Please vote and include any additional opinions in the comments below!
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Does Google+ have a chance?
Posted Jul 19th, 2011 By Mirna Bard in Google, Polls, Social Networking With | 9 Comments -
Mobile Payment Processing and What it Means for Small Business
Posted Jul 5th, 2011 By Mirna Bard in Mobile With | No CommentsSince the first point-of-sale terminals hit retail and restaurant locations around the country in 1979, credit card processing technology has continued to make large leaps forward with both advantages and disadvantages to business owners. The latest jump has been gaining traction in the last 24 months and promises to revolutionize the merchant services industry in the near future.
Credit card processing firms, fortune 500 companies, the nation’s largest banks, and a number of enterprising entrepreneurs have been pouring billions of dollars into a new technology called mobile processing. The idea of mobile processing is simple: allow a merchant or individual to process, pay or manage their payments on the go and from their mobile devices.
Mobile Processing for BusinessesOne of the simplest applications for mobile processing comes from the co-founder of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, who in 2009 started a new company called Square (www.squareup.com). Square allows an individual or business to accept a swiped credit card using nothing but their iPhone/Android phone and a little card reader that attaches directly to the device’s headphone jack. The unit is no bigger than a silver dollar and allows credit card transactions to be processed at the cheaper swiped rate versus a keyed in card.
Square mobile processing is unique because it carries with it fixed rates regardless of the card type. Small business owners who have had bad experiences with processing firms and are tired of dealing with difficult to understand processing statements may find the simplicity refreshing. However, Square’s limitation comes from the total processing amount allowed per merchant. The initial limit is only $1000 per month, which is a very small amount for any organization operating full time. (more…)
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Incredibly Effective SEO Tips for E-Commerce Sellers
Posted Jul 2nd, 2011 By Mirna Bard in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) With | 4 CommentsSetting up your online shop for search engine optimization is a crucial part of making it a success. There are certain characteristics of web pages that the search engines view favorably, while there are other characteristics that they do not. Knowing what these are and tailoring your online shop presentation to be viewed favorably will land you higher in organic search results than a site or online shop that has not taken these important points into consideration.
If you’re just now beginning to set up your online shop, this is the best time of all to review these points. If your online shop is already open, it’s certainly not too late to make some key updates to your website and its item listings.
A few important points about SEO:
First, the search engines don’t officially publish a rule book on how they evaluate web pages. However much has been researched and published on what they look for and many characteristics are clear. It’s also important to note that the search engines are constantly updating their algorithms and strategies in a quest to deliver the most relevant, high- quality search results. The points covered here are those that are not likely to change in the near future.
It’s also important to remember that you are not just setting up your shop and its listings for the search engines, but equally important is for it to be attractive to online shoppers as well. Setting up your shop with both groups in mind is the ideal. (more…)
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4 Important Ingredients in a Successful Social Commerce Campaign
Posted Jun 30th, 2011 By Mirna Bard in Social Media, Social Networking With | 1 CommentWhat started as a mere trend several years ago has now evolved into its own culture. Social commerce is gaining popularity by leaps and bounds in the virtual world and shows no signs of slowing down. Selling products online was once reserved for major retailers with massive inventories and the selling power to reach the masses. Now, thanks to sites like eBay, web stores, and applications for social media platforms such as Facebook, anyone can market and sell their products online.
Having a successful social commerce campaign hinges on a number of factors. It’s not something you should venture into blindly without having done at least some minimal research. Although once you get your ecommerce campaign up and running, it can run on autopilot to some extent. However, there are certain areas in which you always have to be proactive instead of reactive when it comes to selling your products online.
Let’s take a look at the four most important ingredients in a successful social commerce campaign:
A Multifaceted ApproachSimply using one or two of the array of free social media tools available today won’t get you very far in your social commerce campaign. The key to making these tools work for your brand is not just using them, but using them in tandem with other avenues of marketing to gain maximum exposure. Add Facebook and Twitter widgets to your business website and blog. Add links to your website and blog to your Facebook Fan Page and Storefront and your Twitter account. Tweet about sales, promotions, new products and services. Blog about these events as well and announce the blog updates on your Fan Page. Let everything you do online reciprocate what you’ve already done, allowing the campaign to come full circle. (more…)
