It used to be that writers would work doggedly to find a great story idea because a barnburner of a story idea can be reworked, massaged, edited, or r...
View articleMost people think that a submission campaign is just about registering your main URL. If you do that, you are shortchanging yourself. A submission cam...
View articleHave you ever thought, "Gee, wouldn't it be cool if when someone is looking at any product in my online store, I could offer a list of related product...
View articleIn marketing as in training, before you lead customers anywhere, you have to start from where they are. The question is how to get from profile to pro...
View articleThe Internet is the workhorse of the Information Age, the steam engine of digital progress. Suddenly, we are all knowledge workers, rising in the morn...
View articleSo, you want to hire a web copywriter. Why not throw in web programmer/graphic designer/corporate communications director/marketing wiz as other bulle...
View articleLike most small-business managers, Richard is interested in getting listed in search engines. So he decided to purchase a product claiming to submit a...
View articleTwo terms that have negative connotations in training, but embody the essence of customer care for marketing, are "spoon-feeding" and "handholding." R...
View articleAnn agrees with Susan Solomon as far as content goes: Do it yourself. Forget the syndicators, the wire services, the third-party content providers. Pa...
View articleLast week, Richard started giving you his top-five criteria for selecting a web development firm. He continues this week with the last two: the depth ...
View articleSomething is wrong. Everyone agrees that content is central to the success of a web site. Yet pure content/media companies are having a really difficu...
View articleThe goal here is to get your site visitors and customers to get some skin in the game. Vest some interest in your success because you've become a vend...
View articleWant to spice up the content on your site? Here's a secret you probably already knew: The best copy comes from you, the organization posting the site....
View articleAfter spelling out our needs in enough detail that we have a starting point for negotiations with a web development firm, the next big question is: Ho...
View articleYour company's surface area includes every touchpoint where a customer is able to learn, see, hear, or interact with the company. The goal of all mark...
View articleIt pays to listen to customer complaints. A customer who invests the time to make a suggestion, even a nasty complaint, is giving you leverage for inc...
View articleEver notice most stories from web site content providers are written by the prolific talents of some guy named "Reuters" and his cohort, "AP"? As the ...
View articleRichard continues the description of a specification you need to put together to present to web-design firms for a quote. Section by section, he tells...
View articleHow can you get customers to prefer you over the competition? It's a matter of trust. People trust you when you give them power. You can lead them to ...
View articleIf you were reading Richard last week, you'd know that we're in the process of buying web-development services. So far, we have a goal for our site; w...
View articlePeople subconsciously resist formal training because it poses the risk of failure. Employees only grudgingly accept training when it's required for ce...
View articleChris doesn't like ad agencies. Especially big ad agencies with powerful brand names. Why slam ad agencies from within their ranks? Because something'...
View articleThe first step in buying professional web development services is to take inventory of your present site. That is, define what you're trying to do and...
View articleIf you're wondering why you should care about providing a learning experience for your site visitors, here's why: People increasingly feel that they c...
View articleSo, you've followed Richard's advice in his first series and built your e-commerce site with homegrown parts and prefabricated software. And it works....
View articleDid you ever hear the expression "Knowledge is power"? What does this imply for your use of the customer knowledge you gather to make them into better...
View articleMerchant account providers have to be the Mafiosos of the e-commerce world. They shake small businesses down as much as possible, use antiquated techn...
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