Usually the goal of advertising is to persuade the potential consumer to do something, generally to buy a product or service. In this process, you are at one side of the picture and the consumer at the other and whatever happens in between will be your efforts to persuade the consumer to buy from you. To formulate an Online Advertising Campaign that works, it is of course; best to be completely familiar with the other side of the picture - that is - your online consumer. There are countless variables that can affect online consumer behavior ranging from their demographics to social and cultural factors that influence them. As an advertiser, you need to know why your online consumers are buying, what they are buying, and how they go about buying certain products.
In a Live Chat environment where Live Chat Agents are constantly monitoring your website, with enough training they know your online consumers' behavior like the back of their hands. From which geographical location are they coming in, which languages do they speak, which products/services are they most interested in, which price tags are affordable for them and which cultural or social constraints affect them. In technical terms, Live Chat Agents can see the IP Addresses of online consumers to get their location, see the keywords they searched for to get to your website to find the product/service they are looking for and much more. Agents can tell which pages consumers are getting stuck on, what makes them abandon a shopping cart and which products could consumers not find easily on the website. By chatting with them - Live Chat Agents get to know the other side of the picture as intimately as possible. These agents can draw online consumer profiles for your company and help in data gathering of your consumer, knowing exactly on a personal basis what each online consumer wants.
This extensive knowledge of your online consumer's behavior will lead to targeted advertising, for small segments of online consumers with specialized advertising messages - even done on a one-on-one basis with a personal touch every time a Live Chat takes place between an agent and an online consumer. This knowledge base might change the way you display your products, the way you write content for your website and most of all, the way your advertise.
Reference:
www.liveadmins.com
Got a business website? Targeted Advertising through Live Chat.Current web design / style
Common featuresThe great sites above share the following design features:
Simple layoutIt feels like we're seeing more simple 1- and 2-column designs than in previous years.The overall feel you get is that designers generally agree that simple pages work better. These pages read in a straightforward way from top to bottom, and you don't find your eye skipping around trying to work out what to look at. It's a much calmer and more solid browsing experience than in times gone by. Centered orientationThe other thing you notice about all the hot picks above is that they're all laid out around a central axis.Whereas a couple of years ago, you'd find a lot of liquid layouts and left-aligned fixed-width layouts, today content goes in the centre of the screen.  Left-oriented layouts are much less common than they used to be. Also, liquid (full-width) layouts are less popular. The wisdom has always been that we should try to get as much information "above the fold" (i.e. visible on the screen without scrolling). Liquid layouts achieves this. However, today we seem to be more comfortable with scrolling, and we're willing to put up with scrolling for the benefits of increased white space and line height. Design the content, not the pageGood modern web designs put less energy into designing the page background - the canvas and permanent page features - and rather focus on designing the content itself.This reflects the principle of drawing the viewer's attention to the content. (Also echoes Phil Brisk's article "Dont' decorate, communicate!") We see the effects in:
To take away...What designers should learn from this trend is that it's not enough to design a blank page, to be stuffed with content later, content is our problem. As designers, we're communicators (not decorators) and site content carries the majority of our message.Why center-align?I like center-aligning, and have been tending to use it on my designs for a while.When the content sits in the centre of the screen, it feels up-front and confident. It also gives a sense of simplicity and balance, which reflects the move towards clean, more Zen, design. The most common centered designs are either fixed-width (i.e. master width in pixels or percent) or sometimes zoom-width (i.e. master width in ems, e.g. Forecast Advisor). The benefit of restricting the width of the content (particularly with zoom-width, which resizes as the font size changes) is that the line-length is prevented from getting too long on larger screens. (Very long lines of text are less efficient.) However it's also possible to have a liquid layout with a center-orientation, as the Alternative Energy Store site shows. On this site, just centering the logo brings the friendly, forward-facing feel of the centered site, while getting a lot of content visible on the screen. 3D effects, used sparinglyEvery single one of the hotties uses gradients subtly, either to give bars a slight roundedness, to create a soft feeling of space in the background, or to make an icon stand out with embossing and subtle drop-shadows.Reflections & fades are very prevalent. Drop-shadows are still used, but with care.       Trademark round flashes are everywhere.       Soft, neutral background coloursAll the hotties have a plain background, the most popular being white and greyscale fades. These give a cool, neutral, soft base against which you can flash strong colour to draw the eye.Strong colour, used sparinglyA soft, stylish background is the perfect base for adding eye-catching features. Strong colours and tonal constrast are great for drawing the eye to the more important elements on the page.      Iomega uses more strong colour than the others, with its intense dark red promotion area. However this doesn't drown the rest of the page, because the colour is consistent and simple in shape. Cute icons, used sparinglyThere's a theme here: Don't use too many attractive elements on the same page view (i.e. that appeals to the eye and draws the user's attention).As with strong colour and 3D effects, appealing icons and buttons can add that bit of polish to help give a page a high-quality feel. But used too much, they'll have the counter effect, cluttering the page and confusing the user.       Plenty of whitespaceToday's web designs are so fresh, they feel like they've taken a deep breath.Sometimes I imagine taking a page design that's too crowded and sticking it on a balloon, then blowing air in until everything on the page pulls apart to leave healthy gaps. Your eye needs space (guttering in typo language) round stuff to help you clearly and cleanly identify things. In general, the more white space the better. It's very rare that I look at a page and think: "Gosh, they really need to cram that page up a bit!" Of course, "white" space doesn't have to be white. But it does have to be space! It's great to see so many designs using good-sized margins to space elements apart, and extra line-height to aid on-screen reading. Look at all this lovely refreshing white space!    Nice big textI'm not saying that all the text on your web site should be supersize. In fact, in some scenarios, small text is fine (we tend to take in more when text is a bit smaller).What these good designs show is: Make the most important text on the page bigger than normal textLike the other design techniques we've seen, it works when used in moderation. If all your text is big, then none of your text is big. Use bigger text to help your visitors see quickly what the page is about, what's most important, and figure out where they want to look next to find what they want. ... Stephen Coles Top Ten Fonts for Website DesignThe top ten fonts for website design might change in order, but for the most part the fonts that make up this list stay the same due to their popularity. In general, the top ten list includes Arial, Frutiger, Futura, Gills Sans, Helvetica, Lucida, Optima, Palatino, Agfa Rotis, and Univers. The reason these fonts are so popular is because they are simple and easy to read on computer screens with low resolution. As a result, most of the time fonts that are unique, wild, and distinctive are not used on web pages so as not to distract the reader from what is trying to be said and communicated through the font on the page. Since the website uses content to get the point across, it is prudent to use fonts that are easy to read. If you make it difficult for a visitor to read the content, they will more likely leave than put forth the effort. Consider the following points as well when developing your fonts for your website. - Big Fonts This is your web page and likely your livelihood, not a term paper or research project that has a defined style. Because of this, you can use big fonts, bold them, make them stick out and attract the reader. You can drive your point home with larger fonts and they also will be significantly easier for your visitor to read. The object of your website is to present information that is easily seen, read, and found by visitors. So, go ahead and increase the font size even in regular text that is not in a heading or title. Many of your visitors will thank you because they will not have to put on their glasses or strain to read the text. Sometimes bigger is better. - Sans Serif If you have no idea about fonts, how they translate to your web page, or how they will affect your visitors and ultimately sales, then you should definitely stick with a san serif font. The reason for this is that these fonts are the most legible and provide the best readability for visitors in a low resolution atmosphere. Don’t take risks with your fonts, go generic and use a sans serif font. Your visitors will thank you for it and your sales will not suffer from it. - Simple is Safe Again, don’t let yourself get carried away with your fonts and designs. Instead, keep the thought in mind that simple is safe. If you want to be bold and brazen in your website design then don’t take that route with your fonts. Keep it simple, basic, and easy to read, and you will benefit significantly more than if you try to mix it up. Small Business Website DesignWebsite Designs for any small business provides a major facet of the small business advertising program - so it needs some real consideration. Good design will keep a customer on the website and coming back. Finding The Best Of The Web Design AgenciesThere are certain qualities that are common among the best web design agencies. Whether you are looking for an agency to make a web site for you, or you are thinking about starting a web design agency of your own, you should pay close attention to these qualities. They could mean the difference between a successful experience and a poor experience. Of course, you only need to really deeply analyze agencies the first time you hire one. After that, you can go back to the same one you used before, since you already know what they are like, and have developed personal relationships. First of all, a good web design agency should have a large array of previous work that they have done. They should also make it clear on their web site. Going to their site, you should see a huge list of web sites - real, commercial web sites that are currently in use. You can quickly click on all of these and browse through the work that the agency has done in the past. Not only should there be a lot of different sites, but each one should be unique. This shows that the agency has the ability to make diverse sites that truly reflect the company that they represent, rather than just cookie-cutter sites. The diversity of the web sites reflects another positive quality of your designer, and that is the fact that they really communicate well with their clients. They get hired by a business, and they make every possible effort to find out exactly what the business stands for, and what they wish to accomplish with their web site. This becomes obvious when you see the final product. If possible, you should find feedback of the particular agency, and see if their previous clients mention anything about their cooperativeness, or their ability to work with the company to create a better site. All of these qualities point to the overall ability of a web design agency to create a web site that satisfies the customers desires, as well as sell whatever product or service the company is offering. So if you are starting a web design agency, do everything you can to strive towards these ideals. And if you are looking for a web design agency to make a web site for your company, be sure to consider all of these factors when considering each prospect. Securing Your WebsiteResearch shows that privacy and security are two of the biggest concerns for Internet users. Regardless of whether these fears are valid or not, as a merchant it's your job to make your visitors feel safe on your website. What is a Privacy Policy? A Privacy Policy is a disclaimer placed on a website informing users about how the website collects and stores a user's personal information. A typical Privacy Policy contains information regarding the type of data collected and what security measures are in place to secure the data. For example, if you have a secure certificate installed on your website you may state that all information collected is protected by secure encryption. What are Terms & Conditions? Terms and Conditions on your website specify:
Encryption and Secure Certificates While online you may have come across references to 'SSL Encryption' or '128 bit Encryption'. SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer and is a system for securing and transferring private information over the Internet. While surfing the web, 99% of the time you have no need for SSL protection. However, the moment you need to submit private and sensitive data (such as your credit card details) you want to make sure the data is protected. SSL works by encrypting your data and transferring it over a secure connection. 128 bit is the industry standard and refers to the level of protection a website offers. You can tell if you are using a secure connection when you see the little padlock icon in the bottom right hand corner of your browser (Internet Explorer and Firefox users). Netscape users will see a similar padlock or a blue key graphic. To enable a secure connection on your website you need to purchase and install a 'secure certificate'. A secure certificate is basically a set of instructions that encrypts sensitive information (like credit card numbers) while they are being processed. This prevents third parties from hijacking sensitive information and using them for fraudulent purposes. Upon issuing of your secure certificate you will be able to place a secure seal logo on your site. Important Note: If you are using a third party payment processor like PayPal, you won't need your own secure certificate. When a visitor to your website makes a purchase, they will be temporarily transferred to PayPal's website (which has its own secure certificate) to process their credit card details. Once the payment has been processed they will be transferred back to your website. Accepting Payments OnlineIf you're going to be selling anything online, accepting credit cards is an absolute must. In recent years credit cards have become more popular online as households have turned to the Internet to pay their bills, do their banking and retail shopping. Credit cards allow you to 'strike while the iron is hot' by giving visitors a quick and easy way to purchase your products and services. Once you've got a customer interested in your products and services, obviously you don't want anything to get in the way of them making a purchase. Unfortunately, many websites act as their own worst enemy by forcing their customers to:
Think of the hassle a customer has to go through to make a payment via cheque from your website. They need to:
Imagine your website payment process like a thermometer. The higher the 'hassle factor' reading, the lower the chance of making the sale. The bottom line is, if you can't quickly and conveniently process payments online - expect to lose a huge chunk of your sales. Benefits of Accepting Credit Cards1. Familiar and Convenient Other digital payment systems have come and gone, but credit cards remain the most preferred payment source for online shoppers. 2. Improves Cash-flow Accepting credit cards is also great for cash-flow. By accepting credit card payments, you get your money straight away. 3. Greater Flexibility Accepting credit card payments on your website allows you to process orders 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is crucial as a large percentage of online purchases are made outside traditional operating hours. 4. Greater Efficiency In business, your time is arguably your most valuable asset. Processing Credit Card TransactionsThere are two types of credit card processing methods; real time and manual. a) Real Time Transactions A 'real time' transaction is one which is processed immediately. When a customer makes a purchase, your website communicates with the banking networks via a payment gateway. The bank verifies the status of the card and if successful, approves the transaction. The entire process is done electronically and takes just seconds to complete. b) Manual Transactions Unlike a 'real time' transaction which is processed immediately, a manual transaction is processed offline after an order has been received. For example, a merchant may receive an order via telephone, mail order or email and process the transaction with an EFTPOS terminal. Accepting Real Time Credit Card Transactions To accept real time credit card transactions, you have two options:
Here's an explanation of each service: 1. Merchant Account A merchant account is an account created by a bank or financial institution to receive credit card payments and deposit them into your regular bank account. Merchant accounts can be used by businesses that are processing transactions:
A merchant account does not process any transaction information; it only holds the funds that have been successfully processed by a payment gateway. An 'Internet Merchant Account' is a merchant account designed specifically to process online transactions. IMPORTANT NOTE: An Internet merchant account is distinct and separate to any merchant account that you may already have with a bank (i.e. retail EFTPOS machine). All major Australian banks provide merchant accounts for Bankcard, VISA and MasterCard. To accept American Express and Diners Club payments you will need to apply with each provider individually. TIP: If you are going to apply for a merchant account in Australia, we recommend St George Bank. The problem with most banks is they view small businesses as risky ventures and therefore asks for reams of information before they will approve your account. We believe St George offers the most competitive eCommerce solution for small businesses. Keep in mind that your Internet merchant account is completely separate from your day-to-day business banking account. This means you don't need to switch banks to apply for a St George merchant account. Simply nominate your business bank account (i.e. ANZ, CBA, Westpac, etc) and St George will automatically transfer your settled funds at the end of each day into your regular bank account. 2. Payment Gateway Obtaining your merchant account is half the process. From here, you'll need to sign-up with a payment gateway provider to allow you to process transactions online. A payment gateway acts as the 'bridge' between your website and your merchant account. The job of a payment gateway is to:
A Payment gateway verifies transaction data such as:
Third party processing services are basically a payment gateway and merchant account rolled into one. The difference is a payment processor does not require an Internet merchant account and can settle funds into a regular bank account. Popular Payment Processors include:
In addition to processing transactions, payment processors can also offer services such as fraud screening to verify the authenticity of a transaction. The only drawback with using a third party payment provider (with the exception of PayPal) is that it can take a lot longer to receive your money. WorldPay holds payments for four weeks before depositing the settled funds into your account. 2checkout deposits funds into your account on the 1st and 16th of each calendar month. In contrast, with Paypal or your own merchant account, you will usually receive your funds within 24-48 hours. Obviously, this can help if your cash-flow is tight. eCommerce Jargon TranslatorAffiliate An affiliate is an individual or company that promotes products and services for a merchant, in return for a commission. eCommerce
Checkout Process Refers to the process a customer must go through to purchase a product or service from your website. Conversion Rate Conversion rate refers to the percentage of visitors who take a desired action. From an eCommerce perspective, this means the number of browsers to your site who convert into buyers. Internet Merchant Account An Internet merchant account is an account created by a bank or financial institution to receive online credit card payments. Manual/Offline Transaction A transaction which is processed offline after an order has been received. For example, a merchant may receive an order via telephone, mail order or email and process the transaction with an EFTPOS terminal. Payment Gateway A payment gateway charges your customers credit cards via the web and sends the funds to your merchant account. Payment Processor 3rd Party Third party processing services are basically a payment gateway and merchant account rolled into one. The difference is a payment processor does not require you to have an Internet merchant account and can settle funds to a regular bank account. Privacy Policy A Privacy Policy is a disclaimer placed on a website informing users about how the website collects and stores a user's personal information. Real Time Transaction A 'real time' transaction is one which is processed immediately (as opposed to a manual transaction which is processed offline after an order has been received). Shopping Cart Software A shopping cart is a system which enables you to sell your products and services on the web. SSL Encryption / Secure Server SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer and is a system for securing and transferring private information via the Internet. SSL works by encrypting your data and transferring it over a secure connection. 128 bit is the industry standard and refers to the level of protection a website offers. Terms & Conditions Terms and Conditions on your website specify:
Anything else of significance, including waiver of warranties, limited liability, indemnification, grounds for termination of service, etc. eCommerce SummaryPerhaps the most fascinating thing about eCommerce is the sheer size of the opportunity and how quickly the industry has developed. Back in the dinosaur ages of the Internet (1994), there was no such thing as real time credit card transactions. In those days, you had to make your purchase over the telephone or via email and your order would be processed offline. Thankfully times have changed. Instead of sending cheques via the post, customers can now make instant payments and businesses can receive their money almost immediately. However, even through the technology has rapidly progressed, the fundamental rules of eCommerce remain the same. To generate sales on your website you still need to do two things:
Without these two components, the process of collecting the money (eCommerce) is irrelevant. And that's why many eCommerce sites fail - they jump the gun by worrying about all the 'bells and whistles' before developing a plan to generate traffic to their site. Clearly, the most successful eCommerce sites are not the ones that just come up with a great 'idea' but the ones that build their businesses around a pre-existing demand in the marketplace. eCommerce IntroductioneCommerce has revolutionized global trade and can be generally defined as: 1. The buying and selling of goods and services over the Internet 1994 is considered the birth of mainstream eCommerce. In this year entrepreneur Jeff Bezos started Amazon.com out of his garage. Since then, businesses from every industry, large and small, have scrambled to get online. Projections from technology research company Forrester (www.forrester.com) indicate that, by 2006, total online sales will increase to more than $560 billion dollars a year. But as big and as impressive such figures are, sometimes it's hard to grasp how these statistics impact our lives on a day-to-day basis. To get a more revealing picture, we need to examine consumer spending patterns (i.e. what people do in the real world). For example, according to recent statistics from www.itfacts.biz:
And this is just a small piece of the pie! In addition to the buying and selling of goods over the Internet, the following activities also come under the umbrella of eCommerce:
As well as benefiting large companies, the good news is that eCommerce has allowed thousands of small businesses to flourish. According to recent research by payment processor PayPal, of the small businesses that currently sell online:
Want to collect your piece of the eCommerce pie? There are three steps in the process:
|
CountrySearchCategorisedRecent Entries
CalendarArchive |
»