So now your e-commerce website is done and launched.  Congratulations!

Oh, but wait a minute – you need orders?

Yes, that’s right, the Internet is a beautiful thing, but it isn’t a leprechaun.  You have to market your website to bring traffic to it, and you need to pay attention to certain things to convert those visitors to buying customers.  Here are a few things to consider for your e-commerce marketing plan.

1. Tap your current customers.

Announce your new e-commerce website to your established customers!  Make it bold, make it loud, make it plentiful!  Wouldn’t it be terrible if you learned that one of your loyal customers purchased something online from a competitor just because they had no idea you sold it online too?  Use all the standard forms of media that you usually announce news and specials to your customers – in-store signage, window posters, e-mail newsletters, a blog, the stickers at your registers.

If your customers are not used to receiving things from you (especially e-mail), be a little careful and don’t bombard them with information.  You just want to inform them, not offend them.

2. Offer an incentive.

Give people a reason to revisit your business.  For example:

• Offer a small coupon discount toward their first purchase in your online store.
• Offer free shipping for a limited time.
• Offer free shipping for orders of a certain size.
• Offer a free add-on product with every order.

Come on – get creative – you can do it.

3. Tag-team your physical and online stores.

Launching an online site should be an expansion of your business, so it doesn’t have to make your retail store suffer.  Try offering special coupons during checkout of your retail shop for the customer’s next online purchase, and vice-versa, offer a special coupon on your website for in-store purchases.  Feature exclusive items in-store and different exclusive items on the website only.

4. Go to the presses.

Launching (or relaunching) a new website is news!  Write a press release about your new website and how exceptional it is.  Explain the amazing reasons behind why you chose to branch into online sales and what kind of wonderful experience customers can expect when shopping online with you.  Distribute your press release with a marketing consultant and resources like PR Web, or consult your SEO provider to work that content into your SEO marketing plan.

5. Build your SEO campaign.

Search engine optimization is important and you just cannot ignore it. Hire a reliable, proven SEO professional to build a strategy that will drive traffic from Google, Yahoo, Bing, and other search engines to your website.  Learn more about WEBii SEO Services.

6. Maintain your website catalog.

When the visitor reaches your website, what will they see that engages them and urges them to buy?  Update your website (especially the homepage) periodically with new products or specials.  Make sure your catalog is updated regularly with accurate in-stock merchandise and the latest pricing.  Include a striking image (when possible) with each product so the customer understands immediately what you are selling and how great it looks.

6.b. Product images mean something.

I realize that images are not always shot by a professional photographer.  If you can afford to hire a photographer, do. You won’t regret it – because those photos can really help sell your product.  Granted, several website I have worked on have been successful with pretty decent photos taken by a graphic designer or a store owner.  If you are selling a virtual product, such as a class or a seminar, try to find a quality photo that compliments that.  Online shoppers are very visual and very impatient.  Having a photo of your instructor, your classroom, a happy customer – something, is better than a blank background.   One of our clients sells fitness bootcamps online, and in the early days we had photos of fitness gear posted with those product pages; later as their business grew and they gathered more actual photos of the bootcamps, we started using some of those photos of the instructors and customers in action.

We recently welcomed a special guest to the WEBii office – who wanted to learn about custom web design and maintaining a professional website. Doug Keating, of Structural Environments came by to conduct a video interview with Jacqueline Sinex, Project Manager at WEBii.

Check out the video interview below. You’ll learn about WEBii, get advice on website development and design, and understand why it’s important for a business to have a website.

WEBii and Structural Environments are both in the business of building – though, we build websites, and they build sustainable, environmentally-friendly homes and offices. Connect with Structural Environments online to learn more about their services. You can view other videos on their website or YouTube Channel.

Every business needs a media/press kit (the two names are interchangeable). Your media kit is a go-to guide for others to learn about your business. It should be enticing and informative. It should provide viewers with a good snapshot of your company, and make them want to learn more about your company, products and services.  You want your media kit to shine and stand out amongst others.
Traditionally a press kit was used to pass to journalists and media outlets to give them quality information about your company. Many times this was used as filler information for their stories about you. It also helped when you pitched them on a story because you already had all the information they need to know. Granted a good reporter will verify your information, find supporting evidence and back it up (or refute it, if that’s the case).

Today there are vast ways you can expand your media kit’s reach and expose it to larger numbers of individuals. A key medium to tap into is the Internet and your website. Your website is already an important tool for marketing your business, now you can add to it.  You can include a press section on your website, and provide these resources for your customers and your prospects with the click on a button. Having a press section on your website provides easy access for your clients, prospects, business associates, etc. to get needed information any time of day.

Key features to include with your press kit:

• Backgrounder – this is a short biography of your company
• Company timeline – this can be a brief, bullet-point list of the major happenings your company has experienced over the years
• Key facts – include important, and relevant, information that consumers need to know about your products & services, and your company.
• Price sheets – use this for your products and services
• Staff biographies – if you have a key employees that you want to spotlight, or all of your employees – this is a good way to put a face with a name
• Product / Service Sheets – keep it concise, but this is your chance to showcase what you have to offer
• Recent Press Releases – you want to show you are generating buzz
• Testimonials – ask your customers to share some kind words about you and how you’ve helped their business
• And more — add items that you feel are pertinent to your company and what will showcase your offerings.

It’s always good to have “paper” versions of your media kits so that you have tangible items to pass out. Don’t forget to tap into the resources you have and get that kit on your website. The exposure it will get is unmatched. A good design company will be able to help you integrate the new press section into your existing site fairly easily.

One reminder: once you get this press room open on your website, don’t forget to update it. There’s nothing worse than old news!

You always hear the term “brand” and “branding,” but have you figured out how that translates to your company? You might think your brand is strong but you should consider giving it a good critique to see if its living up to the expectations you have for it.

Your brand is compromised of many elements – your logo, color scheme, tag lines, design elements and more. It is the meaning behind your company. It helps define the attitudes and associations individuals make about your company. It encompasses all that your company is.

You have a “brand” in your head and you hope most people think of your brand when they hear your company’s name. Hoping and knowing are two completely different things. The best way to build and strengthen your brand is to critique it and make sure it is clearly defined.

To have a well-defined brand that everyone recognizes can be tough, but you can do it. Your brand should be everywhere! You can’t let it slide on this or that, you have to keep it consistent through everything you do. From letterhead to your blog’s color scheme … your brand should be there. Your website should be an extension of your brand, as well as all of your other marketing materials. Even your word choice on your marketing materials defines your brand. Your brand should clearly shine through all of your messages.

Building a brand is tough. The key is to have a clear, concise theme and message behind your brand  — that will take you further than some sloppy ole’ mess thrown together in a paper sack.

Personal touches make a world of difference. It builds a different kind of rapport with clients when they get something handwritten from you, rather than a sterile, cold (and maybe generic) emails. It seems simple and it seems like it wouldn’t make that big of a difference, but believe me it does. Think about how you feel when you receive something personal via the Postal Service. Maybe it’s just me, but I love getting mail! I get emails every day all day – on my Blackberry, dings from Thunderbird, on my Gmail – I’m just inundated with constant email, as I’m sure you and your customers are too.  What we aren’t inundated with (anymore) is handwritten written notes & cards. Therefore they stand out more than emails do and that is where opportunity lies for you to make a strong impact and help build your business relationships.

One way to make a personal impact is by sending out Birthday and Holiday cards. You don’t have to catch every holiday and some of them you might have to be a little politically correct on (that’s up to you) but it makes a difference to catch a few of them and recognize them to your customers. I’d especially try to keep up with birthdays, if that is possible. You might even be able to include a special holiday or birthday promotion. I know I’ve received cards in mail for birthday promotion … usually its save 10% for your birthday or get your free birthday gift in store. This usually entices me to go to the store that sent me the promotion, even if I haven’t been there in awhile or wasn’t planning a trip there in the immediate future.

Okay, so holiday and birthday cards, that is a fairly easy handwritten note to send out. But you need more than just that. You need to be sending more. Here are a few ideas for handwritten cards you can send out:

• When you meet someone new: send them a personalized note, letting them know it was nice to meet them and thank them for their time. Drop a few business cards in there, so they will have your name and your card handy whenever the need arises.
• When you receive a referral: it is always a good thing when you pay thanks to someone who has sent you a referral. Sending a handwritten note can add that extra touch and truly show that you are appreciative of the referral they have passed you. This helps show that you go above-and-beyond; this will also give the person referring business to you additional confidence for future transactions, networking and referrals.
• When you haven’t talked to someone in awhile: maybe you have an old client or a former referral partner that you haven’t talked to, seen or worked with in some time … send them a note and invite them for coffee or lunch to catch up.
• When you want to check in and just say hi: it is okay to not have a underlying meaning or purpose to your personal touches. Sometimes you just want to say hello and you should.

I’ve heard different folks say you should send 2-5 cards a week, but I realize that can be a lot, depending on the size of your network and customer base & the extra/free time you have.  To start off, I’d set a goal of 1 handwritten note per week (can be networking partner, client, someone you recently met, etc.). You can build up your numbers later. Just starting writing and building your connections.

Yet another example of how to use your web site as a communications platform, rather than just a marketing tool: a newsroom. More commonly seen in websites for mid-size and large corporations, a newsroom serves many purposes.

From a PR stand point, it fortifies messages you have already spread to the public. From a Marketing aspect, it gives you new mediums to express information about your new clients, current projects, internal experts, and events. And from the consumer (and search engine) perspective, it clarifies details about your company – even before any meetings or phone calls were made.

Possible “newsroom” features:

• Short bios of members in key leadership positions
• Video clips of company spokesmen making speeches
• Photo slide show of a special event
• Press releases (internal)
• News articles / releases from other sources
• Recent statistics about industry
• List of associations
• List of awards and recognitions
• Announcements of new clients / projects
• Announcements for new product launches
• Internal announcements (new regulations, new policies, new training)

When planning your next web site redevelopment, consider how a news room section could add value for your customers, for the press, for search engines, and for RSS news feeds.  Web developers can get creative with presentation and offer different options to maintain the ongoing news updates.  With a little research and work on this, a small business could easily have the professional appearance of a large scale operation.

Like all good things in life, even this series must come to an end. The good news? Wacky Wednesday in the PR House will be coming at you with fresh topics next week (and every Wednesday after that). This week is a busy week and we are covering the last six elements of an effective PR plan. Strap on your boots and hang tight your PR plan is almost done!

• Strategies (one step at a time…): That’s right … wacky Wednesday always takes things one step at a time – that includes with our strategies. When devising your strategies, you want to get a general sense of how you are going to meet your goals. The key part of this is to be general. When you are done your strategies, you should be able to speak generally (it should be written down too!) about how you are going to meet your goals.
• Tactics (use only hefty-duty snow boots!): Back to Mt. Everest and we need only the highest quality, most hefty-duty snow boots we can find! I want the XYZ brand, with pink stripes. Size 9. Make sure it has long laces. I need just the right pair of boots if I’m going to climb Mt. Everest (see previous parts of the series, if the Mt. Everest game doesn’t sound familiar to you). In order to climb Mt. Everest, I need very specific snow boots, just like you need to have specific tactics to help ensure the success of your PR plan. When you are developing you tactics, it is imperative that you be specific. Your tactics are the things you will do to accomplish your goals. Make sure they make since … you don’t want tactics that are way out in left field, while your goals are hanging out in dug-out.
• Calendar (before 2015): Set a realistic time frame for yourself and your business to achieve the goals in your PR plan. They won’t happen overnight, but should take shape before we get to 2015!
• Budget (there is no price too low, or too high): This is when reality sets in – how much do you have to OR are willing to spend to achieve your goals? Be realistic.  Don’t put an enormous figure on paper to make it look good when you only have $500 to spend (you can do a lot with even small amounts of money).  Focus on what you can spend and then allocate it wisely.
• Evaluation (if we don’t make it to the top…can we take a trip to Mexico, instead?): Oh Mt. Everest – making it to the top might not be the best evaluation method. Your evaluation is all about how you determine if you have been successful. If you don’t have a way to evaluate and measure your success, you won’t know if your efforts have paid off. For example, remember before we talked about your goal being to increase your website traffic … your evaluation for success could be to break down what % of an increase you consider to be a success. Consider creating a scale:

• 5-10% increase in traffic = improvement
• 11-25% increase in traffic = somewhat successful
• 26-39% increase in traffic = marginally successful
• 40% = successful (this was your goal)
• 40+% = extremely successful

You want to be able to evaluate your campaign, so you can truly determine your success.

• Take Action (I’ll book the flights): Now that you have a solid plan in place and all of your elements are clearly laid out and defined, its time to take action!! (This is the fun part). You’ve done all the planning, now its time to get out there and implement your plan and the tactics to accomplish it. Good luck as you set sail on your journey!

That’s a wrap on this series of Wacky Wednesday in the PR house … stayed tuned for more!!

Wacky Wednesday in the PR House is a multi-part series that will be brought to you weekly (on Wednesday, of course). Over the past few weeks, we’ve developed your PR plan. Each week, Wacky Wednesdays will feature advice and knowledge on how to make your PR, marketing and advertising efforts better. Some of it will be parts of series, and others will be free-standing advice. You’ll just have to stay tuned and see what’s coming up next … there’s more to come! I promise… Until next time!

Easy, just use Photoshop, right? Sure, that would be the easiest way. However, Adobe Photoshop can cost anywhere upwards of a thousand dollars, so this isn’t something that just anyone can use. Most likely, you would have to be at a company, or a school, or have amassed a golden empire not unlike the master of all that is funky, MC Hammer.

This piece is not targeted to that audience. This advice is for someone without a lot of photo editing experience who wants to turn their photo into black and white both quickly and easily (and for free). Fortunately, for people like this, there is a great free online photo editor at www.picnik.com. Let’s say you were MC Hammer, and you had a picture to which you had foolishly applied a golden tone, and now were taking a more artistic direction in your photography, so you wanted to convert it into a black and white photo. How could you do this quickly, easily (and free, most importantly) ?

First, go to the website (http://www.picnik.com). Click on “Get Started Now”. On the home screen, click “Upload a Photo” and choose the picture that you want to edit from your computer’s hard drive.

Under the “Edit” tab (it should be chosen by default) click on the “Colors” button. There should be a couple of sliding bar options that pop up. The one we’re interested in is on the top, and it’s labeled “Saturation.” Click on the slider, and move the bar all the way to the left. Voila! It’s that easy. Your picture should now be rid of any color that it previously had. Now just press “OK”.

Click on the “Save & Share” tab on the right side. Choose your file name and file size, image dimensions, and file format. If all of this is too confusing, just leave all the default options as they are, and click “Save photo.” This will download the newly created black and white version of your picture back to your computer.

It’s that easy, and quicker than slipping into a pair of Hammer Pants. There are a ton of other cool and free photo editing tools on www.picnik.com, so feel free to look around.

When it comes time to provide photos of your product or service for a website, don’t make the mistake of skimping on quality.  A poor, low resolution, fuzzy photograph can kill the presentation of your business.  If you are trying to convey to your prospects that you offer a high-quality product that is of value, your imagery should reflect that.

For best results, we recommend hiring a professional photographer to capture your vision and compliment your web designer’s work.  If you make the investment for good professional photography, you will likely appreciate them for years to come, and use them in all of your marketing collateral.

If you truly don’t have the budget, consider a student photographer looking to expand his/her portfolio.  For some of the less important photos, you can opt for some high resolution digital camera shots or ask your web designer for royalty-free stock images.  Just remember that if your images are washed-out, low-resolution, or cluttered with awkward backgrounds, your audience may be less convinced to buy.

Even the most unusual hobbies have community websites dedicated to connecting people with similar interests. Do some quick searching and you are bound to find at least one forum related to your industry – or better yet, related to your target audience. If you are selling baby products, then joining a forum dedicated to new moms may be just your cup of tea.

Many forums offer free membership and a reasonable set of guidelines about what you are allowed to discuss. Start by replying to questions that other member’s have posted. Then get creative and pose questions of your own to poll the audience. Don’t forget to customize your forum signature (which should include a link to your website) – it will appear at the bottom of every post you make.

What This Does: You present yourself as an industry expert, spreading word about yourself and your business. You also build up links to your own web site, which helps direct visitor traffic and search engine results.

Taking It to the Next Level: If you want to take on a challenge, consider starting your own forum. Have your web developer install and customize the forum software into your web site design, and harvest a community of your prized customer base right there. It’s a great way to “sponsor” something or you might even offer it as a benefit to a paid membership.