• Low Cost. Communicating via email has many of the advantages of traditional direct mail or print advertising but with much lower costs. When you add email to your marketing strategy, you spend less time, money and resources.
• Global reach. No matter where you are or whom you need to reach, targeted emails pave the way. Borders are no obstacle in email marketing.
• Speed. Email lets you deliver your message directly to the people (unlike with websites, where you have to wait for the people to come to your message).
• Highly Personalized. Email enables you to personalize and greet every person you target. This helps in creating a special bond with your potential customers.
• Interactive. You can innovatively initiate campaigns using video, music, quiz, game, and graphics to grab their attention and interest immediately.
• Tracking and testing. Special tools are available that accurately measure click-through rate, generate tracking reports for emails that are successfully received, or check if the email was read or not. You can also test different subject lines, calls to action, use of images, etc. All these can help enable you to hone your techniques and improve performance and asses the success of different email campaigns.
• Targeted marketing. It allows you to send targeted messages to specific individuals or market segments and select based on geography, age, income, and other parameters.
• Opt-in or unsubscribe options. Emails contain opt-in and opt-out options which help you to shortlist your prospects and reach only the ones genuinely interested in your offerings and require your services, solutions or products without bothering those who do not.
• Build better relationships. It reinforces relationships, loyalty and trust when emails deliver valuable content to recipients.

The holiday shopping season begins the day after Thanksgiving, known as Black Friday, when retailers open their doors, as early as 4 a.m., to welcome bargain shoppers with special deals and one-day specials.

The Internet has its own complement.  It is known as Cyber Monday — the Monday after Thanksgiving when work resumes and e-commerce experiences a boom, as employees begin their holiday shopping on company time.

Shop.org, the online retailers’ trade group that coined the term, is projecting 85 million Americans will shop online either at home or at work this Cyber Monday.  This is an increase from last year’s mark of 72 million.

On average, the past three holiday seasons recorded annual spending growth of 23 percent.  Last year, online retailers posted $731 million in sales on Cyber Monday, according to comScore.

Cyber Monday is a real shopping holiday now.  Retailers are highly motivated to move sales earlier in the holiday season and Cyber Monday gives them another occasion relatively early in the season to promote sales through email marketing.

Review some of the Experian marketing statistics regarding Black Friday and Cyber Monday:

• It is expected email volumes will increase on these days. Considering the volume of email sent on Black Friday increased 64% from 2007 to 2008, and 40% from 2007 to 2008, quite as large an increase is not expected from 2008 to 2009.  However, the economy stands to play a large role in just how much email gets sent on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
• Two years ago, online purchases peaked during the traditional shopping week ending Monday, November 26th (Cyber Monday) when fully a quarter of all adults bought something online.  Online purchases in 2007 remained high for several weeks after Thanksgiving before falling to 17% during the week of Christmas. Compare those statistics with the ones from last year (which had a late Thanksgiving) when online purchasing commenced even sooner – several weeks prior to Black Friday.  In fact, between the weeks ending November 3rd and November 10th in 2008, the share of adults who made an online purchase more than doubled from 11% to 23%.  For the most part, online purchase levels remained at or near this level for the duration of the 2008 shopping season until dropping back down to 16% during the week of Christmas.
• With Thanksgiving falling late in the calendar again this year, expect consumers to exhibit similar purchasing patterns as they did last year. In a typical week of the year, approximately 15% of all American adults make a purchase online.  However, during the five weeks prior to last Christmas, an average of 23% of adults made an online purchase.

You need to remember when sending out your email blasts to promote your holiday offerings certain guidelines:

1. Offer Free Shipping and Other Shipping Discounts
2. Have Your Holiday Email Schedule Mapped Out
3. Provide a Holiday Guide
4. Use Gift Cards
5. Coordinate Online Marketing Campaigns

According to MSN business there are additional preparations you should be making throughout this holiday season:

• Update your email signature to include holiday greetings and offers, along with a link to your holiday web page.
• Create and send additional holiday emails sharing greetings, helpful holiday gift or planning ideas, and special offers.
• Update holiday offers throughout your social networks, and encourage customers and fans to do the same.
• Be sure inventory, staff and promotions are ready for Black Friday when holiday shopping kicks off in brick-and-mortar outlets and Cyber Monday when online shopping goes into high gear.
• Send holiday emails and gifts, each one personalized so employees, customers, and friends know you value them.
• Send an email blast announcing the last day you can ship orders to arrive before Christmas.

*Did You Know — According to shop.org 75% of consumers surveyed consulted the retailer’s website to research products and special offers before heading out to shop offline on Black Friday and 61% also consulted emails they received from retailers

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving in the United States is historically one of the busiest retail shopping days of the year. Retailers will open early and usually offer significant discounts. The origin of the name, Black Friday comes from the retailer’s shift to prosperity during the holiday season. Back in the day when accounting records were kept by hand, red ink indicated financial loss while black ink indicated profit.

The simplest definition for Cloud Computing is the one in which data and applications are served to users over the Internet. Users no longer need applications such as Outlook on their desktop, but instead use versions of these, or other applications, through a web browser. Data is, similarly, stored centrally and served up to users as and when they need it, and on any platform they choose.

Originally, Cloud Computing was an indistinct term for a vague and distant future in which computing would occur in a few remote locations without the need for much human intervention. Infinite computing resources would be available for any need at costs approaching zero. Certainly, users would not need to know or care about how the computers, their software, or the network functioned.

Cloud Computing customers do not generally own the physical infrastructure serving as host to the software platform in question. Instead, they avoid capital expenditure by renting usage from a third-party provider. They consume resources as a service and pay only for resources that they use. Many Cloud Computing offerings employ the utility computing model, which is analogous to how traditional utility services (such as electricity) are consumed, while others bill on a subscription basis.

Sharing “perishable and intangible” computing power among multiple tenants can improve utilization rates, as servers are not unnecessarily left idle (which can reduce costs significantly while increasing the speed of application development). A side effect of this approach is that overall computer usage rises dramatically.

We cycled between periods when computing was more centralized (and seemed more remote and less accessible to users) and periods when computing was right on user desktops. No one was ever satisfied. Centralized computing failed to give users enough control and was too inflexible. Distributed computing made every user his own system administrator and was very inefficient.

In the last few years, as the cost of a unit of computing power has continued to decrease – but the cost of humans with the skills to implement and manage computer systems has not – the vision of centralized computing has returned. It has taken several turns. Some computer scientists have suggested (and experimented with) a vast Grid of computers, attached via the Internet, whose power can be combined for large-scale tasks when needed. In some cases, very large computing systems can be part of these grids for specialized tasks. Others have suggested a computing utility which would provide just as much computing power as an organization needed, on an on-demand basis, much like electricity.

Eventually, as large web users such as Google and Amazon built out enormous data centers for their own purposes, they realized they could permit others to access these “clouds” of computing power at relatively attractive prices, and so began the Cloud Computing era. Today, many companies are putting together large data centers, sometimes as extensions of their own needs, sometimes just for customers to use. Originally the idea was these clouds of computing would offer processing power and storage. Anything else would be added by the customer. As the idea became more popular, additional functionality has been added. Some clouds also offer systems management. Others are actually providing a set of applications as part of the cloud.

For most organizations, a decision on Cloud Computing will be a matter of choosing which cloud to use. Many may use several, selecting different clouds for different purposes. For some large enterprises and government organizations, a cloud of their own may be an appropriate solution. This allows the organization to optimize the cloud for its own purposes and to make it available to its own constituency.

*Did You Know — According to a recent Unisys poll, security and privacy concerns are still big barriers to Cloud Computing?  A survey asked, “What do you see as your greatest barrier to moving to the cloud?”, and 51 percent cited security and data privacy. 21 percent cited integration of cloud applications with existing systems as a potential barrier.

The competition to achieve recognition on the web becomes more difficult daily. Every website battles for their place on the Internet. The most effective weapon they have for utilization is SEO – Search Engine Optimization.

Today SEO is essential for each and every business website. For people who are following new techniques and ideas to increase their sales and online rankings in search engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN, here are some of the latest trends:

* Professional SEO Copywriting
* Image Optimization
* Content Optimization
* Flash Optimization
* Geographic optimization
* Blogging & Posting Content
* Social book marking
* Article Marketing
* Inbound links with targeted Keywords
* Video Optimization and Marketing
* Micro blogging like on Twitter

Times have changed and the clues and tricks which worked (in the past) have been exposed. Google, the star search engine does not fall for tricks. Google sends spiders or crawlers out and obtains a keyword placement through the relevant websites and creates an index of the site by analyzing its contents. It then assigns the site a page ranking status depending on how well or poorly the site has done its due diligence.

The current SEO trends that are running the internet market are of inbound linkages and submission to relevant blogs and forums.  The hyperlinks attached to major related websites do wonders to the credential of a website.  Submission of RSS feeds and URLs are also beneficial.

User content on interfaces have to be seriously analyzed by the core team of a website before giving the final touch to the product the site is promoting.  The keywords and tags work differently in diverse sites, and the effort has to be executed meticulously to understand the algorithms of these search engines, through several trial and errors.

Google’s roll out of “Universal Search” has changed the playing field for the future.  The watchword is “different” and that is how search engine marketers will need to think.  Search engines have been guilty of doing exactly the opposite of what online marketers try to achieve. We try and keep visitors on our websites for as long as possible with engaging content.  Search engines rocket people somewhere else within seconds of the search results appearing.

Keyword research has long been the foundation of successful SEO campaigns. Target the wrong keywords and you are doomed from the start.  How much keyword research did you do before you launched your website?

Prestige Technologies can direct you down the proper path. Through a well perceived and efficiently developed SEO campaign, Prestige Technologies will lead your business to the epicenter of where it needs to evolve, regarding your Search Engine Optimization goals.

Where in the world are you? It is possible you know where you are, but search engines such as Google do not have a clue. Owning a Top Level Domain is a good start, but even if you have this domain and you are hosting in another country, you could be confusing the issue for search engines.

How many back links do you have?  What is your Page Rank?  What do people say about you in link anchor text?  How do you find more links?  What are the most popular keyword searches?  What is your ranking on search engines?  Do you have barriers preventing your site from being crawled?  What is your page strength?  Do you know these answers?

Do you get the feeling that searching is moving up a notch?

Are you among those internet marketers who are willing to see your site in the first page of search engines when you type in your business keyword? Apart from a normal web existence, when you try for search engine positioning and SEO traffic, you should respect internet marketing as a game, and you should become trained by a professional coach! By agreeing that SEO traffic can be a game, shows you are interested in playing it.  Don’t you think it is time to start learning?

Be very keen when selecting the keyword you want to be ranked for, and then build a relevant keyword list. Common sense is the only tool which should be utilized to select your main keywords!  The links to your selected keywords, from many sources will get your website ranked well with those keywords, by putting in your hard effort. A link from any site is considered as a back link and is shown in the search engines. There are many other factors which can be shown, but search engine strategies keep changing. Among those changing SEO traffic strategies are Web 2.0, video submissions, etc.

So what does all this mean – it means you must embrace technology for all it has to offer. SEO may seem costly, but it is the undisputed technological answer to your future success.

*Did You Know – While searching for my ‘Did You Know’ fact (for this newsletter) I performed a Google search querying SEO?

Web 2.0 design is a buzz word that has meaning behind it.  If you have a site with a Web 2.0 design, then you probably have round corners, gradients, reflections, clean layout, and white space.

Simplicity is the key goal for Web 2.0 design. You want to keep your navigation, layout, and content as simple possible.  Your features only should include what is required for the user.  Keep plenty of white space and a balance of images and text.  Keeping your site simple will help your usability.

Your navigation is one of the most important features on your site.  Keep this as straightforward as possible.  Try to make it large, bold, and clean.  In regard to text – make it easy to read, and allow the user to know exactly what they are going to find.  Also make some type of motion or mouse over with your hyperlinks.  This helps users differentiate what is text and what is a hyperlink.

Web 2.0 designs concentrate more on color.  For backgrounds soft, pastels and neutral colors are a great choice.  Your colors are what attract your users to your site.  Also you can use your colors to focus your users to a specific place on your site.  Gradients also fall into this category. Gradients are a good way to blend colors into the soft fade of your white space or your background.  Gradients also are used for navigation backgrounds, text boxes, and icons.

Icons are becoming more and more popular.  However, please note, this does not mean you have to use more.  Developers are using bigger and stronger icons.  These icons have been used with text to help make a clear and visual response.  Users are very visual people.  An icon with a picture of a shopping cart for example will quickly tell your visitor this icon is where you can access the shopping cart.  This idea is effective with navigation, as well.

White space is omnipresent!  Busy sites are slowly being redesigned.  Many of the big ecommerce stores are even sliming down their homepages and giving them more white space.  This is positive for the user and your usability.  Giving your page plenty of white space will give you a cleaner and more professional look.  It will make your site easier to use.

There are more techniques and elements that are included in the movement of Web 2.0 design. The biggest element to watch for is simplicity.  Nothing is written in stone and none of these suggestions have to be followed.  However, why don’t you try something new and see what happens, it might be your next big thing!

*Did You Know — The term “Web 2.0″ was coined by Darcy DiNucci in 1999.  Her use of the term deals mainly with web design and aesthetics; she argues that the web is “fragmenting” due to the widespread use of portable web-ready devices.  Her term is aimed at designers, reminding them to code for an ever-increasing variety of hardware.

The summer is over!  The kids are back in school!  Football season is here!  What does this mean?  Now is the time to plan your email marketing campaigns for the upcoming holiday season.

Before businesses decorate their stores and websites they send out emails promoting their holiday deals to their subscribers.  They send lots out of emails.  Research shows last year more than 4,700 emails from more than 100 top online businesses were sent during the fourth quarter, and companies released daily reports on strategies, tactics and trends via email. Based on this information, Emercury.net wants to produce a roadmap to the email holiday season, so companies can better formulate their campaigns this year.

Emercury.net can assist you with flyer, newsletter, and banner creation; when to begin your campaign; how much to increase your email volume; which days to send on; and how to stand out in the inbox during the holidays. Last year nearly 90% of major online businesses increased their email volume during the holiday season, with retailers boosting their send frequency by 43% on average compared to the pre-holiday period.

Standing out in the inbox during the holiday season is tough.  Formulating the right subject lines during the holidays is critical.  Emercury.net can offer you numerous examples of subject lines to employ during the various phases of the holiday season, and help you devise your subject lines for the crucial November and December months.

Remember, 2009 has flown by so far, and sooner than you know it, the holiday season will be here.  So gain an advantage on your competitors by starting your holiday email campaign planning now.  Here are some steps to help get you started:

1. Ask your team to start brainstorming creative ideas for email campaigns now. Involving your whole team in the brainstorming process will help you to develop the best, most effective campaign.  You may choose to do just one holiday campaign, or a series of emails leading up to the holiday season.  This will depend on your call to action and audience.  And do not forget what expectations you have set with your subscribers.  If they are used to only receiving a monthly newsletter from your company, do not overwhelm them with daily/weekly holiday promotional emails.  It is important to stay consistent with what your subscribers already receive, but with a holiday flair.
2. Develop your schedule. If you are doing a series of emails, when should they start?  How often should they be sent?  What is the last day you want to send an email before the holidays?  Once you have the launch date in mind, work backwards.  To meet that launch date, when does creative need to be finalized and approved?  When should email campaign testing begin to leave enough time for internal review and edits?  What date should your subscriber database be pulled and uploaded into your email platform?
3. Plan the email creative and subject line. The subject line is often a last-minute decision, but it should not be!  Planning and strategy should go into the subject line, as this is the main influencer of whether your subscribers open your email or not.  Make sure your subject line is eye-catching enough to make your email stand out.  During the holiday season, people’s email inboxes are cluttered, so it is important that your email is noticed.  The subject line should be enticing and make your recipient want to read more.
4. Work with your email service provider to ensure your sending reputation is in good standing. You can have the best subject line, creative, and timing, but if your IP reputation is poor, nobody will see your impressively crafted email.  Take time before the holidays to test your email deliverability and work on any issues that arise.  Your ESP should be more than happy to work on this in detail with you.  After all, your success during the holiday season (and throughout the year) is your ESP’s success!

*Did You Know — Last year Cyber Monday was the most popular day of the year to send retail emails, with 70% of retailers sending at least one email on that day.

As we have mentioned in the past, we realize you have spent time and resources building your website; one you know is attracting visitors daily. However, there is a problem – you have no idea who is coming to your website and where they are clicking. The internet is a strong tool for reaching millions of potential customers, and with some simple tweaks to your site, you can discover who your potential clients are.

Basically, there are two types of leads: sales and marketing. A lead generation website should be designed with a purpose in mind – sales or marketing. Sales leads are developed based on demographic information such as age, income, education, and credit rating. Marketing leads are based on brand-specific advertising offers. Regardless of whether the site is designed for marketing or if it is for sales leads it must be well-organized. Also, offering something for free such as a newsletter or product information brochure always helps. Once the creative lead generation website has reeled in a customer, the next step is to retrieve information about the person.

Here is a simple method for converting visitors into leads, and certain ways of insuring you get the most out of your efforts.

Build Online Forms. You can easily add forms to your website, without performing a lot of heavy lifting. Online forms should appear on top of your site and capture customer data that prospects submit themselves. This means you are allowing the web to automatically generate leads for you, saving extra steps for sales and marketing personnel. Emercury.net auto generates the forms for your site, and drives traffic to your website.

Building these forms range in complexity. If you are to build a form from scratch and overlay it on your website, you will need some amount of html or design skills. However, if you leverage web-to-lead form functions in a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) product, the coding work has already been done. With pre-built web-to-lead forms, you simply choose which fields (name, e-mail, address, phone number, etc.) you wish to see in the form, and the CRM system instantly generates an html file you can append to your site.

Tie it all together. You have already made your website more valuable to your business by getting prospects to identify themselves; but web-to-lead forms can do even more. If you are using a lead form inside a CRM system, leads can be qualified faster, routed to the right agent, and used in market intelligence reports. This one-two punch of automatic lead generation, coupled with enabling sales to quickly jump on hot leads is a huge benefit. Emercury.net provides tracking, through reporting, which can be tied to your website statistics.

Incent the prospect. Lead forms are most effective when tied to some sort of promotion. Using the lead form as a registration page for a company Webinar, or placing the form in front of a download page for a white paper outlining your strengths will give prospects reasons to give you their information. You can use Emercury.net to drive the traffic to your site and use your website landing pages to determine where your visitors came from.

Choose data points wisely. One last thing to consider – do not overdo it when asking for customer information. If all you need to start a relationship is a name and email, get that person on the radar and get them on a newsletter or email campaign list. Or, sometimes just a company name and phone number will suffice in order to facilitate fast follow up calls.  The idea is to break the barriers of anonymity on your website properties, without prospects feeling like they are being have been intruded. The right balance will result in more leads, with less effort.

*Did You Know – To avoid spam emails, many businesses are completely removing all email addresses from their websites and using contact forms instead.  If you want keep email addresses on your website but want to minimise spam then email address protection will help.