Does Your Text Betray You?

The French moralist, Joseph Joubert, wrote, “Words, like eyeglasses, blur everything that they do not make clear.” Especially online, text plays a vital role in site content, how the site is organized, and even how visitors interact with the site. Recognizing this, many website design firms such as Heritage Internet Technologies offer professional writing as part of an overall design package.

Mike the mason, Paul the plumber, and Sue the seamstress do what they do best, i.e. lay brick, fix water leaks, and create beautiful clothing. However, when it comes to telling others in writing about their exceptional skills, they often fall short. Their text betrays their expertise.

Many small business owners have solved this dilemma by engaging the services of a professional writer. The benefits warrant the added expense.

Benefits of Professionally-Written Text:

• Proper Presentation—Well-researched, well-written, and well-edited content makes a website easier to understand and increases the likelihood a visitor will stay on the site longer and continue reading. Especially online, effective text can be the difference between a visitor quickly moving on, and someone purchasing products or services.
• Maintain Continuity— Poorly written text can destroy the otherwise professional image, and the attractive look and feel of the website. Informative, interesting text complements the design and layout of the website. It lends an air of professionalism and excellence, lending value to the products or services promoted by the website.
• Cost-Effective—Writing services can be engaged for modest fees. The income generated by compelling text will more than offset the modest fee paid for professionally prepared text. It will pay for itself many times over.
• Save Time and Anxiety—The time it will take a professional writer to interview Mike, Paul, and Sue will be a fraction of the time it will take them to figure out what they want to say and how to say it, not to mention the stress it will eliminate.

For further information on this or any other matters relating to designing and hosting websites, remember the friendly professionals at Heritage Internet Technologies are just a phone call away

Blogs: Don’t Do Business Without Them

Household phrases of advice like “Make sure you wear clean underwear in case you are in an accident.”, attributed to the mothers of the world, and a popular credit card company, “Don’t leave home without it” are joined by another timely piece of advice; “Blogs—Don’t do business without them”, recommended by the marketing department at Heritage Internet Technologies.

Blogs! What the heck are they? A Blog is comparable to an online journal that allows the owner to post comments, stories, personal viewpoints, etc. It also gives the visitors the ability to comment on what’s been posted.

What are their benefits?

Gain Popularity: Find others who share similar opinions and interests. The site will accrue popularity as others develop a habit of reading the Blog. Any type of website that has the potential of attracting a “following” can benefit from a Blob Database.

Control the Conversation: The administrator has access to features that will enable them to control the conversation. If there is harassment, negativity, or obligatory postings, they can boot and block the offender as well as update comments and entries to encourage visitors to keep checking back to see what’s new.

Search Engine Ranking: By making regular posts at least once per week (minimum) a Blog can boost the placement in the search engines. In order for this to work, users must use an update service to advertise the fact that an update has been made. This is also made more effective when the Blog is integrated as a part of a site. There are many services that can be used. A couple of these are: http://pingomatic.com, and http://blogsearch.google.com/ping.

Create Value: Keeping readers informed for free fosters trust. When visitors to a site begin trusting the opinions and advice posted on a site, they are more likely to purchase services or products from the site.

For questions and further information on how Blogs can benefit your business, remember the friendly professionals at Heritage Internet Technologies are just a phone call away.

For the First Time, Divided Shoppers Prefer Web to In-Store

For the first time, the web has surpassed the store as the preferred way for multi-channel shoppers to purchase holiday gifts, according to the e-tailing group's third annual "Mindset of the Multi-Channel Shopper Holiday Survey," sponsored by ATG, Retailer Daily reports.

Nearly half (49%) of those shoppers say they intend to do their holiday gift buying online, compared with 44% who plan to do so in-store, found the online survey of over 1,000 adults who shop online four or more times per year, spending at least $500 annually.

Other key findings:

Reasons for shopping online start with saving time (88%), locating hard-to-find products (84%), greater selection (83%) and avoiding the crowds at the mall (83%) - all surpassing saving money, which is still an important factor (80%).
Because of the tough economic climate, 52% of consumers plan to buy fewer holiday gifts this year. The average number of gifts is projected to be down from 16+ last year to 11-15 this year
Although consumers plan to buy fewer gifts and spend less for those gifts, 72% (vs. 65% in 2007) are planning to research products online prior to purchasing.
Over 91% plan to purchase the same number or somewhat more gifts online; that's equal to last year's levels.
"Value spending is definitely the mantra as these multitasking consumers watch and monitor the web to get the best deals," said Lauren Freedman, president of the e-tailing group. "Holiday gift buying is particularly impacted by this propensity for shopping smart as consumers preview online to get the most for their money."

Convenience and efficiency have clearly made shoppers more comfortable with the online channel, as evidenced by more products' being sold across a broader range of categories as well as increased usage of tools and information, according to the e-tailing group.

Additional findings:

The No. 1 customer reason for not buying more online is the high cost of shipping; that's according to 78% of those surveyed:
Free shipping (95%) and sales/specials (83%) are at or near the top of the list of what influences the buying of gifts online; another is keyword search (86%).
For 42% (vs. 30% last year), gift cards will account for 11-50% of their online holiday spending. Wish-list use has also accelerated, with 35% (vs. 25% last year) reporting that they have shopped online from someone else's wish list three or more times.

"Although the internet is now the shoppers' channel of choice, economic pressures are making the stakes high for merchants. They need to continually learn from and react to their customer's multi-channel demands," cautioned Kelly O'Neill, e-commerce marketing director for ATG. "It is imperative that practical solutions be deployed wisely throughout the holiday season and into 2009."

For additional information, or help with your website please call Heritage Web Solutions at: 1-866-754-1441.

Article by: VOX Marketing www.marketingvox.com