Posts filed under 'Thinking Outside The Box'
Remember how, in the “old” days, folks would “call on” others and, if they weren’t at home, they’d leave their calling card behind? I haven’t been able to find an academic reference to it, but it makes sense that the modern-day practice of exchanging business cards stems from there. And even in this highly electronic day and age, there’s still room for business cards, as I’m sure you’ll agree.
But are you maximizing the use of your most basic calling card? And that’s nothing more than your email signature.
We all suffer from email overload – I’ve long since stopped counting how many emails I get in a day. Even when I’m not working or on vacation, I use my BlackBerry to delete unnecessary emails from my inbox, in an effort to keep on top of the traffic (sigh, it never stops!).
But I also know that when I send an email out, it’s a unique way to remind others of what I do, particular affiliations I have and things that are important to me.
Here are three tips to maximize your email signature as a marketing tool:
1. Proclaim yourself.
You normally include your contact information in your e-signature, right? Why not include hyperlinks to all the relevant data you think people should have access to? For example, these could be your website, blog or Twitter handle. How about your Etsy site or another storefront? If it’s in your signature, it’s right there for the recipients to click through to, yet you’re not hitting them over the head with it.
2. Add a visual touch.
Go one step further and add some visual pizazz to your e-signature; and a terrific way of doing this is by using a program such as WiseStamp. What’s cool about this is that you can actually embed the hyperlinks rather than simply include them, and you can also include select social profiles such as Twitter, SlideShare, etc. at the bottom of your signature. Here’s a screenshot from their site:
3. Put a shortening service to work for you.
Working on a special promotion? Use a URL-shortening service such as tr.im, bit.ly, ow.ly (or several others) to draw attention to it just above your signature block. For example, I used this as a way to raise funds around my birthday: “Why I’d like you to know how old I am: http://tr.im/K6Yi”
Granted, it’s not often that a woman is proclaiming her age for all and sundry to hear, but if you use short but sweet copy and a dedicated URL, it’s an easy way to add to your marketing mix with almost no effort.
What other ways do you use your e-signature “real estate” to market yourself? Please share by leaving a comment below.
Image: Rich Bowen, Creative Commons
February 4th, 2010
Written by Pat
It’s a cost of doing business and a headache for a lot of online sellers: accepting merchandise returns.
There are valid reasons that we get returned merchandise from our online customers, but there are some times that costly returns can be avoided or prevented.
According to a recent Distribution Center Operations Report from The Supply Chain Consortium and Reverse Logistics: Returns, Refunds and Recalls Hot Topic Report, the top six reasons for customer returns were:
1. The customer ordered incorrect product or size
2. The customer decided the product was not needed or wanted
3. No reason for return given
4. The product did not match the description on the Website or in the catalog
5. The product did not fit the customer’s expectations
6. The company shipped the incorrect product or size
So, as an e-commerce company, how can you stem the tide of product returns?
At first glance, it would seem that the merchant might be responsible for only #6:
The company shipped the incorrect product or size
This, of course, is generally a clerical error that might be avoided with improved systems and procedures and employee training.
However, there are quite a few steps an e-commerce seller can take to prevent returns based on some of the other reasons that were cited.
How about these reasons?
1. The customer ordered incorrect product or size
4. The product did not match the description on the Website or in the catalog
The number one reason is incorrect product or size and the fourth most popular reason is that the description was not accurate. How can you as an online seller prevent this?
Ask yourself:
How clear and accurate is my description?
How many pictures do I have for each product?
Do the pictures show the product from various angles?
Do the pictures show relative size with a ruler or other measurement of scale?
For clothing items, are there sizing charts available?
Do I link to the sizing charts from the respective product page?
Do I provide measurements?
Another way to avoid having customer returns is to allow customers to leave product reviews.
Besides providing descriptive language that will help the search engines better index your products, reviews left by past customers can help shoppers make the best decision based on their experience. Who better to know that a pair of shoes runs small and to order a half-size up? Or that the orange shown in the picture is just a little bit brighter than the actual color of the purse?
As an e-commerce website, we will always be susceptible to returns, but it is possible to greatly improve your company’s return rate by improvements to your site and product descriptions. These changes will not only lower your merchandise return rate, but provide a boost to your customer satisfaction rate as well.
January 25th, 2010
The Internet Merchants Association has announced their conference agenda for 2009 in Las Vegas, NV in conjunction with the ASD/AMD Trade Show. There is still plenty of time to register, so be sure to go to www.imalasvegas.com right now and get signed up. You do not want to miss this conference packed full of information for increasing your online sales!
AGENDA: Updated 3/11/09
NOTE – The IMA is still adding more speakers, so times and speakers are subject to change. In addition to the agenda below, there will be a Networking Suite open at Bally’s on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights where you can meet the speakers and ask more questions!
March 16-18 Internet Merchants Assn. Las Vegas register @ , www.imamerchant.org & www.imalasvegas.com Don’t miss out – Register TODAY!
Continue Reading March 5th, 2009
The Internet Merchants Association recently announced the launch of their new website – LeavingFeedback.com.
This new website is a Public Service Initiative to give all eBay sellers a one stop link to include in their correspondence with eBay buyers in order to help educate buyers on the effects of eBay’s new feedback system, including DSR’s and neutral feedback.
From what I can tell, the only education eBay has done to help buyers understand the new feedback system is to include a pop-up when a buyer leaves feedback, that encourages them to leave negative feedback by pointing out the seller can no longer retailiate in kind. That’s eBay’s kind of buyer education.
The Internet Merchants Association felt that more education was needed and took the initiative to publish the LeavingFeedback.com site which has been received very positively in the seller community. IMA is encouraging sellers to include the link in their correspondence with buyers and post it on various sites in order to get it out to the public at large.
Auctionbytes has picked up on the leavingfeedback.com site and Ina’s blog post can be read here.
After the site was posted on various eBay boards, IMA was asked permission to have it reposted in Dutch, French and other languages. Several eBay Certified Education Specialists have requested permission to print the site and use it in their classes. We are pleased to oblige!
July 10th, 2008
An odd thing happened this holiday season on Ebay. I had an buyer that decided the Amazon return policy was much better than my return policy. I have to admit that having 30 days (Amazon’s policy) to return an item is much better than 7 days (my policy), and I did refund my customers money when the item arrived 30 days after we agreed she would return the item. But the incident got me thinking.
Is Amazon setting the standard now for internet buying customer service? Other Ebay sellers have reported that buyers are asking to return items up to 60 days after a sale. Some Amazon sellers are reporting packages being returned from Amazon buyers more than 30 days after the buyer received it.
I have to admit that a year ago I would never have dreamed of asking this question. Is the Amazon return policy going to become the default policy in the internet buyers subconscious? Will buyers hesitate to purchase unless they can expect to get a 30 day return policy?
I think a year ago many Ebay sellers believed Ebay was the only place to sell, and would remain the “main” selling venue. Times have obviously changed. Now Amazon may be setting trends in internet buying that affect sellers who don’t even sell on Amazon.
If you have any stories of how Amazon has affected your sales on Ebay, please post them. I would like to know if other sellers have noticed the same trends I have.
Jennie
January 24th, 2008
written by Lanae
Internet Retailer Magazine recognizes the Internet Merchants Association (IMA) to give reviews in their ‘9th Annual Recognition of Leading Retail Web Sites – Hot 100 Best Retail Web Sites.’
Alongside various retail and e-commerce consulting firms, IMA gave its reviews on a number of the Hot 100 websites. These ranged from technology to gift baskets, and hardware to housewares. Among the Hot 100 are Amazon and CafePress, both of which are quite familiar to many of our members.
Not only was it an honor for the IMA to contribute, but it can also be a learning tool for our members…each one of us could learn something from those that make up the Hot 100. As noted in the magazine it is about knowing your customers, utilizing new concepts, and creating great shopping experiences. Perhaps one day we will see some of our own members there.
The list can be found here… Internet Retailers
December 24th, 2007
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