Marketing Blog for the Small Business

You've been looking at your stats and wonder why people are leaving your shopping cart before making the transaction. According to online shoppers from PayPal and comScore the top reason for shoppers to leave their cart was shipping fees. Customers are getting ready to check out and are shocked by the total after shipping costs. Since this seems to be such a concern among shoppers, promoting shipping discounts on your site, in-store, and just about anywhere you advertise seems to be a must.

Many online shoppers are also looking for bargains, researching goods and services online, comparison shopping, shopping close to home, and want excellent customer support. More shoppers, 13% more, are turning to the convenience of shopping and buying online, however, if they aren't finding what they want within the first few seconds, they're gone.

"But unlike anxious online buying pioneers, buyers today are not worried about site security or whether their goods will ever ship. Instead, savvy online shoppers are looking for bargains. MarketLive said increased comparison shopping and search engine use caused the rise in cart abandonment." EMarketer

I have gotten really frustrated by phone calls and e-mails from link companies telling me they will get me top ranks for the broadest most irrelevant search terms for my businesses. I had it out once with the poor sales guy just taught the sales pitch of his business but didn't really have answers or a legitimate basis to state his claims from.

When these people approach, don't waist your time. Or if you are interested in what they have to say, tell them this. I can get non-competitive words searches on my own and that is not something I see paying for. Tell them you're interested in well researched searched terms that will give me increase targeted traffic, high click rate without the high bounce rate. Yes, part of the bounce rate is about your pages and if your visitors are finding what they're looking for in the first few seconds, but well researched keywords can help with this also. I'll touch on that topic in another post. All in all, if they can't give you a guarantee and they don't disclose how they achieve this, I would not go a step further with them.

These are my 10 Tips in Achieving GREAT Search Engine Rankings

1)  RICH KEYWORD TAGGING: Be sure to research and use rich keyword title tags and Meta tags. Short to the point or descriptive keyword title tags are recommended, however, not any longer than 65 characters including spaces. Keep repetition of keywords to a minimum and stay away from unknown acronyms. Ask yourself what keyword phrases you would use if you were doing a search on your business. Be sure to make your tagging specific to what the page is about and include some of your keywords somewhere in your copy on the page but be sure to write naturally and not to over stuff keywords.

2)  BLOG: Make sure to have a blog to offer great insight to what your business is about. Be sure that your blog links to your business web site easily. Network with other bloggers on blogging communities by commenting and giving tips and insight to other blogs relevant to your field. Keep up with your blog by adding posts regularly and be sure to write for your audience. Reference other businesses and include links of high ranking sites with your content giving your readers good resources to turn to.

3)  SOCIAL MEDIA: Take advantage of other Social Media as well. Be sure to comment on other forums, give tips and insight to other bloggers, join in on social networking groups, and upload your videos on video sharing sites.

4)  GREAT CONTENT: Offer great content! Its true content is king. I've seen many e-commerce sights suffer here, where their pages are just filled with products and specs and not enough description or other informative/useful information. Always edit your work and check for grammatical errors. Make sure to update content regularly and add new quality content on a consistent basis.

5)  VIDEO SHARING: Create and share a video. The popularity of video will only get bigger, as well as video search. There are many video sharing sites you could post and share a video on, not to mention "How to" video sites are becoming more and more popular. Even the search term "How to" and "How to Videos" is a widely used keyword searched by many on the search engines. To learn more about how and where to market a video, please visit GSS's Video Marketing page, "How to Advertise a Video for Small Business Success."

6)  BACKLINKS: Build quality links (backlinks) to your site. Refrain form buying links or resorting to link farms from non-authority sites. Be sure to build your links naturally and with high quality sites similar to your business. Participating in social media mentioned in number 3, contacting similar businesses for link exchange or a review on their blog, distributing press releases, writing and submitting articles are all forms of natural distribution and will help with rankings.

7)  DOMAIN NAME: Include a keyword in your domain name. Many businesses make the mistake of naming their company after the family name or creating some wild made up name that is hard to remember. Create a domain name that has meaning to your business and its purpose will not only help with customers remembering it, it will help rankings.

8)  HTML VS FLASH: Use HTML versus Image links and flash. Spiders can easily read html and have a harder time reading anything else. Image links are not recommend and do not assist with your pages ranking better in the search engines. When images are used in the body of your web page, be sure to create title tags for those images.

9)  SIMPLE NAVIGATION: Make navigation simple for the crawlers. Make sure all your important pages are easily found throughout the site and definitely on the home page. Check all links and be sure to fix any broken ones. Develop a site map not only for users but another for crawlers. This will help with getting all your pages indexed. Site map generators for crawlers can be purchased anywhere.

10)  OTHER USEFUL HELP: If you would like to learn more about SEO or how to rank better in the search engines SEOmoz.org is a great resource for you. I'm not so keen on this article's title...but, "Why Does Your Search Traffic Suck? The 7 Most Likely Reasons," by Randfish is a great place to get started on this topic. If your starting from scratch and want to learn more about SEO, "The Beginner's Checklist for Learning SEO," is another great article to turn to.

Summertime and the living is easy...or is it? Your kids are out of school for the summer. You want to enjoy time with them, BUT---how can you ever get in a day's work at home? The interruptions, the whining, the sibling bickering, are all normal. And they get bored, wanting you to drive them to activities. Plus, they just want "Mommy time." What's a mother to do?

If you have difficulty getting enough work accomplished during the summertime, here are 6 parent-coaching tips to consider.

1)  SET REASONABLE EXPECTATIONS: Unless you have a full-time nanny, you will not be able to put in the same hours as you do during the school year. Don't even think about it! So first...

2)  ESTABLISH A RANGE: Figure the minimum and maximum number of work hours you need to complete each week. Identify both necessary and special child- focused activities for the week. Plan your time to meet both family and work goals and...

3)  SCHEDULE: Make a tentative plan or schedule of how and when to complete those hours. But...

4)  BE FLEXIBLE: Relax and forgive yourself when the unexpected "time thief" arrives. Do not expect your day to be predictable when your kids are at home. Don't go there! Be sure to...

5)  MANAGE YOUR GUILT: You have chosen a home-based business. To succeed, you cannot spend100% of your time actively involved with your kids nor can your business success be the same when you are also an active parent. As a dedicated Mom and home-based business owner, guilt goes with the territory. Your guilt does not mean you are doing anything wrong. It can simply mean you have very high expectations for yourself. To ease your guilt, you can...

6)  FOCUS ON DIFFERENT PARENTING GOALS: Use your work time as a role model for your children on what good organization and hard work can accomplish. Help them learn an age appropriate level of independence.

For more parenting and relationship coaching tips, visit DrCoachLove.com.
Remember: We all have the same 24/7. What we do with our time becomes our priority. Make your time count.

The movie, "Sex and the City" has created a movement. A movement of women entitled to a night out with their gal pals since the series started. And, now even a crowd of teenagers have become avid fans of the show since airing on TBS. Now I know we've all gotten together from time to time, but hasn't it become much more common in the last few years. Isn't it much more common to tell your husband your running out with the girls and to call up your friends and tell them to meet you for a glass of wine at six. And, isn't it much more common to meet new friends online and join in on group discussions about where to go, the latest fashions, beauty trends, and to share funny or distrought child caring moments.

And, let's not forget the movement of supporting each other's small business success. Sarah Jessica Parker is not the only woman launching a business. There is an array of women launching small businesses for us to enjoy daily. Today, we are in a position where we are able to find and shop with one another and help create success for one another than ever before. And we get to share business insight and gain friendships along the way!

What a Movement it Is!

This new movement has brought about a new reason for girlfriends to get together. Of course there doesn't need to be a reason, but if there is, we'll be there. Today women love going out for a cocktail together and are finding more and more reasons why they should. With their hectic life styles, they are finding it even harder to find time for themselves. This is all the reason why it's so important to indulge with their girlfriends for a day out for lunch, shopping, and the spa or an evening sipping wine at a cocktail lounge. You're finding more at home parties too. There is a vast array of ideas we could all think about doing that would make the perfect girls' night out.

Even though Sex and the City came to us by storm, it is us who have actually created the idea. We are the women who make up the Girls' Day Out! We are the women entitled to it all...the fun, the shopping, the indulgence. Only through us and by us could this show and movie be a success! Not to mention the exceptionally great cast!

So, go ahead and pamper yourself and your friends...you deserve only the best!

Girl Shop Spot is always introducing new and exciting ways to market your business while providing smoother communications between buyer and seller. Now shoppers and business owners can ask questions, make comments, and get answers from other shoppers and the Shop Spot owners through the Shop Talk function on each individual Shop Spot page!

How it Works

On every Shop Spot page there will be a Shop Talk link in the contact us section and at the bottom of the page. Click on the link to start creating and click post when finished. All Shop Spot owners will be notified when a post has been made to their Shop Spot and can manage their Shop Talk by choosing which threads they would like shown.

How is Shop Talk Different?

Shop Talk is much different than your typical comments function found on other social communities and shopping sites. With Shop Talk you can manage and use as you see fit. You can actually:

  Use it as a forum or micro-blog on your Shop Spot page (see definition of micro-blog below).
  Create new topics, blog about your business, use to share exciting news and ideas, or for just about anything.
  Use as a teaser for your blog or as a primary micro-blog.
  Use as a forum to start a discussion.
  Stay connected by adding topics, asking and answering questions. Join in on other Shop Talks.

But the fun doesn't end there. To bring Shop Talk full circle, shoppers will also be able to:

   Initiate or choose topics, ask questions, and reply within the community.

And, the best is yet to come:

   Soon you will also be able to manage your Shop Talk's discussion threads. You'll get to decide which topic threads you want to showcase on your Shop Spot page under Shop Talk.

   Anyone who contributes to a specific thread of your micro-blog or forum topic will receive instant messaging that a new post has been made from that thread, so Shop Talk gives you a hand-free way to keep conversations rolling.

So share, listen, learn, and prosper through GSS Shop Talk.

Micro-Blog Definition -

"Micro-blogging is a form of blogging that allows users to write brief text updates (usually less than 200 characters) and publish them, either to be viewed by anyone or by a restricted group which can be chosen by the user. These messages can be submitted by a variety of means, including text messaging, instant messaging, email, MP3 or the web. The popular social networking websites Facebook and MySpace also have a micro-blogging feature, called Status Update." From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

First Class Marketing

GSS is introducing a series of fresh, creative, and superior technology bringing you what you deserve...first class marketing and continued success. We have so much planned for you, so stay tuned as we continue to bring the very best in internet marketing.

The uproar between Yahoo! and Microsoft has brought me to this post in hopes that it will help you determine your site/business worth and the understanding of perspectives in evaluating such.

As it stands today, Yahoo! has turned down Microsoft's offer and Microsoft has chosen to withdrawal. While the offer may have seemed pretty close to what Yahoo! shareholders may have accepted to close the deal, it isn't what Jerry Yang has valued his company to be. The issue here is "to be" because that is the question every business owner should ask themselves when putting a value on their site/business. Jerry Yang from Yahoo! sees his company as worth much more in Microsoft's eyes, and what it is to become in his own. When speculating a company's worth, it's important to note the offerings and value the company is to bring in the future if certain criteria and developments are taken place.

Now obviously this is hard to determine, since two very intelligent businesses can't find an agreement; however, one can speculate that talks aren't over. It is only natural for Mr. Yang to negotiate on the appropriate value he feels his company holds to Microsoft. Mr. Yang also needs to remember a company is only worth what the buyer is willing to pay.

Have you ever contacted a merchant or service provider about an account problem and encountered attitude from the other side of the conversation? Have you been distressed about the issue only to receive not just a cavalier response, but one of flat out annoyance? If you requested a return call regarding a resolution, were you greeted with a sigh and then the distinct sound of a hang up?

Has your business day ever been interrupted by an 800 number caller who not only bombarded you with a steady stream of questions, but when you begged off from the intrusion you received a call back with the frothy inquiry, "did you just hang up on me?"

This is so wrong. Commando marketing must end. Entitlement business behavior must cease.

While the customer may not always be right, they should be able to expect polite and helpful service. They don't pay any company and its employees to be ambivalent to hostile toward them.

It's simply time to retire the Era of Entitlement to the annals of history.

With this goal in mind, I offer the following macro ABCs of Proper Customer/Prospect Interaction reminders:
a)  Treat customers like they matter (which, as it turns out, they do).
b)  Insist that all frontline company representatives be polite and solution-orientated. Train them if need be. Provide guidelines of proper behavior, including how to field difficult situations.
c)  Customer service should be exactly that. Rude personnel, customer run around, and failure to provide reasonable and timely solutions should not be tolerated.
d)  Never bully or impose on prospects. It will always backfire. I personally keep a list of companies that employ such tactics and go out of my way to avoid using their products or services.

We would like to welcome everyone to Girl Shop Spot's Commerce by Community^TM Forum to offer advice, share experiences, and build business relationships.

The forum is open to all who register to become a member of GirlShopSpot.com. If you're an advertiser, you're already a member. Just click the forum link to visit anytime and sign-in with your username and password from when you registered. Please link to us to wear an official seal of membership on your site. Receive your Member of GSS logo when signed-in under Administration on the bottom right side of the page.

After reading countless articles on recession and the economy, I decided it was time to write my thoughts about how I see the small business surviving. If any business can, shouldn't it be yours? Because so many large corporations are making cuts, laying off employees, and finding ways to survive by cutting the obvious, small companies can first take a look at the whole picture and then determine what steps are needed to move forward. I intend in helping you by writing this entry.

What do people do when there's a fire in the building? Run to the nearest exit. Since we can't escape a recession, how do we put out the fire? We can first help the situation by working to not add to the fire. If you take a look at past recessions, there is always a cause and effect of each. For instance, take the housing bubble. The last 5 years we were all chasing the American dream, buying homes, refinancing, and getting home equity loans because it was the thing to do, adding to the fire. Rates were low and demand was high because everyone wanted a larger piece of the pie. Now, everyone is feeling the pinch, of less home equity, credit card debt, and increase in gas and electric bills. Not to mention, costs of putting your children through school. So how will all this help my business? By taking a look at the cycles of a boom, recognizing signs of a fire, and keeping it at bay before one starts. Since we already have been alarmed of a recession, we need to keep business losses at bay by not running towards the exit door.

Are you ready for the good news? Despite all the talk of spending lows, recession, retail gloom, we can still keep our businesses afloat. You as a small business owner can re-assess a business plan, advertising, and pick up where corporations have left, making their cut back your gain. For a little extra confidence booster, try this. According to eMarketers, Multi-Channel Retailing report, who analyzes the features that contribute to making online product research an essential driver of offline retail sales. "Any retailer who isn't using the online channel to promote offline sales-as well as online sales-is missing a huge opportunity. In 2007, eMarketer estimated that store sales influenced by online research totaled $471 billion. Comparatively, retail e-commerce sales were $136 billion. Another way to look at it is that for every $1 in online sales, the Internet influenced $3.45 of store sales." So as a Girl Shop Spot advertiser you are ahead of the curve.

These are my suggestions in keeping the fire out at your shop:

1)  Whether you're a merchant online or off, it is vital to take advantage of online ads to promote spending. Advertise and promote your business on niche specific sites, where a click is a legitimate lead versus a browser.
2)  Try not to make advertising cuts, just be more selective and re-assess campaign possibilities. For example, everyone has headed for the exit signs on Google and Yahoo Ads. This makes it much more affordable and easier to reach your customers with all your competitors at bay. Try buying low cost ads on certain search engines and popular search sites that will help drive traffic.
3)  Negotiate for better rates in advertising. Since many have left the building, the opportunities should be endless here. Also, barter with like sites and businesses that can both benefit from the exposure.
4)  Support Commerce by Community. When you shop and spend, make sure to support your GSS Community. Shop with them when the opportunity presents itself.
5)  Participate in Co-Op Marketing and partner with a business that compliments yours for promotions, contests, and ads.
6)  Increase advertising budget if you can. By increasing your budget, your impressions increase, and with less noise, your impressions denote more bang for your advertising dollar.
7)  Create more than one way of purchase. If you're only an online merchant, find other sites that link directly to buy from you or that you can sell through. If you are a small business that doesn't have means to sell online, find other ways to achieve e-commerce. GirlShopSpot.com will soon be providing an e-commerce solution for you, at very minimal cost.

Whatever you do, don't get discouraged. Have faith and don't be afraid to ask for help from a friend, your community, and the one above. When this is all over, the ones who fought will stand strong, while the rest begin to run for the next big thing or exit sign. Consuming yourself in these things only keeps you from your main goal, success.

For those of you who are looking for a fun, work from home position with Girl Shop Spot, this is your opportunity. We are looking for fun, motivated, and goal driven people to fill our Web Marketing Sales Team. We need people who really believe in GirlShopSpot.com and its mission to help the small business owner increase their sales and exposure through creative web marketing. We need our reps to be our words of expression on how vital it is to promote the small business through online media, such as GSS.

If you've already read most of GirlShopSpot.com, really liked what you read and saw, and love talking with and meeting new people, then this job is for you. Check out the site to see if we're right and contact us today! You just may be the perfect fit for GirlShopSpot.com.

For more information please contact:
christine@girlshopspot.com

I need to get my hair re-colored, badly. I can't believe I still don't have it done. I'm quite vain about it actually. So why haven't I called for that appointment? Because it dawned on me that I don't want to go back to my current hair stylist.

I don't like that I have to make sure I call on the right day to set an appointment or I won't get a call back. I don't like feeling like I'm on display when I'm in such a vulnerable position (hair every which way, highlight foils that make me look like I'm receiving alien communications). I don't want my boyfriend to see me this way, so why would I want complete strangers to? I don't like the way my stylist's boyfriend or other visitors feel free to talk over me, or even comment on the progress. What is up with that?

Finally, two visits in a row I asked my stylist not to make my low lights so dark or the overall color so dark. She didn't take notes and sure enough, the next time I still ended up with darker color than I wanted.

How about you? Do you ask for highlights and end up with 1/2 inch of roots or color that's never consistant? How about a hair cut shorter than you asked for? Does it seem to you that stylists are trained in the art of torture? Holding the dryer in one spot for too long, brushing your hair like it wasn't attached, and poking you with the comb or scissors. Why is it that so many stylists insist on treating us this way? We're not mannequins, we're paying customers.

Here I sit, pondering how I will find another stylist that hopefully will work out better. I'm contemplating driving around and checking out the ambiance of each place first as well, to make sure I actually enjoy going on a regular basis. No, it's not the end of the world, but crikey, it's a pain.

So here is the marketing lesson within. We all need to be conscious about how we treat our customers. Do we offer an environment (brick and mortar or cyber) that is conducive to good business relations? Do we ask questions that allow our customers to be more comfortable, to be more open with what they need or want? Do we make it easy for the customer to do business with us? I for one am going to give this concept a lot more consideration.

And a note to all the wonderful hair stylists out there, please sign-up on GirlShopSpot.com so we can find you.