Tag Archives: current customers

Mobile Marketing

How To Reach Out To Your Audience Thanks To Mobile Marketing

Richard Vanderhurst_How To Efficiently Make Use Of Your Ipad

It is tricky to understand mobile marketing and creating a plan to use it wisely is also a sticky situation. With so many different applications, formats, techniques and codes it can be hard to choose which is right for you. Here are some excellent tips for successful mobile marketing techniques.

Send coupons via Multimedia Messaging Service as a way to reward current customers or entice new ones. To help increase business you may wish to send promotional codes. These codes can be linked to a mobile Web site with a special tracking code. You can use coupons to incentivize and reward loyal customers and attract new ones.

Have your coworkers or employees test the marketing that you send out before you send it to your customers. Consider hiring someone to test out your system in order to get an unbiased viewpoint.

Do all the research you can on your audience. Analyze your target demographics and know what they like before you start sinking dollars into a mobile marketing campaign. For example, what is your customer’s preferred method of contact? Which operating systems do their phones run? Take the time to learn about your customers, and you will better be able to connect with them.

You can encourage customer participation and enhance your brand recognition with QR codes. These QR codes are an excellent way to expand and entice your customers by offering coupons and discounts. Your customers can easily use these codes with their cellphones. As you begin using these codes, you will be able to easily provide your customers with relevant information about your company and products.

Your best bet is to keep it simple. In order to truly be successful, you need to learn how to minimize the amount of clicks and keep your process simple. Typing a lot can get frustrating, especially on tiny mobile keypads. Therefore, you want to keep the campaign to the absolute must.

Investing cash may be the best way for you to optimize your site for this kind of marketing. It can be hard to make an attractive mobile site that appeals to all platforms. For best results, it is best to outsource this task to someone who is qualified to do it.

One of the keys to successful mobile marketing campaigns is to focus on retaining existing customers. Your established customer base is important. Current customers are likely to understand why they receive messages from you on their phone, whereas a potential customer may be aggravated by unsolicited contact. Many times, the types of mobile marketing aimed at new prospects is perceived to be spam.

Think about making a mobile application geared to your product. Customers looking for specials, sales and promotions will check your mobile application regularly. It can increase recognition of your brand name, and have a positive effect on foot traffic, too. Mobile app prices can have a wide range of costs, so consult professionals during the development.

Watch your competition to get ahead in social marketing. You need to stand apart from the competition.

To improve your mobile marketing, remember to use search engine optimization techniques on your mobile websites. Google is a great place to start your mobile search engine optimization efforts. Most mobile devices use Google for their search engines.

Many people might be familiar with the Internet, but not everyone will recognize abbreviations. If your target audience can’t understand your advertisements, you are wasting your marketing budget.

Market your events through several channels to increase attendance. For instance, you can use direct mail to let them know about the upcoming event and any discounts that you plan to offer. Then a couple of days before the event is going to happen, send an email and on the day of the event, send a text.

Any type of mobile platform, especially a standalone one, should have a home base available in order to guarantee success. All of your mobile marketing should be designed to drive people back to your home base. A mobile platform should just be one part of your entire business.

Social media is king on mobile devices, so using it in your marketing campaign is imperative. Reward customers who TwitPic or share deals on your site with a coupon or contest entry. This will get people talking about your company or website with their mobile friends.

Put your customers first. You need to know their desires and targets in order to market them correctly. Not knowing what customers want, means never being able to give it to them. The more knowledge you can gain, the more successful you shall be.

To reach the truly tech-savvy consumers, use QR codes in your printed ads. Anyone with a smart phone can scan this code and access your website. You should put the QR code everywhere: catalogs, brochures, posters, business cards, and any other printed materials you use. A QR code is an easy way for a consumer to find more information on your interesting products and services.

Mobile apps that are connected to your niche can be very useful for marketing purposes. Apps have become very popular because they are so helpful. To get more sales from your app, you can put links to your services within the app. If your app is good enough, you can even monetize it by selling the app itself.

Do not begin a mobile marketing venture without being clear on what you want to accomplish. Know from the start what you want to accomplish in your mobile marketing campaign. Your goal may be to increase your business traffic, pull in repeat customers or to interact with customers.

Advertise your mobile campaign as a way of getting special offers and saving money. Advertise your mobile campaign in your traditional marketing methods such as your social networks and your website. By presenting your campaign in a helpful manner, your readers are more likely to sign up. Present your mobile campaign as a great way to have fun and stay informed of special offers.

As you can see, mobile marketing is the wave of the future, and you need to know how to use it to generate leads and make sales. This will make it easy for you to know which one would fit your business needs perfectly. The ideas in this article provide a great jumping off point.

Web Hosting

Solid Advice For Web Hosting On The Cheap

Some people, in attempting to cut costs, try to save money by choosing a cheaper web host. This can be a bad business decision because the problems that a cut-rate host causes can really hurt your profits. Read the following article to get some good advice that your small business will benefit from when it comes to web hosting.

You should avoid registering your domain name through your host, in case they decide to keep it in the event you ever cancel your plan. If only your host controls your domain registration, you will not be able to use it any longer.

Find a way, such as message boards or forums, to discuss a potential web host with its current customers. By asking questions you can rule out any company that does not satisfy your needs. You will also find your confidence for the right company, boosted after these discussions. One of the greatest sources of information can be from talking to current customers.

Consider outages prior to picking a company and don’t accept any excuses. If your site is down, that can often mean money lost. Good companies have outages very infrequently. Don’t listen to excuses, regardless of how inexpensive the host is, or how well recommended it may be.

Read up on various web host companies before committing. When you buy a car you compare the makes and models, and the same strategy will apply to purchasing web hosting. You might find that there’s problems that can be deal breakers once you’ve done the research.

If you plan to hold on to your domain name for a long time, you should refrain from registering it through your web host. While convenient, registering it with the company you host can prevent you from owning it if something happens in the future. Try a site that is independent to ‘own’ your website’s name.

Ask about your web host’s maintenance schedule. Try to find a host that doesn’t do maintenance more than once every 30 days. If it happens on a more regular basis, you might start to lose visitors.

Prior to choosing a web host, look at their control panel. Any decent web host will provide tutorials that are free to access for interested potential clients. If you are finding it difficult to navigate the controls, find something easier.

You should consider carefully the frequency and schedule of the web host’s downtime. Time slots and days for maintenance should be considered. If the web host needs to disrupt service during your site’s peak hours, especially if it exceeds one day per month, it’s time to find a new provider.

Make it a priority to contact a web hosting firm’s customer support group prior to making a selection. Evaluate whether their response was courteous, helpful and professional. Knowing what kind of service they provide will save you much time and effort down the road.

Make sure that there are no fees for cancellation. You may decide to cancel your service after several weeks. When you are trying to cancel, they may hit you with a big cancellation fee. Cheap web hosting companies often charge these types of cancellation fees. Know whether or not you can cancel a service without incurring additional fees if you do not like it.

As you make your hosting decision, keep a second choice in mind. Thus, you will be able to make an informed decision when the need to change hosts becomes imminent.

You should join the forum of your web host, to stay up to date on information about server outages. If many hosts are down, you’re able to see that your particular company isn’t the only one, and that it’s working hard to fix the issue. If your host is inaccessible for more than a day, do not hesitate to ask questions in the forum about when service will be restored.

Are you contemplating a free hosting provider as a place to put your new website? Such companies often don’t back up your information, so remember to back it up yourself. So, if any of your information disappears, you have no recourse.

If you are relying on a hosting service, you should set a schedule and regularly back up all of your content. Even if your web host provider offers data backups, you should still back up your own data. That way you don’t lose anything, including work you’ve done on your site to optimize it for search engines.

Most hosts already require you to back up your own site. A regular back-up procedure is essential, not only so that you comply with the terms of your contract, but so that your data is safe in the event of an unforeseen issue. If the server is somehow compromised, you are still able to retain your data.

Pay attention to the reputation of the companies you consider. Look at review and comparison websites to find the web host with the best reputation for solid service in the industry. This will also help you sort out the ones that don’t have a good track record.

If transferring your website to a different host is something you are considering, be sure to research into whether you will be allowed to transfer your domain name. There are many that don’t offer it, and could make you lose the very name your customers knew you for.

Look for user reviews of all the web hosts you are considering. These reviews will help you to identify any potential problems you might have with a host. This is a great way to be certain you have chosen a worthwhile web host.

You should choose a service that has been around for a long time. Companies that have been in business for longer periods of time tend to provide superior support. Your host will have enough experience to deal with issues. A good web hosting service should follow standard procedures when a problem appears. Choosing a web host that has been around the block will prevent the hassle of dealing with the inexperienced tech support teams found at new companies.

As you’ve seen, you shouldn’t be cheap when it comes to web hosting. If you want to be successful online, your business needs to accessible at all times. Employing some techniques found here can put you in the camp of those who have thriving, successful websites with professional web hosting.

Web Hosting

Helpful Answers To Your Pressing Web Hosting Questions

When people first open a website, they don’t know that its information has to be stored somewhere. Having a good understanding of what web hosting is comes into play here. A lot of people starting out should know what designs they can have and what options they have. Keep reading to learn more about web hosting and select the best service possible for your site.

Do not host your own site if you do not have a good connection. Back up your material on a reliable and fast connection to make sure your site stays online and updated all the time. Anything less than that can result in too much downtime and decreased user access to your website.

Low down times for a web host should be your goal, so you ensure your website is available most of the time. Any time your site experiences downtime, it may cost you traffic and money.

When looking into a potential web host, extend your research beyond the promotional materials and website run by the host. Look at sites that offer customer reviews and independent evaluations of the hosting company. This will help you to form an opinion about their reliability, professionalism, and capability. Objective reviews by past or current customers will give you the most honest assessment of a web host.

You should be able to contact your host quickly and in a variety of ways when you encounter an issue. Web host that offer a variety of contact options are your best bet for getting good customer support. If something goes wrong, this can prevent a significant amount of frustration.

When looking for the best host for your site, seek out reviews from customers of the hosts you are considering. Try to learn what current customers have to say about the company you are interested in, so you can find out if the service is good.

Make sure you don’t get taken by scams and hidden fees. Many providers won’t disclose extra fees up front. The way to avoid this is to know upfront what you need from a web hosting provider, and make sure the plan you choose has those features and no hidden costs associated with them. Select the plan that includes everything you need at the best price.

Before signing up with a website host, make sure that if you decide to leave in the future that your domain name is transferable. You will find some that do and others that do not. It is unfortunate, but it can create a lull in your business as clients need to be acclimated to your new site.

Prior to signing a contract with a web host, you must carefully read through all terms and conditions. You need to know about any hidden fees which their advertisements do not mention. Additional charges, such as contract length not being honored, set up charges and hidden fees can really add to the cost of your we hosting if you do not pay attention.

Web hosting providers value their reputations, because you can learn so much from what users report. Read reviews and articles on web hosts, and you will begin to see that some hosts have a reputation in their industry, that can offer you a sense of trust in doing business with them. You will quickly spot unreliable companies which do not perform as advertised.

Always pay attention to any outages before you choose your web hosting company, and do not allow them to give you any excuses. Some hosting services could use electrical outages as an excuse, or they could come up with other reasons. However, the great services find methods of keeping your site up and running. Don’t accept excuses, despite the price of the service, or how recommended they are.

To avoid throwing away your hard-earned profits, choose your web hosting provider very carefully. Rates for services can range greatly, depending upon your needs. Whereas you may get more bandwidth from a more expensive hosting site, that doesn’t necessarily mean you will have less downtime with that site.

Consider a web host that provides virtual private server, or VPS, plans for increased testing capabilities and to increase control of the server environment. A VPS gives you control over just about all of your server functions, such as setting up accounts and installing and removing applications — just like you were managing the server yourself. However, this kind of server requires you to learn how to administer it.

A great thing to remember when choosing a hosting service is that you still need to back up your site often. While certain providers offer backup features, it is still in your best interest to back up information on your own. Otherwise, you may lose out on your settings and optimization efforts.

When possible, you should always choose the paid hosting option. Though free hosts have their time and place, if your business is important to you, pay for a reliable and unrestricted provider to meet your web hosting needs. This will make a big difference to the experience of your customers. This is because free web hosts usually place advertisements, which you have no control over, onto your website. Advertisements can be an annoyance to your visitors, and it could cause them to exit your site and never return.

Make sure that there are no fees for cancellation. You might determine that you do not like a web host shortly after starting with it. When you attempt to cancel the service, you might find high cancellation fees. This is a common practice for web hosting companies with low prices. Be sure to figure out how you will get out of a service before you get in.

Now that you know this after reading this article you will know how to begin. If you are educated on the different types of hosting services, then figuring out which is best for you is not a problem. Use the knowledge gained from this article to make an informed decision about which hosting service will best suit your needs.

Web Hosting

What You Can Do To Improve Your Web Hosting

A lot of people don’t realize that the information from a site needs a place to be stored when they first visit. Doing so can help you to understand web hosting. All new website owners should be aware of the many different types of web hosting services that are out there. The following paragraphs include a number of informative insights about web hosting that prospective website owners are sure to find useful.

Always keep in mind the frequency that outages occur with a company prior to selecting one. Never accept any excuses that a company may give you for them. Some providers of web hosting may blame electricity outages, or a variety of other excuses for below average uptime, but quality providers will have ways to keep your website up. Even for affordable companies, excuses are unacceptable; your website is crucial to your image and it is imperative that your site be accessible at all times.

Do not base your choice on price alone. Weigh the different features and benefits that you need. Don’t settle on a low cost web host that doesn’t serve you well. Know what you need, and make sure the hosting plan you choose offers it.

Self-hosting your site is not recommended for anyone using a dial-up Internet connection. Your website must have a fast and dependable connection to make sure that it is always updated and online. Dial-up will result in a lot of lagging and downtime for your domain, which means losing money and customers.

It is important to take a look at how much downtime the web hosting provider regularly has. Investigate the times of day the host tends to perform maintenance, as well as how frequently downtime occurs for maintenance. If your prospective web host is frequently down during your peak traffic hours or for more once per month, you may need to search elsewhere.

Go through the website of a hosting company before deciding on a package. If their website is a good one, it should have many resources showing different features you need to learn in order to optimize your website. Do your research and discover what benefits you will receive as a client, including additional resources and tutorials.

Find out how you are going to uploading data to a server, especially if you need to upload a lot of data. There is a chance that you will need to use an FTP server. Especially if technological wizardry is not your strongest point, at least be sure that there is a usable html control panel.

Don’t choose a web hosting service just because the company doesn’t charge you for hosting. These hosts typically require that you post advertising on your site. This means you don’t have any control over the ads that are displayed. This will make your site look sloppy and unprofessional.

Avoid scams! Many providers won’t disclose extra fees up front. For this reason, it is wise to find out what is included in your hosting plan and which features you require. You should select a plan that includes all the features you need to avoid being charged extra fees.

Before settling on a web host, look into the safety and security features it offers. You need to make sure the company doesn’t have a history of data breaches and site hackings. A solid web host constantly backs its servers up.

Read reviews and comments on the web host before you decide to dish out any money. Former and current customers tend to speak very openly and honestly in an online setting about the great – and not so great – service they receive. Go over lots of reviews and select a firm with a solid history and impressive track record.

To increase your overall profit margins, research the prices of the hosting companies gunning for your business. Rates for services can range greatly, depending upon your needs. While more expensive sites give more bandwidth, you may not end up with any less downtime with the most expensive host.

Ask what sort of maintenance schedule the hosts you’re considering have. Scheduled maintenance should happen during off hours and only one time per month. This helps to reduce the site’s down time and improve service.

Search for a web hosting company whose down times are as low as possible. You want to maximize the time that your site is up and available to potential visitors. Anytime your website is compromised, you are losing business.

If you are having problems choosing the most reasonable option for web hosting services, it is helpful to consult comparison and review sites. Try to learn what current customers have to say about the company you are interested in, so you can find out if the service is good.

If you’re considering moving hosts, be sure you investigate if your domain name can transfer with you. Some hosts will not let you do this, and then you lose a large portion of your base.

Be wary if a web host charges an unreasonably low price for service. It may be quite tempting to go with one that is quite cheap, but understand that they are usually cheap for a reason. They’re either risky with their business model, or they cut corners in such a drastic way that it will hinder your site.

Choose a host that doesn’t have many outages. Companies that have many outages, but make excuses for each outage are not reliable, as they have obviously not made any plans to prevent or shorten lengthy outages. Beware of those companies who have a lot of downtime. Refrain from long contracts with them, if any at all.

As you’re aware from reading this article, new site owners don’t know where to store information from their site. If you know what the various web hosting options are, then you are able to easily find the right one for you. Use the advice that you have read today, so that you can easily choose a company that is best for you, and not have to deal with the services that will not help you.

Web Hosting

Great Advice That Will Help You With Web Hosting

If you want to have a website, you will have to choose your web hosting service. Even if you don’t know much about web hosting, there are a few simple questions you can ask to ensure you get what you need at a price you can afford. Read on for what you should look out for during your hunt.

Just because you like the website design interface or domain service of a particular company, it doesn’t mean that you need to make use of their hosting services as well. A lot of sites will let you use what you want and leave some things you do not, but you might not be able to fix issues as easy.

Check out the website of any host you’re considering very carefully. A good website offers many resources that will help you utilize the many different features you need to learn in order to use the service to your benefit. Research the resources and tutorials that are available to you once you are a client with that company.

If your website is brand new, a web host that boasts SEO services may be the right fit for you. This will get your site registered on search engines. If traffic is of utmost importance to you, register the site on your own so that you can add in detailed descriptions of your site to help increase your rankings.

Don’t select a host just because it’s the cheapest. Although price is important, it should not be the main item you use to choose your next web host. The lower the price, the more likely it is that the support you receive or the quality of the service will suffer.

Try to communicate with current customers of the hosts you’re considering. When you can ask questions and talk about any concerns, you will be able to quickly figure out which companies will not be able to meet the needs that you have. You’ll find you have greater confidence in the company after discussions like this. Current customers are the best source of information available to you.

The type and number of features offered may vary between hosts, so keep a keen eye open for differences. When viewing various hosts, compare their level of service to the particular feature you need. One company may offer lower prices, but you might have to pay extra to get the features another host gives as part of their package.

Research the hosting service to learn what kind of websites they offer. A lot of the time, free sites offer only static pages, which means you can’t add any custom language scripts. If you need dynamic scripting for your website, you may have to choose a paid host instead.

If you are using a dial-up connection, you will need to get a web host. Back up your material on a reliable and fast connection to make sure your site stays online and updated all the time. Otherwise, any lagging or downtime will results in your site being offline.

When you are looking to transfer from one web host to another, find out first whether you can retain your domain name. This is not a service offered by all hosts, and losing your domain name can make it harder for your visitors to find your new site.

Considering using one of the many free web hosting services out there for your site? If you do choose a free web host, make sure all important files are backed up. Keep in mind that since they are free, these types of services normally do not offer extra features like backups. Thorough backups will be a lifesaver if any files on your site disappear.

Ask about the kind of security precautions a host relies on. In today’s society, websites come under attack quite often, and there are always a great number of potential threats. Ensure that your chosen web hosting service has security measures that can handle all kinds of attacks or threats to the integrity of your web site. Be sure to ask what’s at risk should your website fall victim to such an attack.

It’s possible that you might have to upgrade services that you get from a web host, once the traffic of your site increases. Make sure to ask if there are set processes to ensure that the updates occur in a timely manner. Some upgrades, such as upping your site’s bandwidth usage, should be handled very speedily. If you need to upgrade to a dedicated server, that process should also be simple.

Check out each company’s track record before choosing a web host. Some hosts will claim to do tasks that are actually pretty much impossible. If you invest time and effort into learning about your options, you will be more likely to select the ideal provider.

Dedicated servers have their advantages. Increased storage space and a higher level of safety for your website are two main benefits from a dedicated server. A dedicated server will give the maximum level of service to your customers. As with any business, customers that leave happy come back.

Some hosts offer refunds for the quantity of time your website was not operational. In general, you need to be refunded for sales you couldn’t obtain because of downtime. Don’t trade good uptimes for small refunds.

The amount of traffic you receive on your site can affect your hosting charges. Some will charge different amounts while others use flat rates, so figure out beforehand.

For your average website, the endless variety of add-ons that a web hosting company offers can be mostly useless. Items like unlimited storage are not only useless, but also typically restricted by many hidden rules. Most people find that they don’t use the often pricey add-ons and would have done better with a simpler service plan.

Searching for a hosting company is like searching for other things in life. Knowing what you need and how much you can afford to pay for it is the way to start your search for the perfect web host. The information contained in this article should have you well on your way to choosing a web host.

Social Media Marketing

Social Media Marketing Pointers That Will Change Your Game

Social media marketing is a great platform to use when you wish to learn from people around you using interactive means. Unlike expensive or complicated marketing plans, social media marketing is not a big risk. It’s not only inexpensive, but mistakes are easily reversible. Your audience can provide feedback for any of your media and you may learn from their feedback what you can improve on next time. Use the advice offered in this article to help you increase traffic and grow your company.

Run a contest or raffle through your Facebook presence where individuals can win something, either over the Internet or even in real life. You could easily give away the products of your company as prizes to contest winners. This allows you to strengthen the bond with your current customers and spread the word about your business.

It is important that you know how to intelligently market with social media. Start by concentrating on the platforms that are attracting the most traffic: Google+, Facebook and Twitter. You can tailor your campaigns to your customer base if you focus on the resources they use most. This will help you attract customers and get more sales.

Make sure you aren’t being overly spammy with your messages. Hit a balance between letting people know what you and your business are up to and showing an interest in the concerns of your readers.

Apply relevant hash tags whenever possible to boost the number of individuals who see your Twitter content. For instance, to share cooking tips, try to use “#cooking” and “#food” tags. This helps your posts show up in searches and lists, while also letting the people who are not following you see what you are up to.

You should add a catchy headline to grab the attention of visitors. Try posing a question that they will be interested in learning the answer to. Try using words that will catch users interest like “limited” or “amazing”. When people are fascinated, they are sure to keep reading.

Follow the latest technology and monitor changes that other companies are making to ensure that your company does not get left behind. When you figure this out you know what it takes to stay ahead of the competition. Once you have done this, you can go over what you discovered and apply some new tricks towards getting more business through social media.

You can promote your blogs on video sites like YouTube. When posting a video to YouTube, put a link at the beginning to your blog or website. You will want to add keywords into the description that are related to the market you are targeting. Use keywords in tags as best as you can also.

If you’re new to social media marketing, let your current customers know that they can now find you on these sites. Your customers can then join your pages; this allows them to expose their friends to it. This is essentially free advertising and should not be underestimated. It also has more value than regular advertising because it is essentially a referral.

When using any type of social media sites for marketing purposes, your activity level matters a great deal. Being social is a big part of success. If you aren’t constantly updating your followers, they will go elsewhere as your campaign goes stale. If you stick with it and give people stuff to talk about regularly then you’ll find that your campaign will be more successful.

Use a headline for your post that is catchy. The headline determines whether your reader is going to be interested and keep reading or move on to other things. Getting their attention is the key and it will make them want to read more of the article. So careful thought is necessary when thinking up headlines and titles to catch the readers attention.

Hide discount codes on YouTube using annotation. By waiting until later in the video, or even the end, viewers must watch it all before receiving the code.

Have a plan of attack before tackling a marketing campaign involving social media. Figure out who will manage the pages, what type of layout you want, and how much time you would like to invest into it. As with other marketing campaigns, you must establish a timeline in which you hope to reach your goals. Do all you can to stick to the plan and your campaign can be more successful.

Use your knowledge so that followers will begin to view you as the expert within your industry. Having this kind of clout can help you bring in a lot more business. Browse social media outlets for opportunities to help individuals who are looking for answers that you can provide about a certain subject. In the long term, this will expand your untapped customer base.

Find out what your competition is up to. Find them on the different social media sites and note their techniques. You could try doing the same thing they are to get to their audience, but you can also try to create a strategy that wasn’t thought of so far to get a better suited audience.

Until you have a better grip on what social media marketing works for your company, you might have to borrow some ideas. Look into what your competitors are doing, and copy their style until you figure out what is best for you. Look at their social profiles, check out their specials and discounts, and read their content.

When a person starts to follow you on Twitter, reciprocate by following him or her as well. That is something everyone expects. This courtesy demonstrates that you are interested in what your followers have to say; it places you on their level. Let them know you appreciate them by following them back and even sending a tweet to say “hello.”

Once you learn how to post on the correct form of social media, you will increase your audience. Publishing your media is simply a matter of posting your content on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube in methods that mean your target niche will come across it. Then, all you have to do is sit back and watch your profits grow.