Email Marketing Strategy 2 Things You Must Know Of Your Subscribers

Average subscriber values (ASV) for an Internet marketing professional are those numbers that actually tell you if your email marketing strategies are working. Most often, ASV applies to email subscriber lists, but is not exclusive of other small business marketing registries.

Types of Subscribers

The value of a subscriber depends upon the direction of your campaign. There are often small business marketing plans that can only accommodate a particular niche of the whole Internet marketing population. By recognizing the value of certain target audiences, you can incorporate your search engine optimization methods to attract those groups and raise your conversion rates.

• Demographics. Depending on your product or service, there may be a certain demographic group to which you direct your web 2.0 marketing strategy. Those who fit into the audience profile are the ones calculated into any average subscribe value (ASV).

• Expertise. The value of your subscriber is directly related to the usefulness of your product or service. Subscribers are likely to have varying levels of knowledge. For example, subscribers considered to be experts may be web programmers or developers in search of a new browser add-on while other subscribers may be novices who need a quick how-to guide to customizing the browser toolbar.

• Commitment. The length of relationship can affect the average subscriber value in the eyes of the small business marketing professional. Those subscribers with an established history may be more likely to be considered valuable to an online marketer; however, new subscribers reflect a potential value that cannot be ignored.
  

By recognizing not only the current value of established subscribers but also the future value of potential subscribers, adjustments may be made to such marketing tactics such as search engine optimization and web site design.

Types of Subscriber Value

Subscribers are valued in various ways for their contributions to your Internet marketing business. Obviously, active subscribers are those given the greatest consideration when evaluating average subscriber values (ASV) against email marketing goals. However, subscribers also have influence in other areas that give them an indirect value worthy of attention:

• Email. Email is the primary tool when calculating your average subscriber values. Your email lists include your subscribers. Avoid discounting the email lists your subscribers have that consist of groups to whom they forward your emails.

• Feedback. No matter how long your subscribers have been with you, they are of great value when they provide positive feedback supporting your products and services. Providing an outlet for posting opinions is a cheap and easy way to generate additional subscribers without any tedious list building.

• Referrals. Word of mouth, or blog, is a highly valuable means of building email lists and increasing subscriber numbers. Although not necessarily measurable through conventional ASV calculations, the value of your subscriber willing to promote your product independently is priceless.
  

Average subscriber values (ASV) are key statistics in the development and implementation of online marketing strategies. Using email list building, search engine optimization techniques, and web site design strategies, the values of subscribers can be increased exponentially if the multiple means of active subscriber-ship are taken into consideration.

Image Credit to mikeblogs

Transparency and Truth in a Web 2.0 World… How to Build Trust

Utilizing an affiliate marketing strategy in a Web 2.0 world offers many additional opportunities for customers and potential customers. To set yourself apart as an affiliate marketer, you must establish yourself as an expert and potential customers must believe you are credible. Transparency is key to a successful affiliate marketing program. You must be careful to maintain a good reputation online using carefully thought-out strategies, but not manipulative tactics. Being open and above-board with your readers is the best way of establishing credibility. Don’t tell them; show them.

One way to illustrate your expertise and credibility as an affiliate marketer is to create and maintain a blog. Free services, such as blogger.com or wordpress.com, offer you a space to create your own blog with little experience needed. Blogging is one of the most important steps you can take to set yourself apart from other affiliate marketers. Just be sure to set yourself apart in a positive way.

Blogger.com

Blogger.com is a free blogging service. It is run by Google, so if you have a Google email account (Gmail) you can use that username and password to create your blog. If not, you can click on “Create your blog” to get started. You pick your blog name, and consequently your URL. With just a few clicks, you are ready to begin posting new content to your blog. The best way to show your credibility and expertise on your affiliate program is to begin posting about your industry. Set yourself apart as the expert in your affiliate marketing program and the customers will come. You can include links to your products within your blog posts. By establishing an affiliate marketing blog to attract the attention of search engines, you will draw a following of customers.

Wordpress.com

Wordpress.com is another free blogging service and is also quite easy to set up. Similar to blogger.com, you choose your blog title and the URL. In just minutes, you can begin posting original content to grow your affiliate marketing program. By adding unique content, you draw potential customers to your site through search engines. Your growth potential as an affiliate marketer is endless. Just be sure you are building a positive name for yourself because a negative reputation can spread much more quickly.

Search engines are constantly looking for fresh content so building a blog and posting original content will draw a following to your site – and to your affiliate marketing program. Remember that transparency is the key. Blogging allows you to build an actual relationship with your readers. Treat them fairly and they will become your customers. They are you greatest asset. The product you are selling may, and probably will, change over time, but your customers will stay with you and buy repeatedly – if they trust you!

image credits to galleryquantum

Social Marketing: How Google’s Friend Connect Can Impact Your FriendRank

Google’s Friend Connect is the latest marketing tool in a long line of Google greats. As with all Google gadgets, Friend Connect keeps all Google tools tied together through one account. Now, small business owners may have yet another new social marketing competitor in Google’s FriendRank. Through social networking sites like Friend Connect, Google is able to see who has the highest number of contacts, related links, backlinks, etc. Here are just a few sources of data that may influence your worth via FriendRank:

Memberships. By joining social networking sites like Friend Connect, small business owners can improve their standing with Google’s FriendRank and improve their status in the social marketing arena. Both Friend Connect and FriendRank allow subscribers to make worthwhile connections with those of similar interests to positively shape the commercial attitudes of those who participate in the social networks.

• Quantity. Your social marketing strategy can only be successful through networks with a significant number of members. By joining those groups with a large following, you can more effectively impact the attitudes and actions of fellow members.

• Duration. Memberships that are not well-established indicate a newness that does not bode well for an enviable position with FriendRank. Long-term memberships tell FriendRank that you have made significant contacts and are a respected member of your various communities.

• Type. By allowing universal logins with Google, Yahoo!, AIM, and OpenID accounts, Google’s Friend Connect broadens your networking capabilities. The kind of groups you choose to join can then influence your target ad appeal according to FriendRank.

Friend Connect simplifies the process of finding and making “friends” through multiple social networking sites. FriendRank then uses information from the groups you choose to determine place specific target ads. By tracking group memberships and activities, Google’s FriendRank will try to present the most influential members with the most appropriate advertisements.

Friends. Your mother always told you that you are judged by the company you keep. Now Google FriendRank is following through with her threat. Small business marketing strategies may need some tweaking to take into account the target audience of not only the business itself but also those advertisers who are doing some targeting of their own.

• Number. With FriendRank, it is not just quality but quantity. Limited friendships mean fewer opportunities to have a lasting effect the behaviors within relative social networks and put a good word in for various products and services. Friend Connect can help you more efficiently find those friends that will add to your social marketing strategies.

• Frequency. How often other members choose to add you as a friend can affect how popular you are with FriendRank. Some reports show that FriendRank will even go as far as using your friends’ names in their target ads to attract your attention to the otherwise obsolete advertising banners placed of various social media pages.

Being selective when choosing social networking sites is becoming more important in the social marketing realm. Rather than joining every site you can find, your small business marketing strategy must now take into consideration which sites will give you more credibility and a higher rank among online advertisers.

Publications. “Publish or perish” has resurfaced as the motto to live by. Now it relates to the social marketing arena and those who are affiliated with various social networking sites. What you say and where you say it can give greater credence to your online presence.

• Articles. Say what you mean and mean what you say. And say it a lot. The more relevant articles you post the greater your chances of being judged an influential member of the online social marketing community.

• Comments. Your opinion is valuable with FriendRank. Take the time to not only join various social media sites but also contribute to them. By posting comments that will be read and passed along to other members, you can impact the placement of target ads as well as the probability of others’ following your advice.

Small business owners have been encouraged to take advantage of the social networking sites to spread the word about their products and services available. Sharing their expertise through the written word now carries more weight with those like Google’s FriendRank, who want to know who is reading, what they are reading, and where they are reading it.

Social marketing has been elevated to a whole new level. As the old saying goes, it is not what you know but who you know. By scanning the information from social media sites like Google Friend Connect, Google’s FriendRank can create target ads that will most efficiently affect the likelihood of generating business. As a small business owner, you are under the watchful eye of others to see how effective your online presence is to advertisers.

image credits to Binkiexxx

Video Marketing: The Three C’s for Small Businesses

As anyone involved in small business marketing knows, attracting and keep customers is paramount to success. The latest and greatest invention for small business entrepreneurs is establishing a video marketing strategy. Although there are many advantages to marketing with video, there are Three C’s to which you may refer when deciding whether to delve into video marketing for your small business.

C-No. 1: Cost.
The A-number 1 priority for small business marketing professionals should be the cost of advertising. With video marketing, your advantages include:

• Competition. As a small business marketer, you are able to increase your visibility among larger, more prominent competitors. By participating in the video marketing game, you are keeping the playing field even, regardless of the size of the team.


• Cut-backs. As the economy continues to decline, it is to your advantage to find more productive ways to spend your advertising dollar. By reducing your traditional advertising methods and increasing marketing with video you are able to remain competitive without jeopardizing your financial future.

As small business marketing plans continue to adjust to the demands of a weakened economy, video marketing continues to open doors for those small business competitors who need an innovative yet cost-effective means to get their message to the masses.

C-No. 2: Contact.

Through easy video marketing, you are able to establish personal contacts more easily without the demand of one-to-one exchanges. Marketing with video can open up other avenues as they relate to your small business contacts:

• Search engines. With video marketing, you increase your search engine results to include additional marketing strategies. A higher search engine results position results in an increase in web traffic and potential customers.


• Links. Take advantage of the linking capabilities available through the internet. By networking with sites of similar or related content, you can expand your number of contacts exponentially.
  

Make every effort to develop efficient means of making and keeping contacts to both increase and maintain web traffic. Video marketing can help you connect with the broadest of contacts through search engine indexing and link building.

C-No. 3: Coverage.

Forget demographics for a moment and realize the coverage potential video marketing has for your small business. Video has a universal appeal for any audience you wish to target.

• Local. Take advantage of the video craze and enhance your local marketing strategies with the support of marketing with video. With your knowledge of the local marketing landscape you can increase your reach and enlarge your customer base with an effective method of getting and keeping your customers’ attention.


• Global. There are obviously certain limitations to small business marketing and a global economy. Through online video marketing, you are able to reach those customers who might otherwise never know of your existence.
  

Although not all of the potential customers you reach with video marketing are within earshot, they are all within virtual reach with personal messaging through video marketing.

Video marketing is an established and efficient means of connecting with any audience. With video marketing you are not confined to a specific audience; rather, you have the open field on which to play. Marketing with video opens the door to a broader target audience and increases the amount of web traffic simply through the universal appeal of the approach.

image credits to punch for lunch