Customers and suppliers agree at last on email marketing
Email users and businesses agree on one thing, it seems. Email marketing needs to improve.
Graham Jones
Are you making the most of #hashtags?
Social media is full of hashtags – whoops, sorry – I mean #hashtags. But why? Well, maybe a bit of history will help us understand. Many people think that hashtags were invented by Twitter or someone using the network about seven years ago. While that is true – the first …
Do you need those monthly services?
This week I was with a client when we started discussing a range of services they needed to help them improve their website. “Not more monthly spending,” they said. We chatted for a while about it, and then we realised something. The Internet has quietly crept up on us and …
Do you have enough time for the Internet?
Three times this week the same issue has come up for discussion. Time. Yesterday, I was running an all-day seminar for entrepreneurship students at the University of Buckingham where we explored how they could cope with all the pressures of running an online business. They realised there was a significant …
Does online marketing produce a return?
This week I was running a masterclass when I asked what I thought was an easy question. I simply said, “What, exactly, are you hoping to achieve with each item of content on your website?” There was a pause, some puzzled looks and then a mumbled, “What do you mean?” …
Why are online shops struggling against the real world?
Online shopping is a minority activity. Forget the “mobile first” nonsense too. Most people want to go to real shops.
Are your passwords too complicated?
This week saw a surprising announcement. The person who told the world back in 2003 that we needed to have complex passwords that we changed every 90 days has admitted he was wrong. Security expert Bill Burr now says he was barking up the wrong tree. He is not alone. …
What do business people want? Detail, not pictures
Business buyers are interested in detail, lots of it. Forget video, social media and podcasts. What business buyers want is specific written information.
How well do you know your competition?
Yesterday saw the start of the World Athletics Championships at the Olympic Stadium in London. Leading athletes like Sir Mo Farah and Usain Bolt have been amongst the participants. And like all top sports people, they will have prepared for months for this event. Part of their preparation will have …
How to sell more online – use the phone…!
The highest conversion rates from websites come from people who phone in their order. They also spend more and stick around longer. The phone is crucial.
How distracting is the Internet for you?
There might not be a connection between these two things, but productivity in the UK is lower than most other top economies, AND the UK is the part of the world with one of the greatest amounts of Internet activity per head. Indeed, since we have started using the Internet …
Should you use decoy pricing?
No doubt you have visited a website where there is a three-panel pricing grid, like the one above. You find them, for instance, on web hosting company sites where the firm offers three levels of service, each with different features. You can also find these price panels on membership sites …
Online advertisers are failing to make the most of mobile
Advertisers are spending money for almost no return. Mobile users are abandoning websites having clicked on a pay per click advert.
How often should you post on social media?
There are two types of social media these days. One is actually “social”, which is Facebook. It is where people chat to each other and be social. Usage statistics show that the amount of social activity happening on Facebook dwarfs what is going on with all the other supposedly “social …
Here’s why you don’t get comments on your website
Many people worry they do not get comments on web pages and blog posts. However, research suggests that’s a good thing as it shows what you write is valued.