Monday, October 19, 2009

Images Increase Traffic


IMPORTANCE OF A GOOD LOGO DESIGN


Questions were raised on how important a good logo design is? Does it enhance a websites appeal? Will it improve visitor recognition? Moreover, does it guarantee increase in web traffic? ANSWER: YES, somehow it adds to the websites visual appeal and recognition, and NO, it does not guarantee increased web traffic.

Though no direct correlation is established on the use of website logo in increasing web traffic, however, it is still beneficial in the long run.

A website’s name becomes more recognizable if it comes with a logo. Furthermore, a good designed logo directly promotes instant recognition, attractiveness and branding.

Recently, the web plays a major part in our daily activities making website advertisement ever popular as more people gains access to desktops, laptops, and the net.

A logo is not just for aesthetics, but more so, its significance is amplified during name branding. Doing advertisement for a website is more convenient and effective when it comes with a logo. Designing freebies like shirts, mugs, stickers and more allows a web owner to put his logo. In short, a logo is of versatile worth. Even though it does not guarantee increased in web traffic in the same way pay-per-click advertising does, its positive ramification on web traffic will be felt sooner.

Business is a game of “give and take”. So do not hesitate on giving freebies to web visitors. A small token of pens or key holders with your websites logo are good marketing tools which you can buy in bulk most often accompanied with sensible discount.

Marketing the intangibles is a bit harder than doing on a specific can-be-touch product. As an affiliate marketer, you need this visual factor to create an impact.

A COMPELLING LOGO CREATES REPEAT BUSINESS

New visitors are good to a website, but frequent visitors are much better. They bring repeat business and increased traffic. Part of website objectives is to congregate as many visitors as possible. Playing with numbers, new visitors basically increased web traffic, as an addition to the regulars. But having them to visit once will do little in enhancing the sites standing among competitors.

Come-back visitors are vital in cyberspace competition, and a compelling logo is a plus. Multitude of visitors does not realize that they have been to a certain website a couple of times. But a website with a notable logo is identifiable. Logo branding heightens brand recognition. A visitor is more likely to re-surf upon remembering he has been to the site before.

PROFESSIONAL LOGO ADDS LEVERAGE

A reputable company with a professionally designed logo has more leverage in its business sense. You can easily tie-up with company of similar interest by doing trade links. Web owners of same-field companies are more likely to enter into trade link agreements with their counterparts having a professional and attractive logo lay-out. By providing a link bait articles on site, probability in attracting other sites to link with your online content is high if you have this kind of logo.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Online Customer Service Tools


If you want to enhance your customer service and relations online, there are a variety of customer service software, hardware, and services available. Companies can convert more leads into sales through use of good customer service software. Real time chat applications can provide customers with immediate satisfaction, and automatic responder services can persuade wavering customers who visit your website to buy.

It is easy enough to move up from simple chat software to full-service customer service solutions that provide both live chat operators and live customer service support. This allows companies to concentrate on other areas of their business at which they excel.

The pricier customer service solutions may include 24-hour, live customer support via Internet telephone applications, combining with it the ability to manage e-mail and chat sessions in real time. The positive aspect of real time answers provided by such applications goes beyond what they cost.

Much more, the software that deals with customer service can easily be added to a website like that of http://live247support.com that provides simple installation process and even offering free installation should you asked them to. For some, back end systems and databases can have applications attached to them. There is much fluctuation in prices for such applications, so it is wise to get as much information about them as possible.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Spontaneous Service Availability

The most important asset for all online and offline business is to maintain open and efficient lines of communication between your company and its clients. In fact, good and efficient lines of open communication with customers and clients is the most important rule for all online and offline businesses. While it is easier for offline businesses to maintain open lines of communication and relationships with its customers, in the case of online businesses, until recently, it was very difficult, if not outright impossible, to maintain one-on-one communication with customers of the online business. With the advent of online chat software, specifically live chat, it is now possible for online businesses to communicate with their customers and interact efficiently with those customers, and much in the same way an offline business is able to.

Live Chat support is a software that allows online business owners to interact directly with their customers. It gives your business more efficient, personal communication with your companies and customer.

Live Chat support software benefits your online company in many ways. First, it provides your company with open communication and dialogue with your business associates, without having to undergo the hassles that often result from simple emails or phone calls. While you may, indeed, be able to communicate through telephone, you can’t send files, and some email servers limit the file size you are able to send. Additionally, even if you can send your files through email, you can never expect an instantaneous reply to a pressing matter. Further, emails may take some time to reach the recipient and emails are notorious for including unwitting, unforeseeable mistakes. These days, due to mass SPAM, scam, and junk mail , customers and employees often simply erase emails they believe to be junk mail, when, in fact, they were of the utmost importance. Sometimes, it is even possible that important emails get lost in the bulk mail folder.

This is why many companies and customers prefer using live chat software through instant messaging. With the help of this software, it is now possible to have avatar operators that interact and are available to the customer twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week. Of course, most businesses have a website; however this system was not intended to advance business sales. It rather serves as an online brochure for customers. Indeed, it is only with live chat support software that customers can get instant answers to any uncertainties or questions that they feel need answering and clarification immediately. While some consider installing a web cam or some other applications and apparatus to their website, live chat support software negates the need for the hassle that inevitably occur when the web cam, etc. prove to be too hectic and time consuming for your company. To add to that, http://live247support.com, one of the leading live chat support providers revealed that Live Chat support software works on any web server. In fact, it has no software to install and can be used within minutes. Aside from providing immediate communication between you and your customer, it also facilitates your company in monitoring your website traffic in real time. In addition to all of this, it also offers auto-greetings, and pre-chat questionnaires. It also saves transcripts and other features.

Beyond that, live chat support offers you choice in its software— Live Chat and Auto Chat. Live Chat is the best choice for websites needing live customer support. It connects customers to company representatives, who can answer their questions using instant messaging. Auto Chat, on the other hand, is an automated chat guide that functions twenty-four hours a day and even days a week, driven using a friendly avatar, which can answer the queries of online shoppers. Its avatar draws its answers from a preset list of responses. With this option your company saves money on web personnel while providing consumers with the same instant, friendly sales help.

The Topmost Priority in an Online Business


To convert visitors to buyers is your primary goal with an on-line business. Pre-selling the product through your well written content begins the conversion. They decide to make a purchase and add the item to the shopping cart.


Navigation is the key to a good shopping experience, so keep it simple and user friendly. Organize your pages in an understandable fashion. Your on-line shopping pages need to be fast loading and easy to view.

You can do this by keeping your graphics small with an option to view full size. Large graphics slow down page load times and visitors are impatient and will leave your site if it is not up to speed. In order to convert visitors to buyers you have to keep them on your website enjoying the shopping experience.

Using smaller graphics will enable you to show a larger number of items at a time which makes for a better experience when shopping. Include multiple graphics when necessary to completely view a product.

Converting your visitor to a buyer involves a shopping cart process, which needs to be clear and simple also. Now that you have that important sale, don't confuse your buyer with complicated steps.

The Check out page of your website is crucial to your success, if the process is too complicated or a long drawn out process you will lose buyers. Simplification is the key to completing the sale.

Another stumbling block is personal information; only ask for what is essential and nothing more. A study by Global Millennia Marketing states additional reasons for not making the sale are poorly designed navigation, requesting registration in order to purchase and a confusing check out process.

The check out process should be an enjoyable, easy step. The fewer steps required the better. First off never require registering prior to making a purchase. This can be presented as a benefit to the customer after they have completed the purchase.

Your Thank You page can be used for this purpose. Ask if buyer would like to be able to track their purchase and get the information you want then. Remember your goal is to convert visitors to buyers.

Every step you add to checking out increases the chance it will be vacated. Your goal is for the buyer to click the submit order button. Check out is not the time to ask for them to fill out a survey or do anything except complete the deal.

If your check out is more than a page long, break it down into smaller bite size pieces. Keep the forms small and concise and be sure that the secure page icon is always visible.

Each form you use should only ask for crucial information to insure expedient and proper delivery of purchase. Your server needs to be able to handle many visitors at a time; you certainly do not want the server to crash and lose all those converted visitors to buyers in one big crash.
It is highly unlikely that those visitors will return to your website if it crashes on them and is off line for any period of time. Your website needs to be up and running 24/7, if it is not, you’re losing potential customers. Consider outsourcing live chat support to companies like http://live247support.com to ensure that customer’s needs are met at all times and properly handled by competent staff thus allowing your company to generate more income.
Are you tracking your shopping cart to check out submission flow?

This is called "cart conversion".

Once you've converted the visitor to buyer you need to follow them through the completed process. Many times a buyer will back out due to shipping costs or other complications dealing with delivery and you need to be able to pin point where the problem is originating.

This can be done by using a separate page or form for each step and tracking it accordingly.

Converting visitor to buyer does not end with the shopping cart.

Cart conversion rates affect your bottom line so watch these closely and correct any problems that seem to cause your buyer to abandon the purchase.

Keeping your buyers happy and secure will pay off during the shopping and purchasing process. Back this up with top notch customer service and you will have return customers.

Save Time, Move Forward, Go Online

A business needs a concrete plan whether online or not. Almost always it is the part when you just want to get it over with and move to more exciting part. Not only that it will take up most of your time but you will also need a lot of knowledge about this and research is the only way to do it.

The very essence of every company is a mission statement. It is the very thing that will represent what your company really is. If you have a strong foundation making a solid statement then your expectations as well as pure intentions are being expressed and are read by all.

There is really no short cut to making a clear, solid mission statement for your business. The importance of which is something that one should not ignore. You can go online and run your business but a business plan is still a very crucial aspect in terms of success. Here are few tips to help you achieve a dependable business plan in affiliate marketing.

1) Your Mission

Having a very clear mission statement is like having a blueprint for a building. It is the very foundation of everything even before any work is done. It is the very essence of a company and having it will fully define your expectations, your visions as well as intentions. It is like lighting up a candle that will eventually spread its light across the room and everybody who reads your mission will understand your company.

2) The Customers

Always remember that even if you have the nicest blueprint for your company it is never enough for you to rely on it too much that you have forgotten your customers. Your business plan should fit in and try to fill in the needs of your customers as well as future customers. Always bear in mind that success lies not on your own effort only. You need the customers for your business’ survival. If you can address their needs at the present moment so much the better because they will make it a success for you that otherwise alone you cannot achieve. Your business plan should be able to attract customers and keep them for long term.

3) Research

As have mentioned earlier, research can answer your need for knowledge about the market that you are going to plunge into. In creating your business plan, a thorough research about what’s, how’s, when’s and where’s of the market is a very important step. If you want a deeper insight on how much you are going to spend, this is how to do it.

4) The Risks

Every endeavor entails risks and it is up to you to face it head on for you to achieve your ultimate success. Going online to start a business is taking up a huge risk since it is a very wide market where all people from all walks of life meet. You will find a lot of competition going on within this market and you may only be a needle in the haystack. How customers will find you in that haystack is such a great challenge and you may need to have increased level of awareness and knowledge in order to avoid pitfalls. A good business plan should be able to endure every bump it takes and will take you back on track.

5) Uniqueness

In a wide market such as internet, it is possible that one business plan is similar to another. However, knowing this you should strive to have a plan that is unique. You can make use of existing business plans but only as a guide. Having a unique plan will enable your customers to know your motives and desires behind the face of the business. This will help the customers in their decision-making.

6) A Fresh Look

Sometimes a newly built empire may appear flawless and perfect especially when you think it is the product of hard labor. However, when a fresh eye looks at it new details of minute to significant flaws may surface out. That is why you need to have your plan to be taken a look at by people who have the same or more experience than you are in the business. This fresh eye will point out some of the flaws you might have overlooked while you were on the process of making the plan. After all have been ironed out, it’s time then for you to showcase your masterpiece to the world.In order to achieve a sound, reasonable but authentic business plan, you will need to invest a lot of effort and time. However, using the above tips you should be able to cut down ample time in building the plan that suits your taste as well as your customers’. Your business should be able to be set up easily and get the ball rolling in no time.

Customer Service the Easy Way


Keeping customers happy is difficult enough in a traditional business setup. Doing it online is even more challenging because the customer isn’t in front of you and able to ask questions, and you aren’t there to be able to offer help to a customer who looks like they may not be totally happy.

Keeping your customers happy online and therefore more likely to return for more business in the future, is not that much different than the store example above. If your online customer can get his or her questions answered and feel comfortable during the shopping experience, chances are they will continue to return to your site.

The way to do that is to offer customer service that a visitor to your site won’t hesitate to use. The answer is real-time customer service with a real company representative and not just pages and pages of information that may – or may not – answer or solve the customer’s problem.

The top 25 e-commerce companies were surveyed not too long ago, and the results showed that most companies didn’t make real-time customer service a commitment. Only 5 percent offered conversations with customer service representatives online and only 15 percent of the businesses had a way to determine why they lost a customer who came to the website but did not make a purchase. On the good side is that there are already companies who are gearing toward providing the best customer service possible one company called http://live247support.com has been recommended by several websites for their entirely unique commitment in rendering quality customer support service.

To further advance your online business from the competition, the answer is putting customers first with a system that provides online assistance to live company representatives, and teaming that with a customer management system that can give you some feedback on what customers liked and didn’t like with your website.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Live Chat Software Improves ROI

Customer Service is the backbone of any industry today. A lot of companies are judged on the basis of the customer service and support they offer. Many a times, a company has had to face the flack from their customers for shoddy and inadequate customer service.

When you invest on Live Customer Support software, you will have the power to provide immediate online assistance to your customers. This will be available to them via a chat forum that can be customized and linked to your website. In addition to this, the customer support software is packed with several features that help you to record and manage customer queries and complaints that are received online.

When it comes to small to medium scale businesses, they are usually hard pressed for both budget and time-frame and therefore, cannot afford to invest in a complicated online customer assistance and support system. However, they are conflicted by their desire to offer the latest in customer support and live assistance to their clientele and that’s where companies like http://live247support.com comes in with their uniquely designed packages to choose from at reasonable prices.

Now, what are the benefits that you’d get by choosing this product? Let’s take a look:

• Since the software is browser based, you don’t have to worry about the handling fragile CDs that may get damaged in transit.
• The installation process is simple and can be completed in less than a few minutes. You don’t even need a technical person to assist you with it.
• The system is designed to be user-friendly and you have the option of choosing the number of users and features it supports.
• The software can also be customized, allowing you to choose your own settings and layout for the chat screen.
• The customer operator chats are completely secure and cannot be breached.
• The Live Customer Support software supports several languages. This gives you the flexibility of diversifying your business and offering your services to clients who may not speak your language.

These are by no means an exhaustive list of the benefits that come with the Live Customer Support software. It can help you streamline your operations, improve your ROI, personalize your company website and offer faster response and customer service to your clients.

All things considered, spending money on the Live Customer Support software is an investment worth making. Not only is it cost effective, it is also complete value for money.