Archive for September, 2010
There are a lot of email marketing solutions for small businesses to utilize in their internet marketing efforts. Email marketing providers offer a variety of packages designed to meet the needs of small businesses. There are some things that should be considered when shopping for the right email marketing solution.
How large is the subscriber list?
The email marketing solutions available online have pricing plans that factor in the number of subscribers. Most of the email marketing providers assign a range of subscribers around a particular pricing plan. The small business should consider the size of the subscriber list and how likely the list will grow in volume over a period of time when evaluating email marketing services.
How user-friendly is the solution?
The email marketing provider should be user-friendly. The small business can take advantage of a trial period to get a feel of the email marketing solution. There are also review the video tours that are available on many of the email marketing service sites. An advertising product should not be too difficult to navigate and learn.
What metrics can be measured?
Many of the email marketing services offer reporting tools for the user. The small business should consider to what extent the email marketing campaign efforts will be measured. Some of the solutions offer reporting on statistics pertaining to the open rate, bounce rate, undelivered emails, links visited, spam forwarding, and the number of unsubscribers. The email marketing provider should offer these types of reporting mechanisms.
What are the automation features?
Many of the email marketing providers offer various automation features for the small business. The user may want to have certain processes scheduled using the email marketing solution. Some of the common automation features include: scheduled delivery, auto responder, subject line spam analysis, and reporting statistics. The most common automation features are the autoresponder and the scheduled delivery.
Will it meet the customization and design needs of the small business?
There are templates available with many of the email marketing services. The number of templates can facilitate the design process of a small business newsletter. Customization is another important consideration. The email marketing solution should provide a variety of customization options that allow the user to manipulate the color, design and layout of a newsletter. The customization features should also be easy to navigate.
The small business should consider these important factors when exploring email marketing solutions. The email marketing provider should have all of the features listed in the pricing plans being advertised. Most email marketing services offer trial periods or a video tour to help the user evaluate which product is best for their small business marketing needs.
Description: FAQ page on website
Order title: What type of protection does small business insurance provide?
Excerpt: 1. Can small business insurance protect against loss of income?
Yes, business interruption coverage is available if a company is unable to operate and generate revenue.
Insurance: 4.2/ liability: 4.6/ business: 4.9/ claims: 2.5/ small business: 2.1
Count: 372 Price:$10
Purpose: business, insurance sales Tone: Neutral
Thank you
Description: common plumbing problems
Excerpt: General preventive plumbing services should be a part of every household’s routine maintenance procedures.
Plumbing: 4.6/ problem: 2.4/ household: 2.7/ plumber: 1.9/ water: 1.4
Count: 501 Price: $16
Purpose: plumbing Tone: soft marketing
Thank you
Description: lawyer marketing tips
Order title: advice on lawyer marketing, strategy
Excerpt: Lawyer marketing is a technical practice. Because the legal field is so diverse, identifying a niche and a marketing angle can be difficult.
lawyer: 3.8/ legal: 2.3/ marketing: 4.7/ advertising: 3.2
Count: 760 Price: $22
Purpose: seo marketing, legal advertising Tone: soft marketing
Thank you
Description: SEO marketing expert, what they do
Order title: What is the purpose of a SEO marketing expert
Excerpt: A SEO expert can be a web design professional or internet marketer that specializes in site optimization. The SEO expert helps a website perform
SEO: 4.9/ expert: 3.1/ consultant: 2.0/ search engine: 2.3/ reporting: 1.7
Count: 455 Price: $14
Purpose: seo marketing Tone: soft marketing
Thank you
Description: small business consulting, startup advice
Order title: 3 common mistakes entrepreneurs make when planning a startup
Excerpt: Many startups make mistakes in their beginning stages. The mistakes can often have a lasting impact on businesses long term. While some mistakes are unavoidable
Startup: 2.1/ entrepreneur: 2.4/ business: 3.3
Count: 444 Price: $14 Tone: soft marketing
Thank you
Description: Small business coaching, what it is, services offered
Order title: What does a small business coach do?
Excerpt: A small business coach works closely with leadership of an organization to promote business and personal growth.
Small business: 7.3/ small business coach: 3.5/ coach 2.5/ consultant 2.5/ entrepreneur 2.5
Count: 398 Price: $12 Tone: soft marketing
Thank you
Description: FAQ page on website
Order title: What type of protection does small business insurance provide?
Excerpt: 1. Can small business insurance protect against loss of income?
Yes, business interruption coverage is available if a company is unable to operate and generate revenue.
Insurance: 4.2/ liability: 4.6/ business: 4.9/ claims: 2.5/ small business: 2.1
Count: 372 Price:$10
Purpose: business, insurance sales Tone: Neutral
Thank you
Bookkeeping news: House passes Small Business Bill
Small businesses have had it tough in recent years. Lawmakers are working on new legislation to address the common complaint of many small businesses, the lack of access to capital. The bill is expected to help small businesses that are struggling with these challenges.
Measures have been put in place to increase small business lending. The funds will go directly to community banks to encourage lending. Funding for microloans will be increased to $50,000 (currently $35,000) for small business startups. In small business bookkeeping, the deductions will range from $5,000 to $20,000 for startup costs. Startups will no longer have to incur lending fees for loans secured through the Small Business Administration. The community banks will now have increased guaranties for the loans offered to small businesses. A larger portion of the loan will be guaranteed by the Small Business Administration, which reduces the risk associated with lending. The measure even shores up the funding options available at the state level through small business lending programs.
Many entrepreneurs are struggling with small business bookkeeping and securing funding. Access to capital has been a major barrier for many business owners; the Small Business bill is expected to help increase access to capital.
Free small business marketing tools
Marketing costs for small businesses can be challenging. There are several ways a small business can market itself for free online. There are some free small business marketing tools that entrepreneurs can use.
Social networking sites as a small business marketing tool
Small business marketing can be done through free social networking sites. Many entrepreneurs market their business endeavors through their social networking profiles. Individuals should utilize their profiles as a form of advertisement for services and products.
Blogging tools within social networking sites
Small business marketing efforts can use free blogging features offered through social networking sites. Entrepreneurs that utilize Ning social networking sites can take advantage of the free blogging tools. Some online communities promote quality blog posts by prominently display them in high-traffic areas within a site.
Classified sites can be a great advertising tool
Small business marketing can utilize free local classified sites to advertise their products and services. The small business should avoid excessive spam to decrease the likelihood of their ads being removed by viewers.
Link exchange is a free way to advertise
Exchanging links can also be beneficial in small business marketing. Entrepreneurs can seek out other small businesses interested in exchanging links. This can help a brand promote itself to a potentially larger audience and help another small business at the same time.
Small businesses can market their products and services for free using any of the following methods listed above. An entrepreneur on a budget can leverage the various free forms of advertising mediums to get its message out there.