Wow, the response was
huge! Thank you to all who participated in the vote last
week. It looks like most of you are concerned as well about
Yahoo's new Site Match. Here is the result from the vote. For
those of you who missed last week's issue, here is the question
I asked:
Should Yahoo reconsider Site Match?
Yes
86%
No
14%
I also stumbled on a very
interesting
article in the Washington Post on this topic. I though you might
like to read it too.
Local Search
Yahoo just launched Smart View. Smart View enhances
Yahoo Maps by allowing consumers to choose local points of interest
and attractions -- such as restaurants, hotels, movie theaters,
parks, ATMs and post offices -- to customize the current map display.
Take a look at http://maps.yahoo.com
Google officially
launched today Google Local. Google Local combines
data from third party yellow pages providers with its own index.
Results can also be displayed on a local map. Try it at http://local.google.com
As you can see Local Search is gaining momentum. If your business
is local by nature (e.g. restaurant, hotel, spa, etc), be sure to
include it in those yellow pages, and of course in Yahoo and Google.
How to
Create and Market Your E-mail Signature
By Herman Drost
One
of the most effective ways to passively promote your business is
to create an email signature file. People don't often put much thought
into this powerful passive marketing tool and therefore lose out
on an opportunity to gain new customers.
What is an email signature?
This is usually a few lines of text placed at the bottom of an
email message, forum or newsgroup that identifies you, your company
and your product or service.
How to create an email signature
file
This should include your name, company or web site title, your
web site address, your phone number, email address or other contact
information and a short message advertising your web site or business.
Try to keep your signature file to 6 lines maximum.
How
to create your email signature file in Outlook Express
In Outlook Express, choose Tools-Options-Signatures-New
and write your email signature in the edit signature box. If you
want to create several email signatures in a notepad file, then
click the "File" radio button, and browse for your signature file.
This makes it easy to edit any of your email signatures in notepad
and upload the edited version in Outlook Express.
Tips: Put a lot
of thought into the creation of your signature file so it matches
the theme and personality of your web site.
Create several signature files
in notepad for different products, services or occassions. You
can then copy and paste them into your email program.
Keep your signature file within
65 characters wide. This is the maximum viewing width of most
e-mail clients. If it's wider than this it may "break" onto the
next line, taking up more space.
7
ways to market your email signature file
1. Outgoing email - include your email signature
in every email you send to your customers. This will remind them
of who they are doing business with and it will also help with
branding your business. Create 4 or 5 different email signature
files in notepad and save it in an easily accessible folder on
your computer. Use one for each different product you are promoting.
2. HTML email - most email clients these days
can receive html email. This means you can liven up your email
messages by including, live links, graphics and even interactive
forms in your html email. Use the full web site address for your
images otherwise they won't render well in the recipients email
mail inbox ie http://www.yoursite.com/images/header.gif
You can read more about "How to Create and Send HTML E-mail"
here.
3. Graphical signatures - you can also create
a graphical image of your personal signature in your favorite
graphics software. To do this, write down your signature on paper
with a thick black pen. Scan it into your graphics software and
upload it to your server. When you insert the image into your
html email, use an absolute URL. Here is an example:
4. Online forums - when relying to a post or
creating a post, create an interesting subject line that entices
visitors to read your post. Make it informative and of value.
Don't write an ad - it won't get opened and may even get deleted
by the forum moderators. Include your signature file at the bottom
of your post. Make sure it contains your full web site address
(so it's a live link) and include the keywords in the link text
that relates with the theme of your web site. Doing this will
increase the link popularity of your web site (an important factor
in your site's rankings). Search engines regularly visit active
forums and message boards, thus spidering the link in your signature
file.
Tip: Make sure your signature file relates to the information
you are posting.
GO
TOAST
The
Ultimate Pay-Per-Click Search Engine Bid Management Tool.
It saves you money by making sure you do not overpay
for your preferred position.
5. Articles - you can include a signature file
at the end of articles you write. Your article may be published
by 100s of ezine publishers reaching 1000s of potential subscribers.
By including your web site address in the resource box of your
article, you will acquire many links back to your web site thus
automatically increasing your site's link popularity.
6. Autoresponders - if you set up a sequential
autoresponder with several diferent messages, be sure to include
your email signature file following each message. Include a quick
advertisement or two for your products but don't overdo it. The
main purpose is to to remind them to visit your web site.
You can also leave your email signature in ezine ads, newsgroups,
polls, surveys, guest books and feedback forms. Include it in
your confirmation emails as a result of visitors filling out your
forms.
7. Tracking - to optimize the effectiveness
of your email signature, you need to also track them. This will
enable you to find out which email signature works the best. When
using the full web site address in your signature file, you can
redirect it by tracking the full URL. The best way to achieve
this is by using ad tracking software (see resources below). This
allows you to keep track of any number of URLs used in your
marketing campaigns.
Try to use your email signature file everyday in your online
marketing efforts. It doesn't take much effort, it won't cost
anything and can reap huge rewards.
