So why is it important then to promote a Website?

People want to be educated about what they’re buying before they’ll part with their money. If you can do that as a business for your potential customers, by allowing them to view your products or services in the comfort of their own home, you are miles ahead of your competition.

But are people buying goods Online? The answer is a resounding YES!

Figures released by Comscore Networks show that the big winners so far this year are:

• Event Tickets - up 50%,
• Consumer Electronics - up 43%
• Sports and Fitness - up 41%
• Apparel and Accessories - up 38%. 

Total online spending for 2005, including travel, eclipsed 143 billion dollars, which represented an increase of 22% on 2004.

So where does that leave us? Well, there is a world of business out there that is ready and waiting for you and me to pursue. But how are we going to tap into this market?

I believe it’s going to take a two-fold process. 

Firstly, EDUCATION. You and I must become more and more educated about the Internet. We’re going to have to learn how we can effectively market our goods and services this way.

Secondly, TOOLS. We must discover and learn how to use the software that will allow us to effectively use the Internet. It’s time to work smarter, not harder.

One of the first steps that I took when first stepping into the online world was that I started to learn, along with my 12-year-old son and my 14-year-old daughter, HTML. I actually paid my children to learn this computer language. Do you think they were highly motivated? You bet! To me it was such an important investment, both for them and for the future of my business and their own businesses. We learnt how to take charge of the Websites that had previously been prepared by others. We also decided to take greater control of our business by learning how to redesign them and create other more productive sites. OE Design - The Web Designers is now the result of those first tentative steps that we took.

But finally, the two major keys that will set you apart from your competition in THE BIG ONLINE SPEND revolution will be the EDUCATION you get and the TOOLS you use. Combine those with action and you’re on the road to astounding success.

There are many simple steps and tips to developing an effective website.

Sarah Schelbach, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer from OE Design – The Web Designers says, “Websites are often overlooked as they become too complicated for the business owner to develop. However, websites can be the most effective medium to market your business in this technology booming age.”

To get the ball rolling, you initially need a domain name and hosting. Which basically means you need an address for your website. Your domain name should be the name of your business or the first verbal phrase people will know your business by. You also need a host. Web host companies provide you with space on their server for use by clients and also provide Internet connectivity for you. What is Web Hosting? Here’s an example: you rent an office space or factory to place your business in. This is like hosting. You host (or rent) a space on the Internet and that’s where your website lives.

The next essential step is hiring a web designer. Although there are programs which enable you to build a website, by hiring an actual web designer, you will be able to develop an excellent site to a professional standard. The web design company will also inform you of other programs which will take your website to a new level and get you ahead of your competitors.

Tips which will help your website succeed are:

1. Clearly define your audience.
2. Clearly define the purpose of your website.
3. Create relevant content that is both people friendly and search engine friendly.
4. Point people where you want them to go by having stand out pages.
5. Provide an offer where, when consumers fill in their details, they are offered something free.
6. Have contact details on every page.

By using these tips, and by hiring a web designer, it will enable your business to be present on the web. Web designers can also help you get on the major search engines so your website is your most effective marketing tool, ultimately ensuring your online business success.

Potential customers are at their own convenience to learn more about the features of the products or services, with trust and word of mouth being the biggest influencers in online store choice. (Nielson Consumer Report 2008)

Consumers across the globe are increasingly swapping crowded stores for one-click convenience, as online shopping becomes a safe and popular option. Shopping online is quick and easy, you can shop 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Sarah Schelbach from OE Design says, “People want to be educated about what they’re buying before they’ll part with their money. If you can do that as a business for your potential customers, by allowing them to view your products or services in the comfort of their own home, you are miles ahead of your competition.”

A Website with an online shopping service makes your business stand out from the crowd in the big online spend. There’s no waiting around in cues or for service. The customer is in control and they like it! The order check out process is made with one click from their computer.

With 54% of Internet users saying they bought a product online in the quarter ending March 2008, take control of your online sales potential and go to the front of the line with a website that has ecommerce and shopping cart features. Open your businesses up to the contagious convenience of online shopping where there are no crowds.

Peter Sinclair CEO of OE Design – The Web Designers says, “There is so much pressure on sales teams to DO THE DEAL! And to DO IT NOW! But it is my experience that you don’t necessarily ‘DO THE DEAL’ the first time you meet with a prospect. In most cases there is a process that takes time, is built upon relationship and trust and this is extended over a period of time, learn to massage the sale.”

OE Design presents their business professionally communicating who they are and what they do from phone inquiries to the documentation that represents them.

OE Design consultants enter all sales meetings with the devised effect to identify and satisfy the real needs of the prospect.

“Most importantly it’s the way you listen, and after you have heard, identify that need and not just proceed to present your set sales spiel.” says Peter

“Listening is developed through the sales person though the art of questioning. It is through questioning that you will dig deeper to find the real emotional need of the prospective client and it is then and only then that out of trust and relationship that you can present in clarity the products and services that will now service your new client.” says Peter

OE Design matches what they have to offer to what customers really require.

“And if you don’t clinch the sale immediately but have used a range of relationship building techniques as noted in this article you will sell tomorrow and the next day, week, month and year. And have the wonderful experience of reselling to that customer again and again and then to their friends and associates.” says Peter.

More and more people are researching and shopping online which is why forward thinking companies are getting on the advertising bandwagon.

Read the full article: Online Advertising Set For Continued Solid Growth in 2008-2009

The question is though: Can you increase your business by making your site carbon neutral?

One of the most important issues of our generation is Global Warming. As business people we have the responsibility and ability to contribute to help solve the environmental crisis. Eco friendly sites are sought after by customers, and research shows that people will choose an eco-friendly or green option if given the chance. (solarenergyhost.com)

Your company can maximize the profits of green web hosting by using it as an effective marketing tool.

By informing your customers of your ‘green’ stance it will further create a positive impression about your company and its concern for the environment. People love doing business with responsible businesses.

Some tips for your environmentally friendly website:

1. Use energy efficient web hosting. By doing this you can reduce energy consumption.
2. Get links from other green sites and increase awareness and knowledge of the importance of making your business as green as possible.

Sarah Schelbach, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer from OE Design – The Web Designers says, “Most people don’t realize the significance of using an eco friendly web hosting company and the benefits it can have on our environment. It’s the small things that sometimes matter the most.”

So the old saying still stands in the ever increasing growth of the Internet. Reduce, reuse and recycle! Make sure your hosting is green and reduce your carbon footprint for the environment.

If you are interested in having Green Hosting with OE Design – The Web Designers contact us today.

In the current economic climate, small business owners need to be particularly resourceful with their marketing communication strategies.

Database Marketing is a low cost and effective approach to potential customers using communication tools such as, mail, telephone, or email. More importantly, database marketing can be a powerful tool to those companies prepared to extend their marketing reach to the immense market available on the web.

Australia has 11.3 million Internet users, with Internet users spending more time on the Internet (22 hours) than watching TV (14 hours). (ABS, 2008)

Your database can turn your business into a goldmine with database marketing aimed at making happy customers loyal.

Ask yourself, Do you have a database? Do you have your customers Name, Mobile Phone Number and Email?

Database marketing focuses on service and on the customer, not the product.

Here are 5 tips to get your database working effectively for your business online.

1. Dig out your database – previous/current clients, warm leads.
2. Compile an eNewsletter – Information on your business, relevant articles.
3. Make an offer – a monthly special? A call to action?
4. Add a guarantee
5. Send it out!

Make sure you use a permission based database. Simply ask your new clients if they’d be happy to receive regular updates by email. Also whenever you do an email-out provide your clients an opportunity to unsubscribe at any time.

If you are doing things right, your customers will be glad you have a database and are including them on it. Database marketing over the web is a low cost marketing strategy, and if used effectively will create customer retention making them loyal and happy customers.

Where do you live? ‘Scare City’(scarcity) or ‘Abundance Metropolis’?

In order to get to ‘Abundance Metropolis’, you are going to have to cross ‘De Nile’, better known as the river ‘denial’. But what must you deny? You must deny anything that would stop you from attaining success.

There is no doubt that Australia is a winning seller to China’s raw materials demands. Even with the recent collapse of the global banking system producers are still finding an enthusiastic market for their minerals and metals.

In light of the current economic situation it would appear because of the state of the American dollar that China will begin to purchase less resource form Australia. However, as demonstrated by some of our leading Australian retailers here in Australia hard times are not the time to pull back on marketing, but are actually the time to continue and even increase marketing in readiness for the future good times.

Positioning yourself on the fore-front of the industry with information based websites with a portion of your website in Chinese will powerfully promote your company and position you in China’s world of mining.

Google offers a tool that translates websites into many different languages. The tool is communicated in the user’s language on the web page and they are guided through the process of translating the page into whatever language necessary, even Chinese!

By focusing on the world of ‘not-enough’ you will always stay in scarcity. The current economic climate offers a way to change your perspective from the decline of prices by creating a new line of communication with China’s need and your product.

By focusing on customer’s needs rather than a sales pitch about the product, communication via a Chinese friendly website is essential to be a cut above the rest.

Technology is moving at an accelerated pace so keeping up to date with information about the industry is essential in the industrial environment. Why not go one step further with your website and add links to further research and aim to be as informative as possible without an overload of irrelevant information. By having updates on your website of news and features about the industry, you will attract customers from their particular sectors.

So awaken the sleeping dragon. Change your reality and you can change your address once and for all, out of scare-city by opening up your product to the Chinese market with an effective information based, Chinese accessible website and create your reality.

Open Microsoft Outlook

Firstly, open Microsoft Outlook. Once it has opened select Tools, and then Account Settings from the menu.

Add a new email account

Click on the Email tab and click on New button to add the new email address.

Select email account service

Select Microsoft Exchange, POP3, IMAP or HTTP and click the Next button.

Manually configure server settings

On the Auto Account Setup window, check the Manually configure server settings or additional server types check box at the bottom and click the Next button.

Select Internet E-mail

Select Internet E-mail option and click the Next button.

Enter user information

In the User Information section, in the Your Name text box, enter your name . In the Email Address text box, enter your email address.

In the Server Information section, select POP3 from the Account Type drop down menu. Then type in your mail servers into the Incoming and Outgoing Mail Server’s (e.g: mail.yourdomain.com.au).

Under the Logon Information section, type in your email address (e.g. johnsmith@yourdomain.com.au) in the User Name text box. Then add your Password and tick the Remember password box.

Once all the fields have been entered, click the Test Account Settings button to test the account. If you receive any errors, ensure that you have entered all the fields in correctly and check for spelling mistakes.

Click the Next button when everything is working.

Set-up complete!

Click the Finish button to complete the process.

That’s it! Now you can try sending and receiving email to ensure everything is set-up correctly. If you experience any errors make sure you go back into Tools and Accounts to check if you have misspelled any of the fields or entered an incorrect password.

Repeat the above steps again if you are adding multiple email addresses.

Open Microsoft Outlook 2003

Firstly, open Microsoft Outlook. Once it is open select Tools, and then Email Accounts from the menu.

Add a new Email Account

The E-mail Accounts pop-up window will then be displayed. Select Add a new email account and click the Next button to proceed.

Select Server Type

The Server Type screen will then appear. Select POP3 and click the Next button to proceed.

Enter user information

A new screen will be displayed asking you to enter all the settings for the account.

1. In the Your Name text box, enter your name.
2. In the Email Address text box, enter your full email address (e.g. johnsmith@yourdomain.com.au).
3. In the Incoming mail server text box, enter mail.yourdomain.com.au as the Incoming mail server. Obviously, replace yourdomain.com.au with your own domain name (e.g: mail.johnsmith.com)
4. In the Outgoing mail server text box, enter your ISP’s outgoing mail server.
5. In the User Name field, enter your full email address.
6. In the Password field, enter the password provided to you.

Once all the fields have been entered, click the Test Account Settings button to test the account. If you receive any errors, ensure that you have entered all the fields in correctly and check for spelling mistakes.

Click the Next button when all is working.

Set-up complete

Click the Finish button to complete the process.

That’s it! Now you can try sending and receiving email to ensure everything is set-up correctly. If you experience any errors make sure you go back into Tools and Accounts to check if you have misspelled any of the fields or entered an incorrect password.

Repeat the above steps again if you are adding multiple email addresses.