have to give the visitor a reason to buy.

Here’s an example. When a woman looks at a dress, she doesn’t just think of the dress per se. She thinks about all the things she has or could buy that would match the dress she is eying. A merchant can help the decision making process along by including fashion tips along with the product promotion in the newsletter. Let the reader know what kind of occasion, shoes, accessories, make up and hairstyle would best suit the dress. Citing latest fashion trends has also been known to have a positive effect.

Just make sure the content is relevant. Do not include material that, although interesting, would not likely lead to a sale.

Frequency

“45% of small business execs want to receive the (email) newsletter weekly, 34% said monthly.”

- Bredin Business Information (2007)

Everything contained in an e-newsletter should be geared towards making a sale. But in order to pull that off, the content must be relevant, interesting and “new”. Once weekly or once every two weeks would be best. This would ensure subscribers are not overwhelmed by too many newsletters and merchants are not in a rush to produce effective content.

Bonus Tip

There is also a trick on how to market products in newsletters depending on which part of the month it is. In countries where paychecks are only issued at the end of the month, email marketers use two different marketing strategies in their newsletters.

Firstly, all the “new” or “hot” items are in the issue that’s broadcast right before payday so potential customers can plan their budgets after seeing what they want. Secondly, the issue at the middle of the month contains “best buy”, “on sale” or limited period discount coupons, targeted at bargain hunters or those who have a bit of spare change left.Recent Posts:

Similar Posts: