| LED Digest 2264: Shopping Cart Apps |
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Anyone with a recommendation on a hosted shopping cart solution for a very specific need: selling a file download? A question about Google Checkout and its user-friendliness. Plus, a newsletter promo redux worth reading. ================================================== The LED Digest Moderated Discussion List "Effective Online Advertising, Since 1997" Data > Information > Knowledge > Wisdom pair Networks: The LED's Web Host Hosting and Domain Registration from a Trusted Leader pair.com for Hosting | pairNIC.com for Domains ================================================== List Moderator: Published by: Adam Audette LED Digest adam, led-digest.com http://www.led-digest.com .............................................. October 11, 2006 Issue no. 2264 .............................................. .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ====== NEW ===================== --== Shopping Cart Applications ==-- ~ Tim Klimasewski "...I would like to distribute the software without shipping a CD so the users can get the app..." --== Google Checkout ==-- ~ Al Toman "My #1 concern is 'ease of use by the customer'." ==== CONTINUING ================= --== Local Listings and Search Engines ==-- ~ Shaun Johnston "...is anyone else having this problem...that SEs are ceasing to feature individual companies...?" --== How to Promote an Online Newsletter? ==-- ~ Peter Craven "...how can we increase the subscriptions to the newsletter?" ~ Joe Halbrook "...you might increase the quality of your subscriber base by increasing your targeting potential..." ~ Jim Novo "The site lacks a visible privacy policy." ~ Rob Bishop "...you may need to separate newsletters." ~ Mark Brownlow "List the reasons why potential business partners would benefit from a subscription." ~ Scott Aughtmon "Ask for current subscribers to send you any testimonials..." ========= NEW ===================================== From: Tim Klimasewski Subject: New Topic - Shopping Cart Applications Anyone with a recommendation on a hosted shopping cart solution for a very specific need for selling a file download? I am starting to sell a third-party software application with our networking hardware gear. I have no plans to sell our hardware over the web, but I would like to distribute the software without shipping a CD so the users can get the app immediately. Billing a credit card seems like a good way to do it. I would need a shopping cart, secure form and a payment gateway service provider as a hosted package so I can upload the software to be downloaded after the transaction and I can link to from my existing site. Thanks. Tim Klimasewski http://www.spectracomcorp.com -------- new post - new topic -------- From: Al Toman Subject: New Topic - Google Checkout Okay, LEDers, another dum-Q. Google checkout. Has anyone done, did that? I'm setting up my first "sell stuff" web page (whoopie!) and am looking at the Google Checkout. I have a PayPal account, however, wanted to see how they compare / contrast. My #1 concern is "ease of use by the customer". Is this cool with Google Checkout? Al Toman studio9.ws ======== CONTINUING =============================== From: Shaun Johnston Subject: Individual (and local) listings > In my field, online marketing for individual destination > lodgings, almost no lodgings occupy search engines' > top 30 positions for searches on destinations names... - Shaun Johnston, LED 2262 - http://www.led-digest.com/content/view/1136/55/ > This brings up some interesting ramifications for > local search. Have you been experimenting with > Google Maps (also known as "Google Local")? - Nathan Holley, LED 2263 - http://www.led-digest.com/content/view/1138/55/ Nathan, thanks for the pointer to Google maps appearing in sponsored listings. That may help with lodgings listings. Though people choose vacation lodging more by town than by precise street location, so the name of a town will probably remain the best distinguisher. I've discovered yet another aspect of how vacation lodgings are no longer being served by the search engines. All the top "keywords" are the lodgings' own names. People are using the search engines to find their way to the web sites of lodgings when they aren't sure of the name. When I subtract these from the total, visits from the search engines shrinks to close to half. Free visits are well on their way to becoming extinct. SEO ceases to be a profitable service. I suspect you're right that the search engines are withdrawing service from niches better served by other means, such as "local" businesses as vacation lodgings seem to be. Again, I wonder, is anyone else having this problem in their marketplace, that the search engines are ceasing to feature individual companies in the top 30 positions? Shaun Johnston -------- new post - new topic -------- <Moderator Comment> Continuing our historical review of LED Digest archives this week: on the topic of newsletter promotion (and growing subscriber lists), here's an interesting thread from late 2000. Yup, 6 years ago. But you might be surprised by the information, because it is still just as viable and relevant as it was then. The specific comments and suggestions can be extrapolated to almost any site. Good reading. It's also interesting to see the original poster's newsletter page today. It looks like many of the suggestions offered here were put to use. Check it out: http://www.armatile.com/newsletter/ --------------------- From: Peter Craven Subject: Newsletter subscriptions Hello all, I have been a member of this list for a substantial amount of time now and have found the information that appears to be extremely helpful - particularly as we have just completed the process of redesigning our web site (URL below). It is now that I have a query that I am hoping you will be able to help me with. Our company (based in Armagh, Northern Ireland) is involved in the supply of tiles to the specification market in ireland and we also have a manufacturing facility where we produce our own decorative tile pieces either for sale in our own showrooms or under contract from other tile manufacturers. Our new site was set up to promote both these sides of the business. We have a newsletter on the site and I was wondering if anybody had any suggestions about how we can increase the subscription to the newsletter. We include information relevant to the specification market such as latest housing trends and new technology as well as information on new projects that we are involved with and new products we are manufacturing. Any comments or information on where to locate advice in this area would be very much appreciated. Thanks, Peter Craven, Marketing Manager Armatile Ltd http://www.armatile.com -------- new post - same topic -------- From: Joe Halbrook Subject: Re: Newsletter subscriptions Peter, My suggestion is not so much related to how you might increase the quantity of your subscriptions, but instead how you might increase the quality of your subscriber base by increasing your targeting potential = more sales. I visited your newsletter subscription page and noticed that you collect the subscriber Name and E-mail Address. What if you were able to collect the above, in addition to a few simple demographics on each subscriber. Then, when you send out your newsletter, map those demographics to dynamic sections of each issue. For instance, one drop-down demographic might contain a list of main areas of interest: New Tile Products Architectural Contracts Tile Fitting & Maintenance etc. Another demographic set might consist of market sectors : Residential Commercial Industrial I would only ask for one or two selections, at most. Then, when you design each newsletter issue, given you are using a database-driven newsletter delivery tool or service, you could develop customized segments for each demographic (or set of demographics), and dynamically build the newsletters to target the content to each specific subscriber. In the long run, you'll have happier subscribers (and customers) because they feel they are reading a newsletter created specially for them. And in reality - they are! In time, you could extend the same mapping technique to pre-sold text ads (to, say, tile tool makers, etc.), by mapping the ads to those same demographics. In this manner, each demographic audience sees only ads pertinent to their particular area of interest. Your ads become more targeted, and thus more valuable to the advertisers = higher CPM or CPC. Just some thoughts. Joe Halbrook -------- new post - same topic -------- From: Jim Novo Subject: Newsletter subscriptions I took a quick look and there's three things I would suggest: 1. Try to be a little more promotional about the sign-up offer without messing up the mood of your site. If you simply state "newsletter" people are perhaps not going to understand they can sign up. "Newsletter Subscription" might tell people more directly what you are offering. Look at the click-through you get to your sign-up page (versus total visits), make the above change, and see if the click-through to sign-up page improves. If it doesn't, try different approaches until it improves, increasing in intensity and description, like "Get the housing trends newsletter". You have to balance this with your site design and mood, and it might be worth it to have an area on the home page outside the nav bar to specifically pitch the newsletter, say in the blank space on the far lower left. Top of page under your logo would be better. 2. On the sign-up page, you don't explain what people "get" for signing up, other than "regular news updates". This doesn't mean much compared to "latest housing trends and new technology" mentioned in your post. You need to give people a reason to sign-up - tell them what info they will receive and more importantly, why it will benefit the reader to receive it. Links to past newsletters on this page could help convince them. 3. The site lacks a visible privacy policy. At minimum, on the sign-up page, tell people you won't rent or sell the newsletter list to anyone, and specify a frequency (monthly, weekly) for the newsletter so people know exactly what it is they are committing to. You can watch conversion (new newsletter subscribers to views of sign-up page) to see if this has a positive effect. Good Luck! Jim Novo http://www.jimnovo.com -------- new post - same topic -------- From: Rob Bishop Subject: Newsletter subscriptions I felt the need to respond to Peter Craven's comments on newsletter subscriptions. My first impression about that post (after reading it twice so I didn't look too picky) is the use of the word 'we' as opposed to 'you'. It has taken me some years to get it though my head, but as an individual sitting at a computer visiting a website, I am a selfish animal and I want to know what I get out of the visit. Peter's post states that they include information on: > ... new technology as well as information on new projects that > we are involved with and new products we are manufacturing. I do not know your industry at all, but how does what you are working on benefit me? I am not a smart person so tell me exactly how you will make my world brighter. For example: "Sign up to our newsletter and you will be seen as an expert in the tile industry since we will keep you up to date on the latest 'tile thingys' that only we can provide you with." Again, I am not a smart man so you may want to replace "tile thingy's" with something a little more technical and related to your industry. What I did to increase my newsletter subscriptions is place the newsletter sign up form code on every single page (I used a SSL footer which made it so much easier), and also told the visitor what they could expect in the newsletter. Peter's site has the sentence: "To receive regular news updates via email please fill out the form below." I would suggest that you tell the visitor- 1) what they will be getting and how it benefits them 2) state your privacy policy or show a link to one (if you don't have one, get one) 3) something of value that they cannot get any other way (free catalogue - contests draw big numbers) The hardest part is that you may need to separate newsletters. One to the B2B, and the other to the B2C type of customers. Both have unique reasons for signing up to your newsletter and must be catered to as individuals. We also have both types of customers, but I not felt a great need to have a B2B newsletter. Maybe in the future. I hope this helps. Bear Hugs, Rob Bishop http://www.binkley-toys.com ------- new post - same topic ------- From: Mark Brownlow Subject: Newsletter subscriptions There's much more you can do at your website. At the moment you have a newsletter menu link which goes to a form and the words, "To receive regular news updates via email please fill out the form below". I'd be more explicit about what people are going to get. People may be reluctant to sign up for a newsletter featuring "a news update" (about what?). List the reasons why existing or potential business partners would benefit from a subscription. Make the input form fields larger (on my browser - Netscape 4.08 - you can only see two characters at a time), so it's easier for people to check they've entered the right address with no typos. Push the newsletter more. For example, under the "wholesale" link, you can say, "to keep informed on new benefits for partners, sign up for our newsletter". Make signing up for the newsletter possible from anywhere on the site. I'd also urge your reps and staff to mention the newsletter when they next contact your existing business partners, and include the subscription address in your other marketing materials. Hope that gets you started! Mark Brownlow http://www.ibizhome.com/ ------- new post - same topic ------- From: Scott M Aughtmon Subject: Traffic Increases, Newsletters This is in response to Peter Craven, and your desire to increase your newsletter subscribers... As has already been pointed out, you need to make your newsletter sign-up stand out more than just having a link that says "newsletter". The best way to do this is have a section on every page that says something like "Sign-up for our newsletter here!" You also nees to tell people WHY they should sign-up. I checked out your site and all you had written in the newsletter section was "To receive regular news updates via email please fill out the form below." You need to tell them ALL that they get in the newsletter! Tell them what you told us in your post here "We include information relevant to the specification market such as latest housing trends and new technology as well as information on new projects that we are involved with and new products we are manufacturing." You can "jazz" it up a little! :) Ask for current subscribers to send you any Testimonials on why they like your newsletter or why it's helpful and then get permission to post the best ones on your site! I've said this before here, make sure that you give VALUABLE information in your newsletter, so that people have a reason to read it and not delete it! Also make sure to remind them about your site and why they should use your services or products in EVERY newsletter! Hope this helps you all! Sincerely, Scott Aughtmon http://www.manyebooks.com ------------------------------------------------------- The LED Digest is sponsored by pair Networks: pair.com for Hosting | pairNIC.com for Domains Copyright 1995-2006 Orange Wheel, LLC. 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