Area 1 Labs Blog

The Winning Spam Mail

Joseph Stein — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 21:00:00 +0100

It is hard to be an online business these days. There is so much competition that your brand can easily get lost in the crowd. Don’t even get me started on the difficulties of successfully spreading any type of email advertisements. Google and Yahoo are constantly becoming more adept at blocking mass emails. This hysteria over spam emails reached such a frenzy that many of my regular emails get blocked by the filtering systems. Yes, today it is hard to be a successful online business.

However, before you panic please let me give you some good news. Due to my extensive internet marketing experience, I have identified a number of winning techniques for attracting and keeping your customers attention. The following are some of the best ways to capture new customers through the use of bulk emails, while at the same time avoiding the typical spam filters.

Use Every Opportunity to Spread Your Message

A recent study done by StrongMail discovered that 60% of businesses do not include additional promotional offers in their typical correspondence with customers. This is a lost opportunity!

When sending website registration email or order confirmations, make sure to include additional information on upcoming sales or offer special promotions. The customer is already expecting to receive an email confirming their original transaction, so they are much more likely to take your new offer seriously. Amazon.com is a master of this technique. If you order something from Amazon.com, you should expect to get an email inviting you to consider some of their other products.

Best thing about using this technique is that primarily transactional emails are not considered to be spam by FTC. Just make sure to keep your additional offers and advertisements to a limited amount.

Consider the Overall Reputation of Your Company.

Most businesses do not realize that ISPs tends to group together all of the emails coming from the same IP address. Therefore, if one part of the company engages in dubious mass mailing practices, it could cause delivery problems for the more reputable department.

When creating a mass mailing strategy, make sure to co-ordinate all parts of your business. After all you could be sending regular service updates from one department, weekly promotional offers from another, and registration reminders from the third department. Taken all together it could be an excessive use of your mailing capability and can get you flagged by the ISPs. Instead, try to combine some of these messages (look above for suggestions), and you could have more of an impact on your customers.

Choose the Right Bulk Email Software

You might think that emails should be easy. After all you just need to send a few emails to your customers. You might wonder why you even need any special software. I recommend that you purchase some type of bulk email software, because it will help you create and implement a complete marketing strategy. Without the use of special software you are piecing together different strategies that do not have common goals and might even conflict with one another. As I have said before, it is not uncommon for departments to be doing something completely different from one another.

Before deciding on the right software, consider all the emailing needs of your business. If your primary use for mass emails is to update your customers on major changes, you likely won’t need a lot of complex features. If on the other hand you need to have regularly scheduled emails you will want to consider features that provide more support. Finally if you need a well developed list management tool to track your customer’s actions and responses, you might want an email service that actually tracks when users click on your links or accept your email offers. Finally, consider such options as automatic unsubscribe feature, HTML versus text emails, availability of test emails and general support services.

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Eye Tracking � What You Don�t Know Can Hurt You

Joseph Stein — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 21:00:00 +0100

Every webmaster wonders what they can do to improve the popularity of their webpage. Should they write more articles, lower their prices or create a message board? Well the answer to this predicament could be found in the new eye tracking studies, which measure people’s physical responses to the web. The latest eye tracking studies demonstrate how people read web content and how their brains acquire or discard information. This means that you can actually create content that makes use of this information. By targeting your preferred market in the best possible way, you will be able to increase your site’s popularity and go up in rankings. After all the old adage holds true: give your customers what they want and they will be back for more.

People like to believe that they are utterly unique and that they have their own singular way of doing things. Nevertheless, this is simply not true. The following are some of the rules and patterns that came out of these eye tracking studies. I also included suggestions of how you can use these findings to improve your own webpages.

Rule #1 – Reading Patterns

No matter what type of web content people are reading they have a tendency to read in an F pattern.

Users first read the top line of the page from left to right. Users then move down the page and again read from left to right. Finally, in order to finish the page, users visually scan the rest of the content from top to bottom focusing on the left side of the page. What you can learn from this: The starting sentences of the first two paragraphs must be exceptionally interesting to encourage people to keep reading. If you have links that you want people to click on, place them on the left side of the screen. This might require reformatting the article. Divide the article into sections and place the headings of each section on the left side of the screen. This way you have a greater chance of attracting users’ attention while they are scanning the article. Rule #2 – White Space

Most webmasters think that white-space is boring and that users will ignore sites that heavily rely on this technique. However, eye tracking studies show that users actually understand more and are happier when they are presented with less content.

People’s comprehension increases when they are offered shorter articles. Bullets and subheadings improve the overall grasp of the information presented. Pictures make the overall article more memorable to the users. What you can learn from this: Keep your articles short and use bullet points or subheadings to underline key ideas. Use interesting pictures to make information more memorable. But be careful not to overdo this or you risk losing more than you gain. Always keep your target market in mind. Make the article as long as you can, but not a word longer than necessary. Cut down on the noise and make your message crisp and clear for your users. Eliminate extra graphics, background colors, and unnecessary words. Rule # 3 - Elderly & Low-Literacy Users

As web is expanding and reaching new parts of the world’s population, low-literacy users are becoming much more common. The studies show that they have very different reading patterns than your typical internet population. Even if your business does not target third-world population, you should understand these results since older users display very similar reading patterns.

Low-literacy users do not scan the pages in a way that high-literacy users have become accustomed to doing. Low-literacy individual read almost every single word in an article before they are ready to move on. Low-literacy readers can become frustrated if too many pictures interrupt the flow of the article. These readers are willing to leave the article if the structure or content gets to be too complicated. Low-literacy readers do not like long articles since they often require them to scroll down and this breaks their concentration. What you can learn from this: Your site should have information that is delivered in short and crisp paragraphs. Do not use complicated words, and keep your sentences short. If you want to use pictures place them at the very end or the very beginning of the paragraph. Do not intermingle text and graphics. Keep your articles short so that scrolling is not necessary to read the whole article. [...]

Copywriting for Dummies

Joseph Stein — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 21:00:00 +0100

SEO Copywriting is a way of writing the HTML text on a web page so it uses specific search terms. The purpose is to rank highly for those targeted terms. Of course the goal is not just to rank well, but to provide a good user experience. Keep in mind that most consumers will leave the site if it is obviously overflowing with the target terms.

The following is some of the ways to optimize your site, while still keeping it popular with the users.

Word Limits

Use at least 150 words on each page you want to target for copywriting.

If you are writing a product review, do not go over a 300 word limit. I recommend this because an average user spends less than 60 seconds on a site before becoming bored and moving on.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology actually warns that some people have an attention span of only 9 seconds - the same as a goldfish. As a result of this, product reviews need to be sharp and to the point. Instead of using lots of words, use videos and graphics to keep the attention of your customers.

Do not go below 150 words, because you will not have enough room to incorporate your target terms.

Keyphrases

Repeat the same keyphrase at least twice per page.

You should repeat your keyphrase at least twice to get the most search value out of the page. The added benefit of using the phrase twice allows you to cement your message in the minds of those who visit the site.

On the other hand, be careful with this technique. Do not use the same phrase more than one time per 50 words or you might get flagged for trying to game the search engine process.

Avoid this wonderful example of how everything could go wrong. Notice how many times the phrase “Primo Viaggio SIP” is being used.

Content, Content, Content

Use great content to hide your underlying keywords.

I repeat the word three times, because I want to make sure you hear me. Content is not dead, despite the rise of Facebook or YouTube. When writing content, provide something extra to the consumer.

Include Phone Number or Web Addresses. For example, when writing about cars include the web address of the car company. If you are talking about a great warranty that comes with a product, give a phone number of the company so users can verify this for themselves. Give Sources, Dates & Times. If you are writing about a new discovery or an emerging trend give sources that can verify your statements. Provide details and dates for users who want to know more. Entertain With Lists. There is a reason why every major magazine on the market uses lists as their staple editorials. People love lists and are always willing to give them a quick read. [...]

7 Ways To Lower Your Bounce Rates

Joseph Stein — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 21:00:00 +0100

If you have done your homework and your site ranks well, you might think you are done and success is soon to come. Well you might want to be careful. Even if you can attract traffic to your site, it doesn’t mean you are going to keep it.

The beauty of bounce rates and why it is one of my favorite metrics is because of its value in measuring the quality of your traffic. If you don't already know, bounce rate measures the percentage of visitors that leave a page without visiting any other pages before a set time elapses. While it is pretty hard to get anything under 20%, anything under 35% could use some tweaking and if you have anything over 50% then this guide is especially for you:

Here are seven things that you need to keep in mind in order to stay on top:

1. Spice It Up With Flash. This word is dreaded by most search engine optimization (SEO) practitioners. Since search engines are designed to handle static content, flash content presents a problem for most of these engines. However, users love the eye candy experience and tend to return to these websites. Proper and minimal use of flash content will allow your site to get indexed, but will also encourage visitors to stick around.

2. Pictures Say A Thousand Words. Think BIG! Your images should be polished, sleek, glamorous. Apple's web site is a perfect example of this philosophy. And with Google now being able to recognize text within images, it gives you even more of a reason to enhance your site with some pretty graphics.

3. Make it Interactive. Make your site as easy to use and as personal as possible! The site needs to respond to its user's needs and anticipate their demands. Organize informal focus groups when designing your site. Ask users what features they would want to see on a site, encourage them to share even their nominal wishes. Develop a site that has unexpected features which make users stick around.

Example - Amazon.com was one of the first sites that thought of providing buying patterns of past customers to its current clients before they made a single purchase. Such a simple tool made Amazon.com stand out from its competitors and encouraged users to explore other products on the site.

4. Stylish Design. Nobody likes going to a site that looks like it was designed in 1998. Keep the whole look modern and stylish.

Don't overload the page with graphics so that the page takes 3 minutes to download. Keep in mind that many users do not have fast internet connections and may leave before the site is fully loaded. If at any time you decide to upgrade your site, please do this as quickly as possible. Each day that your site is down you stand to lose hundreds of customers. The American public has a notoriously short attention span, and a slow initial load can be detrimental to a site’s success. Finally, do periodic maintenance by checking your site for broken links, outdated information or design flaws.

5. Friendly Navigation. Your site needs to be well structured. There can't be any confusion! Users will not stick around if they can't easily find the products they need. In order to attract long-term customers, make sure your site is ultra-professional. You need to inspire confidence. This means that consumers need to be able to navigate from one page to the next with ease.

Hypertext (imbedded links) are a great way to encourage customers to continue surfing the site. Navigation bar is also a must for any professional site. Include a search box or provide a site map for more advanced users.

6. Relevancy. If you want to capture consumer attention, you must devote time and money to developing high quality content. Be sure to use a visitor tracking service to understand what terms people are using to locate your site. If you notice that there is a high bounce rate associated with some of these visits, make sure that the search terms and the site content are in sync.

Be careful not to cover a dozen different topics and industries at the same time. Consumers need to KNOW what your site is about within the first few minutes of their visit or they may become frustrated and leave.

7. K.I.S.S. Keep it Simple Stupid. We would all love to have a top-of-the line premium website. However, sometimes it's best to keep things simple. Top websites require a lot of maintenance and most webmasters can’t commit to this type of expense. Keep in mind that you can still attract users with simple graphics and easy to navigate pages. Don't ignore the power of white space coupled with a few key pictures or slogans. Concentrate your efforts on creating a unique message that can make your site stand out from the competition.

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The Secret Behind Creating A Winning Brand

Joseph Stein — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 21:00:00 +0100

I am sure that from time-to-time you have all asked yourself if there is anything you can do to make your company different from everyone else on the market. Managing your brand has never been more important than it is today. You are no longer competing with a few local companies who get their customers based on word of mouth marketing.

Today, your competition is the world!

What can a SEO professional do to help you manage your online brand? Well how about everything.

The branding of your company name begins at the very first stage of choosing the domain name. In order to get the most from a domain name, it must be easily memorable to your customers. The domain name can’t be unnecessarily long or confusing. Preferably the name should be related in some way to your business, and be easily recognizable to your customers. If you can’t get a perfect .com name, it might be better to use .org name, instead of settling for a confusing domain. Of course if you are located outside the U.S. it is always best to use the domain name that is recognized in your country.

A great domain name is important, but you must also have a strong message. Research your competitors and see what kind of message they are sending to their customers. If you choose to open an online bookstore, do you want to emphasize your speedy service, your rare books collection, or your unmatched textbooks department? These types of distinctions can make or break your business model. If the market is already oversaturated in certain areas, consider pushing your business into the more open areas. It might not pay to be one of a thousand online bookstores, but it might be worth it to be the only one that specializes in used medical books. Most importantly work with your SEO professional to get a realistic analysis of the market, and develop a strategy on how you can stand out from the competition.

Creating a unique image for your site is extremely important if you want to be successful and build long-term customers. If you are starting from scratch, you can base the design on another site that you admire and that has proven to be successful with users. However, make sure not to take the design from any of your direct competitors, this type of borrowing will only annoy them. If you already have a good foundation for your site, make sure to allocate enough resources to take your site to the next level. You can get a SEO professional to help you with this task. He will be able to tell you exactly what you can improve and how to go about doing it. There are a number of websites that can help with this as well, if you are fine with using a pre-existing template and modifying it later on your own.

Even though online competition is fierce, sometimes your best source of business could be your competitors. If you are successful in building a brand around a very specific message you can become famous in the industry for that service. For example, if you specialize in rare types of jewelry, your competitors might start to refer clients to you for those products. This type of exchange is done online through link building between sites. Your competitors and other independent sites will even start to reference/link to you when developing their own content.

Finally, after building your brand, make sure that you can protect it from your competitors. You need a capable SEO agency to monitor your brand and keep track of everything that is written about it. Your competitors can start blogs or online rumors that disparage your brand and you need to have a way to combat this type of negative publicity.

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Does Your Company Need A Prominent Presence On The Web?

Joseph Stein — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 21:00:00 +0100

Everyone knows that all business are not the same, they have distinctive products and therefore require unique services. A small mom and pop store may not need a global internet reach, but a blossoming restaurant chain may need to have a prominent presence on the internet. Before deciding what kind of professional help you need to develop your business online you should first consider what you are trying to achieve. Keep in mind that more than 80 percent of new businesses fail each year, and you should make sure that your business strategy will put you in the other 20th percentile.

In general there are three types of services most online search marketers provide to their clients. The first service is social media marketing, which helps you to promote your website through blogs, message boards, and various other online channels. The second service is a search engine optimization strategy, which facilitates your website to rank higher on various search engines. Finally, most companies also provide general consulting services that help to analyze the content on your website, and what could be done to achieve both your internet marketing and sales goals.

There are several business models that naturally require prominent online presence, and therefore should heavily invest in social media marketing and search engine optimization services. This includes businesses that have already established a successful offline presence and have a steady customer base. These types of establishments could benefit by allowing their customers to view the merchandise online and order the items electronically. There is a high success rate for these bricks-and-clicks arrangements and I regularly recommend them to my well established clients. However, it is important to make sure that the website is up to par with your customers’ expectations or they might reject this type of system in their future purchases. In other words, your website must be easy to navigate, display your current merchandize correctly and allow for a simple check out process. Also make sure that you pick an easy to remember domain name and recommend it to all your offline customers on a regular basis.

On the other hand, some business should be careful before investing large amount of money into search marketing services and consider pros and cons of that kind of investment. Businesses that deliver highly individualized services should be careful when establishing their online presence. Although most businesses can undoubtedly gain from exposure that world-wide-web can deliver, if your business is only able to cater to customers in a specific location you may not need a global presence on the web. For example a dog grooming business located in Carson City, Nevada will not be able to work with customers in New York or Florida. Therefore, you should ask your search marketer to develop a local search optimization strategy that will allow your business to get clients in Carson City. This strategy might include using location specific domain names and getting your business listed and ranked on various local websites which might get you noticed by Google Maps and other search engines.

When analyzing what kind of online marketing strategy to follow and what kind of marketing services to purchase look to the very core of your business model. Consider which parts of your business require most of your attention, which areas could be and should be improved in the near future. Ask your customers what services they value most and how you can increase their satisfaction. If after performing this analysis it becomes apparent that you need to improve your presence on the web, well then your next step is obvious. If on the other hand, you have many other pressing problems, then maybe your website should be developed at some later more appropriate time.

There is no question that recent studies show organizations that make the move to a web-based platform tend to generate more revenue, increase their consumer base, and improve customer relations. In fact, seventy percent of adults currently use the Internet to obtain information when shopping locally for products and services. However, more and more consumers are using search engines to find business on the web, as opposed to going directly to the merchant’s site. Therefore, if you do choose to establish a place on the web for your company, make sure to devote enough resources to your online marketing and search optimization strategy to truly make an impact on your bottom line. [...]