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January 14, 2009 |
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| Online Marketing Channels Commentary |
Channel Marketing: Get F.I.T. in 2009
by Chris Barr
 Miami, FL (January 14, 2009) – We all do it. With the approach of a new year, we jot down the things about our lives that we most want to get in control of or change in the coming months. Fitness is almost always on our list of resolutions – lose a few pounds, cut down on empty calories, fit back into that favorite pair of jeans.
At MerchantAdvantage, our resolution for 2009 – for us, and for you – is also about fitness. The word reflects our strategy for the year ahead and defines the added value we will be consistently striving to provide our clients.
At the outset of 2008, we chose A.M.M.O. as our theme for the year – Alternative Marketing Methods and Options. It was our intent to expose you to the expanded range of CSE options available to online retailers, pushing beyond the tried and true to explore the less recognized but often quite productive channels that may be especially relevant to your product lines. We live and work in an online universe that has virtually no boundaries, so it makes sense to keep our eyes wide open for the newly emerging opportunities that seem to crop up every week.
We have seen that as one of our functions at MerchantAdvantage, and it was our priority last year. Sitting in January of 2009, the landscape around us has changed. The economic stresses facing this country (and the world) have created entirely new challenges for online retailers and for their customers. While online has remained stronger than virtually every other commercial medium, it is more true than ever that consumer dollars are flowing first to the smartest, most innovative vendors.
Hence our resolution for 2009: Getting F.I.T.
F. Focused
I. Intelligent
T. Targeting
Having spent a year exploring the vast range of CSEs available to our clients, our goal for 2009 is to encourage and help you to focus your resources on the channels most likely to produce results. With new constraints on resources (both yours and your customers), there’s reduced margin for guessing. Collectively our choices need to be very smart and very focused. The interesting twist is that “smart and focused” means something different to each one of our clients because the dynamic between you, your product or service, and your customer base is uniquely yours. Your experience and the quantified knowledge you acquire from Chanalytics can help you make those smart decisions quickly and efficiently. Using the tools and resources of Merchant Advantage can put (and keep) money in your bank. That’s what being F.I.T. in 2009 is all about.
We can be your Fitness coach. To help you achieve the goal of
Focused Intelligent Targeting in your business, MerchantAdvantage is taking several important strides forward this year. We have invested in new personnel in several areas to increase the depth of experience and support we can provide. Even better news: this quarter you will see the introduction of new products that will dramatically expand the ways in which MerchantAdvantage can both simplify and make more efficient the way you do business. You’ll be surprised and delighted – and we will be fulfilling the first of our own resolutions for 2009. We are going to become your Toolbox, the single site you reach for when you need precision instruments and trained guidance in building up your business to its next level.
It’s an historic fact that economic downturns create strong opportunities for the smartest and most focused players on the field. At MerchantAdvantage we are truly excited about partnering with you in 2009, because together we are going to be the most F.I.T. team on the field. Happy New Year!
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| Advice, Tips & Tricks |
Rearranging the Tech Furniture:
Starting the New Year
by B. Thomas Romeo
 Miami, FL (January 14, 2009)— Beginning the new year, we'd all like to think that it's an opportunity to start things clean. At the end of December, when all the crazed holiday shopping slowed down, we found ourselves cleaning up our offices, organizing our files and straightening up for the new year. That, of course, used to mean physical organization, storing boxes away, moving literal files. But what does it mean to technology? Does it mean that we organize our computer desktops instead of our wooden ones? Does it mean that we drag and drop files into well organized folders instead of taking papers off our desks and putting them in the filing cabinet? Does it mean reviewing our electronic agenda instead of our Rolodexes? Does anyone still use a Rolodex? Do the kids today even know what one is?
What does this mean to the online retail industry? For one thing - since we've become so entrenched and dependent on the technology we use on a daily basis, we should know how to take care of it. It used to be running disk defragmenters in the past but modern operating systems have done away with that need. But know we have newer concerns - running spam and antivirus software enough, making sure they are up to date and they are automated. Another thing that I recommend strongly is that you find out how to get available system updates and install them. There's a lot we didn't want to do during the holiday season because we were afraid to disturb our well oiled machines. Nobody wants to tell the computer to update, restart it and find out they've lost their data. Now is a good time to do a backup, do the updates and get things organized. Windows, Mac OS X and even Ubuntu have automatic updates that we can download from the Internet and have them install themselves. I suggest finding out how to do that for your operating system of choice.
Let me me say the word "backup" again. You do have a backup right? You do know that there are free ones out there? There are some great open source options for Windows, there's "Time Machine" built into your Mac's 10.5 OS and well you Linux guys - you know what to do right? If you don't have a backup system - get one. Make it a point to ask someone you trust with technology to help you out. Use words like "open source" and you'll find it goes a long way with your geeky associates. Finally, in regards to backup, get yourself an external hard drive or large enough flash drive so that you can carry important files around with you and store them away in a safe location so if there is ever an emergency that causes your computer to be destroyed, you will not lose ten years of important data. I have seen this happen and it's something you definitely want to avoid.
Now let's talk more about organizing files. Your modern operating system has folder hierarchies in place for you to take advantage of. First look at your desktop - are there a lot of files on there? No? Good for you! Yes? OK, let's look at our "Documents" or "My Documents" folder. Find it, it's normally in your home directory. Make some folders in there that are obviously named for your business' organization. Move or "drag" the files from your desktop into where they would logical fit in those folders. Go through your files, thrown out the ones you don't need and empty your trash. Get the ones you need into the document folder (or relevant "Pictures", "Music" or "Movie" folders) - then backup again. Yes again. Take the documents folder and copy it to a flash drive. Take it home and put it in a drawer.
OK - now what about email? Try taking the same steps. Create folders such as "clients", "vendors", "channels" and so on and file that mail away! Don't let yourself go into the new year with 1000 emails in your Inbox. Don't worry you can do it. It seems daunting especially as we've rushed through the holiday season with just enough time to "take care of business" but it can be done. Besides, once you get that kind of structure happening - it becomes easier as you receive new data - whether it is email or documents, pictures or folders.
Finally, what about our channel campaigns? Well, I think you can very well apply the same steps here. Go through all your channel feeds, find out which ones are relevant and up to date and which ones are not. Find out which ones are templates and label them as such. Delete channels you know that you won't use again. Ensure the ones you want to use are funded and not sitting active without funding. Create new ones for Channels you'd like to explore in the new year. Make lists of what you are feeding, where you are feeding to and where you want to be feeding to. Which leads us to our last point of organization - "To Dos" and "Notes". As you are organizing all of your data you'll find that there is one more area of concern - all those handwritten notes and lists all over your desk. Organize them to - convert them into electronic files and get them syncing with your phone or other computers. Don't know how - well let's talk about that next month... |
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| Webinars & White Papers |
Webinar:
10 Crucial Changes to Energize Your Holiday Marketing
(On Demand Webcast)
View Webinar >>
Webinar:
How to Gain Customers and Customer Loyalty During the Holidays (On Demand Webcast)
View Webinar >>
Webinar:
The Blueprint for Multichannel Success (On Demand Webcast)
View Webinar >>
Webinar:
7 Steps to Reach More Customers Before and During the Holidays (On Demand Webcast)
View Webinar >>
Webinar:
How to Afford Comparison Shopping Engines
(On Demand Webcast)
View Webinar >>
White Paper:
2 Steps to Increase Return on CSE Ad Spend
Download >> |
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| Industry News |
Affiliates Deck Their Widgets with LinkConnector's New Seasonal Templates
Shopping Comparison Engines Will Boost Sales
The Evolution of Online Shopping
Market America Launches Site to Connect Music Lovers with Industry
Online Shopper Satisfaction Slips, According to ForeSee Results Holiday Retail Benchmark
Retailers’ Online Gains |
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| Merchant of the Month |
AquaSuperstore.com
 "When I first inherited the job of managing the many shopping channels we advertise on at AquaSuperstore.com, I was given more that 15 excel spreadsheets to try and manage the 30,000 SKUs on our various shopping comparison sites. Adding products was an all day affair, and an all week affair to correctly post on each individual site. Since we all live in a modern age where computers try and automate redundant tasks, I started searching for a solution to my overwhelming spreadsheet problem, and start working smarter, not harder.
After researching several solutions I chose MerchantAdvantage. Their software and service solved my problems with channel management, and fit our budget as well. Now I post a new product once, and I can update my feeds with ease. Product updates, price changes, picture changes, all take minutes instead of hours of tedious labor. Instead of hiring a products manager to stay on top of our channel management, I just spend an hour a day managing my feeds.
The initial set up took very little time, and my account rep is fabulous. (Thanks Danny!) This software enables me to work more efficiently, helps me manage my feeds so I can get a better return on my marketing, and with their series of webinars and newsletters I have easy access to industry information. Thanks MerchantAdvantage!".
Peter Schmeiser, AquaSuperstore.com
Get Your Channel Management Fee Waived Plus Receive a Complimentary Companion Airline Ticket!
 We're thrilled and inspired by all the Channel Management success stories you share with us. Now we want to turn the spotlight on you! Send us your best Channel Management success story and you could be selected as our Merchant of the Month.
If chosen, your company will be exclusively showcased in an edition of our monthly newsletter, eTail dTail.
Best of all, your monthly MerchantAdvantage fee will be waived in the month you are selected and you will receive a complimentary Companion Airline Ticket. Submit your Channel Management success story today to stories@merchantadvantage.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
(Note: MerchantAdvantage reserves the right to use any or all of your story, whether or not your article is selected as the winning entry.) |
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About MerchantAdvantage
MerchantAdvantage (www.MerchantAdvantage.com) is an ecommerce software solutions company committed to championing and helping the small to midsized online merchant address complicated online and mobile commerce issues. MerchantAdvantage takes a systematic, controlled and proactive approach to online product marketing by providing long-term, cost effective, Web-based software tools that enable an online business to grow by reaching the widest audience possible via online, broadband, and wireless devices.
MerchantAdvantage's applications are designed to connect the online retailer to their marketplace partners in a seamless motion of communication, allowing online merchants to take control of their e-Commerce and m-Commerce channels, marketing strategies and IT solutions. MerchantAdvantage currently markets over $3 billion worth of product value daily, representing over 900 online storefronts and is changing the macrocosm of ecommerce by staying ahead of the curve in providing business solutions to the growing online retail marketplace. They are here because your commerce future is online and wireless. For more information, please visit MerchantAdvantage.com, e-mail us at sales@MerchantAdvantage.com or call us at 1.800.550.9466.
MerchantAdvantage – Take Control of Your Marketing Channels! |
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