Charles Ryder’s Blog

There are plenty of tools out there you can use to manage your business. Yet many people don’t use them because they aren’t sure how. All of the data you collect about your business won’t do you any good if you aren’t able to effectively interpret it.

Testing is one of the main ways to figure out what is working for you and what should be looked at closer. The only way you will be able to determine the value of those tests is by knowing what the responses you get mean. If you are using a software program to assist you with collecting that data then take the time to know how to read the information.

There are no right or wrong tools out there to assist you. The key is to grab a handful of them that can assist you with moving forward. They should readily allow you to see where you are and what you need to do in order to achieve your goals. Be willing to try new tools too so that you can continue to benefit from new features as they become available.

Text Messaging as a Method of Marketing?

Texting has certainly become an extremely popular method of communicating in our society. It has also started to be used by some as a way of marketing their business. However, you need to make sure you have the individuals permission before you start sending materials to their phone.

One way to do so is to give them the chance to include their phone number for text messages when they opt in. Not everyone has texting as an option on their phone. There are many packages that include it though. Yet you don’t want to be sending advertising to a consumer and then they get charged for it. That won’t encourage them to buy what you are selling.

The verdict is still out as to how big text messaging as a method of marketing will become. If you are looking for a way to reach your customers instead of just by email you may want to give it a shot. Since it is still relatively new you can capture the attention of those that will be open to the material coming to them in a new way.

Give your Customers a Voice

All of the marketing tactics you come up with are to allow your customers to hear what you have to say. Yet at the same time you need to make sure you give your customers a voice. As with any relationship, this one will fail if it isn’t a two way street.

There are many different ways you can make sure your customers have a voice. One of the easiest is just to make sure they know how to contact you. Try to have several options available so they can choose the one that is the most convenient for them. If you are offering a newsletter, include questions, comments, and concerns from your customers.

The fact that you are willing to publish such information shows that you really do care what your customers have to say about your business. Chances are they are going to be sharing their feelings with people they know and even on various online sites. It is best that you get that information from them too so that you can make your business the very best.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 3rd, 2008 at 1:59 pm and is filed under Internet Marketing, Random Blurbs... You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.