Email is Taking Over Mobile Web: What are You Doing About It?

by Shannon Suetos 

E-mail marketing isn’t anything new. Since the 90’s e-mail has evolved into our daily lives. There are RSS feeds we set up, and coupons from our favorite store and everything in between. With that said, a new study has shown that on average, more people are using their phones to check e-mail.

Nielsen is reporting that, “if all time spent on the mobile web was condensed into a single hour, US internet users would have spent 25 minutes in June checking email.” For online marketers that is hard to ignore. So what can you do to make sure your e-mail blasts are user friendly?

Smaller Screen Size

The space available on a computer versus a mobile phone is obviously much different. Mobile phones are smaller and that needs to be taken into consideration when sending out e-mail blasts. Large images and lots of text are not as user friendly when being viewed from a mobile phone. Instead of filling your e-mail blast with a bunch of fluff, make sure you are giving the facts you need only.

Constant Contact suggests, “include short blurbs, and link back to your website. That said, don’t substitute photos for text. If your readers have images turned off, you still want them to know what’s in your email. Be sure to include clear text descriptions for your photos.”

Test Different Platforms

View your analytics and see what devices your clients are opening their emails with. BlackBerry? iPhone? Android based? Knowing what the majority of your customers are using can again help you with formatting the perfect e-mail. Not everyone has a smartphone, so you also need to take that into consideration. Test your emails on different phones.

Call to Action

In most e-mail blasts there is a call to action for the reader. This could be going to a specific landing page on your site for a promotion, or a new blog post. Mobile should also have call to actions such as click to call and a mobile friendly website if a desired landing page is necessary. There is nothing worse than having your customer do the call to action and then getting frustrated because your website is taking too long to load.

Mobile is becoming more and more predominate for web browsing. Online marketing tactics are going to shift towards mobile friendly websites and e-mail blasts. If you haven’t thought about mobile, it may be time to start reading up on some useful tactics to help you get the exposure you need and rightfully deserve.

Shannon Suetos is an expert writer on payroll services based in San Diego, California. She writes extensively for an online resource that provides expert advice on purchasing and outsourcing decisions for small business owners and entrepreneurs such as small business payroll services at Resource Nation.

Do You Work In the Cloud?

by Shannon Suetos

Working in the cloud, or cloud computing, is when you are working with software programs that operates with shared resources, and can be accessed from one computer to the next without problem. One of the most common software options for working in the cloud is Google Docs, and Salesforce.

If you don’t use these programs, chances are in a few years you will be. A study conducted by Pew Research and Elon University has gone on record saying that, “71% of technology experts and stakeholders participating in the fourth Future of the Internet survey expect that by 2020 most people will access software applications online and share and access information through the use of remote server networks, rather than depending primarily on tools and information housed on their individual, personal computers. They say that cloud computing will become more dominant than the desktop in the next decade. In other words, they anticipate that most users will perform most computing and communicating activities through connections to servers operated by outside firms.”

Advantages

Working in the cloud does have some advantages, one being its easy access across multiple computers. Because everything is stored “in the cloud” you don’t have to worry about remembering that jump drive, or CD. You can work and edit in the cloud at your office, and access the presentation at your client’s office.

Google Docs has been evolving since its inception in 2007. The best part about Google Docs is that it is a free service, and because it operates in the cloud, your documents can be accessed anywhere anytime.

Multiple people working on one document is much easier when it is in the cloud. Simon Mackie states in his blog that, “rather than emailing files to my colleagues and trying (and failing) to keep track of all the different versions, using a tool like Google Docs means I can have one document that everyone can access — it’s even possible to have more than one person editing that document at any one time, if I wish.”

Disadvantages

Some people say that putting your “faith” into cloud computing is a lot like putting all of your eggs in one basket. Some of the respondents in the study felt that, “cloud dominance by a small number of large firms may constrict the internet’s openness and its capacity to inspire innovation – that people are giving up some degree of choice and control in exchange for streamlined simplicity.”

Putting your faith on something running on the Internet is also a touchy situation. If your Internet goes down during your presentation, you will not have access to it. This doesn’t happen often, but it does happen from time to time. If the presentation is very important, you should have a backup plan.

Even with these disadvantages it seems more companies are taking notice of the popularity of Google Doc’s—Microsoft in particular. Attached with Microsoft Office 2010 there is are cloud based applications for their desktop services. Microsoft named this addition Web Apps and it is a free service if you purchase Office 2010, or it can be used by itself for free.

Have you used cloud computing services? What do you think about working in the cloud? Let us know below.

Shannon Suetos is an expert writer on credit card processing based in San Diego, California. She writes extensively for an online resource that provides expert advice on purchasing and outsourcing decisions for small business owners and entrepreneurs such as credit card processing companies at Resource Nation.

SMS campaigns: Are they a Match For Your Company?

by Shannon Suetos

Seventy-two percent of all cell phone users send or receive text messages according to a study done by PewInternet. As a result more companies are using this medium to send their customers messages. One of the latest corporations to do so is the Luxor Las Vegas hotel and casino.

In their SMS campaign, they ask consumers to text a keyword to during the promotion and the hotel will then send a message to the consumer stating, "bring this message to the Believe box office at Luxor to claim your prize." The Luxor isn't the only company taking advantage of SMS.

Take Action Immediately
One of the reasons SMS campaigns are becoming so effective is the immediacy it brings for your customers. Getting them to act immediately to something can excite them and make them feel special. SCA Promotions (a promotional solutions and incentives that connect with consumers, without risk to the sponsor) Director Tony Ebert says, "utilizing text messaging for promotions is a natural. Promotions are designed to incentivize people to take action. With text messaging they can take action immediately."

Reach
Not only does most American's have cell phones, most don't leave home without it. Implementing a texting campaign will ensure your message is reaching your audience within minutes of sending the message. According to Moto Message, "over 90% of text messages sent are opened and read by your customers in 15 minutes. No other advertising medium has that relationship with the consumer."

Cost
If you currently cannot or don't want to spend the money for radio, print and TV ads, texting can be a great option. There are many services to choose from that can host your SMS efforts-and like you would guess the price varies. The more DIY type companies are going to be cheaper than the more sophisticated service.

Before committing to a company, talk to multiple companies that offer multiple service features such as creating lists for you, tracking your efforts and producing reports. One company may be a bit more than the other, but if their features are more intricate and helpful it may be worth the money. MobiQpons for example has 3 data plans to choose from ranging from around $10 a month to $50 depending on your SMS needs. Microsoft actually offers a desktop software application that can send SMS messages-and the download is free.

According to a survey conducted in May of this year has stated that, "one-third of Americans who currently have signed up for mobile marketing alerts indicate that such services impact their decision to go into stores and 27% report that such programs have impacted their decision to buy products in physical retail locations."

No matter what you decide, the fact remains that SMS campaigns are becoming a viable marketing tactic. The number one thing to remember is to plan accordingly, and decide ahead of time if it is the right tactic for your company.

Shannon Suetos is an expert writer on debt leads based in San Diego, California. She writes extensively for an online resource that provides expert advice on purchasing and outsourcing decisions for small business owners and entrepreneurs such as debt consolidation at Resource Nation.

Save Time with These Five Web-Based Tools

by Julie Barnes

As busy entrepreneurs, we are always looking for ways to save time in our businesses. Using the following web-based tools will not only save you time, but could save you some money, as well.

1. Wordpress (http://wordpress.org/) – Gone are the days, when we have to rely on a web designer to build our websites, or wait days for just a simple copy change. Not to mention the cost associated with the website. Besides static websites are a thing of the past. You can easily install Wordpress on any domain through your web hosting service. In Wordpress, you can add pages, make copy changes or make blog post without waiting or paying a website designer. Another benefit – Google loves Wordpress when crawling sites. Wordpress is free to install.

2. Hootesuite (http://hootsuite.com/) – Let’s face it. We have to utilize social media as part of our marketing, but it can take so much of our time. If we don’t watch it, a whole day can go by where all we have done is Twittered and Facebooked. With Hootsuite, you can manage multiple social media accounts at one location. One of the greatest features of Hootesuite is that you can track any link posted. You can also schedule your post, so you do not constantly have to log on and post. Now you can schedule your social media time. Hootesuite is a free service.

3. Tweet Adder (http://tweetadder.com/) – Researching people to follow on Twitter is another time-consuming process. By the time you look at their page, then their website you can spend hours on Twitter. Tweet Adder is a fabulous service that allows you to search Twitter using keywords. Tweet Adder will search for followers using the keywords entered, and then follow that person. Tweet Adder will also follow back anyone who is already following you. You should limit your following to about 50 a day to prevent Twitter from thinking you’re a spammer. You can take your Twitter time down to minutes a day. Tweet Adder has a demo that you can try, and then it will cost you $55.00 for 1 profile. This is a lifetime membership with no monthly fees.

4. Skype (http://www.skype.com) – You can do so many things with Skype from instant messaging, phone calls, video calls, and video presentations. You can set up different profiles from customer service, consulting, to personal to utilize in your business. Some features are free while some have a cost associated with them, so be sure to check the features out that you need.

5. Carbonite (http://www.carbonite.com/) – Carbonite is one of the best time saving services out there. No longer do you have to schedule a time to backup your system. You simply download the software onto your computer; Carbonite then scans and backs up your computer, then continually backs up your system as long as you are connected to the internet. Another fabulous thing is, if you have a hard drive that crashes, you can access all of you backed up files and then download them onto your new computer. How fabulous is that? Carbonite will cost you $54.95.

Implement these tools to see how you can find more time in your day.


Julie Barnes is the author is this post. Julie is excited to be living in Generation E – the age of the Entrepreneur. As a writer, she enjoys writing about all aspects of the entrepreneur journey. She enjoys interviewing entrepreneurs whose experience and wisdom can inspire others to follow their entrepreneurial dreams. Julie lives and works in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, KS with her husband Ron and lovable dog Hank. You can visit her site at http://www.julieabarnes.com . Follow Julie on Twitter at http://twitter.com/juliebarnesks. Become a Facebook friend at http://www.facebook.com/people/Julie-Barnes/1003024246