StoresOnline has spent over a decade on the front line of the global entrepreneurial ecommerce explosion.  The Internet leveled the playing field, lowered the barrier to entry for new businesses and elevated entrepreneurs’ vision of what they could achieve.  The Internet gave entrepreneurs a way to get their products and services online and out into the global marketplace.  As the leading provider of online tools and training for entrepreneurs and small businesses, StoresOnline is proud of the part we have played in supporting the 21st century entrepreneurial revolution. 

Carl Schramm, President of the prestigious Kauffman stated, “The innovation of the internet is perhaps the single event that made the American economy truly entrepreneurial.  The internet continuously exposes the nation to innovation and creativity, and allows new products and services to be developed at unprecedented rates.”  StoresOnline continues to see how true this statement is every day.

As entrepreneurs scramble to get online they often encounter “hit-and-run” website programmers who charge thousands to tens of thousands of dollars to create a website, and then disappear.  StoresOnline saw how this kept many small businesses and entrepreneurs on the sideline of the ecommerce revolution.

StoresOnline indentified this need and created a solution.  The solution for entrepreneurs came in the form of StoresOnline’s cutting-edge software, advanced online marketing training and world-class support.  You see, StoresOnline is a company of entrepreneurs.  StoresOnline understands what it takes to run a successful web-based business. 

StoresOnline agrees with numerous studies and reports and that there are three keys to succeeding online: Get the right knowledge and training, get the right tools and get the right support.

1. Get the right knowledge and training with StoresOnline.  Online marketing is very different from traditional marketing and small business owners and entrepreneurs often fail because they don’t take the time to get knowledge and training before they start purchasing software and solutions.  StoresOnline is committed to providing the best training for ecommerce available. 
2. StoresOnline gives Entrepreneurs the right tool for success.  StoresOnline Pro is one of the most robust and cost effective solutions on the market.  StoresOnline Pro has been integrated with various accounting software packages, shippers, auctioneers, affiliates, and credit card processors.  StoresOnline Pro’s 'drag and drop' design makes this powerful software the headache free website solution.
3. Online success requires getting the right support.  StoresOnline support is second to none, as demonstrated by StoresOnline taking home the prestigious SSPA Award for Excellence in Customer Support.  As one can easily read when doing a Google, Yahoo, or MSN search, the Internet is constantly changing, it is vital for entrepreneurs to team up with a company who knows what works online and is available to them 24/7.  

Almost anyone can build a website.  However, there is much more to achieving financial success online than just throwing up a website on the Internet.  We believe it takes an online entrepreneur to serve an online entrepreneur.  StoresOnline is here to teach, train, coach, guide, support and sustain you in your effort to tap into the potential of the Internet.

StoresOnline knows that Internet dreams come in all sizes and shapes from an entrepreneur with a revolutionary new product to an individual wanting to earn a few extra dollars in their spare time.  Regardless of the size of the entrepreneurial dream, there is nothing more exciting to us here at StoresOnline than seeing another one of our customers achieve success with their businesses. 

StoresOnline looks forward to assisting you in your quest.  As you move forward you can trust that StoresOnline will continue to provide the ultimate website solution, superior customer service, and ongoing internet business training which entrepreneurs and small businesses want and need.  StoresOnline – Where Internet legends are launched!

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StoresOnline: Message From the President

"StoresOnline Is An Extraordinary Company Made Up of Extraordinary People"
Brandon Lewis, President of StoresOnline

StoresOnline has a history of great leadership. Brandon Lewis, President of StoresOnline, recently sent out a message to StoresOnline employees encouraging them to continue to do their best in serving StoresOnline Customers and rising above challenges.

Tuesday, May 6th, we announced our earnings for the March quarter. We shared with the investment community our results and our progress on transitioning our company to the Express model. This has been a period of great change in our company designed to help position us for a greater and more exciting future.

Even with the many changes and the challenges of the global economy, we again proved StoresOnline is an extraordinary company, made up of extraordinary people who are willing to do whatever is necessary to deliver extraordinary software and service to our customers and shareholders. I congratulate each of you for your efforts and for the contribution you have made to our success. I hope you recognize the importance of your role and the impact you can have.

While many companies, especially in our industry, have struggled and stumbled in the current economy we have shown what can be done when a talented team is committed to a common vision. I mentioned on the call how proud I am of our award winning service and reiterated that we will not rest on our laurels in any area of the business.

Looking ahead to the new quarter it is safe to say we will continue to both embrace and create change. As we continue to perfect our new Express model, as our data modeling for marketing plays out, as we streamline processes and procedures change will be the name of the game. Each of us must challenge the status quo and discover new and
better ways to do our jobs. We must find ways to help our customers more, build better tools, enhance our marketing and sales practices, etc.

The type of change I am talking about is not the kind heard so often during the current political season. You see, it is easy to talk a good game from the platform, but we all know the test comes when you are in the real world trenches. Real change is a by-product of real action and produces real results.

Amidst all of this change, however, there are a few things which must remain constant - our commitment to serve our customers and the 100% effort we put into our work every day. In the end it will be our constant, consistent, persistent and relentless pursuit of change and improvement which will enable to continue to be a leading provider of technology,
tools, training and support for entrepreneurs and small business owners around the world.Thank you again for your efforts to drive change and deliver results. I hope you are as excited about our next season of change and growth as I am. I look forward to working together to create bigger change and better results as we serve our customers.

StoresOnline: Message from Robert Lewis, CFO

"If we continue to embrace these changes, they will have an even greater impact over the next year."
-Rob Lewis, StoresOnline CFO

In May, the president of our company emphasized the importance of embracing the changes that we are all experiencing. These changes are already having a positive impact on our business and our customers. If we continue to embrace these changes, they will have an even greater impact over the next year. During these past several months, I have appreciated and enjoyed working with each department’s “can do” attitude to make these positive changes happen.

In order to embrace these changes, we need everyone to have a “can do” attitude. A “can do” attitude focuses efforts on how the change can be made and not focusing on making excuses as to why a change shouldn’t be made. I have personally witnessed the Customer Service representatives’ enthusiasm in changing its perspective from static policies and procedures to the perspective which focuses on the customers’ best interest. In my limited exposure, I have also witnessed the excitement within the Workshop Teams and Preview Teams as they have launched StoresOnline Express and our upgraded StoresOnline Platinum software packages.

We have new products that are going to be released and more product enhancements that will be completed in the near future. There are also many other things that will be done to make us a better company. All of these changes will help maintain our position as the best provider of e-commerce software for the small business and entrepreneur. In order to make these continued improvements, we need your input and your “can do” attitude. As Brock Madsen says, let’s “make it happen!”

StoresOnlineInc.com : Entrepreneurs & Small Business Owners
Home Business Owners and Internet Marketing

Do you know why it is so important to know all you can about internet marketing if you have your own home business? You need to know this because this could mean your success or failure. So find out how you can learn what you need to with internet marketing help and where to find it.

Do you have a home business but you don't know anything about internet marketing? Then it is imperative to your businesses success that you learn as much as you can about internet marketing. There is internet marketing help all over the internet. You just need to look for it.

So why do you need to find help to learn about marketing on the internet? There are many different reasons why you need internet marketing help. Here are some of those reasons.

One: There are so many different methods of marketing online that if you don't take the time to learn about them, you will find very quickly that you will have a hard time achieving success. When you have internet marketing help you can learn what you need to know one subject at a time.

Two: With internet marketing help you will find that when you get stuck, you have some place to go. Believe it or not but everyone that starts an internet business will get stuck at some point in time. Having help can quickly get you moving in the right direction.

So where can you find the internet marketing help that you need? Learning internet marketing is not as hard as it seems. You don't need a real live person to help you, unless you prefer to learn that way. There are all sorts of places to learn from. Here are some good ways you can use.

One: There are many internet marketing eBooks that you can get for free or you can pay for to learn from. Many of the people that have found success have written their own eBook to give others internet marketing help they need.

Two: One good place to learn internet marketing is to find forums. There are many home business or internet marketing forums that you can use. Read the posts that are on there to find the help you need or ask your own questions to learn.

Three: Find a mentor that will be willing to give you internet marketing help. This is a little harder because you will have to keep your eyes open to find the right person that is willing to help you. Just make sure that you find someone that has already achieved success. You need to know that they have considerable experience and success in the subject they are talking about. These are just a few of the ways that you can find the internet marketing help that you require. Now that you know why internet marketing is so important and how to find help when needed, you are ready to get started. So what are you waiting for?

Original Article by N. Lillis

StoresOnlineInc.com : Entrepreneurs & Small Business Owners
Press Releases And How They Help Online Entrepreneurs

When you try to make money online, you need to get the word out about what you're doing so people will be interested in visiting your website. Many people do this through press release distribution. Companies like PRWEB.com can help you mass distribute your news.

What is a press release?
A press release tells the media about your news and gives them an opportunity to publish your piece. If there's something exciting going on in your business, this is a great way to spread some buzz.

How do you write a press release?
First, it's a good idea to make sure you have something that's actually newsworthy.

What might be newsworthy?
A new website, a new product, a staff change, a promotion, you get the idea. Second, unless you're a great copywriter you'll probably want to hire a writer or press release service to do the writing for you. If you are a decent writer, you can find some templates to use to help you with your press release. Then, you need to get organized and make a plan for where and how you'll distribute it. There are free and paid options which we'll explore here.

The anatomy of a press release
A basic press release is a news item. It follows the typical news format which answers the classic newspaper questions, "Who, What, Where, When, Why?" Generally, a press release starts off with an eye-catching heading and the first few sentences of the press release are what will create interest. If you don't capture your audience in the first paragraph, chances are they'll move on to something else before even reading the rest.

At the end of the news bit, you have an opportunity to list where people should go for more information and this answer is your website.

How will press releases help my online business?
The success of the press release is twofold. First, people that read it could visit your site and buy something. Secondly and perhaps just as importantly, the search engines will read that there are articles on trusted sources out there pointing to your website and this, my virtual friend, will help you with your search engine rankings which are what you want more than anything online because that's the key to getting customers.
Ranking well for target keywords will get you not only search engine visibility but will get you traffic that consists of people interested in what you're talking about. Now, your website copy needs to speak well so that you can convert visitors into customers.

Press releases are something you can often submit to free services that will syndicate for you but this is not full utilization of the press release. If you pay for a service like PRWEB.com, you could increase your reach and find that many more sources will display your article, which can result in an incredible viral marketing campaign. You could end up in places like Yahoo! News, Google News and more and receive visitors already convinced that you are an authority in your niche based on how well your press release reads.

Original Article by M. Bredel

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StoresOnlineInc.com : Entrepreneurs & Small Business Owners
Breaking In To Affiliate Internet Marketing

So you think you're ready to make a commitment to work from home online and you're looking at internet marketing affiliate programs - congratulations, you are about to embark on a journey that will help you to earn money at home and start a home based business of your own. But breaking into affiliate internet marketing means knowing what you're going to be getting yourself into.

First, just because it's relatively easy to make money online with an internet marketing affiliate program doesn't mean that there aren't people who struggle and ultimately fail. That means that you not only need to make a commitment to your home based business, but also that you need to make a commitment to finding affiliate products or services that meet a few specific criteria:

1. The product or service should be something that you care about. If you don't know much about home security systems, choosing to market them may not be the best plan if only because other marketers who know a lot about the topic are sure to be more knowledgeable. But there's another reason to look for products or services that you care about: when you see the value of something, when you're excited about something, that excitement is contagious. The writing that you do, the ads that you create, the forums that you go to - all of these will show your commitment, and that will help to get your prospects excited too.

2. The product or service has a specific target market. Have you ever noticed that washing machines are targeted towards women? Have you ever noticed that home gym equipment is targeted to guys who want to get ripped without going to the gym and who don't necessarily want to work out for hours at a time lifting traditional weights? These are specific target markets that advertisers are pitching their products to. If you're looking at a product or service through an internet marketing affiliate program like Click Booth, you'll want to focus on those products that you can see a clear need for because that way it will be easier to drive traffic to the advertiser.
3. People want the product or service, but there is not a great deal of competition for selling it. Do you know why the diet industry is so huge in the United States? The answer isn't the obesity epidemic; the answer is that there are a whole lot of people who are looking for ways of making it simple to reach their goals. At first glance, it may seem that, when you're breaking into affiliate internet marketing you would want to have a product that has such wide appeal; however, if there are already millions of people selling the product, well, that's millions of people that you'll need to compete with. The key is to find a balance.

Be passionate about the product or service that you choose to market and promote. Know that there are individuals who will be interested in it and make sure that you will not have an impossible amount of competition once you get started with your home based business.

Original Article by C. Douglas

StoresOnlineInc.com : Entrepreneurs & Small Business Owners
Information Online Entrepreneurs Cannot Ignore

Think all you need to know about online marketing has already been said and done? Think again! There is a wealth of Internet marketing information on the ‘Net, but with the consistent changes in technology, consumer behavior, and also general marketing trends, the latest articles will almost always contain information that might appear to be rehashed but that instead features a new angle on a commonly known bit of information.

For example, most everyone knows about Internet article marketing and thus far many would have considered it the perfect vehicle for the inclusion of text links. This has led to articles that sounded more like stealthy press releases than anything of value the average consumer would read when in reality it was not until the advent of the link free article marketing concept that the advertising vehicle really took off.

Today, there are plenty of websites where such marketing articles may be posted for free and consumers from all around the Internet are coming back because of some unit bits and pieces of extremely useful information contained therein – that you company is advertised at the same time appears almost incidental and works heavily in your favor. This kind of Internet marketing information is a classic example of how tried and true concepts are taken to new heights and offer an entire new methodology of capitalization on an existing idea.

The same holds true for marketing information that is already familiar, such as newsletter publishing, blogs, or even auto responder courses. What makes all of these marketing tools so useful is the notion of entering into a relationship with a potential customer without cramming a product down their throat. In the past the heavy marketing was crude but it fulfilled a need.

Over time the consumer population developed distaste for the flashing banners and intrusive marketing tactics and it was the business owner who kept up with Internet marketing information online entrepreneurs cannot ignore that remained competitive while those chasing the dollar without understanding the intricacies of advertising soon found themselves out of business.

You may find this kind of Internet marketing information on websites dedicated to online commerce, but while many of them are a bit removed from the real world, it is wise to check with consumer advocacy groups to find out what online shoppers decry. Some are quite candid about their qualms with certain marketing campaigns while others will mince no words about the setup of some business' newsletters or sign up options. This is a most valuable – and free – method of gathering the kind of advertising insights into consumer behavior you require for staying on the competitive edge and perhaps even defining the cutting edge.

As you collect the facts and evaluate the data, do not neglect to hone and improve your marketing strategies to keep in step with the Internet marketing information you find. While you obviously cannot be chasing each and every fad, keeping a firm pulse on the internet’s intricacies greatly enables the entrepreneur to separate fad from trend.

Original Article by S. Becker

StoresOnlineInc.com : Internet Marketing Tips
10 Internet Marketing Tips to Put You Ahead of the Game

SEO experts know that online consumers are ready for a new kind of internet marketing. They no longer want to be bothered with traditional internet marketing techniques such as banners, pop-ups, and thread-spamming. Instead, online consumers are looking for marketers who are relational, relevant, and non-intrusive. They want companies to listen to what they have to say and to take an interest in the things that are important to them.

How can you market to the new generation of online consumer? Here are 10 tips to help you out.

1. Blog: The new generation of online consumer wants to know who he's dealing with. While internet marketers used to stress the importance of being anonymous, smart marketers now know that the best way to attract consumers is to become a real person. Allow the personality of your company to shine through on your blog and relate to consumers in a real way. As blogs and social websites become more and more popular, consumers will increasingly look to business blogging as a way to determine where they will spend their time and money.

2. Try Video Marketing: With YouTube's popularity skyrocketing, more and more businesses are rushing to capitalize on the potential of online marketing. Video marketing also has enormous implications for affiliate marketing as video sharing becomes simpler to use.

3. Make Your Website Exceptional: Many consumers won't invest time and energy in a company with a poorly-designed website. Make sure it's easy to navigate and easy to read. Simpler is almost always better. More importantly, make sure it's easy for search engines to find.

4. Create a Strategy for Your Website's Content: Make a plan to regularly increase the content on your website. Consumers want to know that you are insightful and motivated enough to consistently post new items. Make sure that your new content is geared directly to the reader and optimized for search engines.

5. Create a Strategy for Social Media Marketing: As part of your overall marketing strategy, be sure to include marketing for social media. The new generation of web consumer is interested in relationships and relevance. Furthermore, search engines are beginning to take search personalization into consideration.

6. Ensure That You Have a Competitive Email Marketing Strategy: Use permission marketing and targeted communications to increase your customer base and grow your client base. Your marketing success will be based largely on whether or not you can provide your customers with targeted, relevant information.

7. Brush Up On Mobile Media Marketing: Make sure that your website is compatible with mobile devices. This is one of the fastest-growing ways to give the consumer positive marketing experiences.

8. Try Web Widget Marketing: Widgets are applets included in HTML. They create miniature replicas of content located outside of the primary website. Despite the funny name, widgets are now a widely-accepted means of introducing services and products to audiences. In fact, widgets are becoming one of the top marketing strategies for businesses that choose to advertise online.

9. Publicize with Article Marketing: Internet marketing experts claim that article marketing is the one of most effective ways to publicize your website and increase backlinks to your content. Publish the article on your own website first, being sure to include a bookmark button for social bookmarking, and then submit your article to appropriate content publishers, announcement lists, article directories, and RSS feeds.

10. Pay for Your Traffic: Search engine advertising (also called pay-per-click) allows you to pay for visitors who click on your search engine advertisements. You can bid for keywords related to your product or service, thus leveraging search engine traffic. This is particularly helpful for companies that are not well-established enough to be highly-ranked on search engines.

In order to attract the new generation of web consumer you must create a powerful presence on the web. The best way to do this is to create an intentional, well-thought-out internet marketing strategy to ensure that you are competitive, relevant, and impossible to resist. While you can certainly do this on your own, you might also consider contacting an SEO expert to help you determine how best to market your product or service.

Original Article by S. Evans

StoresOnlineInc.com : Internet Marketing Tips
Increasing Sales Through Strategic Internet Marketing

The Internet is now recognized as a viable medium for product and service advertising, and strategic internet marketing can have a direct impact on sales volumes. Ad placement on the internet has become the new area of advertising that many companies exploit, assuming that they are able to afford publicity on TV, radio, and in print.

But how will you place relevant ads that will be found by your target customers, amid the millions of computer users surfing the web these days? Look at these strategies:

1. Post an ad on those websites that are visited frequently by your company's target customers. The first step, however, is determining who your target market is. By placing ads on sites frequented by your targets, you increase attention and follows to your site. Consider the ads placed on the website's search engine, engine placement, traffic, and external linking. Other sites linked to your site are determined using external linking. This means that even if people are browsing a different site, they will be directed to the site where your ad is placed. Take a look and see if your competition is also advertising here.

2. Some sites charge money to place an ad. In exchange for having another's link on your site, other sites may place your link on their site. The same can be said about the newsletters that are received by the mailing list members of the site, at regular intervals. Another way to boost your search engine ranking is to place helpful links on your site and also having other sites link to your pages. This strategy emphasizes your sites importance due to its linkage to other web-sites

3. Another valuable Internet marketing strategy is Pay-per-click (PPC). Payment is based on the number of times your link is clicked. If this is what you are looking for you will need to make sure that you set a limit on daily spending. In addition, services are available to help you evaluate the effectiveness of keywords and monitor the results of PPC.

4. Be very selective in creating your domain name. The results are still up for debate whether domain names influence search engine placement. Be certain to include your product or service in your domain name to make it easier for the customer to return to your site.

5. Ensure that useful content appears on your sites. Though you cannot ignore the importance of keyword density in search engine placement, presence of useless information and repetitive keywords will not increase your customers' confidence. Such information may affect the traffic your site gets, and can even get your site removed from search engines. This is why it is important that keywords are used strategically.

6. Think like your target customers when coming up with keywords. Which are the most likely search terms that they will use to reach your site? In addition, specific keywords or key phrases should be utilized. By submitting specific keywords which describe your product and services perfectly, you are much more likely to get to the top of the search results than by submitting a single word or a very general phrase.

7. Keep an eye on your ads. The amount of spending on the placement of links on PPC and frequently visited sites must always be totaled. How many of the services that monitor PPC transactions result in actual sales? Make sure that ads you've placed on websites target consumers of your product or service and if these ads will really lead you to having more revenue.

Finally, selling the benefits of a product is a good marketing method. Highlighting your products benefits is a preferred market strategy over listing its specifications. Potential customers may not be aware of what the product specifications actually mean in terms of the quality of the product or service they will receive.

Millions of websites exist, many using the same keywords, leading many people to believe that getting to the top of search engine results is difficult. Now even though this is true, it doesn't necessarily mean that your website has to be underneath the competition's website when the search engine results are shown. You can still rise to the top of the search results by utilizing strategic marketing techniques and providing useful content and helpful links to your market audience.

Original Article by C. Quinn

StoresOnlineInc.com : Internet Marketing Tips
Build Your Internet Marketing Email List - 5 of the Best Methods

The cardinal rule of internet marketing is Do Not Spam. Don't even think about it. This will instantly cause you to be banned by your internet service provider, receive hate mail and even hate phone calls. It will also ruin the one thing you should value above all as an internet marketer, and that is your reputation. Without a good reputation you may as well fold your tent.

Never fear, though, because there are very effective ways to build your list. Most of these methods are completely free of any cost to you.

1. Squeeze Page. Let's say you have your product and your website up and ready to go. There may be many people who visit your site who do not actually buy. What you want to do is capture their names, addresses and email addresses so that you can build your list. Unless your web page has a method to accomplish this you will be losing the 98% who visit but don't actually buy. You want them to opt in to your email list so that they are explicitly giving you permission to send email to them.
Enter the squeeze page. By using a squeeze page you will convert every visitor to your e-list before leaving your website even if they do not make a purchase. In order for them to opt in to your email list, however, you may also want to offer something that is of value such as a free online report, DVD or video that is related to their area of interest. This will begin the process of building a good relationship with a targeted prospect and will lead to sales in the future through your email marketing. Another variation of the squeeze page is the opt-in pop-up. Just do a search for squeeze page or opt-in pop-up to find the one you prefer.

2. Article Marketing. If you love to write this is a natural for you. Even if you don't think you can write, think again. Once you learn to write a few articles it will come easily. The rewards in traffic are well worth the effort since submitting articles to article directories is one of the most effective, and free, ways to drive traffic to your web site. There are many articles and forums online which will help you begin. Articles should be 400-600 words with short paragraphs.

All the rules of sales websites will apply to writing articles: strong headline, benefits and good copy. You may submit your articles free of charge to article directories, some of which will resubmit them to many other websites. Be sure to do your research regarding article writing. Remember to include your own information and website at the end of the article. Learning to write articles will pay off in great dividends. You can use these same articles again and again. Simply rewrite the content or use it for inspiration for your blog or on a forum. Save your articles and turn them into a free e-book. Save enough of them and you have a course, material for a DVD, a Power Point presentation, a video or even a webinar. Work once, make it pay over and over again.

3. Press Release. There are specific guidelines required for writing press releases, which are considered news articles. Their purpose is to highlight something newsworthy or interesting about a company or product. Do a search for specific instructions on writing news releases. Like articles, these may be submitted to numerous news sites online. Remember that press releases are equally important for offline advertising, which is often forgotten these days. Newspapers are eager for news. It is likely that your news will be published if properly formatted to meet the guidelines.

News can be a new product, a new alliance, personnel changes, or a new or redesigned website. It can be a human interest solution, a seasonal event, a contest or promotion. It cannot be a blatant advertisement. The beauty of online press releases is that they may contain a url which can easily and simply be clicked to lead people to your site. Give some thought to your goal in writing the release and make sure the url leads them to the specific news which you are telling about. An interesting and well-done press release will be far more effective than most paid advertising due to the eye of the beholder. People tend to look at an ad with certain skepticism while they look at news in a more receptive way and will be more inclined to respond.

4. eBay. This site has more traffic than the search engines, which makes it one of the best places to use for building your list. Add to that the fact that buyers are coming for the express purpose of buying. There is more than one way to use eBay as a lead generator. One method is to sell one of your own items, which costs very little to mail, at a very low price. You can link the sales page to eBay's About Me page, from which you can link to your sales website.

Another way is to create your listing of a free report in the classified ad section of eBay instead of in the auction section. Your classified ad can have a link directly to your website's squeeze page, from which they can opt in, get their free report, and you collect the contact information. Not all of eBay's categories support classified ads. Do a search and find a list of categories. Information products are a category which you can use in the classifieds. All you pay for is eBay's very low cost for a classified ad.

5. Affiliate Programs and Joint Ventures. This is the very best way to build your email list and your business. Over 50% of all income made from internet marketing comes from this category. There are so many advantages to this way of doing business on the internet that it's hard to know where to begin. The first thing to point out is that it's free. Everyone wants to be an affiliate or start their own affiliate program.

Another advantage is that you have instant products available if you sign up as an affiliate. You will have great support if you do so, in training, techniques, tools and products. The affiliate manager wants you to succeed in selling products because it's a win/win situation. You both succeed. This is a great way to learn internet marketing if you are a newbie. At some point you may want your own affiliate program once you have learned the ropes.

You may want to joint venture with someone in the same market when your business is able to offer products, names, writing or other advantages which a partner would be interested in. By exchanging each other’s assets you achieve leverage, the key to boosting income. It is a powerful way to make money and to build your list on the internet.

Original Article by C. Massey-Reyner

StoresOnlineInc.com : Internet Marketing Tips
How to Be a Successful Internet Marketing Fisherman

It's easy to catch a whole plethora of links on the Web. In fact, some cutting-edge bloggers and writers have managed to garner a universe of links simply through their strong writing skills, while denser types slave away at writing volumes of dull content, only to find that no one cares. Simply put, the successful bloggers have demonstrated that they are proficient at the science of link-baiting. And it truly is a science, one that can be learned through practice.

If the Bait is Delicious, the Fish Will Bite The most important issue is to design or make a tempting bait so that web visitors will visit your page. People love to hear about what's going on in the news, so you can use world news as a bait to draw your readers in. The reason for this is that current news is fresh content. Fresh, new content attracts visitors, always. Look at the success of the Drudge Report. Current news organized into a provocative design has resulted in immense success. Imagine if you were one of Drudge's link partners. You would immediately reap the generous rewards of Drudge's current-news baits.

In addition, The Drudge Report itself has garnered an astronomical rise in search engine optimization due to the amount of inbound links it has generated. (Inbound links are non-reciprocal links, for instance, when someone links to your site, but you don't link to theirs, you are receiving an inbound link.) The more provocative the news is, the more likely people will click on the link.

Bloggers Know Where It's At People love to talk, especially on the Internet and in the Blogosphere. Bloggers often respond to current events and other developments in the world. This will create a firestorm of a discussion. The odds are, a great number of people are discussing this subject, because what is discussed in the blogosphere is what people are currently talking about. The fat cat, well-established, most famous bloggers will undoubtedly take a stand on this issue. Make sure that you conduct a comprehensive subject of the study at hand. Speak as an expert. Don't drop to bad taste or libel.

The Cardinal Rule of Web-Fishing: Be Humble and Respect the Fish Set up a disciplined fishing schedule so that you are regularly providing content to these blogs. It's really great if you can write three times a week, but once a week should do. Just like in fishing, sometimes you'll catch a lot of links, and other times, you won't catch any. But most of the time, you'll catch a grouping of links, little by little. The important thing is to be patient and humble.

Baby steps. But the more you go out link-baiting, the more links you'll collect, and in turn, the higher your site will be ranked. SEO experts know that link-baiting works, so the best experts suggest it as a sure-fire way to improve your search engine rankings.


Original Article by M. Tamani

StoresOnlineInc.com : Internet Marketing Tips
The 5 Deadly Sins Of Internet Marketing

In order to run a successful online business, one has to pay meticulous attention to a number of things, including the internet marketing's big picture and the small details. However, there are 5 very dangerous pitfalls that you must avoid if you want to succeed as an online entrepreneur or as we like to call them “netpreneurs”.

Forgetting Your Roots Remember, you have learned a lot by running your previous businesses. These lessons are valuable and can guide you on your path to online success. It is very important that you learn from your past mistakes and you apply your knowledge to your new online business. You know yourself, so you know what you do well and what you don't. It is very important to know yourself when you are running a business.

Don't start from scratch just because you're doing business online. You can apply what you learned in the offline world to what you're doing in the online world. Stick to the business basic and improve them with new online techniques An Internet Marketing Pariah You need to completely design a marketing plan before you start your business.

You need to where and how you will gain customers. This is crucial because this is how you will make money. Some entrepreneurs forget to design a marketing plan before they go into business. This will always doom any business.

You need to make sure you have a rock solid Internet marketing plan before you open your business. You can hire an internet marketing company or online consultant to put a strategy together for your business. It will be a lot cheaper to do some preliminary preparation then it is to find yourself and your new venture in a real quagmire. Not Finding Your Customer Base It is highly important that you customize your business for a specific customer base.

There are so many websites out there that you will be lost if you do not specialize for a specific market. This is extremely important, as you can increase your Internet marketing power simply by specializing your work/ product. Understanding your customer is key to your success and to keep your customer satisfaction high.

One way is to study your competition and see how they court their customers, target their audience and find ways to improve on them. Some offer toll free numbers some offer online live help, etc.  

You need to make sure that you keep meticulous records of your visitors, your web page rank, your web traffic, and your conversion rate. If you ignore your statistics, you won't have a leg to stand up. This is important because it lets you know what works and what doesn't. If you introduce a new idea, always make sure to note how it affects web traffic and conversion rate. You need to pay attention to these details to ensure you have a strong Internet marketing campaign. One way to do so is to install a tracking script like analytics or hitlens.

Original Article by M. Tamani

StoresOnlineInc.com : Search Engine Optimization Tips
Blogs: Internet Marketing's Superstar

Blogs are a serious way that Internet marketers can drive a significant amount of traffic their site. In fact, blogs dominate the marketing market, because blogs can significantly boost anyone's Internet marketing campaign. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) experts use blogs to drive people to certain websites. In addition, blogs serve as a hub of discussion and information. They are also used to promote certain services or products.

People have fun at blogs, so they can strongly garner a huge amount of web traffic. In fact, blogs can sometimes enjoy this popularity overnight. However, there are a few good tips to optimizing your blog so that you getting the most out of your Internet marketing campaign.

Look Into The Past
Blogs were always a network where people who shared similar interests or had related business would convene to discuss various matters. In this way, blogs connected people to each other. However, whenever something skyrockets in popularity, its value goes down. This has happened with blogs. So, many bloggers can't find the visitors that they need.

This seriously affects people who are working in Internet marketing. A great amount of businesses have popped up that offer bloggers all sorts of gimmicks to increase popularity. However, the best way to increase traffic is also the most established. The best way to increase traffic is to link to other blogs and to earn inbound links. When another site links to your blog and you don't provide a reciprocal link, you have just received an inbound link.

A Fractal of Links
The more links that you exchange and receive, the more people will link to your blog. As a result, you will enjoy a huge increase in traffic. The more links you have, the higher search engines will rank your blog. So, you will not only get a lot more visitors, you will be strengthening your web visibility. This is great for anyone who is involved in internet marketing of any sort. Here's a good strategy to gain these links.

Discuss, Converse, Exchange
You need to exchange in a substantial discussion with other bloggers in order to create a strong network of links. Blogs are about creating a network of people who are connected to one another. So, you need to entrench yourself within a conversation. This is a great Internet marketing strategy. It is fundamental that you create this atmosphere to get links.

Keywords Will Lead The Way
Search engines calculate the relevance of a blog web page by analyzing keywords to determine where they should rank the blog. So, it is useful to use very specific keywords in your blog in order to gain more web exposure. It's also very useful if you can pinpoint some less competitive keywords, and then populate your blog with these keywords so that you can drive a lot of traffic to your site.

Internet marketing is partially based on finding less competitive keywords and then designing content that uses these keywords frequently, prominently, densely, and in close proximity to one another. These are a few tools that can help you increase web traffic on your blog, thereby strengthening your Internet marketing campaign.

Original Article by M. Tamani

StoresOnlineInc.com : Search Engine Optimization Tips
Are You Using Internet Marketing Most Powerful Salesman?

RSS is a high-profile, very effective way to distribute content on the web. It is a technology that has seamlessly incorporated itself. It is very important to learn how to use RSS feeds well if you want to succeed at Internet marketing.

Sites that use RSS correctly are more likely to enjoy a huge amount of traffic and enjoy advantages over their competitors. However, if you really want to use RSS successfully, you need to make sure that you have designed content that is ready for RSS so that when you distribute it, you can make an impact. In fact, when you are designing content, you need to keep RSS in mind so that you can design content that will work well for RSS.

Hook, Line, and Sinker
You must spend meticulous amounts of time and energy to ensure that you are writing useful, informative articles. This is crucial to your Internet marketing strategies. Remember, the title of your article is extremely important, because if it is provocative and fascinating, then people are more likely to read the article. But if it is boring or listless, then no one will read the article.

This is a well known fact in Internet marketing. Everyone knows this rule, which means you have to work even harder to create a title that will draw people's attention. A good rule of thumb is to create a whole bunch of different titles and then edit them later, or give them to a friend to edit. If you don't have a good title or headline, then no one will read your article. Remember, Internet marketing with articles is dependent upon good titles.

Don't Make It Too Easy
It is important not to give away everything in the headline. Your headline should be something that draws the reader in, instead of giving them all the info about your Internet marketing plan. It should be provocative and mysterious so that the reader wants to know more about what is behind the headline. No one will read the article if they think that they can get all the information from the headline.

Fans Support Winning Teams
If you've got flashy content that fascinates people and makes them want to come back for more, then your RSS feed will completely dominate the Web. As long as you pay attention to all the details, you can earn repeat customers with this Internet marketing tool. RSS can be used to provide news regarding new content or products on your site, but it's also a way you can garner valuable email contact information.

When people subscribe to an RSS feed, you can also create an opt-in email list from their RSS subscription. This is a great way to directly communicate with your customers. You can keep them up to date on affiliate programs and ads. But you need to design provocative content for this to work.

Original Article by M. Tamani

StoresOnlineInc.com : Search Engine Optimization Tips
Advice Guide - Internet Marketing

When starting a Home based online business you need to be very careful where and who you get your products from. You want to get the absolute best products from very reputable suppliers. Here are a few helpful tips that can ensure you get the most out of your investment. You should find out the true value of the product or service before you make a decision to purchase it.

If it is a new product on the market you should check out the price that other retailers are selling it for. If it is a reconditioned or a used product you would obviously want to pay less than retail price. You need to look at the life span of the item, Is it seasonal? Is it going to be replaced? An example is you won't buy Christmas decorations in June that would be a complete waste of time and money nor would you buy computers that are already 1 year old because it will soon be obsolete. If you are buying based on a photo and it is not detailed enough for you to make a decision you should get into contact with the merchant to get clarification before you buy it. You don't want to waste your money that you worked so hard for on an old or vague picture.

You need to know if the supplier offers a money back guarantee or warranty and what are the return terms after purchasing a product. You don't want to end up stuck with products that does not work or that you're not satisfied with. Decide what your budget is and don't stray from it. Don't be taken by some savvy salesman and pay more for the product than you are prepared to. Remember to consider shipping and handling expenses to avoid paying more for the item. Go online and try to find out the true value of the product so you can get an idea of the going price of it or even get it at a cheaper price.

You want to know how long the goods would take to arrive because you don't want to lose potential and existing customers due to of out of stock issues. You need to factor in shipping time and the time it would take to clear customs. You also need to know that your supplier can give you an adequate and constant supply of product to ensure you have a good enough supply for your customers.

You need to know the payment options that the merchant accepts before you buy. If they only accepts money order, checks, it would take a lot longer to finish a transaction and receive your goods than if they accepts credit or wire transfers. If they do accept credit cards try to ensure that there server is secure. One thing that you must do is check out the merchant, Find out if customers have complained about his products or business policies before spending your money and getting into a joint venture with him. This can save you a lot of grief and heartache.

Original Article by A. Josiah

StoresOnlineInc.com : Search Engine Optimization Tips
Reciprocal Linking Guide Lines For SEO

Link building is one of the easiest ways to increase a website's search engine ranking and when the webmaster is faced with the seemingly insurmountable task he or she resorts to link building or reciprocal linking to improve the rank of the website's search engine. In the act of developing search engine rankings, one of the easiest and cheapest ways is to link build, of which reciprocal linking is a means.

The act of link building is often very complicated and time consuming. But reciprocal linking is one of the easiest and cheapest methods of increasing a website's search engine ranking. The act of exchanging links between websites is called reciprocal linking. The act of reciprocal linking is helpful for the webmaster or web administrator. A webmaster agrees to post the link of another website in his or her website in exchange for the other webmaster doing the same.

The process of reciprocal linking is good and beneficial situation for both the webmasters. This method enables the website to gain many inbound links. The act of convincing other website owner to post a link on a certain website is not too difficult as these websites too gain inbound links in the process of posting their links.

Reciprocal linking is a good search engine optimization strategy. One important fact is that with good exchange linking strategy the bad effects of reciprocal linking could be done away with. There are a few steps in achieving this objective. One of these is the search engine status of the prospective link partner.

A webmaster or web administrator should search for reciprocal links with websites or web directories that have high search engine rankings. The ranks of the sites that will give the inbound links are more valued with more than the usual seriousness and they are given due importance.

The webmaster needs to consider the ranking of the actual page where the inbound link is to be posted. If the page where the link is to be posted has a zero rank, it is going to have a bearing on the website status. The webmaster should choose relevant websites. The inbound links from similar content websites carry more weight than the content which is unrelated to the website of the prospective webmaster to whose website the links are going to be posted.

The webmaster should check the position of the links in the website of the web partner. It has been found that some webmasters trick their partner webmaster into giving them inbound links without giving them the adequate information on the respective links. The webmaster should check the position of the links in the partner webmaster's pages. Information about the link is one of the most important a strategies to achieve the search engine optimization that every webmaster looks forward to and reciprocal linking is one of means or be adequately informed about this link. This is the connection between search engine optimization and reciprocal linking.

Original Article by B. Garvin

StoresOnlineInc.com : Search Engine Optimization Tips
Submitting To The Directories For SEO Benefits

Links are one of the most important parts of successfully running a search engine optimization campaign. As a matter of fact, having well-placed links will do a lot to help to push your website to the top of the search engine result pages for the keywords of your choice. Although there are many different ways for you to acquire these links, there are some ways which are almost automated in nature. By taking advantage of every aspect of your link building campaign, you can not only get your website listed in the search engines quickly, you can also be benefited by the incoming links for a long time to come.

One of the easiest forms of linking that exists is that which is found in directory submissions. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of directories for you to choose from on the Internet where you can post a link to your website. Some of these directories are free to post links and others charge a fee, either a onetime fee or a recurring fee. It is up to you to decide if it is worth the effort to post to the free directories and if it is worth the cost to post to some of the paid directories.

Some of the paid directories are very important for you to be listed in, regardless of what the price is. This is especially the case if you are a little bit experienced with search engine optimization and are fairly confident in your ability to get your website listed well on the search engines from your efforts. Some of the paid directories that you want to make sure you're part of include Yahoo and Joeant.com. Yahoo is fairly expensive at $299 a year but by having a link in the Yahoo Directory, you will be giving your SEO efforts of major shot in the arm.

Popular directories such as Joeant are an excellent way for you to position yourself with some back links as well. Submitting your website to the free directories is also an excellent way to give yourself a boost in the SERPS as well as getting yourself listed on the search engines initially.

Google does not necessarily give as much weight to these free search engine submissions but remember, Google is not the only kid on the block. Yahoo also has the ability to send you a massive amount of traffic if you're positioned well in their search engine results and MSN can send you traffic as well. Each of these lesser search engines will place a lot of weight on many incoming links from these free directories.

All in all, submitting to directories, whether free or paid is an excellent way to set yourself up for success in your search engine optimization efforts. Make sure, however, that you don't stop with just a few simple directory submissions. Make it a part of your overall efforts to continue improving on your rankings in the search engines.

Original Article by G. Nussbaum

You Can Expect Excellent Customer Service From StoresOnline
StoresOnline receives many outstanding customer reviews on a daily basis. At StoresOnline, customer support is one of the highest priorities. StoresOnline Merchants have come to expect a high level of customer service from knowledgeable support representatives who provide the help our merchants need. Here is an example of a StoresOnline Customer Service chat interaction with a StoresOnline Merchant.

StoresOnline wants to answer your questions and help keep your online business moving forward. If you have questions or concerns about your StoresOnline Products or Services, please contact StoresOnline Customer Service today by emailing: help@myquickresponse.com.

StoresOnlineInc.com : Entrepreneurs & Small Business
Is Your Small Business Ready To Go Global?

Have you been feeling the itch to send your small business global? Many are in your shoes--seeing the benefits of business expansion but also fearing the risk of taking products abroad. Although exporting your products may expand your business and bring higher sales, the task may seem daunting to a small business with fewer resources than a large company. But if you take your time and research the process, going global with your company may garner more rewards than costs.

To begin the international business process, look at potential foreign markets for your business. The U.S. Department of Commerce website can aid your investigation by giving information about foreign commerce. Look over the different markets and decide where your product would be received best.

Also, think of the amount of merchandise you plan on sending to the overseas market. This number can change in the future, but you should start with an idea of whether or not you need to produce extra product or can simply internationalize a fraction of what you already are producing. Next, test your product in the potential markets you found. Again, the U.S. government will come to your aid with opportunities to test-run your business with potential U.S. foreign partners. If you find your product is received well, start looking for ways to sell that product permanently in the overseas market.

There are generally two ways to sell in a foreign country. The first is to find a vendor in that country who would be interested in selling your product. You can create a partnership with this vendor, giving them a percentage of the profits. Doing business internationally in this manner is helpful because foreign vendors know how to market to the target culture. However, be sure to research the company thoroughly before making any lasting plans.

Another option for selling abroad is to find a broker or export management company to assist you. Both of these options would require a small commission in order to sell your product. However, such a commission is a small price to pay for the expertise found in such avenues. Also be sure to check out the legal requirements, cultural standards and appropriate pricing for the country in which you wish to sell in order to avoid future problems.

The cultural differences between your country and the foreign market you chose will make a big difference in business. For example, China is experiencing a booming economy and has become one of the top picks for exportation. It is important to note when doing business with a Chinese company that the personal relationship between yourself and the Chinese business is crucial. Showing long-term commitment in China as well as showing personal respect to your business customers and partners will bring you success. Take into account such cultural aspects before selling in any country.

Finally, find a reliable shipping company to export your products. Check the cost, time to ship and reliability of the shipper before committing. It may be helpful to ask the advice of other small businesses owners who decided to take their products abroad. Such companies will have experience with reliable shippers and may be able to refer you.

Once you've chosen a shipping company, make sure to take precautions when shipping your merchandise. First, be sure all items are packed securely as they will be changing hands multiple times in their journey to foreign lands. Second, mark all boxes clearly in your native tongue as well as that of the country to which the items are being shipped. This allows for less miscommunication during the travel. Third, insure your merchandise in order to protect it from any damage along the way. Keep in mind when going global with your business that you should not expect immediate cash flow. It may take a few months or years to get the profit you desire. However, once you become accustomed to international business, you will find it to be truly rewarding.


Original Article By M. Mashtonio

StoresOnlineInc.com : Entrepreneur's Internet Marketing Tip
Online Visibility For Your Small Business

There are a myriad of ways for small businesses to gain greater visibility on the web. More and more potential customers turn to the web each day to find businesses and services, and the number of options available to small business owners is also growing rapidly. For the web-savvy business owner, the path to greater online sales is complicated, but manageable-- it just takes a lot of time to keep up. But what about the millions of business owners that are just starting out in the eCommerce world, there are a few beginner steps that you can take to connect with online customers.

1. Google Maps
Everyone knows that Google is the #1 place where people begin their web research. Google Maps is Google's "yellow pages" and any business can submit, or enhance, their listing for free. The benefit of doing so is that Google often places Maps business listings at the top of its search results. When someone searches Google for a product of service of your business, you will be right there at the top.

2. Yahoo Local
Yahoo Local is Yahoo's equivalent to Google Maps. It gets less traffic, but gives visibility within the #2 search engine which makes it very worthwhile.

3. Manta.com
Manta contains millions of profiles of U.S. businesses, large and small. Business owners can add their own profile information for free. Simply find your business in the directory follow the instructions. Manta differentiates itself by having much more of a business-to-business flavor than the typical yellow pages.

4. Merchant Circle
This is one of many national sites that allows businesses to both add their company to the directory, and modify their listing if already in the directory. Recently, Merchant Circle business profiles have been appearing more frequently in web search results, so it makes sense to be sure yours is in the mix.

5. Local directories
There are many custom, local directories out there that can also help get your business more visibile on the web. For example, if you are a business in Newark, Ohio, there is a website called www.NewarkOhioOnline.com that has a complete Newark business directory. Business owners in the Newark, Ohio area can add contact information, photos, brochures, logos and much more to their listing on the site. Not every town and city has one of these directory sites, but many do. Check out whether your town has one.

6. Facebook & MySpace
Facebook & MySpace "social networking" sites have become extraordinarily popular with businesses both due to their popularity, but also because of the great tools they provide for business owners. There are a growing number of businesses that use their highly-customizable Facebook page as their actual website.

7. Superpages
The last time I checked, business owners could add their own profile to Superpages for free. It isn't much, but surprisingly it tends to drive some pretty decent traffic and online contacts. This is definitely the last of the group, but worth doing nonetheless.

This is probably enough to get started. There are almost limitless ways for the motivated small business owner to grab more web visibility. If you take advantage of these seven, you can almost certainly expect to start hearing from new online customers as they find you through these websites.

Original Article By N. Prebleford

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StoresOnlineInc.com : Merchant Resources
StoresOnline Merchant Newsletter Blog

StoresOnlineInc.com : Internet Marketing
Increase Sales Through Internet Marketing

The Internet is now recognized as a viable medium for product and service advertising, and strategic internet marketing can have a direct impact on sales volumes. Ad placement on the internet has become the new area of advertising that many companies exploit, assuming that they are able to afford publicity on TV, radio, and in print. But how will you place relevant ads that will be found by your target customers, amid the millions of computer users surfing the web these days?

Look at these strategies.

1. Post an ad on those websites that are visited frequently by your company's target customers. The first step, however, is determining who your target market is. By placing ads on sites frequented by your targets, you increase attention and follows to your site. Consider the ads placed on the website's search engine, engine placement, traffic, and external linking. Other sites linked to your site are determined using external linking. This means that even if people are browsing a different site, they will be directed to the site where your ad is placed. Take a look and see if your competition is also advertising here.

2. Some sites charge money to place an ad. In exchange for having another's link on your site, other sites may place your link on their site. The same can be said about the newsletters that are received by the mailing list members of the site, at regular intervals. Another way to boost your search engine ranking is to place helpful links on your site and also having other sites link to your pages. This strategy emphasizes your sites importance due to its linkage to other web-sites

3. Another valuable Internet marketing strategy is Pay-per-click (PPC). Payment is based on the number of times your link is clicked. If this is what you are looking for you will need to make sure that you set a limit on daily spending. In addition, services are available to help you evaluate the effectiveness of keywords and monitor the results of PPC.

4. Be very selective in creating your domain name. The results are still up for debate whether domain names influence search engine placement. Be certain to include your product or service in your domain name to make it easier for the customer to return to your site.

5. Ensure that useful content appears on your sites. Though you cannot ignore the importance of keyword density in search engine placement, presence of useless information and repetitive keywords will not increase your customers' confidence. Such information may affect the traffic your site gets, and can even get your site removed from search engines. This is why it is important that keywords are used strategically.

6. Think like your target customers when coming up with keywords. Which are the most likely search terms that they will use to reach your site? In addition, specific keywords or key phrases should be utilized. By submitting specific keywords which describe your product and services perfectly, you are much more likely to get to the top of the search results than by submitting a single word or a very general phrase.

7. Keep an eye on your ads. The amount of spending on the placement of links on PPC and frequently visited sites must always be totaled. How many of the services that monitor PPC transactions result in actual sales? Make sure that ads you've placed on websites target consumers of your product or service and if these ads will really lead you to having more revenue.

Finally, selling the benefits of a product is a good marketing method. Highlighting your products benefits is a preferred market strategy over listing its specifications. Potential customers may not be aware of what the product specifications actually mean in terms of the quality of the product or service they will receive. Millions of websites exits, many using the same keywords, leading many people to believe that getting to the top of search engine results is difficult. Now even though this is true, it doesn't necessarily mean that your website has to be underneath the competition's website when the search engine results are shown. You can still rise to the top of the search results by utilizing strategic marketing techniques and providing useful content and helpful links to your market audience.

Original Article by C. Quinn

StoresOnlineInc.com : eCommerce
eCommerce and the Internet

Everyday there are those who will ask me questions like, "What's on TV tonight?" or "Do you know what the capital of Connecticut is?" or "How do you really pronounce Lancaster, Pennsylvania?" What amazes me is there was a time when I would have referred to print publications to answer these questions. It would either be a television directory, atlas, encyclopedia or dictionary. Today I spend a few seconds online in my favorite search engine and produce the answers I need from a variety of sources. I get to choose which sources I place the most trust in. If your child is having difficulty with their homework and they ask you to help you can generally find supplemental materials online to help them – and yourself. If you have questions about tax laws you can find information on the web. If you simply want to know what's playing on television at any given time there are a few alternatives to finding exactly what will be on your system. Those alternatives will be found online. This is reality in the 21st century. Some may call it information overload, but for those who need to know they are most often turning to the Internet for answers.

As a business owner, how are you tapping into that ‘need to know' mentality of your customers? What are you doing online that will assist them in understanding your product better? There's nothing worse than for a mildly motivated consumer to visit an ecommerce site and find something that seems interesting, but then leaves them in the dark about what the product can do. They are thinking, "Man, I really liked that Whatzit, but I'm not sure if it's a can opener or a weed whacker used by mice." The World Wide Web has become the dominant source for information.

In the 21st century people are convinced that being able to access news when they want the information is imperative. Consumers have come to expect the immediacy of information and product availability. One of the things I love is when I get an email from someone asking if I remember a certain product. I love this because in many cases I can conduct a few minutes of research and find that the product is still being manufactured and where it can be purchased. I feel like a purveyor of product reunions.

The web brings the trivial and the necessary together in one hi-speed connection. You can set your business site apart by paying attention to the details of detail. Do you just sell a product or can you help your customers understand the product? Do you simply provide a service or do your customers know what to expect from your service? The Internet is the equivalent of information in the new millennium. When people want to know and they want to know now they look online. Your business website has to provide more than products to sell. It must also provide information needed to evaluate and imagine what life with your product will be like. When you fail to provide the details you also limit the ability of consumers to appreciate the value your product can offer.

Original Article by S. Lindsay

StoresOnlineInc.com : eCommerce
Ecommerce For Making a Living

One of the primary advantages to an online business is the fact that when a customer orders a product you are virtually assured payment. In a cashless ecommerce environment you and your customer rely on electronic fund transfers as opposed to a check that may bounce or cash that could be counterfeit. Admittedly these issues may be thought of as small, but there are thousands of check recovery services that work to claim money for a client that was not available when a customer wrote the original check.

In an online environment you can develop a checkout system that relies on assured funds transferred immediately to your account. If a customer wants to make a purchase, but has no available funds or credit they can't buy from your online store. It's pretty simple. Some will transfer funds to a PayPal account and use that type of account to pay for an online purchase, but again this is electronic and assured funds.

One other benefit to online shopping from a business owner's perspective is there is no availability to shoplift. In a brick and mortar store there are plenty of options an individual could use to take items and leave the store. In an online environment they can look, but they can't touch or remove any item from your online store.

An online environment provides an opportunity for you to sell your products or services at the best price simply because you don't have to worry about a loss of income for a customer's insufficient funds nor do you have to worry about how many items may be stolen from your store. This environment really is one of the safest arenas for the purchase of items; Safe for you and safe for your customer. When you take a look at the fact that it often takes less money to start an online business and the assurance of guaranteed payment it is not difficult to concede that this format for business provides one of the least invasive losses in business.

Ecommerce provides the atmosphere and tools needed to conduct a business that can be managed with fewer employees and without the aid of physical security officers. You may have online security issues that need to be addressed, but online product loses are effectively eliminated.

The reasons to consider an ecommerce solution are many. Some tangible and others intangible, but the greatest reason to consider an online environment for your business model is simply because there is so much flexibility with a greatly reduced overhead. You can take your idea to the entire planet and rejoice in things like currency conversion programs that take the guesswork out of how much an international client needs to pay for your item using their currency of choice. The availability of a 24 hour a day storefront that does not close down even on the holidays, and the fact that home sweet home could be the place where you also make your living.

Original Article by S. Lindsay

StoresOnlineInc.com : eCommerce
Ecommerce and Customer Service

I want life to be better for my family – I am an entrepreneur. I like to dream big dreams and follow them – I am a maverick. I care about other people and their needs – I am a humanitarian. I want to be responsible to those who place their trust in me – I believe in customer support. I believe in the power of the virtual world – I'm sold on ecommerce. I love to make money – who doesn't?

The world of ecommerce brings together people who share a common goal. That ambition stems from the creation of wealth through the sale of online products and services. The best at this are those who are most closely aligned with the need to balance income with a true caring for those who are or will be customers. We should create ecommerce solutions for ourselves, but also for the customer. Our aim should not be simply to attempt to increase personal wealth at any cost.

Statistics tend to show that companies that care most for customers tend to have the best chance at long-term survival. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that we all like to deal with businesses we trust. For instance if I buy something from a hardware store down the street and they don't treat me very well I probably won't be going back to the store anytime soon. If that practice is normal most who visit the store will never return. This is true in your online business as well. If you treat your customer poorly, particularly after the sale, you can bet you will never see an order from that customer again – no matter how good your future email marketing campaigns might be.

It may be hard to wrap your thinking around the idea that your online world still represents real people. These customers could represent a woman in her fifties in New York, a farmer in Idaho or a fisherman in Maine. These are real people with real needs. Sometimes their expectations of you may be extremely high, but they deserve to be heard and treated with respect. Your brilliant ideas and maverick spirit may be meaningless if you don't have customers to reward you for your ability to blaze new trails. Your entrepreneurial spirit may be meaningless if you can't connect with past and present customers.

That being said, if you can connect your humanitarian spirit with the needs of actual customers you may be able to bring the entire business package together to benefit everyone associated with your ecommerce idea. If you claim a responsibility for exemplary customer support you are engaging in a very healthy part of trust management. You can disarm unhappy customers simply by being willing to listen to their complaint and working to find a solution. This could be as simple as finding a better way to pack your product or offering innovative ways to track the progress of their order. You may be surprised to learn that many customer concerns may not center on the product itself, but on peripheral issues that can actually serve to help you improve your overall business if you commit to listening to your customers.

Original Article by S. Lindsay

StoresOnlineInc.com : eCommerce
The Laws of Ecommerce

ECommerce is about converting visitors to your site into customers. A brick and mortar shop has to work hard to get a prospect to make a special visit or passing prospects to enter. Then the visitor has an investment in the visit. They have expended time, energy and money to get there. This means that they are quite likely to make a purchase.

On the web, visiting your store needs just a single mouse click. This also means that there is little investment and they can just as easily move to another site. So, in ECommerce you really have to work hard to ensure that your bounce, page exit and abandoned cart rates are as low as possible and your co-sale and up-sale rates as high as possible for the best possible average order value, return visit rate and account lifetime value.

ECommerce success needs to be judged on the total lifetime value of each account and the average of all accounts.

How to be successful
The key management success factors in retail are:
- Customer service and selling
- Demand planning and management
- Forecasting, allocation and replenishment
- Markdown management - Merchandise and range planning
- Promotion planning and management
- Store operations
- Supply chain management

In addition all successful retailers understand:
- The competition
- Branding

Retail is not just products, but an experience with customers selective but willing to pay for:
- relevance
- excitement
- quality
- simplifying life
- improvements

Customer loyalty, relationships and awareness:
- promotional campaigns and marketing techniques
- merchandising visual impacts

It is not just about price: "Customers move to the lower cost provider when marketers stop giving them reasons not to." Tom Peters.
- Retail is detail
- hours, displays, point of sale, categories, isles, music, etc. etc. etc. - Retail is news you have to be a "step ahead" and in sync with the consumer's perception of value: "It's not the strongest of the species and not the wisest that survive, but the ones that are most responsive to change." Charles Darwin.

On the web you still need all these skills and approaches, but because it's so easy to "click away" you also have to understand a lot more. Firstly, understand how people behave on the web - and this applies to all sites not just ECommerce sites. They go to the web and they search, decide and then act. But, that final decision to act - the one that we want - is based on a whole gamut of emotional factors bound up in trust, ease and entertainment.

Secondly, understand the laws of ECommerce
- Get visitors to the site
- Search engine optimization
- Pay-per-click
- Email
- Affiliates
- Online public relations
- Convert visitors into customers
- Sales
- Special offers
- Coupons
- Associated products
- Recommendations
- Site effectiveness
- Build relationships
- Make sure the site works
– fast load times etc.

Sounds obvious but……
- Think like a consumer
– show you understand what they want
- Be visually clean
– clutter does