Ecommerce Inbound Marketing vs Outbound Marketing Infographic

by admin

Date

February 4, 2012 at 10:35 AM

Online reviews and social communities are major influences on today's consumers. In fact, 90% of people will trust brand recommendations from a friend. When was the last time you checked a site out or even bought something based off of what a friend posted on their Facebook wall? I'm willing to bet that you have done so at least once in the last month.

Social media has brought a new era of online commerce that must be adopted by businesses of all sizes to be successful. Even the small commerce companies can make big waves without spending millions of dollars. They only need a great product and shareable, likeable content to advertise it for free online.

Enjoy the infographic below to learn more on the necessity for Ecommerce Inbound Marketing.

Ecommerce Inbound Marketing
Ecommerce Inbound Marketing Read More

5 Reasons Why B2B Companies Need eCommerce

by admin

Date

September 11, 2011 at 9:02 PM

A successful B2B company will use all the tools at its disposal to recruit new clients and tap into new markets. So it's surprising when B2B companies with the proverbial good head on their shoulders voluntarily shy away from delving into eCommerce, because they should be doing just the opposite - embracing eCommerce as a way to invest in their business's future. eCommerce is a powerful force that can help any B2B company drive sales, and here are 5 reasons why  your B2B business will benefit from using it:

1.  eCommerce sales are growing. Net eCommerce sales in the US have gone from $127 billion in 2007 to $165.4 billion in 2010. That's a 30% increase, indicating major growth, and it shows no signs of slowing anytime soon. Growth of eCommerce sales means growth of your B2B business - but that will happen if and only if you're engaged in eCommerce.

2.  Clients want eCommerce.
Using online portals to do business cuts costs and makes transactions much more efficient for your clients. They are demanding eCommerce for their business needs, and if your business can't meet them, you'll be left in the dust.

3.  Other B2B companies are rushing to meet this growing need. They say if you can't beat 'em, join 'em - but that's not how it works in the business world. If you can't beat them, you're beat, plain and simple. Ignoring eCommerce means letting the competition pass your business by.

4.  Increased online presence. Even if you're not doing a ton of sales online at first, the more you engage in eCommerce efforts, the more your business will be visible on the internet, returning in search results on Google, Bing, and the like. Higher visibility means more future business for your company. Your business's search engine rankings can be further helped by starting a business blog, and adding new content to your blog 3-5 times a week.

5.  Investment in business future. You will find that updating your systems and getting everything online might take a lot of effort at first, but it will pay off in the long run and save you money. Add this point to the 4 before it, and you'll realize that your B2B business can't afford NOT to make the jump to eCommerce. So what are you waiting for? Start integrating eCommerce into your B2B business immediately, and soon you'll be enjoying increased rate of growth of your business. Read More

5 Ways To Sell Your Mom Online

by admin

Date

September 7, 2011 at 9:22 AM

Your mama’s so big, she represents $2.1 trillion in market revenue. Okay, so it’s not just your mother; it’s the collective American mom who’s doing some heavy spending. It’s a giant market, and savvy advertisers will do well to target this population, as they have already been trying to do for ages. But with the ever-increasing popularity and accessibility of the Internet, the rules have changed. The trick is to figure out how to use this fact to your advantage, as American moms tend to be particularly active on smartphones, using websites such as Facebook and Twitter, and are likely to pass along tips when they see something they perceive to be a good deal.  Speaking of tips, here are 5 ways for you to effectively sell  to the mom's  -- minus the bad yo' mama jokes.

1.  Coupons and discounts. Some moms are breadwinners, some are budget writers, and many are both. As such, they tend to keep an eye out for deals and steals. When asked in a survey what kind of internet ad is the best, 67% of moms in the US responded that they preferred ads that offered discounts over all other types of ads. It’s a sure way to make sure your ad not only gets noticed, but gets clicked on as well. This goes for web banners as well as mobile ads.

2.  Catchy, attractive banners. Women love good packaging. Sell wine in a wine shop for a day, and you’ll notice that along with price, the top factor women take into consideration is how good the bottle looks. Although being a mother tends to make you more wary of simple tricks, moms are no exception to the packaging rule, and there’s still a lot of wooing to be done with sleek, attractive designs. Pay close attention to the aesthetic appeal of your advertisements.

3.  The social network. If one mom finds your product and likes what she sees, she’s bound to Tweet about it or re-post it on her Facebook page. Though old-fashioned word-of-mouth might see better conversion rates, social media sharing casts a wider net, and allows potential customers immediate, direct access to your website. So make sure those handy little re-post links are present on your product pages and standing at the ready!

4.  Smart ads, smartphone. Fifty-nine percent of all moms have smartphones, which is a high percentage, especially when you compare that to the portion of US cell phone subscribers with smartphones (31%). This means that compared to the average mobile user, moms tend to be more linked-in and up-to-date. So if you want to get through to moms, take advantage of this fact and think smart: apps, mobile banners, and WAP sites.

5.  Right ad for the right app. Moms have certain priorities when it comes to downloading and using apps. They tend to play entertaining games, use social apps like Facebook and Twitter, check the weather, listen to music, or check out apps related to shopping and health. Your ads and banners will do better in these types of apps than in apps less frequently used by moms, such as those having to do with finance, travel, sports, and business. Choosing the right kind of app is the most successful way to market your product to your mama.

  Read More

2011 UK Online Christmas Shopping Will Be Mastiff [Infographic]

by admin

Date

August 29, 2011 at 10:04 AM

Yes indeed, the online Christmas shopping season is upon merchants from all over the world.  Consumers have begun thinking about their holiday purchases for loved ones and will be going online to do their research and purchases.  It is important to note that the mobile aspect of this holiday season -- make sure your store is mobile optimized to take advantage of the 44% of last minute searches that will be done on a mobile device.

Keeping with the British theme, one can only assume that this holiday online shopping season will be "Mastiff"!
UK Christmas Shopping 2011
UK Christmas Shopping in 2011 infographic By Deals.org.uk Read More

30 Day Blogging Challenge Inspired By Matt Cutts

by admin

Date

August 19, 2011 at 9:38 PM

Exactly 30 days ago my friend and colleague  Sarah Bedrick, forwarded me a TED Talk with Matt Cutts discussing a way to try new things and improve areas of your life with a 30 Day Challenge.   I was inspired by Matt's talk and challenged myself to publish a blog post every day for 30 days.  This post is my 30th!

The experience of publishing daily to this blog has been an incredible one.  At times challenging but at all time rewarding.  I have once again engrossed myself in the world of eCommerce Inbound Marketing and gained a lot of valuable insights and knowledge along the way.  I plan on continuing to publish on a very regular basis.

As a Inbound Marketing Consultant at HubSpot, I spend a lot of time strategizing and inspiring businesses of all kinds to create unique and remarkable content on a consistent basis.  Much of the time I am speaking to small business owners who run their entire business as well as their online presence.  Asking these owners to put in a full day worth of work and then publish an article afterwards can be asking a lot.  I have now walked in their shoes and know what I am asking them to do.  Working 8+ hours then coming home to publish an article can feel like a chore - until you start to see the results!



 

The above is a snapshot of my site traffic over the past 30 days.  My site traffic has increased over 900% from the time I started!

Checkout Matt's challenge below.  I hope that you watch it and challenge yourself to either try something new or improve an area of your life you have been wanting to enhance.

 



  Read More

Is Facebook Or Twitter Better for Brand Loyalty? [Infographic]

by admin

Date

August 19, 2011 at 6:56 PM

Large Ecommerce companies and small businesses alike have joined the social media revolution led by Facebook and Twitter, many opting to use paid search for Facebook and Promoted Tweets on Twitter to drive more sales.  But, are these efforts effective in driving brand loyalty - an essential component of long-term success - and will either Facebook or Twitter become a long term effective revenue stream?  This infographic done with BuySellAds, pulls data together to help you come closer to an informed decision.

Read More

eBay Motors Goes Mobile With Amazing App [Infographic]

by admin

Date

August 17, 2011 at 10:15 PM

eBay Motors has released an impressive mobile app that will ensure success for the growing channel.  For those unfamiliar, eBay motors is a distinct section of eBay that is dedicated to motor vehicle sales including parts and accessories.  This section of eBay has seen steady growth while becoming a major source of revenue many merchants.  In the first quarter of 2011 alone eBay apps generated 90,000 parts and accessories sales and 2,000 car sales PER WEEK! 

eBay is throwing fuel on this success with their eBay Motors mobile app that is revolutionizing the way consumers purchase parts for their automobiles.  The app features a "My Garage" which will allow consumers to add vehicles (and dream vehicles!) into the app with a VIN scanning technology.  The car's year, make and model will populate in the garage -enabling consumers to quickly search and find the parts and accessories that match their cars.  This makes it amazingly convenient to find parts and accessories for any vehicle.

Check out the infographic below to learn more about eBay Motors growth and its expansion into the mobile realm.

Read More

Be Prepared For The Online Holiday Rush

by admin

Date

August 16, 2011 at 6:38 PM

Be sure to be preparing NOW for the online holiday traffic today.

Here is a great webinar that myself and our eCommerce Team at HubSpot delivered with Michael Briggs of Website Publicity to help you prepare:

Pumping Up Q4 Sales: Prepare Now for Holiday Sales and Don't Be Left In The Cold




Enjoy! Read More

Google+ or Facebook for Ecommerce Business?

by admin

Date

August 15, 2011 at 10:28 PM

Google+ is just a couple of months old and has already seen massive growth. But is that growth enough to overtake Facebook as the preferred hangout of so many millions of consumers? Time will tell but my hunch is that Google+ will ultimately win the brewing social commerce war. The real test will be when consumers respond and interact with the soon to be released Google+ Business Pages.

My hunch is that consumers are going to like the new business pages and that Google is going to like displaying their presence in the search results. Make sure your business is prepared to have a presence.

Take a look at a Starbucks mockup designed by a prepared graphic designer:

20110815-102330.jpg

Many in the social media sphere are excited about the release of the Business Pages, but will the average consumer follow suit? What do you think? Read More

How To Create a Blog Subscription Page Using HubSpot

by admin

Date

August 14, 2011 at 5:18 PM

A blog subscription page is a website page focused on increasing email subscribers to your blog.  This page is traditionally designed to showcase the most recent blog articles while driving attention and focus to the Subscribe via Email form field.  The necessity of a blog subscription page comes from the fact that often times customers and prospects visiting a blog may get distracted from remarkable content and forget to subscribe to blog either by RSS feed or email.  Build a blog subscription page to send to your customers and prospects to remind them to subscribe.   Several good avenues to advertise your blog subscription page include:

  • Lead Nurturing Campaigns

  • Email Marketing Campaigns - Monthly Newsletters, etc.

  • Thank You Pages - Utilized after form is submitted for another offer such as a Free Quote

  • Social Media - Twitter, Facebook, etc.


10 Step Guide To Build a Blog Subscription Page using HubSpot


1.  Grab your blog rss feed.  You can get this by right-clicking on the RSS Feed Link and selecting Copy Link Location.



Subscribe to my blog and stay tuned for a follow up post on How to Utilize a Blog Subscription Page.

Have you made a blog subscription page using HubSpot or another platform?  Share your sites below in the comments. Read More

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