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Tag Archive for People

bikram | September 17, 2011
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Why Online Shopping is Witnessing Growing Popularity?

These days online shopping has taken over traditional shopping practice for multiple reasons. As a result, even big retail giants are coming up with their exclusive websites offering online shopping facility to combat the competition and keep up their sales figure. Here are some reasons why online shopping has taken a toll on our lives.

Lack of time in hand

When work life has gone through changes and life demands extended hours at work, who has time for leisure shopping? If favorite brand, style can be bought sitting in front of the computer at own convenient time what can be better than this? Often weekends are also busy with work, and if not people prefer to rest at home and spend time with the family rather than store hopping. Because of online shopping people can purchase stuffs even while working, during lunch breaks, at midnight and need not depend upon the shop’s timing.

Anytime, anywhere

Best part about online shopping is that you can purchase stuffs at your own leisure, without worrying about time, place etc. Sitting in China, you may buy a product from London, when it will be shipped to your home. You can buy at any point of the day, as online shops are open 24×7 to serve you.

Convenience

Yes, online shopping is all about buyer’s convenience and ease. You need not dress up, think twice before stepping out seeing the rainy weather, get car out of the garage and then finally reach your favorite store. You can sit in front of computer, take a bite of burger, hug your boyfriend, make twenty phone calls, write an email and at the same time browse through the website and place an order. Your convenience is treasured and valued.

Fast processing

In physical form shopping, advance plan often falls flat on face. One may plan to finish shopping and return home within two hours, but unexpected hurdles can tarnish your entire plan. You may get stuck in severe traffic jam of the road, face sudden snowfall and road block, safety threats, overcrowded showrooms, long queue at the billing counter and many other things. Your whole day may go wasted. In online shopping once you decide what to purchase, it takes just two minutes to finish the processing. You can buy with credit cards or debit cards, online banking or cash on delivery services. You may also pay on EMIs. What could be better than this?

Enjoy the ‘Buyer is King’ status, truly exert your power by shopping online.

Category: Articles | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
bikram | March 20, 2011
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Blogging and Social Media

The doomsayers are flat out wrong!

Social Media has become such a huge phenomenon, and many proclaimed that the rise of social media will kill blogging the way television killed the radio, or the Internet killed magazine, the newspaper, and what not. But, this time the doomsayers were flat out wrong.

Blogging did not go away, and social media didn’t become the blog-killer. It didn’t, and both co-existed amiably. What doomsayers forgot to realize that blog has a different purpose than social media. If I could draw a leaf from our life to understand what these people were saying then I will say if blogging is like the magazine you read then social media is akin to meeting you have with your friends, or may be a conference you attend.

How can a conference or friends’ gathering replace the need of magazines?

It cannot. Both are different. Rather the readership of magazine will increase because of word of mouth phenomena cutting loose during social gathering. And that is what has happened to blogging. Now more and more people are blogging on variety of different topics.

Social media has fueled the growth of blogging. Now more and more people are using their blogs to express themselves. Social media along with its status messages has brought writer out of every person. Earlier you couldn’t imaging people saying things that you see them writing on their Facebook walls.

Social media may be huge in its own right, but when it comes to blogging, even a force like Facebook is subservient to blogging.  Facebook is used by the bloggers to promote them, and it doesn’t work in the opposite direction. Facebook, twitter, MySpace, and the rest have turned into mere tool for bloggers to promote themselves.

What do you think about this? Has social media become the force or will become the force that will take the place of blogging? Use the comment box below and write in.

Category: blogging | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
bikram | February 19, 2011
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How to Improve Your Email Relevancy?

One of the most arduous tasks an email marketer has to accomplish is to make all his email messages relevant to the various target groups they are sent to. This task keeps many marketers awake through the nights, even on weekends.

To bring this debate to an end and to find what big guns of email marketing industry are doing to make their email relevant, MarketingShepra has run a survey taking a sample size of more than 1100 email marketers.

The result suggested that most of them (57%) use segmented email campaigns based on past behavior of its customers, whereas 47% said that they allow subscribers to specify their own email preferences. The third most used tactics was related to automation. 46% said that they have set a system that sends emails to people based on triggers. (See image for the complete survey result).

E-mail-message-relevancy

What do you think is the best tactics to improve email relevancy?

Category: Marketing | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
bikram | December 19, 2010
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Tips for Selecting a Domain Name

Web domain name says a lot about a website to its viewers. You just can’t question the importance of good and effective domain name, it has far reaching benefits. Online marketers, SEO experts swear by branding of domains. An apt brand name not only brings traffic to its website but also stays in the top position of search results. A good domain name also calls for maximum brand recall value. Do you know the basic rules of crafting a good domain name? Here are some tips for you.

Let your domain name speak for you

Don’t choose a generic brand name, which doesn’t talk about your website. Choose a name which is powerful, talks about your offering. Suppose you are a party make up provider; then you can name your brand – www.hotpartymakeup.com or www.partylook.com. Such brand names not only bear originality but also become memorable.

Always choose a crisp name

Long names are hardly memorable. Shorter names are easily remembered, are hardly spelled incorrect or typed wrong. But also remember, short names are hardly available, so think something unique. Don’t go for hyphenated brand names, they are confusing. In that case your traffic may land up in some other website.

Select appropriate Top Level Domain

Select most appropriate top level domain like .com, .edu, .net, .org. Remember .com is preferred the most and are easier to remember. People normally assume a website to be a .com only. So if it’s .net or .edu or .org you bear high risk of people landing up on other sites.

Avoid copyright disputes

Make sure your domain name doesn’t consist of any copyrighted keyword. If you try to take the advantage of high traffic generating websites by including their copyrighted keywords in your domain name you may land up in serious legal disputes. Prior to your purchase of domain name verify its authenticity.

Talk to experts

If you are new to the web business and don’t know much about domain name selection, take help of web experts. Domain name specialists will guide you to come up with a strategic process of domain name selection. Experts can give you tips about competitors and show what others are doing in the market. Don’t fall for web designing companies who sell domain name guidance services in a package form. Visit websites or forums where you can post your questions and experts answer back.

Category: Business | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
bikram | December 15, 2010
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How to do Brainstorming Sessions?

Brainstorming is an effective methodology often used to generate creative ‘out of the box’ solutions to a problem in hand. It is intended when people wish to break the monotonous outdated ideas or thoughts and come up with some fresh and new idea. Done in a group, brainstorming session is a relaxed, informal approach towards problem solving with lateral thinking. The idea behind brainstorming session is multiple ideas coming from people, which may seem quite crazy at the beginning but slowly form into a concrete idea. While one shoots own idea, another may share his own thought which could be coupled with the first idea. The advantage of multiple creative mind synergies is what brainstorming session cherishes.

A brainstorming session typically takes place as discussed below. Follow this process.

  1. Always look out for a comfortable place for the brainstorming session, it should put all at ease. It shouldn’t be too loud, suffocating or distracting. Make sure people feel good in the place, else they can’t come up with ideas.
  2. Assign one person to jot down all ideas that evolve from the session. It can be stored in computer, white boards, flip charts, diary etc.
  3. Always start the session with a nice warm up session with a cup of coffee and snacks. It will put all at ease.
  4. There should be a moderator. The same person can take the responsibility of jotting down all meeting outcomes.
  5. Moderator should define the objective at hand, what’s the problem and for which you wish to attain solutions in the session. Makes sure you come up with multiple problem solving ideas at the end of the session.
  6. Before asking all to shoot their ideas, give them plenty time to think.
  7. Now ask all to share their ideas. Don’t miss out any person in particular, he may feel unimportant and insulted. Fair opportunity should be given to all. Ask them to develop their own ideas or add on to others ideas in the group.
  8. Don’t be critical. Welcome ideas with open arms. Motivate all with lot of enthusiasm. Appreciate their contribution. Don’t evaluate ideas during brainstorming session, it will hinder easy flow of the process and complicate things while crippling the creative thought.
  9. Don’t interrupt the process. Let it go on till you have bagged many ideas. It will also ensure great team bonding and mutual admiration. Encourage all and welcome creativity. Let them have fun.
  10. In case the session is running for long duration, take frequent breaks in between.

Try this session today and witness great creative ideas outburst.

Category: Business | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
bikram | November 29, 2010
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How to write Body text of a Print Advertisement?

Advertisements are not only informative, but also entertaining, involving and highly captivating. But an average advertisement falls flat, if it doesn’t have elements to keep readers hooked on to it. A print advertisement is most challenging, since it’s not interactive in nature and advertisements in dailies don’t even offer multiple viewing. Thus it’s very important to grab attention of the reader, interest him or her and stimulate desire to take action. A body copy is the most challenging part of a print advertisement, because it’s the detailed text, descriptive in nature – which generally people tend to overlook. But a good effective piece of body text may turn heads and persuade to read further. Body text is ideally the descriptive part of a print advertisement which talks about the product’s benefits, features, and whatever the advertiser wishes to communicate to its prospects.

A body text typically has three parts – Lead, Elaboration and Call to Action.

The Lead

Lead is typically the starting of the body text. It has to be extremely captivating, inducing readers to continue reading. It can start with a question or a piece of information or a surprising fact or a quotation. Choice is yours. All you have to do is hold the reader’s attention and induce to read on. It typically involves the first sentence of the body text.

Elaboration

Once you grab attention of the reader, now elaborate by describing the product benefits and offers. It may include anything – product’s functionality description, products benefits, promotional offers, testimonials; depending upon the advertiser’s requirement. This part is ideally little long but compact, not more than two to three sentences. Remember, you should describe, but not bore your reader. Keep it descriptive yet crisp, detailed yet interesting.

Call to Action

Signing off part of the body text is equally important. Always remember, a bad ending can jeopardize a good beginning. So be careful while you finish off your body text. There has to be an element which will make the reader take action either in terms of further enquiry or purchase decision. Such elements are called ‘Call to action’. Include phrases like ‘Rush Now’, ‘Come today’, ‘Buy now’ etc. Call to action is the last reminder.

Let the body text of your advertisement draw eyeballs.

Category: Marketing | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
bikram | October 10, 2010
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How Mobile Is Used by Mobile Users Worldwide

People in different countries use mobile differently. This is not something that is top of the mind for most of the people because intuitively we think people buy cell phones to talk. To talk is surely why people buy any phone, but given the feature richness of a modern day cell phone, talking is not all is in the minds of people. They use it for various purposes.

This has been proved by the recent study conducted by comScore in the United States, Japan, and European countries for its comScore MobiLens data study.

After careful analysis of the data, comScore found that Japanese mobile users are the most connected lot, and Americans are more hooked to social networking sites. And European consumers resort more towards passive mode of communication, i.e., texting.

When we talk of connectedness, we talk of browsing, downloading content, and accessing applications. Japanese users are more connected on that. 75% of Japanese uses connected media, whereas, 43.7% Americans and 38.5% European mobile users.

On the benchmark of social media usage, Americans lead the pack. 21.3% of American mobile users access social media sites or blogs on their cell phones, which is higher than the usage pattern of Japanese (17%) and European (14.7%) consumers.

Europeans may invest time in using social media sites or accessing connected applications, but they are very much into texting. As many as 81.7% of Eurpoean cell phone users give in to text messaging. On this front, percentages of American and Japanese cell phones users are 66.8 and 40.1, respectively. (See image for detail).

comscore-mobile-media-global-demographic-jun-10-oct-2010

Category: Marketing | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
bikram | October 2, 2010
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Why should you choose Coffee Mug as a Promotional Tool?

A coffee mug is as intoxicating as the coffee itself. Coffee mugs are not only useful items for drinking coffee, but are also great possessions. They are great tools of promotion, when given away to guests, customers and business associates. It can also be used as a thanks giving tool to the guests when there’s a party or seminar. Coffee mugs not only convey brand message effectively, but also act as a constant brand reminder. You can call them silent brand endorser. They keep hitting the brand name again and again by making the brand popular. It’s a onetime investment, which has multiplier effect. This is a great medium of advertising. The recipients keep the mug on his office table, desk, kitchen and unknowingly do promotion of the brand. Company’s logo and brand message get maximum exposure and become popular within a short time. Nice logo and brand information can be displayed on a mug.

What makes coffee mug a great promotional tool is that, it’s not just a dumb product conveying advertising message and quietly occupying a corner in your life, it is a product which has real practical use. People adore coffee mugs and use them every day, if they look nice. As long as they use it, people definitely remember the brand and also refer the mug by the brand name. It becomes part of their daily lives. Growing numbers of coffee shops speak about the popularity of coffee among the mass. A nice looking coffee mug can be used to serve coffee to the guests. It will automatically spread good words about the brand.

A nice looking coffee mug also finds other usages besides being used as a mug, like serving purpose of a penholder, small storage, showpiece material.

Coffee mug is a gift which will stay with recipient for long time. It definitely has long life, which is not disposed unless it’s broken or is replaced by something better. So the advertising message also stays for long with the recipients.

Last, but not the least, designing and manufacturing of a coffee mug really fits into pocket of all advertisers. It’s an affordable medium of advertising and offers maximum benefit for the brand. One can also come up with extremely creative coffee mugs, matching with the psyche of its target audience.

Let the coffee mugs speak for your brand.

Category: Marketing | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
bikram | September 12, 2010
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More Ways to Use Contest to Generate Traffic

Hosting a contest on your website to generate traffic is but one way to use contest for traffic building purposes. There are quite a handful of more ways to do so. In this article my focus is on exploring those ways.

Contest Sponsorship

For some reason, if you do not want to host a contest on your blog, or you do not have that kind of time at hand to host a contest then sponsoring a contest is a good idea. You will get the same mileage from contest sponsorship as you will get from running a contest. You will, rather, get more mileage from this as you will be seeding your name among non-readers. You can rope in your visitors as well by writing about the contest on your blog.

Blog carnival

It is a debate issue if blog carnival is a contest or not, but for our purpose let’s go with the group that consider it as a contest because there is a lot of similarity between a contest and a blog carnival. Blog carnival is used to define a phenomenon in which various bloggers group together and write on a particular topic for a predefined period of time. During the period of carnival, a blogger links to other blog posts written in the carnival. At the end of the organizer (host) will write a round-up post linking back to all the posts in the carnival. This is a good way to get backlinks and free traffic.

Contest in a forum

You can also run a contest in a forum that you regularly visit. You can offer your e-book, consultancy, or any other thing of value for free to the winner of the contest. Make sure you design your contest in such a way that it persuades people to join your mailing list.

You, indeed, will get more exposure and traffic by using a contest in the way I have suggested above, moreover, you will get numerous backlinks to your blog, which will boost your search engine ranking. This could be seen as a side benefit of using contest to build traffic.

Category: blogging | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
bikram | August 25, 2010
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How to Improve Your Emails Open-Rate?

Which element of an e-mail message will get more people to take desirable action, and which one will make the reader buy? Questions like these have been bothering marketing community since the dawn of the e-mail age. Everyone involved in this business keeps on testing and tracking every element to make the e-mail more effective.

This is what poked MarketingSherpa, an online marketing research agency, to conduct a survey to find what marketers are doing to make their e-mail marketing campaign more effective. In Marketing Sherpa’s Email Marketing Benchmark Survey, the company has asked quite many questions to determine which element is the most effective, and which should not be tested. For this the company has drawn a sample from the marketing community. The sample size used for this study was 1,493. The respondents were asked which elements they run through A/B split or multivariate testing, and the result is as follow.

  • 48% of respondents said they care about “Subject” line of an e-mail, and another 36% said they are planning to test its effectiveness.
  • 47% said that they run tests on offers and call to action, while 35% said they are planning to do so.
  • If sample-size is representative of the population then landing page and “From” lines of a mail are two elements that do not concern a large population. 25% of respondents do not test or plan to test the impact of landing page on the effectiveness of e-mail message. And 45% are not concerned with “Form” line. See image for rest of the data.

E-mail-elements

So what are you planning to test? And what element will you tweak to improve the effectiveness of your e-mail marketing campaign?

Category: Marketing | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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