In eCommerce, one of the major areas overlooked by many eTailers is their checkout process. What’s the point of investing tens of thousands of dollars into a new website design and hundreds of thousands into marketing if your users just aren’t converting? What if you could grow your sales not by paying to attract new users to your page, but by simply getting a higher percentage of visitors to complete their purchases?

For example, one client of ours brought users to a checkout page with three strong, competing calls-to-action on it: one encouraged people to call, another to use Pay-Pal to checkout, and yet another to complete a ‘credit card’ purchase. The page had worked in the past; the site was generating a fair amount of online revenue, and no one had complained at the company.

However, by analyzing their checkout funnel, we found out that they lost 60% of their shopping carts at this page. We knew that this was the ticket: if we could make this page easier to use, we could grow their sales by up to 60% without spending a dime in marketing or going through a complicated redesign process. We set to work identifying pain points and created a plan to address this.

In one day, we were able to come up with simple changes to clean up the page. We relocated the checkout buttons to be closer to the shopping cart subtotal, changed the wording to make them more user-friendly, changed the color scheme to make them stand out and relocated the phone number to the footer. We then implemented these changes in an A/B test with the original version, and waited for the results to come in.

After a two-week test, our simple changes allowed the client to increase their sales 40%. They were ecstatic, and we looked (even more) like rockstars. However, none of this would have been possible without collecting the data and interpreting what it’s telling us.

So, if you’re looking to move your business forward, skip the rest and go with the best: Core3 Solutions. We’ll look at the data and tailor the right solution for you, then test it to confirm that our plan really worked. With Core3, you’re getting a partner who believes in accountability and quantification as much as you do.

The introduction of the Internet quickly added new competition for brick-and-mortar stores. The benefits with online sales seemed to be endless, and ecommerce websites continue gaining popularity. Online shopping provides easy price comparisons, a buying experience that can happen in your PJs, allows better tracking of customer behavior and new Internet practices of showrooming and dynamic pricing.

As described in our blog earlier this year, showrooming has become a popular technique used by shoppers in which they visit stores to seek out desired items then go online to locate the item at the cheapest possible price. Dynamic pricing is a term used to describe when an online store watches your searches and notes the items that you’ve looked at. They then take that information to fluctuate prices accordingly, randomly changing prices of items that you’ve recently looked at. Pricing bots analyze customer behaviors and other factors to determine increases and decreases for the cost of items.

With ecommerce sales surpassing $1 trillion in 2012, according to a recent report from eMarketer, and the many advantages online stores have over their on-location competitors, it’s no surprise that brick-and-mortar retailers are fighting back. States have also expressed concern about the loss in potential tax revenue. The National Conference of State Legislatures estimates that $23 billion was missed out on last year due to states’ inability to collect taxes from out-of-state sales.

The loophole in the online sales tax laws allowed customers to avoid paying sales tax, unless the retailer had offices or distribution centers in that state. For example, Amazon does not have a Michigan location for offices or distribution. Thus, Michigan customers buying from Amazon would not pay any online sales tax.

As it stands, and if the online sales tax bill passes in the House, the law would require online companies with profits larger than $1 million to collect sales tax from customers on each purchase. That money would then go directly to the state where the shopper resides.

There is some opposition to this bill, with eBay leading the pack against the possible sales tax bill. Some folks believe that this new sales tax bill could harm small businesses that do not have the proper resources to collect sales tax from out-of-state customers. eBay and other online retailers believe that the the new online sales tax bill should exempt companies “businesses with up to $10 million in sales or fewer than 50 employees,” according to the Washington Post.

Social media customer service is becoming a necessary form of communication for most brands. Customers expect open and quick communication to both their complaints and praise. This is requiring many companies to create a separate department specifically designed to handle social media customer service efforts.

I’ve had some great experiences with social media customer service. Last year, I blogged about my excellent experience with the social media customer service I received from Kohl’s. After I forgot to enter a promotion code for my order, the customer service rep on Facebook stated that they could help me out if I simply sent my order number and promotion code to an email they used specifically for Facebook-driven conversations. That is exactly how social media customer service should be handled. However, as I stated, some brands need to fix their communication tactics and I’m learning this firsthand with Dell.

A few months ago, I started having trouble with my laptop’s WiFi. I attempted to get support through Dell’s warranty support. However, at the time the chat support option was offline and given my busy schedule in which I typically attempt to multitask, calling them wasn’t the best option. I then went to the email support option and an annoying message came up stating that my product did not get email support. Really? Isn’t email one of the less invasive, easier forms of communication? Surely Dell doesn’t think so.

So, I tweeted them asking when chat would come back online. In response, I got a Direct Message on Twitter with a representative trying to troubleshoot my problem. Trying to troubleshoot a Wifi issue via Twitter in 140 characters per message is not at all desirable. My Wifi has since gone between functional and nonfunctional, and it recently stopped working completely two weeks ago. In that two-week period, I’ve been avidly communicating via Twitter with a Dell representative, and still my laptop remains broken. This form of social media customer service has been nothing but frustrating, and if brands want to retain their customer base, it’s important they understand the proper tactics in using social networks.

Things to do when utilizing social media customer service:

Respond Quickly. Quickly might be a relative term, and everyone has a different understanding of what it means. I have gotten responses in as little as a half hour, but I’ve been pleased when replies come in twelve hours. The goal should be to answer customers in the same business day they comment or message your brand.

Use live chats. If there’s a live chat feature available and operating properly on your website, many folks will use this option rather than utilizing Facebook or Twitter. Check out our blog on the advantages of using a live chat feature and how to properly utilize a live chat system on your website.

Identify the customer service representative. If you’re going to have conversations on social networks, try to be as personable as possible. Dell actually does this pretty well. Each message is signed with the initials of the representative sending the message. Signing with initials or a name reminds patrons that your customer service team is actually made up of people rather than automated messages.

Move the conversation to another format for easier communication. Good social media customer service reps, like those working for Kohl’s, will take the conversation to a new medium immediately. Social networks are a very constraining place to fix problems, and there’s usually a better place to conduct that conversation. Facebook is very open, allowing everyone to see your conversation. Twitter depends on the 140-character limit. If a person has a complaint, ask them to use a live chat, email or phone number designated specifically for folks coming from social networks.

If used correctly, social media customer service can be great to retain and attract customers. However, brands should employ people that are skilled in operating the networks properly with a plan of action in place.

7 Marketing Techniques Worth Trying on your B2B Website

1. Create better Calls to Action 

The call to action that you include on your B2B website can make or break the entire process. These should attract buy attention quickly and immediately identify what they need to do. Give the calls to action some sense of urgency, so it will increase the likelihood that people complete the process. For example, if you are offering a discount – give it a clear expiration date so customers know they must act promptly to take advantage of it. Additionally, if your call to action is located on a landing page, it should be in the top half of the page. Customers are more likely to complete calls to action if they can be seen as soon as the page loads.

2. Provide Testimonials and credentials

Customers are more likely to make a purchase and trust a company if others have given their stamp of approval. Providing reviews and testimonials can help gain the trust of potential customers. Additionally, if your company has earned industry-related awards, certificates or credentials, it’s important that website viewers can see them easily.

3. Give them a reason to care

After you’ve spent some time flattering your B2B website with positive commentary from previous customers, concentrate on how you can benefit potential customers. How you go about doing this is dependent on the specific services and products that you offer; however, there are many ways to offer extra incentives to potential customers. For example, if you are a consulting firm and part of your job is to set up presentations with larger firms – try offering free pizza along with your presentations. Or perhaps your company relies heavily on referrals, mention on your B2B website that you will give cash rewards or gift cards if referrals are given.

Potential customers want to know what makes your company stand above competitors, and your B2B website is exactly where you need to tell them this information. Website visitors need to understand what problems you can fix for them, how your business can benefit their lives and precisely why they should select your company.

4. Consider A/B Testing

This marketing technique can help you determine the layout, working, colors and more that are more effective in driving conversions on your B2B website. By testing a single variable, for example the placement of a call to action, you can determine if Page A or Page B is more effective.

5. Rethink Forms

Many B2B websites have flawed forms; they either ask too little or too much. Determine exactly what information you need to collect from potential customers to determine the quality of the lead. Many forms go unfinished because people think they are too long or too intrusive, so keep this in mind when creating the forms on your B2B website. If you don’t actually need the potential customer’s phone number, don’t ask for it. Also, analyze the position of your forms.  If they are located on a landing page, consider moving them to the top half of the page to increase completion.

6. Expand Content Marketing Efforts

Many B2B websites attempt some sort of content marketing, but they don’t really take the time to dive into the specifics. It’s important to understand what is working and what is a waste of your time. If you have a blog, is that blog leading to conversions? If you are using social media, are you driving traffic to your website with content? If it’s fitting for your industry, are you utilizing videos? There are tons of marketing techniques that you could use for your B2B website, take a few hours and analyze what could be useful for your company.

7. Identify Potential Risks 

A flaw with some B2B websites is that the information presented on them simply sounds too good to be true. Think like a potential customer and identify things they might worry about. Are there potential flaws in the process you offer? Are there possible mistakes that could happen on your team? Are there things that might make potential customers apprehensive to trust your brand?  Identify and explain the potential risks on your website and explain how you will work to avoid them. It’s good to give customers a well-rounded explanation of your company, services and solutions. Immediately identifying potential risks can increase their trust in your products or services.

Interested in learning more about marketing techniques to increase the traffic on your B2B website? Let’s chat! Our marketing team can help bring your B2B website to the next level!

Look how excited Adam is in this picture! ... And then there's Paul Chambers who is making silly faces.

Hey Michigan developers – or those looking to become Michigan developers – we’re very proud to announce that our very own Adam Stogdill will be teaching a two-part Girl Develop It Detroit course: Intro to PHP and MySQL .

Class will take place on Monday, May 13 and Wednesday, May 15 and will run from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Included in each four-hour session will be food to give your brain the energy it needs to absorb all of the great information Stogdill will be presenting.

In this course, attendees will have the opportunity to learn the basics of MySQL, database manipulation as well as learn advanced PHP. Attendees should have a basic understanding of HTML and CSS; this class will help take those skills to the next level. The curriculum is a collaborative effort with Stogdill and Girl Develop It to create the most effective learning session possible.

“The goal is to make this information easier to digest. I want to take away that sense of fear some people get. After this class, I want people to have the empowerment that they need to do anything they set their mind to,” Stogdill said.

With only 20 spaces available and half of the class already filled, we anticipate a full house for this event. We’re also very pleased to be sending Kristi Pietryka, Core3’s helpdesk technician, to this event to further her knowledge.

“I haven't done a lot of Web programming, and that's what the class is all about! It will also be good to learn more about PHP. Even though it is similar to other languages I've worked with, I haven't had much experience with it at all,” Pietryka said

Girl Develop It is a nationwide project that works to empower women and create comfortable learning environments for those working in the technology industry. However, gentlemen who are interested in learning more about PHP and MySQL are also welcome to join this event. Girl Develop It organizes a variety of Meetups in several cities throughout the country including Boston, New York, Seattle, Detroit and more.

It’s understandable that programming and developing can be an intimidating talent to learn. However, this environment welcomes any and all questions you might have. Even if you are new to the technology industry, Stogdill has a way of relating even the most complex topics to almost anyone.

“Adam is an awesome teacher and, since our time during office hours is limited, I figured I'd take advantage of any opportunity I could to learn from him outside of the office!” Pietryka said

With his enthusiasm for teaching, Stogdill previously taught a WordCamp Detroit class last year. Stogdill helped attendees get a better understanding on how they could use the WordPress Loop.

“I’ve always been interested in teaching, and I’ve considered working with colleges and what not… I like these smaller sessions. It’s nice to make things relatable for people.”

No worries, no cheese was harmed in the taking of this picture. Adam actually loves cheese.

• What: Intro to PHP & MySQL class
• Where: Atomic Object {1407 Randolph St., Detroit, MI}
• When: 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. on Monday, May 13 & Wednesday, May 15
• How much: $80/ per person

Are you interested in attending? Limited space is still available.

5 SEO Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

1. Not following basic SEO practices

Utilizing the basics of SEO digital marketing can do a lot for your website. These simple digital marketing practices get your website to a higher page in search engines and attract new people.

Things to always do:

•  Optimizing blog photos should occur each time you make a post.
• Ideally, pages (including blog posts) should include 400-800 words. Anything less than 300 words is generally frowned upon by the Google Gods. Sometimes pages simply cannot contain any more information, but do your best to have this many words on a page. That isn't to say that you should fill pages with nonsense words, however.
• Measure your content marketing. If you continue to use SEO techniques and they aren’t working, yet you aren’t checking up on things – you’ll just keep wasting your time.
• You need a blog. If you don’t have one, find a way to start one. It’s the most basic way to increase your SEO.
• Use the right language in your blog and website. This includes SEO techniques, making it readable for your audience and including personality in posts.
• Ensure that the URL of your page has been changed to include your keywords.
• Fill out your meta description and keyword sections in the backend each website page.

2.  Using Blacklisting Techniques

You can try to cheat the system and increase your page rank by doing various blacklisting techniques, but beware – Google will eventually figure it out and your website will then be ignored by the search engine. It’s always best to do things the right way. Quick results can be purchased, but the longevity of their success is usually minimal. Avoid keyword stuffing, buying links or joining the wrong link directories.

3. Using only images for headings

Images might look better for headings and menus, but they sometimes aren’t great for SEO techniques. Search engines like text, so include keywords in your headings when possible.  

4. Writing boring content

We cannot stress this enough. Boring content is a digital marketing mistake that will lose you visitors. Writing a bunch of boring blogs might increase your page rank, but your bounce rate will be sky high, which won’t get you any conversions. You want people to read your content and enjoy it enough that they’ll explore other areas of your website. Also, don’t use duplicate content and simply switch out the keyword. This is another SEO technique that Google dislikes.

5. Performing SEO techniques once and never again

Digital marketing is an ongoing process, thus your SEO techniques should be maintained. Keep up with keyword trends, pay attention to your traffic and note what is and is not working, optimize new pages as they are created and check SEO throughout the site if you conduct updates to the website. SEO digital marketing is not a set it and forget it practice. To continuously see results, you have to continuously work at it.

Worried that you’re doing some SEO digital marketing mistakes? Let’s chat!

5 smartphone and tablet stats to make you think about making a mobile website:

• In 2009, a mere 1% of Internet traffic came from mobile devices. In December of last year, 13% of Internet traffic came from smartphones, according to Forbes.
• Just 2% of Americans owned a tablet three years ago. Now, almost a third of adults own one. {Tweet this}
• Nearly 80% of smartphone owners take a gander at their mobile device within 15 minutes of waking up, according to Business Insider.
• Mobile data usage has increased a whopping 89% from 2011 to 2012, according to Nielsen.
• Experts anticipate that mobile Internet use will be used more frequently than desktop by 2014. {Tweet this}

7 stats about ecommerce behavior to convince you it’s time to go mobile:

• Nearly 70% of smartphone-using mothers made a purchase on a mobile device in 2012, according to emarketer.
• In 2013, 15% of retail sales conducted online will happen through mobile devices.  {Tweet this} EMarketer estimates that this will rise to 25% by 2017.
• This year, 51% of folks that shop online will do so through a mobile device, according to eMarketer.
• 18% of females  use their mobile device to research products before purchasing them. Compare this to the 6% of women that will browse stores and 5% who ask for recommendations from friends. Though PC and laptop research surpasses mobile, with 71% of ladies using this method, mobile research continues to increase.
• More than 50% of women use a mobile device to find locations and hours of locations before visiting them.
• In 2011, PayPal did $4 billion in mobile transactions. In 2012, it completed $10 billion in mobile payments, according to Mashable.
• 73% of mobile shoppers reported they were satisfied or very satisfied with the mobile purchasing experience. 

To stay competitive and attract purchasers, it’s important to go where consumers are. It’s clear that mobile shopping continues to increase in popularity. Grab your smartphone or tablet; how does your website look on that device? If font is tiny, browsing is difficult or making purchases can’t be conducted easily, it’s time to think about making a mobile website.  Not sure where to start? No problem. We’d love to help. Let’s chat!

Some quick stats to keep in mind when constructing an email strategy:

• Within the B2B market, 40% of companies rated email marketing as a high-quality source for lead generation, according to Hubspot.
• The highest open rate falls in the retail apparel industry followed by business publishing and media in general, with 39% and 34% respectively. Travel and hospitality services came in third with a 31% open rate.
• Subject lines in emailing are very important, with 35% of people determining which messages to open simply based on the title, according to Convince & Convert.
• Promotional emails lead to 44% of recipients making a purchase within a year of receiving that message.
• Eight out of 10 smartphone users regularly check emails on their mobile device, according to PRDaily.
• It is anticipated that money invested in email marketing will grow 10% annually for the next five years.
•  More than half of people will unsubscribe because of receiving emails too frequently.

With that information in mind, it’s clear to see that email marketing is not dead. There are still email subscribers out there that you can attract, there are still ways to construct an effective email strategy and the bottom line is – emailing is probably worth your time.

Some pointers on constructing an effective marketing strategy for your brand:

Get an email list gathered

There are several ways of doing this. If you are starting from scratch, it’s important to understand that effective email marketing takes time and email lists don’t grow over night. Some beginning steps include adding an opt-in option on your website, share information on your social networks and include a link in the signature of emails to individuals that will allow them to easily sign up for your email newsletters. If people don't know you have a newsletter available, they can't subscribe. So, spread the word!

Pick the email marketing service that is right for you

There are tons of email marketing services out there that can help you construct and send a professionally designed message. Each has unique features, varying cost and can help with different aspects of an email strategy. Do some research and identify which will work for you.

       A few that we recommend:

• Mail Chimp
• Constant Contact
• Boomerang
• EmailBrain

Determine goal

What is it that you hope to accomplish with your email strategy? Before attempting to create an effective marketing, you must determine what your end goal is.

    Questions to consider:

• Do you hope to drive traffic to your website?
• Are you looking for sales conversions?  
• Do you want to spread the word about promotions?
• Do you want to keep your customers informed about company updates?

Integrate social media

Social media is undoubtedly a powerful tool; embrace that power and use it to help create an effective email strategy. Include “Share This” buttons within your email, embed email sign-up forms in social networks and encourage fans across all of your networks to subscribe to your newsletters.

Don’t bore them

Seriously, don’t bore them. No one wants to read a boring email. And if they do read a boring email once, they’ll likely ignore it from that company in the future. Provide some kind of incentive for people to actually check out your newsletters. It might be contests, promotions, email-only information – there are plenty of options; get creative.

Use relevant, concise information that will truly mean something to your audience. Don’t overfill it within information. Included in this, it’s imperative that you understand who your audience is. Some email services will break down demographics, genders, etc. of your email subscribers. Use this information to construct the messaging in your email strategy. Some brands will even tailor information to specific groups, and send a couple versions of the email designed to each group. This ensures that readers enjoy what they see and will continue reading your messages.

Your design is also important to intrigue your readers. Don’t overload it with images or text – use a nice balance of the two. Offering a plain-text only version can also increase your conversions. Some people simply don't want, or can't, see images in their email. 

Sending nonsensical emails will also bore potential customers. Determine a schedule on the frequency of your emails and stick with it. For instance, at Core3 Solutions we send emails once a month. It depends on your industry and your goals for how often emailing is necessary or welcomed by email subscribers.

Change things up

Many companies use one template and stick with it through their entire email strategy. Though it’s great to identify something that works and staying with it, it can also be helpful to switch things up and attempt get a higher open and conversion rate. A/B testing your strategy can increase the possibility of creating an effective email campaign. Something as simple as changing where a button or link is located can increase your conversions.

Mobile friendly

As stated above, email subscribes often check messages on a mobile device. To get your message across, you must go where they are and adapt to the mobile age.

Want to learn more about how we can help create an effective email strategy for your brand? Let’s chat! Also, don’t forget to sign up for our monthly newsletter. 

Facebook Home

No matter where we go, many of us phone-loving folk tote our devices everywhere. A recent study from the International Data Corporation found that 79 percent of smartphone users from 18-44 years old have their phones on them 22 hours a day [tweet this]. Of those surveyed, 70% use Facebook on their phone.

Facebook continues to analyze our addiction on the social network and find ways to adapt their platform to our lifestyles. The newest Facebook app, Facebook Home, is slowly rolling out to mobile users. The app, which is currently available for Android users, takes over the phone’s homescreen and interjects content from your Facebook friends. With Facebook Home, status updates, pictures, chats and more can be seen no matter what app or task you’re fiddling with at the time. You no longer have to bother yourself with actually opening the Facebook app; the content simply becomes a part of your phone.

Chat heads will leave Facebook chat open in the background of your phone. If someone messages you, no matter what you’re doing on the phone, a little picture and chat bubble will pop up. Cover feed will replace your lock and home screens with a window sharing what your Facebook friends are up to.

Though the new Facebook Home is only available on limited phones, the system is said to be rolled out internationally and for other smartphones in the near future.

Twitter #Music

Though the social network is being rather secretive right now about the details, it has been confirmed that Twitter will release some kind of online music service in the near future. There’s currently a blank page for the new service, simply stating “Coming Soon.”

A Twitter spokeswoman indicated to the NYTimes that the recent shutting down of WeAreHunted.com, a system that searched the web for trending music worldwide, had something to do with the new Twitter Music service. Twitter purchased We Are Hunted last week.

Though the details are hazy, it appears that the service will make music recommendations to tweeps based on conversations being had by their friends on the social network. Because music-related tweets are among the most popular conversations on Twitter, this could be a great tool to get users to stay on the network longer.

LinkedIn & Hootsuite

Hootsuite has become a very popular dashboard to manage social networks. Showing analytics, engagement and more in one concise location makes maintaining various networks much easier. According to its website, Hootsuite now supports 79 of the Fortune 100 companies [tweet this]. The management system just released a handy addition, which allows users to integrate their company LinkedIn page to their dashboard. LinkedIn continues gaining popularity, both from a company standpoint and as professional users. This new feature will make Hootsuite even more appealing for many  businesses. 

Let's get to know Scott a bit! 

What's your educational background?

I’ve attended various courses over the past 5 years working towards a BSBIT degree from Walsh. Eventually I just didn’t have enough time with the startups that I was involved in and put school on hold until I could dedicate more time completing my degree.

What is one positive thing that has stood out to you thus far about Core3?

The atmosphere and the people

What is one interesting / non-work related fact about yourself?

I love music / playing guitar, I’ve been playing for about 10 years now. I make sure I take the time every evening to play for my kids before bed to ensure they have an appreciation for music.

What are some of your personal hobbies?

I’ve been asking myself the same thing for years. Other than playing guitar I generally don’t have the time for much else.

If you could have an endless supply of any food, what would you get?

I’d be happy with pretty much any kind of breakfast food. You can’t go wrong with breakfast.

If you could be any superhero, who would you select and why?

The Green Lantern. Who wouldn’t want to be able to create something from nothing with a ring a willpower?

Can you tell us briefly about the other company that you manage?

Which one?