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eCommerce is the ultimate market-leveling tool for SMBs. Through eCommerce, the location and size of a business no longer matters.In essence, the Internet has created a jumbo-sized virtual shopping mall in which any and every conceivable retailer can be a tenant.Yet, cyber mall occupancy alone does not guarantee long-term commercial success. Rather, nextgeneration site functionality and ultra-reliable, highly responsive site performance are essential ingredients for increasing eCommerce revenues. Retailers with the deepest pockets gain a decided market advantage since they have the money both to develop next-generation site functionality, and to build and maintain an eCommerce platform capable of delivering the full impact of this functionality to each and every site visitor.In reality, options today offer small business more choices that help in leveling the competitive playing field. With today’s web hosting environments — optimized for next-generation eCommerce — platform investments are reduced to a fraction of the cost of individually owning and operating an eCommerce site. With this approach, small retailers gain a significant market equalizer that enables them to compete effectively against their larger rivals.In this article, we will describe the direction of next-generation eCommerce sites and also highlight how web hosting can dramatically reduce the IT costs necessary to effectively support next-generation eCommerce. As a result, SMBs can increase eCommerce sites and simultaneously decrease their IT costs.1. Functionality that replicates the in-store shopping experience, and2. Functionality that creates a distinctive online shopping experience.o 360° product views – One of the eCommerce drawbacks is the physical separation between shoppers and products. Products such as books and DVDs – for which physical touch is not a decision variable — are two products that have sold well through an eCommerce channel. Other products, such as apparel, do benefit by physical touch. And even though apparel is sold online, the lack of physical touch contributes to instances of shopping online but buying instore.Next-generation eCommerce sites will do more to transform the online shopping experience into online buying by presenting the product in user-controlled 360° views. In this manner, the shopper gains a richer perspective on the product’s appearance, similar to the instore buyer behavior of holding up and turning the product for closer examination.o Layered informational mini-screens – In current-generation eCommerce sites, shoppers commonly click through several full screens to gain a deeper knowledge of the product being considered. This site design dictates back and forth navigation by the shopper to re-visit information. Consequently, the full breadth of information sought for a purchase decision seldom resides on a single screen. Next-generation eCommerce sites will offer mini-screens overlaid on the initial product screen, which allows shoppers to zoom in and out of relevant product details and, in the process, never lose connection with the product being evaluated.o Upfront alerts on product availability – A strong benefit of eCommerce is the capability to present the full range of products and product features. Inventory costs and space limitations of brick and mortar stores are challenged to equal this capability. At the same time, product presentation in an eCommerce site without availability status is frustrating for shoppers, particularly those who have expended time loading their shopping carts only to be informed that availability of one or more products or a specially designed product will be delayed. This scenario is far less common with in-store shopping since the range of inventory is directly visible to the shopper. In next-generation eCommerce sites, product availability status can be offered to the shopper throughout the shopping and selection process. By presenting product alternatives when there are availability delays – which can be built as an option into the site design — allows shoppers to balance their desire for product immediacy and selection range.o Streaming video – Brick and mortar stores are naturally restrained in the contextual presentation of their products, with actual product benefits limited to a shopper’s understanding of the product and imagination, and perhaps the creativity of in-store displays and external advertising (print, audio, and video). In next-generation eCommerce sites, streaming video propels contextual presentation to an entirely new level, with streaming video mini-clips that spotlight beneficial product features in multiple real-world contexts. Not only will streaming video stimulate a shopper’s imagination and strengthen intent to purchase, it can also be effective in cross-selling other products and optional features, which provide a valuable means to increasing sale size and revenue growth.o Live chat – An eCommerce site enabled with live chat can address a shopper’s questions or site use issues on the spot. As a result, these sessions contribute to impromptu purchases and a reduction in abandoned shopping carts as well as repeat visits. Live chat offers two specific benefits:(1) the on-demand availability of sales representatives enables quicker and more efficient customer communications than serving customers in most brick and mortar settings;and (2) sales reps have fingertip access to a wide range of product information and are typically better product knowledge experts. With the advent of VoIP (Voice over IP) in a nextgeneration eCommerce site, live chat expands from text exchanges to more personal voice conversations. Text and voice communication also can deepen loyalty and spending by premium customers and can transform intermittent customers into regular customers if both text and voice communications are strategically employed and supported.o Personalized sales assistance – In addition to being product experts, online sales reps can also become dedicated customer aides. Electronically armed with real-time knowledge of customer identity, profile, and past online and in-store purchases, these sales reps can personalize and enhance the customer’s shopping experience. While similar personalization is possible in brick and mortar settings, location and in-person relationships are limiting factors on the number of customers that can receive this personalization. eCommerce does not suffer from these same limitations.This next-generation eCommerce functionality is not free. Clearly, there are costs to develop, test, and deploy. These costs, we believe, are unavoidable for retailers who are serious about increasing their eCommerce revenues.Equally important, but not always fully considered, are the costs of an eCommerce platform capable of delivering the full impact of this functionality to each and every site visitor. In our view, scrimping on the platform will have serious eCommerce revenue implications. Among the most notable to avoid is creating a platform that results in an uninspired shopper. For example, if the functionality does not perform to its potential – through slow responsiveness, jerky video, or voice quality inconsistency – the net result is that shoppers leave the eCommerce site and never return.To avoid this scenario, companies today must have world-class Internet-connected data center and web servers. To attain world-class, multiple components must be in place. Lacking any one of these jeopardizes eCommerce potential.o Redundant and highly scalable Web servers – Accommodates all instances of peak visitations and minimizes the risk of server downtime.o Physical and cyber security – Protects the eCommerce platform and customers’ personal information (e.g., credit card numbers) from disruption and theft, respectively.o Wideband and redundant access between the data center and the Internet – Access congestion directly correlates to slow response times and a poor shopping experience. Furthermore, as richer media is added to the site, higher bandwidth levels are essential.
o Data center utilities – Air conditioning, heating and electrical power are as essential as the web servers themselves. Failures in these systems are catastrophic to the health of any business.o Around-the-clock administration – Without flawless operations and expert insight, none of the preceding points are meaningful. This flawless execution is the benchmark of nextgeneration eCommerce and anything less will degrade eCommerce potential and waste the investments in next-generation eCommerce functionality.The good news is that the cost of these platform components does not have to be a barrier to nextgeneration eCommerce and the benefits it can deliver to the retailer: more revenue and improved customer loyalty. From our analysis, SMBs can reduce their IT costs associated with eCommerce by up to 75% by using a high quality Web Hoster versus a do-it-yourself approach of owning and operating these platform components.eCommerce has proven to be an effective sales and customer relationship channel for many businesses. However, lack of innovation in site functionality and a world-class platform from which to deliver this functionality will return disappointing eCommerce results. For many businesses, the combined price tag for functionality and platform can be overwhelming. To meet the objective of increasing eCommerceConclusionWeb Hosting Delivers IT Cost Savings in eCommerceHow SMB’s Can Create a Distinctive Online Shopping ExperienceThis functionality also reduces the instances of shoppers leaving without a purchase.How SMB’s Can Replicate the In-store Shopping ExperienceThe direction of next-generation eCommerce functionality fits into two categories:Next-generation eCommerce Sites To Increase SMB revenue

What forms of advertising are available to you in Cookeville? Should you advertise your local business Offline or Online? You can better decide that once you understand the buying process a person goes through before spending money on a service or a product. It could take days, even years for a person to go through this process.Understanding this journey will assist you in determining what advertising methods would work best in spreading your message. We will be discussing reach and estimated cost between traditional offline advertising and Online Pay-Per-Click Advertising.Typical Consumer Buying Process:Most all consumers have the same pre-defined actions before buying Anything! Listed below are the purchasing steps people like you and I unknowingly use. Potential customers become aware that they have a need, want or problem
They gather information about the product, service or solution that could possibly fix their problem
They ask their friends opinions, read customer reviews & consumer reports, watch videos and the list of fact-finding research methods goes on Only then, when people have gathered this information, do they feel comfortable enough to make a buying decision. The information gathering phase accounts for roughly 95% of a client’s buying process. This leaves only 5% of customers ready to buy at any given time.What does this have to do with advertising in Cookeville?Simply put, the buying process is common to all potential customers. When you advertise your business in Cookeville or your Cookeville business to potential clients in Nashville or Knoxville, you must understand who your message will reach and when. Telling the world about your business is only effective if it produces a return on investment, Right? In order to produce result oriented advertising you must inform shoppers and provide buyers with exactly what they are looking for, giving them incentive to buy.Offline AdvertisingAdvertisers in Cookeville can choose Offline Advertising in the forms of radio, TV, newspapers or other publications and billboards. Average monthly cost for these services when opting in for minimum exposure can cost you an estimated $20-$35 a day. That translates into an average of $825mo or $9900 a year.These forms of advertising can take your message into Cookeville alone or to people all around the Upper Cumberland area. Constant exposure can brand your business by “keeping your name out there” in the community to shoppers and attract potential buyers along the way.How it WorksEssentially it comes down to exposing a message or multiple messages to the people who read a particular paper or publication, use a common street, listen to the radio or watch TV in a predefined area or location. The goal here is to advertise to the majority and hope you catch some buyers along the way. In theory you are only advertising to 5% of the population for direct response.Now, I understand, you are advertising to everyone in your chosen area, but only five percent of the given population will be ready to buy today. It is important that you position your ads in order to market to the all the potential customers that may come in contact with your advertising.It is best to provide an informational message that speaks directly to the 95% of people who are gathering information about the products or services you offer. You will also want to provide your viewers or listeners an alternative message driven towards direct sales in order to support the cost of your advertising. This increases your exposure, branding your business by informing shoppers and giving buyers what they are looking for with good reason to complete their buying process.If you are a small business trying to grow, you will most likely want to keep your message focused towards the 5% of the people on the verge of buying. Dealing with smaller budgets requires you to increase you odds for making sales and money immediately from your advertising. Although it will cost more than the estimate above, it is always a good idea to multiply these messages on different advertising platforms, including online advertising for maximum results.As with most advertising, the more you spend, the more people your message is exposed to, the more your chances increase for making sales along the way.Online AdvertisingAdvertisers in Cookeville who choose Online Advertising can advertise on major Search Engines, Social Media sites and on literally hundreds of thousands of websites relevant to your business. Average monthly cost for professionally managed online advertising when opting in for minimum exposure will cost you an estimated $16 a day or $492mo or $5899 a year.Don’t have a website? You don’t need one! Unless you intend to build your online presence for sales and branding together, then you will need a professional website. A fully customized, search engine optimized website will run you an estimated $1000. This is the real deal. Add that to the total cost and you are looking at $19 a day or $575mo or $6899 a year.Online advertising does exactly the same thing as above, plus so much more. You can take your message to Cookeville alone or to people all around the Upper Cumberland area. Online advertising also gives you the ability to advertise your business to multiple cities of choice or entire states across the US. You can even take your business advertising global if you so desire. That’s not all, you can also add multiple ads or advertising messages whenever you want and target your customers with keyword terms so the right message is reaching the appropriate clients.How it WorksOnline advertising is most commonly implemented through one of many pay-per-click (PPC) programs. These programs are offered by the worlds largest search engines or websites. Google by far being the leader, Bing, Yahoo and Facebook are a few you can probably relate too. With the one time account setup, you essentially tell the PPC provider who, when, where and what.For Example: Let’s say you own a lawn equipment business and you sell weedeaters, lawn mowers and leaf blowers. With pay-per-click you target customers by using targeted keyword searches producing as many ads as needed to get your message(s) out to the right people.You start by building one ad for lawn mowers that will target anybody searching online for the key terms – JD ZX9 Super Model, zero turn lawn mowers and lawnmower shops near Cookeville. By doing this you target the 5% of buyers who are looking to buy a commercial lawn mower close to Cookeville. Next you place another ad about lawn mowers but this time you target customers looking for service. So your ad reads, “Get Your Lawn Mower Ready for Spring – Blade Sharpening to Full Service – Call Now for More Information.” You set it up so only people searching for the key terms – Lawn mower service, lawn mower blade sharpening and lawn equipment service see it. This ensures your getting the right message to the right people 24 hours a day seven days a week.The cycle can go on and on to target weedeaters and leaf blowers as well. Before running these ads in what we call ‘Traffic’ you also tell your PPC provider to do a few other things as well. Things like only spend $250 a month or $8.30 a day, only show my ads to people searching for these exact terms and only show my ads to people within a ten mile radius of Cookeville, Crossville and Smithville. You have complete control over your advertising.Drill down further and place ads like “Bob’s Lawn Shop – Lawn Mowers, Leaf Blowers & Weedeaters – 10% off Service During May” and place these ads on many other relevant websites. For instance, I send you an email asking you if you know of a place that sharpens lawn mower blades. You reply with a no, but because the conversation is relevant, your ad is showing on the side of the page and catches my attention. Or, perhaps, your target customer is looking on Lowe’s website at zero turn mowers and he spots your ad (like a billboard) on the side of the page and clicks through to your website. You could even set it up where they simply click the ad to call your business immediately from there mobile phone because you provide what they need today, locally. This is a great way to catch shoppers nearing their final buying decision through mass marketing. Keep in mind, there are no additional cost.The Biggest difference with online advertising is you only pay when someone visits your website “Internet Store Front” or takes action from your advertisement. By targeting pre-qualified customers where they live (home, work, cell phone) at exactly the time they are looking for your businesses service, product, location or solution, you increase your chances of return on investment. This takes the “Throw it against the wall and see if it sticks” aspect out as well because you choose who sees your ad, when they see it and what information they get when they take action. The best part is you can collect data by tracking conversions and begin to filter out what doesn’t work and build upon the target markets that are producing revenue for your business.With 91 million searches a day on Google alone, people are looking for your business by way of the internet. When is the last time you cut out a newspaper ad, pulled over to write down a number or hunted up a phone book?Advertising Comparison-Offline AdvertisingPros: Reaches local customers with option of running multiple messages
Targets customers throughout the buying process
Brands your business image in your selected viewing area Cons: Short ad exposure times
Unable to target any deeper than location or interests
No precise way to track results or effectiveness Estimated Cost: $825 a month-Online AdvertisingPros: Only pay when someone acts upon your advertising message
Target pre-qualified customers with specific ads for sales and branding anywhere in the world
Capability of tracking data, optimizing to eliminate non productive advertising thereby producing increased results over time
Ability to pause, change or adjust your advertising any time day or night without any contracts Cons: A professional website is crucial for long term advertisers
Complex. Needs professional management for best results
Setup takes 2-3 weeks Estimated Cost: $575 a monthAdvertisers from the Middle Tennessee area have some very good choices for advertising there local business to the people of Cookeville. You know your business and hopefully this information will give you better insight on not only how you can advertise your business but also what cost will typically be involved.Feel free to research this subject more at your own leisure. You can find information through the internet from advertisers websites, additional articles and even forums/blogs describing peoples own unique experience with offline and online advertising.View pay-per-click packages and pricing

Corporate conventions are fun and memorable if fitting corporate entertainment is found. If you are in command of locating entertainers or musicians for a huge forthcoming event there are actually a small number of items you should understand. The job can be quite stressful for some, which is common, but understanding the correct strategy to complete the task will help you locate music or entertainment that’s first-rate for the affair. Not following the proper guidelines can frequently lead to some folks blaming you for the failure of the event.The biggest mistake somebody could make while hiring corporate entertainment is obtaining artists that will not be wholesome. All it takes is several offensive statements by a humorist to have the crowd squirming uncomfortably. The one sure way to bring about trouble with the management is to use a person who is offensive to anyone at the function. At all times hire musicians or entertainers that will put on a pure family-friendly performance.Is your audience quiet and laid back or boisterous and extreme? This will be the initial thing you ought to ask yourself. Evaluating your crowd is an important ingredient of coming up with the appropriate type of corporate entertainment. If your crowd is older they might be ideally served with a swing dance band performing big band music. It will not only be fun to sit and listen to, but to dance to also. Young attendees may possibly be more excited about comedians or loud rock bands. Any time you expect to hire suitable entertainment or music for a big crowd, you will need to be aware of their personalities before deciding on the talent.After determining exactly who your crowd is, the next issue is certainly to produce a list of potential corporate entertainment. If your corporate affair includes younger attendees you might wish to locate a comedy magician, rock or pop dance band, or other rare off-the-wall variety act. You may even choose to book more than one performer. Write down these ideas on some scratch paper so you can remember them later. If the guests are older they could get pleasure from a jazz or swing dance orchestra or band, speaker, or hypnotist. It doesn’t matter what you decide, just make certain you write it down on your list.The most commonly seen forms of corporate entertainment are dance bands, funny corporate magicians, musicians, and corporate magicians. Nonetheless, you can find lots of other varieties of unusual corporate entertainers that might ideally fit your attendees. For instance, there are brilliant comedy juggling acts or yo-yo professionals available that will be cool for youthful attendees. On the other hand, a yodeler or Native American hoop dancers may perhaps be fantastic for a more mature audience. When you would like to find a unique act you ought to use a quality booking agency. They will normally present you with many wonderful possibilities.After determining what form of corporate entertainment is ideal for the celebration, the following move is to look for it. You can either do business directly with the performer or you can use the help of an experienced booking agent. Unless you’re experienced with entertainment and contracts, the best approach will be to locate an experienced booking agent. Making use of a good booking agency will make it simple to come up with what you need for the amount of funds you have available.If you want to ensure that your corporate entertainment is ready to perform at the specified place and time it’s always paramount to use a contract. A qualified booking agency will make the process heaps easier for you by handling all contracts between you as an individual and the artist, ensuring that you will get what you pay for. Any time you don’t have a signed agreement it’s very possible for an artist to come up with a bigger paying job and then leave you without a show. Using a good booking agency who is aware of which artists are reliable and which ones aren’t can alleviate a lot of stress.