If 299,999 planes land safely that's not news. It takes just one to crash and that becomes news around the world and flying is seen as unsafe. Over 100 countries are at peace but the few that are fighting wars make the news. Understandably, a newscaster is not likely to think it's a lead story to say, "Well, everything went well today. People went to work, returned home, showered, ate and slept. They are expected to get up next morning and do the same thing." Media has become entertainment. We need to give the people information to excite them or at least to pull at their heartstrings.
The same happens with the Internet. As I watched the news last night, I saw a story about some attempt to defraud clients of a bank online. So some quack decided to "try a thing." He/she of course got international media attention. The $8 billion that was spent safely on the Internet over the Christmas holidays, however, didn't get the same kind of attention. So there is a news bias and we need to be aware of it.
It's important to be alert but there's no need to panic. The Internet is probably one of the safest places to do business because there is usually very little, if any, human intervention. A credit card is charged, a secure server sends the money to a bank account and the seller in most cases never even sees the number. You can tempt a man but you can't tempt a computer. It would just do what it is programmed to do. This, of course, means that computers can be programmed to do fraud. This is why it's important to be on the look out and make sure you're not the one out of 300,000.
Here are the basics to keep in mind when shopping online:
# Look for the "https:" which is also known as the Security Certificate (SSL).
# Search for reviews on the company. Do your homework.
# If there's a phone number on the website, call to check if there are real people at the other end.
# Don't buy from any merchant who tries to hide his/her identity.
# Keep a print record of your transaction.
# Report any fraudulent activity to the relevant authorities of the country from which you bought right away.
# Beware of businesses from countries with weak fraud laws. Again, research will pay off.
The International Internet Authority has a list of countries whose businesses will not get 'High Assurance SSL Certificates.' Personally I find the list looks more political than anything else. So I wouldn't use it as a guide to tell me where to buy from or not. What I would use the list for is to check the honesty of the merchants. If the website says it has a 'High Assurance SSL' then I would know for sure that it is being less than honest.
However, in today's world with 'skyboxes' and Internet telephony, it is easy to fake an address and pretend to be from the U.S.A. for example. In fact the few people I know who have been "burnt" online were defrauded by apparent US-based merchants. Just so you're aware, I'll actually tell you about the one I remember: Brooke Distributors out of Miami. Again, just for your knowledge, here's the list of countries from the IIA: Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Rwanda, Sudan, and Syria.
Hey, if in doubt about a company from whatever country, just don't buy.
Some people have also opted to get a special low-limit credit card solely for Internet transactions. That's smart too. What I know will be a big hit here is when we get an authorise-per-transaction system. So there's another Internet Opportunity for you. Talk to your bank and suggest the creation of a credit card that can only be used on an authorise-per-transaction basis. The cardholder would be able to log into his/her account on the Internet and specify, for example, "I am going to buy from X website and I authorise X amount." So if anything goes wrong, you don't lose much, but remember the news bias. Out of the 1 million transactions that go well, you'll only hear about the one that didn't.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Earn an Income from a Worldwide Market Using Your PC
Do you find there are not enough hours in a day to earn the sort of income you think you deserve? Have you reached an income ceiling and feel there is little chance of developing further in your current job? You may be good at what you do but there is still too much month at the end of the money. Think about it!
When a colleague of mine mentioned she was going to set up an internet business I was intrigued but wasn’t tempted myself. I didn’t have the expertise and wouldn’t know the first thing about creating and setting up a website let alone the business side of it. However, when after a few months she started to earn some serious money my attitude changed.
After doing a bit of investigation I purchased a product that would do most of the technical stuff for me and set about deciding how I could earn an income from my PC. It really wasn’t quite so difficult as I had imagined it to be. This is not to say it doesn’t involve a lot of work. It does! But for me it quickly become almost like a hobby and doesn’t feel like work at all. If you want to get rich quick this isn’t the way to do it – but let’s face it, that isn’t how things work.
Yet, if you want to build your passive income then this is the way. You will have to buy a few products to set you up but if you do your research properly this will be money well spent – it should pay back many, many times over.
Now you may ask - what expertise do I have that could earn an income? This is the big question and a pretty important one to! Sit down with a pencil and paper and write down all the options you have, these could be
Your expertise in your current job. You may be a fitness coach who has a skill of bringing out the best in your clients, you could create an ebook with your own specialized routines and motivational tips. You could be responsible for the computers at your workplace and have picked up some useful ways to optimise PCs, which software is best for certain tasks or where to get a good deal. We spend many hours a week working and can learn some very useful information that others would be prepared to pay for.
Your hobby Everyone has a hobby so why not take it further. Earning an income from your hobby is a great idea. Imagine if you could earn enough to live on! Do you enjoy messing about with motorbikes? Building model aeroplanes? Keeping pet rabbits? You get the idea. People want to know things about this sort of thing. Where do most people go for information these days – the internet! When my son wanted to make a paper mache Roman helmet I didn’t have a clue. I typed it in on Google and guess what? Sites that will tell you just exactly how to do it!
All you need to do is to recommend places to buy a rabbit, specialist motorcycle parts or the best models (so long as the provider has an affiliate scheme) and you could be earning commission from your knowledge gained from your hobby.
A special area of interest Perhaps like me you are fascinated by military history and visit battlefields or go on tours. Why not write about a particular period of history, the battles and the soldiers. You could recommend books, model soldiers and the best tour companies to use and again earn a commission. A popular topic for an ecommerce website is travel. Do you have a favourite holiday destination you visit on a regular basis? Do you know of great places to visit that a casual visitor would miss? Travel reviews written by ‘real’ people who have been there are very popular. Potential visitors want to know the real story behind the glossy brochures. You can tell it how it is, recommend the places to visit and the places to avoid. You set up a program with the hotels, villas and resorts and earn a commission!
An unusual/ interesting past time Okay this could be included under hobby but it gives me another subheading. Are you a member of an historic society who dresses up and re-enacts the lives of our ancestors? What a wealth of information and interesting stories you would have to share. Do you work in a wildlife sanctuary as a volunteer? Restore vintage cars? A part-time DJ or children’s party clown? Your knowledge and experience could be of interest to other people. This makes you the expert and they will listen to what you have to say AND your recommendations with commission involved of course. There are plenty of opportunities to exploit your knowledge and experience to make money. Choose a topic you have a passion for and it won’t seem like work at all!
The internet is growing rapidly with many thousands of new users appearing every day. Never before has it been possible to reach such a huge potential market with very little outlay. If you are willing to put in the work and experiment, you could build a substantial second income, and who knows, one day you could give up the day job and become an internet entrepreneur
When a colleague of mine mentioned she was going to set up an internet business I was intrigued but wasn’t tempted myself. I didn’t have the expertise and wouldn’t know the first thing about creating and setting up a website let alone the business side of it. However, when after a few months she started to earn some serious money my attitude changed.
After doing a bit of investigation I purchased a product that would do most of the technical stuff for me and set about deciding how I could earn an income from my PC. It really wasn’t quite so difficult as I had imagined it to be. This is not to say it doesn’t involve a lot of work. It does! But for me it quickly become almost like a hobby and doesn’t feel like work at all. If you want to get rich quick this isn’t the way to do it – but let’s face it, that isn’t how things work.
Yet, if you want to build your passive income then this is the way. You will have to buy a few products to set you up but if you do your research properly this will be money well spent – it should pay back many, many times over.
Now you may ask - what expertise do I have that could earn an income? This is the big question and a pretty important one to! Sit down with a pencil and paper and write down all the options you have, these could be
Your expertise in your current job. You may be a fitness coach who has a skill of bringing out the best in your clients, you could create an ebook with your own specialized routines and motivational tips. You could be responsible for the computers at your workplace and have picked up some useful ways to optimise PCs, which software is best for certain tasks or where to get a good deal. We spend many hours a week working and can learn some very useful information that others would be prepared to pay for.
Your hobby Everyone has a hobby so why not take it further. Earning an income from your hobby is a great idea. Imagine if you could earn enough to live on! Do you enjoy messing about with motorbikes? Building model aeroplanes? Keeping pet rabbits? You get the idea. People want to know things about this sort of thing. Where do most people go for information these days – the internet! When my son wanted to make a paper mache Roman helmet I didn’t have a clue. I typed it in on Google and guess what? Sites that will tell you just exactly how to do it!
All you need to do is to recommend places to buy a rabbit, specialist motorcycle parts or the best models (so long as the provider has an affiliate scheme) and you could be earning commission from your knowledge gained from your hobby.
A special area of interest Perhaps like me you are fascinated by military history and visit battlefields or go on tours. Why not write about a particular period of history, the battles and the soldiers. You could recommend books, model soldiers and the best tour companies to use and again earn a commission. A popular topic for an ecommerce website is travel. Do you have a favourite holiday destination you visit on a regular basis? Do you know of great places to visit that a casual visitor would miss? Travel reviews written by ‘real’ people who have been there are very popular. Potential visitors want to know the real story behind the glossy brochures. You can tell it how it is, recommend the places to visit and the places to avoid. You set up a program with the hotels, villas and resorts and earn a commission!
An unusual/ interesting past time Okay this could be included under hobby but it gives me another subheading. Are you a member of an historic society who dresses up and re-enacts the lives of our ancestors? What a wealth of information and interesting stories you would have to share. Do you work in a wildlife sanctuary as a volunteer? Restore vintage cars? A part-time DJ or children’s party clown? Your knowledge and experience could be of interest to other people. This makes you the expert and they will listen to what you have to say AND your recommendations with commission involved of course. There are plenty of opportunities to exploit your knowledge and experience to make money. Choose a topic you have a passion for and it won’t seem like work at all!
The internet is growing rapidly with many thousands of new users appearing every day. Never before has it been possible to reach such a huge potential market with very little outlay. If you are willing to put in the work and experiment, you could build a substantial second income, and who knows, one day you could give up the day job and become an internet entrepreneur
SSL Certificates - Secure Server Certificates
What is SSL?
SSL certificates are generally used with ecommerce shopping carts, or anywhere you want to collect information from a user securely on your website. If you use a secure server certificate with a form; and that form emails the results to you; keep in mind that the email is not secure.
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer): Creates an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. CA (Certificate Authority): The vendor you will get the secure server certificate from CSR (Certificate Signing Request): A text file generated by a web server. A CSR looks like this:
-----BEGIN NEW CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----
MIIDGgBNAGkAYwByAG8AcwBvAGYAdAAgAFIAUwBBACAAUwB
AG4AZQBsACAAQwByAHkAcAB0AG8AZwByAGEAcABoAGkAYwl
L0ygNwwNIvKLMPq4/LcUkZ9Oo4AssXW5mvvhHWGz2RWYRhrw8o
-----END NEW CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----
First, you need to decide whether to use your hosting shared SSL certificate if they offer it. The URL to your store will look something like:
https://theirserver.com/youruserid/your/path/to/store.html
Or do you want to get your own SSL certificate? The URL will look like:
https://yourdomainname.com
If you decide to use your hosts' shared secure server certificate, then all you need to do is find out the path you need to use to call your files securely, and you will be on your way.
If you decide to get your own SSL certificate, this is generally what happens.
You first need to decide who you are going to get your SSL certificate from. It is a good idea to make sure your host supports your particular vendor. Some certificate authority vendors are:
* Thawte
* Verisign
* Comodo
* You can also review several vendors at a glance at WhichSSL
Before getting your own SSL certificate, you will need to do some reading on what your chosen Certificate Authority requires for a secure certificate, and you'll also need to come up with some documentation. There are several steps to buying a secure server certificate, once you have decided on a vendor.
This is an overview, not written in stone. Each CA is different, so make sure you read their documentation and what they require. Here is an idea of what they want:
All documentation that is requested must match *exactly*. Secure certificate authorities will verify that your organization actually exists, so they know they are issuing to the correct company. You will need to prove that the Organization Name and the Domain name are in fact yours to use.
Steps you'll be taking:
* Gather required documentation
* Have your host generate a CSR
* Complete certificate authority online application
* Certificate authority will process your request
* Pickup and install your SSL certificate (usually an URL is emailed to you to download the secure server certificate)
* Depending on the vendor, it can take a few hours to a few days.
* Send secure certificate to host for installation. (Send in plain text)
Once your web hosting provider receives this information; they will generate the CSR and send it back to you in plain text. You then send it on to Verisign or Thawte, or whoever you have chosen as your secure certificate authority. They will then generate a SSL certificate for you which you will send back to your host for installation. Your web host may charge a fee for installation in addition to what your SSL certificate vendor charges.
Something to think about:
If you've decided to purchase your own SSL certificate, you will need to decide how you want your URL to be called. If you, as a rule, call your domain name in your coding as www.yourdomainname.com, then make sure you indicate this to your host when you request a CSR from them. If you don't, and you get the certificate for yourdomainname.com (without the www), this will cause browser errors, making the certificate seem insecure, and you will need to change your coding.
SSL certificates are generally used with ecommerce shopping carts, or anywhere you want to collect information from a user securely on your website. If you use a secure server certificate with a form; and that form emails the results to you; keep in mind that the email is not secure.
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer): Creates an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. CA (Certificate Authority): The vendor you will get the secure server certificate from CSR (Certificate Signing Request): A text file generated by a web server. A CSR looks like this:
-----BEGIN NEW CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----
MIIDGgBNAGkAYwByAG8AcwBvAGYAdAAgAFIAUwBBACAAUwB
AG4AZQBsACAAQwByAHkAcAB0AG8AZwByAGEAcABoAGkAYwl
L0ygNwwNIvKLMPq4/LcUkZ9Oo4AssXW5mvvhHWGz2RWYRhrw8o
-----END NEW CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----
First, you need to decide whether to use your hosting shared SSL certificate if they offer it. The URL to your store will look something like:
https://theirserver.com/youruserid/your/path/to/store.html
Or do you want to get your own SSL certificate? The URL will look like:
https://yourdomainname.com
If you decide to use your hosts' shared secure server certificate, then all you need to do is find out the path you need to use to call your files securely, and you will be on your way.
If you decide to get your own SSL certificate, this is generally what happens.
You first need to decide who you are going to get your SSL certificate from. It is a good idea to make sure your host supports your particular vendor. Some certificate authority vendors are:
* Thawte
* Verisign
* Comodo
* You can also review several vendors at a glance at WhichSSL
Before getting your own SSL certificate, you will need to do some reading on what your chosen Certificate Authority requires for a secure certificate, and you'll also need to come up with some documentation. There are several steps to buying a secure server certificate, once you have decided on a vendor.
This is an overview, not written in stone. Each CA is different, so make sure you read their documentation and what they require. Here is an idea of what they want:
All documentation that is requested must match *exactly*. Secure certificate authorities will verify that your organization actually exists, so they know they are issuing to the correct company. You will need to prove that the Organization Name and the Domain name are in fact yours to use.
Steps you'll be taking:
* Gather required documentation
* Have your host generate a CSR
* Complete certificate authority online application
* Certificate authority will process your request
* Pickup and install your SSL certificate (usually an URL is emailed to you to download the secure server certificate)
* Depending on the vendor, it can take a few hours to a few days.
* Send secure certificate to host for installation. (Send in plain text)
Once your web hosting provider receives this information; they will generate the CSR and send it back to you in plain text. You then send it on to Verisign or Thawte, or whoever you have chosen as your secure certificate authority. They will then generate a SSL certificate for you which you will send back to your host for installation. Your web host may charge a fee for installation in addition to what your SSL certificate vendor charges.
Something to think about:
If you've decided to purchase your own SSL certificate, you will need to decide how you want your URL to be called. If you, as a rule, call your domain name in your coding as www.yourdomainname.com, then make sure you indicate this to your host when you request a CSR from them. If you don't, and you get the certificate for yourdomainname.com (without the www), this will cause browser errors, making the certificate seem insecure, and you will need to change your coding.
Online Shopping - It's A Small World
With all the online shopping sites today, it's amazing that you can stumble across someone in your own home town running an online business, and who would have ever guessed.
So no matter how big you think the online world is, and it really is big, it's still a small world. One of our friends was shopping online and wanted to ask the merchant a question so she called. When the girl that answered the phone asked for our friend's phone number she realized it was from her own hometown.
Even though it is a small world, there is a growing fascination and even compulsion to buy online. And why not? You can access more sites and products in such a small amount of time and never crank the car, let alone having to fight traffic.
It's nothing new but it is very much here to stay. So if you are thinking about entering the online world and starting your own business, the most important thing you can do is to do your homework. Research first and save yourself lots of time and money.
Where do you start? Online of course. The main thing you need to do is act. You can think, look, study and talk all you want, but until you act it will never happen. Don't wait another minute act today. I did and you can see the results at www.ochashomeshop.com
Ocha has worked in sales for over 23 years in the distrubution industry. He owns his own business in the building maintenance industry as well. Now he has started a business in the online world, which he says is proving to be the most fun and rewarding venture to date.
So no matter how big you think the online world is, and it really is big, it's still a small world. One of our friends was shopping online and wanted to ask the merchant a question so she called. When the girl that answered the phone asked for our friend's phone number she realized it was from her own hometown.
Even though it is a small world, there is a growing fascination and even compulsion to buy online. And why not? You can access more sites and products in such a small amount of time and never crank the car, let alone having to fight traffic.
It's nothing new but it is very much here to stay. So if you are thinking about entering the online world and starting your own business, the most important thing you can do is to do your homework. Research first and save yourself lots of time and money.
Where do you start? Online of course. The main thing you need to do is act. You can think, look, study and talk all you want, but until you act it will never happen. Don't wait another minute act today. I did and you can see the results at www.ochashomeshop.com
Ocha has worked in sales for over 23 years in the distrubution industry. He owns his own business in the building maintenance industry as well. Now he has started a business in the online world, which he says is proving to be the most fun and rewarding venture to date.
How to Avoid Negative Feedback on eBay
If you are a regular eBay user then I am sure you will have seen someone with a negative feedback comment in their profile. Negative feedback is usually posted when a buyer and seller have a difference in opinion about a certain product, or one of the parties fails to fulfil their part of the transaction.
If you are a seller on eBay, your feedback profile is the most important part of your business. One negative comment from an unscrupulous buyer could damage your reputation and more importantly damage your sales and profits! As a seller on eBay you want to avoid getting negative feedback comments at all costs, let me show you how to do this.
To begin with ALWAYS make sure you are polite to your customers, I shouldn't need to write this because all good sellers know that it is vital to be polite with your buyers. If you are polite with them in all correspondence then you should be able to work out any problems that you are having. No matter how rude the buyer is when corresponding with you, always keep a cool head and reply to them with a courteous email. If the buyer is a reasonable person then you will be able to resolve your differences without risking a negative feedback.
What if that doesn't work I hear you cry! Well don't worry, even if the buyer leaves you a negative comment after your polite emails there is still a way to get the feedback withdrawn. I'm sure you will have heard of the term "Mutual Feedback Withdrawal". This is where both parties (the buyer and seller) agree that the feedback comment is no longer justified and decide to remove the comments. You can apply for a negative feedback withdrawal via an on-line form on the eBay website, once you have submitted the form the other party must accept the request within 30 days, if they accept the request then your feedback will be removed, it will still be displayed to the public but the negative score will have been removed from your profile.
Before requesting a mutual feedback withdrawal you should contact the other party again via email and tell them (politely of course!) that you would like the matter to be resolved. Discuss the problem with them and try to find some level ground, do your best to solve the problem for them, you could even offer them a full refund or ask them to return the item to you if they are not happy with it. Once you have resolved the dispute ask them if they would be willing to withdraw the negative feedback, when they reply simply fill out the on-line form on eBay and as long as they accept the request your feedback will be removed.
If your trading partner rejects your polite emails and your mutual withdrawal request then unfortunately you are stuck with the feedback. However there is still time for some damage limitation! You can respond to all feedback comments that you have left and received via the eBay feedback forum. You can find this part of eBay by going to your feedback profile, then look at the top of the page and you will see some links that say - Home > Community > Feedback Forum > Member Profile. Click on the link that says "Feedback Forum", you will then see links to the pages you are looking for. Click on the link that says "Reply to feedback received" and you will be able to reply to your negative feedback comment. You should then leave a brief (polite!) reply stating the problem you had with the other party. Although replying to your comment wont remove it, it will show other potential buyers that you tried to resolve the situation and that you do care about your customers and your feedback profile.
One thing I haven't mentioned throughout this article is responding to the negative comment with a negative comment of your own. No matter how tempting it may seem DON`T DO IT! Immediately sending a negative comment to the other party involved will more than likely make the situation worse and will harm your chances of resolving the dispute successfully. The only time I would leave a negative comment for the other party is AFTER you have followed the instructions in this article!
If you are a seller on eBay, your feedback profile is the most important part of your business. One negative comment from an unscrupulous buyer could damage your reputation and more importantly damage your sales and profits! As a seller on eBay you want to avoid getting negative feedback comments at all costs, let me show you how to do this.
To begin with ALWAYS make sure you are polite to your customers, I shouldn't need to write this because all good sellers know that it is vital to be polite with your buyers. If you are polite with them in all correspondence then you should be able to work out any problems that you are having. No matter how rude the buyer is when corresponding with you, always keep a cool head and reply to them with a courteous email. If the buyer is a reasonable person then you will be able to resolve your differences without risking a negative feedback.
What if that doesn't work I hear you cry! Well don't worry, even if the buyer leaves you a negative comment after your polite emails there is still a way to get the feedback withdrawn. I'm sure you will have heard of the term "Mutual Feedback Withdrawal". This is where both parties (the buyer and seller) agree that the feedback comment is no longer justified and decide to remove the comments. You can apply for a negative feedback withdrawal via an on-line form on the eBay website, once you have submitted the form the other party must accept the request within 30 days, if they accept the request then your feedback will be removed, it will still be displayed to the public but the negative score will have been removed from your profile.
Before requesting a mutual feedback withdrawal you should contact the other party again via email and tell them (politely of course!) that you would like the matter to be resolved. Discuss the problem with them and try to find some level ground, do your best to solve the problem for them, you could even offer them a full refund or ask them to return the item to you if they are not happy with it. Once you have resolved the dispute ask them if they would be willing to withdraw the negative feedback, when they reply simply fill out the on-line form on eBay and as long as they accept the request your feedback will be removed.
If your trading partner rejects your polite emails and your mutual withdrawal request then unfortunately you are stuck with the feedback. However there is still time for some damage limitation! You can respond to all feedback comments that you have left and received via the eBay feedback forum. You can find this part of eBay by going to your feedback profile, then look at the top of the page and you will see some links that say - Home > Community > Feedback Forum > Member Profile. Click on the link that says "Feedback Forum", you will then see links to the pages you are looking for. Click on the link that says "Reply to feedback received" and you will be able to reply to your negative feedback comment. You should then leave a brief (polite!) reply stating the problem you had with the other party. Although replying to your comment wont remove it, it will show other potential buyers that you tried to resolve the situation and that you do care about your customers and your feedback profile.
One thing I haven't mentioned throughout this article is responding to the negative comment with a negative comment of your own. No matter how tempting it may seem DON`T DO IT! Immediately sending a negative comment to the other party involved will more than likely make the situation worse and will harm your chances of resolving the dispute successfully. The only time I would leave a negative comment for the other party is AFTER you have followed the instructions in this article!
Guidelines to Effective Marketing Testing
One of the biggest keys to the ongoing success of any marketing campaign is to understand that it's not perfect. Results can almost always be improved; but figuring out how to get those improvements, that's done by testing.
Too many marketing efforts have gone down the tubes because marketers "went with their gut" on a campaign, believing they knew best what the customer would want. Remember that "New & Improved" ... sometimes isn't.
In truth, it is your customers that will tell you what's working and what's not; you simply have to give them a chance, through logical, controlled testing programs.
You can test practically anything. Price points; merchandise mix; website design; advertising message; and so on. All the elements that go into a buying decision can and should be tested.
Here are some key guidelines to effective marketing testing:
*Test against a control. You learned back in science class that you've got to have a standard that your test runs against, to see if you're actually making any improvements. Your "control" is your current product, or sales copy, or whatever. Your current performance is the baseline you want to test against. Run your test against your control, head-to-head, at the same time.
*Test the big stuff. As a general rule, you want to invest the time, energy and money into testing the things that can make a big difference. Example: Rather than testing a change in the color scheme of your website, test a complete redesign.
*Test the right stuff. The right stuff to test is stuff that's scalable if it works - meaning, it could be rolled out and become your control. Example: If you tested offering a specific item as a premium, you'd want to be sure that item was available on an ongoing basis, should the test work.
*Test one thing at a time. Another lesson you learned in science. Limit your variables, or you won't know what made a difference. Example: Don't test a redesign of your website AND a premium offer at the same time. If results improve, you won't know which made the difference.
*Tracking is the key. Be sure you've got a solid tracking process in place, so you can correctly analyze your test results.
*Test continuously. All tests should have a specific start and stop date - but you should never stop testing. Once one test is complete and you've analyzed the data, start testing something else.
Remember, no matter how well you're doing, you can almost always do better. So test your way to even greater success!
Too many marketing efforts have gone down the tubes because marketers "went with their gut" on a campaign, believing they knew best what the customer would want. Remember that "New & Improved" ... sometimes isn't.
In truth, it is your customers that will tell you what's working and what's not; you simply have to give them a chance, through logical, controlled testing programs.
You can test practically anything. Price points; merchandise mix; website design; advertising message; and so on. All the elements that go into a buying decision can and should be tested.
Here are some key guidelines to effective marketing testing:
*Test against a control. You learned back in science class that you've got to have a standard that your test runs against, to see if you're actually making any improvements. Your "control" is your current product, or sales copy, or whatever. Your current performance is the baseline you want to test against. Run your test against your control, head-to-head, at the same time.
*Test the big stuff. As a general rule, you want to invest the time, energy and money into testing the things that can make a big difference. Example: Rather than testing a change in the color scheme of your website, test a complete redesign.
*Test the right stuff. The right stuff to test is stuff that's scalable if it works - meaning, it could be rolled out and become your control. Example: If you tested offering a specific item as a premium, you'd want to be sure that item was available on an ongoing basis, should the test work.
*Test one thing at a time. Another lesson you learned in science. Limit your variables, or you won't know what made a difference. Example: Don't test a redesign of your website AND a premium offer at the same time. If results improve, you won't know which made the difference.
*Tracking is the key. Be sure you've got a solid tracking process in place, so you can correctly analyze your test results.
*Test continuously. All tests should have a specific start and stop date - but you should never stop testing. Once one test is complete and you've analyzed the data, start testing something else.
Remember, no matter how well you're doing, you can almost always do better. So test your way to even greater success!
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