Sending emails for marketing presents some challenges and opportunities for the small business.  The first concern is a mailing list.  If you are fortunate to have a list developed already then you ahead of the game.  Let's start with no list and use some of the ideas for building an existing list.

Developing a strategy around keeping interested people updated on happenings within your business can really create brain freeze in the best of us.  Let's look at some methods for communicating with your audience.

When thinking about building a website or going for a refresher it's important to view your site as a tool for generating attention. If you are a business it's critcial to think about the message you want to present, and the answer you want back.  Looking for leads?  Then it's important to develop a strategy on several fronts:

1. How are prospects going to contact you?
2. How are you going to respond, your follow up?
3. What information will you provide on your website, and when you respond to your prospect?

Web site design is more an art than a science.  To be exact it it's virtualized graphic art.  Science or not website design is the 'skin' of the site and it's appearance.  A balance of form and function with a focus on performance. Website developers can look to a website designer to create a theme or 'style'.  The interior designer of the Internet:  web designers don't  build sites but they hang the drapes, position the love sofa and match the wallpaper.  In no means a putdown as much like building a house a web site has many different trades associated with it. Many times there is confusion about designers and developers,   depending on the size of the job you may see one or 6 different trades all working together to develop a content rich Website or ecommerce site. 

Website Analytics Explained

KPI, or Key Performance Indicators are statistical data collected from a Website. Think  of them as a speedometer and tachometer in an car with further gauges to monitor the  health of the Website 'motor'.  A special tracking code is added to the Website that places an anonymous cookie on a visitors browser which creates a unique number and date/time information.

The basics are:

1. Visitors
2. Page views
3. Bounce rate

Over at Business Communication Group We have released a three part series on e-Commerce

B2B Sellers of the eCommerce Seas: Promise of the Shopping Cart

B2B Sellers of the eCommerce Seas: The Key to an Overflowing Treasure Chest

and the final article, fresh off the press,

B2B Sellers of the eCommerce Seas: At Shopping Cart’s End

It's a great overview of the trials and tribulations of eCommerce with a nautical flavor to it.   I had to do something to make it more interesting.  Sadly it really is that complicated when you have to deal with money transactions.  Give it a read and a comment over at b2bcommunications.com

What exactly does thinking outside the box mean? 

There is a tendancy to think humans have original thoughts when in fact we tend to gravitate to things we feel safe with.  With that said is the 'box' our comfort zone?  I have heard this statement from desperate business people who are at a loss to explain why their company is doing poorly.  As if thinking outside the box will solve the immediate problem and bring about some critical change.  Could it really be that thinking outside the box is really the road to destruction?  Is daydreaming any replacement for knowledge and skill?

A Website Application Programmer designs database driven applications that store sales transactions, customer data, email address lists and other client management functions. Website programmers typically specialize in Microsoft based programming like .NET SQL  while other programmers use MySQL and PHP which are open source programming languages.  Open-source provides a community supported application whereas closed-source is owned and supported by a corporation.  By it's nature open-source projects are non-profit.  It's hard to determine which is better off hand as many closed source software applications started as a open source project. 

Many times a website application programmer is confused with a webmaster, web designer or a website developer.  The roles are largely different and deal with different issues.  An website application programmer's primary focus is the logic of the application and the accomplishment of various requirements.  As many things can be done different ways it becomes the interaction with the website designer, website developer and end users that helps guide the programmer build for the greatest usability.  Website developers can have programming skills but usually by the nature of project management and the multitude of roles required that programmers stick close to meeting the requirements specified the application

• Requirements specified in Scope of Work (SOW) by client
• Collaborate with website designer and developer
• Develop logic framework for application
• Design user interface (UI)
• Test and Release