Ecommerce Information |
|
Your Readers are Publishers Too
Too often we charge ahead and treat the web as if it were just like any other medium. We know it isn't, but somehow we just can't resist retaining complete control of the creation and publication of our website and newsletter content. Meanwhile, our readers are writing blogs, participating in discussion lists, writing book and video reviews, adding their opinions on shopping comparison sites, completing online surveys and so on. Our readers are also online publishers. They are creating valuable, interesting content every day. There are two opportunities here. First, you can have your readers contribute content for your site and your newsletters. Take a look at Amazon.com. They have thousands of pages of content written by their customers. Imagine the cost saving of having their customers write all those reviews. And it's not just about saving money. It's also about recognizing that the aggregate knowledge of all your customers is a great deal larger than that of any individual writer. When you invite your readers to participate in the creation of content, you are tapping into an extraordinarily broad base of knowledge and experience. Also, when you get your customers and subscribers involved in writing, you are building content that is directly relevant to the interests of your readers. As editors and marketers it is sometimes tempting to create the content that *we* think is best. Invite your readers to contribute, and all of a sudden you'll start building content that is much better attuned to the interests of the people who come to your site. In addition, you increase the credibility of all your content. You are no longer perceived as just another publisher who pushes their views and marketing messages. Slowly, that perception will shift. You will be seen as a company or organization that has the courage to open the doors and publish outside views and opinions. Even contrary views and opinions. And there's more. This is where the second opportunity lies. When you include reader-created content to your site and newsletters, you are transforming the nature of the relationship between yourself and your customers or subscribers. Your site and newsletters cease to be *your* places, they become a shared space. When your readers become participants in the creation of content, they take on a small element of ownership. And when your site or newsletter becomes a shared place, the perceptions of all your readers will begin to shift. Those who have made contributions will want to come back more often, will want to contribute more often. And word of mouth will spread faster too. If someone has found their review, question, interview or opinions posted on your site or in your newsletters, you can be sure that they will be more likely to tell their friends and colleagues. Word of mouth is a primary driver in the growth of community and network sites and lists. Include your readers in the creation of your content. Share the burden of writing. Invite your readers to become participants in the growth of your business. Increase the credibility of all of your content. And watch the power of word of mouth increase your site traffic and newsletter subscriber base. Nick Usborne is a copywriter, author, speaker and advocat of good writing. You can access all his archived newsletter articles on copywriting and writing for the web at his Excess Voice site. You'll find more articles and resources on how to make money as a freelance writer at his Freelance Writing Success site.
MORE RESOURCES: How an ecommerce site increased commercial monthly organic traffic from 37K to 210K Search Engine Land Shopify Acquires Peel Insights to Boost E-Commerce Analytics Business Insider Shopify Stock: Shopify Earnings Top Views. E-Commerce Giant Plunges On Outlook Investor's Business Daily Arto Owner on Generational Businesses Practical Ecommerce Holy Ecommerce! WB Invites Shoppers into the Luxurious World of Bruce Wayne with New 'Retail Storytelling' Experience Retail TouchPoints Retail ecommerce spending grows in first third of year, Adobe data shows Digital Commerce 360 How to Start an E-Commerce Business in 2024 WebProNews Speakeasy Co. Unveils 2023 eCommerce Year In Review: Key Insights on Consumer Behavior and BevAlc Trends PR Newswire Google Shopping May Show How Many Shoppers Purchased On Your E-Commerce Site Search Engine Roundtable Adobe: E-commerce Spend Grows to $331.6B, as Consumers Trade Down to Cheaper Goods Online MESA Website Ecommerce earnings recap: What you missed from Aritzia, Peloton and more Digital Commerce 360 New Ecommerce Tools: May 7, 2024 Practical Ecommerce How a TikTok ban could impact ecommerce retailers Digital Commerce 360 Google Revs Ecommerce SERPs Practical Ecommerce Essendant’s new interim CEO looks to fast-track B2B ecommerce Digital Commerce 360 News / Airlines face Q4 capacity 'balancing act' as they weigh up ecommerce potential theloadstar.com From Home Delivery & Store Pickups to AI Integration: The Key to Embracing Ecommerce for Grocery Retailers MarketScale Ahold Delhaize ecommerce switch helps Q1 sales in the U.S. Supermarket News Market Map: Ecommerce plots a comeback with 'prepurchase' startups PitchBook News & Analysis Kazakhstan’s E-Commerce Surges by 79% in 2023 Astana Times Watsco Q1 ecommerce growth outpaces total revenue growth Digital Commerce 360 Builders FirstSource eyes $1 billion in digital sales by 2026 Digital Commerce 360 Global Access Celebrates 22 Years of Empowering Cross-Border Ecommerce with Revolutionary Technology The Herald Journal Amazon introduces new shoppable ad formats Digital Commerce 360 Adobe: 2024 e-commerce spend exceeds $330 billion so far Chain Store Age Latam E-Commerce Giant Mercado Libre Holds $40 Million in Crypto – News Bytes Bitcoin News Bitcoin.com News Shopify revenue and GMV grow more than 20% in Q1 Digital Commerce 360 BigCommerce names a former Accenture executive as president Digital Commerce 360 Data, online delivery and the search for continual e-commerce improvement ComputerWeekly.com B2B buyers want (and use) multiple digital sales channels Digital Commerce 360 New retailers partner with DoorDash, Instacart for last-mile delivery Digital Commerce 360 TikTok to expand e-commerce business into Mexico, major Western European markets South China Morning Post US ecommerce sales penetration hits new high in 2023 Digital Commerce 360 What Fashion's E-Commerce and Tech Professionals Need to Know Today The Business of Fashion ACV Auctions posts a strong Q1 Digital Commerce 360 Platforms see scorching summer sending ecommerce sales soaring The Economic Times Contentsquare CMO Reveals Why Brands’ Best Acquisition Strategy is a Retention Strategy Retail TouchPoints Goodwill opens Wellsboro ecommerce online location | Local | tiogapublishing.com The Wellsboro Gazette Alibaba’s flagship shopping site starts biggest revamp in 7 years South China Morning Post Liquidity Services posts mixed Q1 results for its B2B surplus assets marketplace Digital Commerce 360 Payment cards lead e-commerce payments in South Korea Electronic Payments International E-Commerce Bolsters Brick-and-Mortar Business Floor Focus E-commerce spend grows to $331.6 billion, as consumers trade down to cheaper goods online: Adobe Storyboard18 Costco ecommerce sales grow 3x faster than total sales in Q2 Digital Commerce 360 I quit my blue-collar job, made $1M on 2 ecommerce businesses Business Insider Expat Google engineering exec Claire Southey heads home to join ecommerce marketer Rokt Startup Daily Specialty Food News Specialty Food Association Ecommerce earnings recap: What you missed from Columbia, Harley-Davidson and more Digital Commerce 360 Descartes’ Annual Ecommerce Analysis Throws Light On Growth Of Online Buying - Travel And Tour World Descartes’ Annual Ecommerce Analysis Throws Light On Growth Of Online Buying Travel And Tour World Legal Business Partner - Ecommerce Law.asia MerchantPro brings eCommerce leaders to the 2nd edition of dotCommerce Digital Forum on June 11th Romania-Insider.com E-Commerce Study Shows Online Buying Grows but Consumers Still Face Delivery Problems Supply and Demand Chain Executive The top 10 ecommerce sites in the US eMarketer Worldwide Retail Ecommerce Forecast 2024 eMarketer Exploring Temu's Fast Delivery Revolution in E-Commerce Retail Merchandiser Has the Luxury E-Commerce Bubble Burst? The New York Times B2B Strategy Insights: B2B Ecommerce Handbook—Going More Digital Digital Commerce 360 Alibaba subsidiary Lingxi Games shuts down game engine project South China Morning Post Walmart eCommerce Raises the Bar and Celebrates 2023 Walmart Corporate |
RELATED ARTICLES
Online Customer Service - The Cornerstone of a Successful Online Business Online customer service is still one of the most frequently overlooked aspects of running a successful online business. Yet, in the highly competitive world of Internet business, it could be (and should be) the one thing that sets you apart from your competition!Most Internet businesses that have a drive to succeed focus all of their time and resources on building a great site, and then trying to drive tons of traffic to that site. Prompt Delivery Rules - Internet Product Sales The Internet is the fastest growing source of mail order sales. The explosive growth in the goods and services sold online has in the past taken many online sellers by surprise: demand has outpaced supply, depleting inventories and disappointing customers. The House Of Print.Com Publishing has always been a difficult business to promotesuccessfully, which titles by which authors to promote, which genre, will it be fiction or non-fiction? Will theysell? Will they make money, both for the publisher and for the author? So many questions which there is no definitiveanswer and so the publisher takes a chance with his moneyand his time and resources and decides on which books to publish, promote and distribute to the bookshops. He may only distribute to bookshops in his own country and if theydon't sell well enough, will not be seen by anyone else in the world. Web Store - Why Do You Need One? Internet has opened a new era of business opportunities. Each day, thousands of new consumers are joining the Internet. Why Suppliers Should Use B2B Exchanges Business to business e-commerce is on the rise! Worldwide B2B e-commerce revenues are estimated to reach around US$ 2 trillion in 2004. This is a significant leap from last year's US$ 1. Google Catalogs - Old Gashioned Mail Order Meets High Tech Search In addition to Google's Froogle shopping service (still in beta), which features a searchable database of online merchants, Google is also beta-testing their Google Catalog service. Google Catalogs provides a searchable central repository of hundreds of mail-order catalogs. Accept Credit Cards Online Without a Merchant Account There are two major ways to accept credit cards on your website. The first and most expensive is to have your own merchant account. Selling Globally Through a B2B Exchange Participation in B2B Exchanges is increasingly becoming one of the fastest growing marketing methods for businesses looking foraugmenting their client base beyond their local markets. Any good B2B Exchange offers direct contact with thousands of prospective buyers in a single location. 7 Suggestions for an i-Mom Friendly Web Site (e-commerce news and statistics) The Internet began as a male dominated medium, but those days are long gone and merchants are advised to make sure their websites are female friendly to faciliate the rising surge of busy i-Moms shopping online for their family and friends.Women now account for 51. Online Lead Generation: Can it Work for My Business? Business-to-business service providers have a wide range of tactics they can deploy to gain new clients or customers. Direct mail; cold calling; TV, radio or print advertising are all ways in which B2B services gain new customers. Ecommerce Comes from Customer Satisfaction Online shopping is convenient, but many companies whose web sites do brisk sales often leave consumers wanting. That's according to ForeSee Results, a research company that studied customer satisfaction among Internet shoppers. Online Merchant Account - Costs and Alternatives Merchant Account BasicsA Merchant Account is a commercial bank account established by a merchant to receive payment via credit cards. Three parts are required to accept credit cards. Developing a Winning e-Commerce Strategy One bright spot on the economic horizons around the world seems to be continued consumer spending and e-commerce is clearly a part of this, with sales estimated to be in excess of $9.9 billion in the next three months according to ACNielsen. The Census and the E-Commerce Wave Understanding business and product sales can sometimes put me in a whirlwind. My job tends to get me involved with loads of different opportunities dealing with all sorts of product lines. Grow Your Business Using B2B Emarketplace - Part I If you are a small to medium size company and selling or planning to sell products and services over the Net and still did not try out emarketplaces, you are simply loosing a great opportunity!Research firm eMarketer predicts that worldwide B2B ecommerce revenues will surpass US$ 1.4 trillion by the end of 2003. How Do You Make Money Online? If you learn how other people make money online, I mean really study how it's done and ask a lot of questions, there is no reason in the world you cannot make money on the internet as well.How do people make money with websites? There are literally tens of thousands of things people make money on from the net. Shopping Cart Features to Consider Often the simplest Web stores have the most success. But shoppers like special features depending upon the type of store you have, how you market and use them, and if you don't overwhelm the shopper. Drop-Shipping - A Great Way of Making Money Online Using the Internet to sell products and services to ever increasing number of net users is a good way to start your own business. If you are not taking advantage of this great opportunity you are just missing the boat! Consider this: e-commerce, contrary to popular believe, is thriving and increasing at a double digit growth rate. Grow Your Business Using B2B Emarketplace - Part II Selecting the right emarketplaceAlthough, IT spending has been staying flat for the last several years, corporate spending in e-business is gaining significant ground and at present surpasses 20 percent of overall IT budget.This means, more and more businesses are undertaking ecommerce initiatives, and as a result increasing sales, streamlining business processes and dramatically boosting productivity. Credit Card Merchant Account Basics Knowing which credit card merchant account to get can be very confusing. There are thousands and thousands of banks, merchant account providers and third party sales teams that can offer you all kinds of incentives. |
home | site map |
© 2006 |