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small business e-commerce

Small Business Ecommerce Link Digest – March 14, 2008

by Tim on March 14, 2008

So, it’s slowly becoming official: we’re approaching/in a recession/death spiral. Bummer. Ah, well. It could be worse. You could be Client 9.

We at thinks tend to take the long view on these things. And the long view is good for ecommerce. Without further ado, here is this week’s list of ecommerce links to brighten your spirits in these dark days. They might just help you compete more effectively, too.

I’ve talked a lot in the past about why small businesses need a website and tools small businesses can use to create a website quickly and easily. Search Engine Land gives a great example of one small business using these techniques to great success. Key quote: “[our website has] been crucial to helping build the business and driving customer growth. The majority of our customers originate through the web.”
How much should you budget for acquiring those customers, through the web or otherwise? Mike Moran (author of the outstanding “Do It Wrong Quickly”) links to great information about how to effectively budget for customer acquisition.
Conventional wisdom says capturing new customers requires plenty of work as well as money. Even more so if you’ve gotten a bad reputation somewhere along the way. But maybe conventional wisdom is wrong. Conversation Agent looks at how much 14-year olds love Microsoft and what you can learn from that. Huh. Maybe there’s hope for Eliot Spitzer yet.

That’s it for the week, folks. See you on the other side.

Tagged as: customer acquisition, customer experience optimization, Customer Service, E-commerce, e-commerce strategy, linkdigest, mike moran, small business e-commerce, small business e-commerce strategy

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Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – March 7, 2008

by Tim on March 7, 2008

in E-commerce

Weekly link juice flowing forth and apparently ruining my website’s rankings… Ah, well. That’s the price we pay here at thinks for you fine folks learn about e-commerce and online marketing for small businesses.

Lots of chatter this week about the use of “nofollow” for “sculpting” traffic on your website. Michael Gray says “knock yourself out” when “sculpting” traffic on your site with a nofollow. Shari Thurow thinks you should “nofollow” that advice.
I’m only commenting because of the point this debate raises about the value of expert advice. I don’t think either of these folks are technically wrong, at least at present*. They’re generally well-regarded and clearly demonstrate deep knowledge of their subject. So, how can two “experts” have such completely opposite opinions? Trick question. That’s not important. The real question is, are these activities worth your time as a small business? Personally, I think Search Engine Roundtable has the best approach: “why not [do it], if you have exhausted everything else you could have done on your site” (emphasis mine). Most small business websites have far bigger search engine optimization – and customer experience optimization – issues than this. In other words, know the basics of SEO. But once you get too deep into that rabbit hole, leave it to the rabbits.
While we’re all fired up and mired in controversy, now seems like a good time to talk about Google introducing competitive benchmarking within Google Analytics. Some folks think this is a really bad thing (I’m looking at you, Michael Gray). I think it’s less so. Google Analytics is a great program and remains so for most small businesses. Your web business decisions should always be supported by data. Right now, there isn’t another program on the market that delivers what Google Analytics offers for comparable cost, regardless of whether those costs are explicit or implicit. And, at least for now, the program allows businesses to opt out from sharing their information.
I would recommend that you take a good look at Google’s policy and decide if it’s right for you. I would also suggest relying on a second source for analysis, if you can manage it, just in case Michael’s “Say it ain’t so, Joe,” scenario plays out. For instance, though it’s not the same type of tool as GA, you should take a look at Q4, a new qualitative survey tool from Avinash Kaushik and iPerceptions. Knowing why your customers choose to do what they do is often better than knowing what they do.

Finally, not to pick on Michael specifically, but his logical inconsistency of taking Matt Cutts at his word on the “nofollow” thing and not on the GA thing proves my point above about expert advice. Not only can two different experts disagree. Sometimes one can do it all by himself.

Enjoy your weekend everyone. And look forward to further adventures in e-commerce and online marketing next week.

N.B. – I say “at least at present” for one reason: the search engines have a long history of changing their algorithms to account for improved results (whose definition of “improved” – as ever – is open for debate), even in cases where their public statements favor a given action. Again, that’s not to say you shouldn’t do this. It’s more a question of whether it’s the most beneficial action you can take. Now, where did I leave my carrots?

Tagged as: avinash kaushik, customer experience optimization, E-commerce, e-commerce strategy, google analytics, iperceptions, linkdigest, q4, search engine optimization, SEO, small business e-commerce, small business e-commerce strategy

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Permission marketing: An interview with Jared Reitzin (Guide to Small Business E-commerce)

by Tim on March 6, 2008

in E-commerce, Marketing

If Seth Godin never wrote anything else, his role in defining permission marketing alone would have made him who he is today. Jared Reitzin, CEO for a great new email and mobile marketing firm, mobileStorm, has picked up the torch, working to help small businesses go from zero to $10 million in sales using permission marketing. But Jared’s view of permission marketing isn’t just email. mobileStorm also develops direct mail, fax, and, most interestingly, mobile marketing campaigns to help small businesses connect with their customers. I recently spoke with Jared about permission marketing and how small businesses can benefit from email and SMS marketing.

Tim: Hi, Jared. Thanks for taking the time with us. Can you talk about the role permission marketing plays in helping small business reach that $10 million goal?

Jared: It costs 10 times more money to attract a new customer than it does to keep an existing one and existing clients bring 10 times the revenue . It’s very important to build a database of customers that you can continue to market to and upsell. The great thing about doing business in today’s world is that digital messaging is an extremely cost effective way of reaching people and you can easily gauge and track ROI. However on the flip side if you are not practicing permission based marketing, it could hurt your brand and will hurt your growth .

Tim: With the emergence of RSS and “pull” media, does email marketing still have a place?

Jared: Absolutely, I am firm believer that RSS will not replace email . At the end of the day, consumers still want information pushed to them; they won’t always remember or have time to check their feeds. I do think, however, that RSS is great because your message will get delivered, it won’t end up being caught by the spam filter.

Tim: What about SMS marketing? Is this viable for most small businesses? What sorts of businesses would benefit most? Are there specific types businesses that should avoid SMS as a tactic?

Jared: When I get asked this question by a small business my answer is simple, try it out. Mobile marketing is tricky and doesn’t work for all businesses. Try and work with a provider who won’t just offer you their technology but can also help strategize your game plan. Regardless, like anything else, you should be able to look back and answer the question “did I do everything I could to make it work?”. If the answer is no, then try a few more approaches. If the answer is yes, then don’t force it. A text message interrupts someone’s day, it’s a powerful form of communication. Don’t forget it can be just as negatively powerful as it can be positive. I think retail, entertainment and event based businesses are great candidates for SMS marketing.

Tim: Small businesses need to pay attention to the value of their media more carefully than large business (given the fact that they’ve got less to spend). What metrics should matter most when using permission marketing?

Jared: If we are talking about email and you sell stuff online, the most valuable metric is the total amount of revenue you driving through your campaigns. This is why email is so powerful. You can track the whole sales cycle and even see what your customers are not doing. Also every small business should know how much it costs to acquire a new customer , and when they figure that number out and it makes sense, spend as much as they can and go big.

Tim: What kind of budget should small business owners expect to spend? What’s the minimum amount that’s realistic to produce meaningful results?

Jared: It really depends on the size of their database and if they need additional services such as consulting, support, custom feature etc… A serious small business digital marketer should have a monthly budget of at least $500.

Tim: What should small business owners look for from a permission marketing (email marketing/SMS marketing) service provider?

Jared: The service provider should be able to provide good references and case studies. They should have a good reputation and willing to let you know what IP address you will be sending from so you could do some research before coming aboard. Check out their management team and the press release section, see what the company has going on and the direction they are going. Also Google them and see what people are saying.

Tim: Jared, thanks for your time today. Keep up the great work.

Jared: Thank you very much for doing this interview with me, I hope your audience takes a few things away and becomes successful digital marketers!

[Full disclosure: I plan to use mobileStorm's services for my email marketing going forward.]

Technorati Tags:
business, e-commerce, e-commerce strategy, marketing, mobile, mobile web, small business e-commerce, small business e-commerce strategy

Tagged as: email marketing, mobile marketing, mobilestorm, permission marketing, seth godin, small business, small business e-commerce, small business e-commerce strategy, small business email marketing, small business interactive marketing, small business interactive marketing strategy, small business marketing, small business marketing strategy, sms marketing

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What is e-commerce anyway? (Guide to Small Business E-commerce Strategy)

March 4, 2008 E-commerce

What is ecommerce? More important, what is the value of ecommerce to your business? Probably greater than you think. Here’s why ecommerce ought to matter to you.

Read the full article →