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New donors are a lot closer than you may think. And
persuading them to make that vital first donation
need not be as hardor as
expensiveas acquiring
them in other ways.

But before you rent a list of names or drop anything
in the mail, examine the people you are approaching
with your direct mail appeal to make sure they are
good prospects for a donation todayand
tomorrow.
You should look for three qualities in potential direct
mail donors.

1. Capacity to give
Good direct mail fundraising prospects have the
resources to support your organization with gifts.
They do not need to be millionaires (since you will
accept small donations). They do not even need to
be employed (since many pensioners donate a
portion of their fixed income to their favourite
charities). The criteria you are looking for is simply
the capacity to give.

2. Affinity with your cause
The best prospects have a natural liking for your
organization. They identify with the people you help
or the cause that you champion. You are more likely
to attract financial support and gain new donors
when you mail your acquisition letters to people who
already believe in what you stand for.

3. Long-term, profitable relationship
Raising funds through the mail is a long-term
proposition. What you are looking for is donors who
will support you over time. One-time donations are
welcome, of course, but if they are too small they do
not even cover the cost of acquisition. You want
donors, not just donations.

One reason that charity sweepstakes and lotteries
are such an expensive way to raise funds is that
they tend to raise money in the short-term only, and
do not attract long-term, faithful, loyal donors who
are committed to your cause.

So you need to look at every source of potential
donors and ask yourself this question, “What is the
likelihood that these prospects will not only respond
to my mailing with a gift now, but will also follow
through in the years to come with others gifts?”

One mistake to avoid
One mistake that inexperienced fundraisers make is
thinking that their best prospects for direct mail
appeals are big businesses and well-known, wealthy
people. When they think of who to mail their appeals
to, they immediately think of Bill Gates of
Microsoftnot Bob Gates down the street.
They think of extraordinary businessesnot
the ordinary business owners that operate all around
them.

This is a mistake because it concentrates attention
on only one obvious criteria of donor
acquisitioncapacity to giveand
ignores the other two.

Take Bill Gates by way of example. He meets your
first criteria, since he is the wealthiest man in the
world. He has the capacity to give you a donation,
the largest you’ve ever received. But if your
organization is at all typical, Bill Gates has little or
zero affinity with your cause and does not even
know about you. Which means Bill Gates is not a
long-
term prospect, or even a prospect at all, for a direct
mail solicitation.

So the thing to bear in mind whenever you are
looking for new donors is that they should meet all
three of the above criteria. They should not just be
wealthy (with no affinity). And not just have an
affinity (they may believe in your cause but be
bankrupt). When potential donors pass all three
tests, you will avoid disappointment, and save a lot
of money in donor acquisition and donor renewal
costs.

—-
About the author
Alan Sharpe is a professional fundraising letter writer, instructor and mentor who helps non-profit organizations raise funds, build relationships and retain loyal donors using creative fundraising letters. Learn more about his services, view free sample fundraising letters, and sign up for free weekly tips like this at http://www.RaiserSharpe.com.

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Online bingo is proving to get progressively trendy in Great Britain. Since the fresh smoking ban in all public places, quite a few historical bingo halls went belly up – naturally, this has produced quite a few syndicates putting up web based bingo as an alternate option.

Luminaries’ testimonials such as that by J. and S. Osbourne and others have also helped develop the fashionability of Internet bingo – with close to three million enthusiasts already going for a regular game online.

You’ll find various web based bingo Web pages, each one putting forward enthusiasts fun cash bonanzas and other very special rewards, as, for example, brand new cars, movie premiere tickets, not to forget luxury holidays.

Another particularly fantastic aspect of web based bingo is that anyone can try it 247, if you’ve got a Web account. With games popping out just about every minute, you will easily be able to make arrangements to fit bingo to dovetail it with your regular life.

Originally it was expected that the community quality of bingo gaming would deteriorate because of this shift away from historical bingo halls – though English and other bingo supporters have refuted the critics… A steadily growing number are registering for the forums and chatrooms implemented by uncounted web based bingo syndicates.

Here at these places we can make an uncounted number of new friends, take advantage of fashionable tournaments and become fully immersed in other bingo communities.

More to the point, a good many studies have corroborated that players are more likely to win £1million when having a bash at web based bingo compared to alternative types of laying a bet as, for example, the lottery and sports bets.

And should you become temporarily bored with bingo, so many web based bingo Web pages are offering a great number of other games. These may be anything from various slots and numbers setups, right through to caption tournaments as well as funny puzzles.

With so much such a range of alternatives, it can be hard to identify which web bingo corporation will be your best choice. It pays to have a shot at some high level research and check who is presently recommending the most exciting signup bonuses. An incredibly large number of web based bingo Web pages will allow everyone to have a few free games of bingo or reciprocate any cash deposit.

If some of your neighbours have registered with a certain web based bingo webpage, what about teaming up with them as the social chat side can help add more excitement to the overall entertainment!:)

Free Cuddly Bear from Littlewoods

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HOW YOUR LIST AFFECTS POSTAGE COSTS AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!

The quality and accuracy of address information in mailing lists is one of the areas least understood and largely overlooked by most businesses using direct mail. To get an advertising message delivered the address must be correct! Many firms that use direct mail neglect this vital aspect. Is there a “printing” mentality of creating “one” and reproducing it “thousands” of times? The “one to one” aspect of valuing each individual’s information must be applied to every single record in a list.

Quality data entry and following input guidelines consistently generates accurate street, city, province and postal code information. Consistent data entry also improves the ability to match records and eliminate duplicates. Every duplicate mailed results in a poor company image and costs double in printing, mail processing and postage to reach the same person twice. Direct marketers need to be concerned about how many duplicates are in the list, determine how much it is costing and ask what can be done about it!

What may look like a correct address may not be true when compared against the Canada Post master list of all addresses in Canada. To receive the reduced postage rate for mailings of 5,000 or more, a list will go through a computer process to verify or “validate” that the addresses are deliverable. It must show a 95% rate of accuracy to qualify for the usual postage. A penalty of 5 cents each will be added to the regular postage cost for those records below 95%. What does this mean? On a mailing of 20,000 records, attaining an accuracy rating of 75% is 20% below the required percentage. 20% of 20,000 records is 4,000 invalid records x 5 cents = $200 additional in postage to send out mail that may not get delivered.

If it costs approximately $1.00 per record for printing, mail processing and postage for 4,000 addresses that may end up in the recycle bin anyway, you have now spent $4,200 more on your mailing with no sales results. It is cost effective to look at those records deemed “invalid” and correct or eliminate them before your next mailout.

Records are deemed “invalid” when the street, city, province and postal code information do not reflect a “deliverable” destination and can be caused by any of the factors listed below.

Common Errors Affecting Address Accuracy

• Obsolete postal codes
• Invalid or missing postal codes
• No street direction included in address
• Numbered street name entered incorrectly
• Station qualifiers missing for post office boxes and rural routes
• Non address information in address fields
• Unusual characters and unnecessary punctuation

Obsolete postal codes
Many rural delivery services have been restructured by Canada Post and now include the civic address and/or a new postal code. Re-development and growth of older urban areas, amalgamation of towns and growth of urban areas can create restructuring resulting in new postal codes being assigned. Therefore, addresses that were once correct may now be out of date and undeliverable.

Invalid or missing postal codes
Data entry of postal codes could be incorrect or not included at all! The postal code can be tricky to input. Here is how a postal code should be input: V6P 2K7. There should be no hyphen between the first 3 and the last 3 characters, simply put one space not two or none and use capitals for the letters.

No street direction included in address
You must specify the complete direction of an address. Examples:

34 AVE NE 800 GEORGIA ST W 24 ST E

There may be a 34 AVE NW so if it is input as 34 AVE or 34 AVE N, the postal code will not match. There could be an 800 GEORGIA ST E so without the full address and the right direction the record may be deemed “invalid”.

Numbered street name entered incorrectly
Treat numbered streets like any other street name and enter them like this: 468 23 ST
Do no put “23rd St”. That is old fashioned and confuses computer programs. Same goes for 25th, 22nd and 1st. Numbered streets with a letter attached to it like “23A ST” should have the “A” right next to the number.

Spelling errors
Street names, city names and provinces must be spelled correctly. Streets like “Georgia” often appear as “Georgai”, cities like “Mississauga” or “Tsawwassen” can easily be misspelled. And provinces should be two letters only, with no punctuation. This has created confusion as previously there were province abbreviations like Alta for Alberta which is now AB. Nfld for Newfoundland which is now NL (and this has recently been changed from NF)!

Station qualifiers missing for post office boxes and rural routes
A postal station is identified by a “station qualifier”. Example: PO Box 436 STN C. The station qualifier “STN C” must be present along with the PO Box 436. There could be 20 postal stations in a city with a PO Box 436, but STN C tells the post office in which outlet the PO Box is located. Be sure and include that part!

There are also retail postal outlets in office buildings, 7-11 Stores, etc. The qualifier is usually an “RPO” designation. Example: PO Box 457 RPO Bentall

Rural addresses must include the “station”. RR 4 STN MAIN

Non address information in address fields
Non delivery information such as the name of a building like “The Pender Building” is not considered to be “delivery information” and will confuse the Address Validation and Correction program. If you wish to include the building name, place it in the field above the actual street info. Computer processes read addresses from the bottom up starting with the postal code, province, city, street2, street1 information in that order.

Unusual characters and punctuation
The post office uses high speed scanners to process machineable mail. A number sign # should not appear in the address.

Rural addresses like “R.R. #5 STN MAIN” should be input as “RR 5 STN MAIN”.

COMP 52 SITE 13 RR 5 is more easily scanned and matched than
COMP. 52, SITE 13, RR #5. This format also saves keystrokes on data entry!

Commas and unnecessary inclusion of the period (.) should be avoided as scanners are looking for letters and numbers only.

Preferred input style for apartments: 345 MAIN ST APT 301
Acceptable style: 301 – 345 MAIN ST

When an address relates to a “4th floor” rather than a suite input it as: 400 – 341 MAIN ST
or else place the “4th floor” in the street1 field and “345 MAIN ST” in the street2 field.

WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW

1. Create quality data entry guidelines and maintain consistency of data entry.

2. Keep your list current and have it run through the Address Correction and Validation program at least once a year no matter what size your list is. This procedure will “correct” or “reformat” most addresses and generate a report showing your percentage of Address Accuracy. The updated list will include a new field coded in such a way to show which records were “corrected” and are “invalid”. You may then take action to update your database.

3. Eliminate duplicates with your updated, refreshed and reformatted addresses to save yourself lots of money on your next mailing.

This report was written by Sasha Peters who has 16 years experience in the direct mail industry. She is the author of Smooth MAILING, a comprehensive guidebook for using Addressed Admail in Canada. Visit www.bulkmailcanada.com for more bulk mail information and free tips on how to mail in large volume.

Tel: 604-729-1300
Email: info@bulkmailcanada.com

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A sex dong is a very traditional sex aid played with by both boys and gals. Dildos have wonderfully made it big since blue films became accepted in the eighties. While marital aid come in many materials, most often the sex toys are penis shaped. Some sex aids are specially designed for going in the bum. Lads who like bum sexual intercourse with a sex aid commonly choose dongs that touch the prostate because of the unbelievable orgasms prostate touch gives them. There are many sex aids out there for lads, and dongs are the best.

The most common sex dildo uses are vaginal or bottom insertation. Depending on the brand of dong, some dongs may be used for oral penetration or as gags. Regardless of your sex orientation, whether you yourself are straight, gay or bi, female or male, there is a sensual aid out there to quench your sexual needs. Double ended dildos will often be tried between two sexual partners at the same time. All of these marital aids might often be used for simultaneous vaginal and bum penetration, and when put to good use in this fashion sex play will be a little more exciting. Dildos also fit into harness mounts for S&M sessions. Dildos are lovely fun and sexual toy each and every boy should have in their residence. Make sure you try sex with Sex Toys.

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Since the occurence of auto accidents shows an unacceptable high number, it is in every car owner’s interest to do all they can to prevent or at least minimize it. There are some basic principles to follow with regard to reducing the probability of an auto accident. If every car driver followed these rules regularly, the amount of vehicle accidents would decrease
dramatically. So why not start right now to do your part to avoid auto collisions and other car accidents by learning and keep to these rules. Thus you can serve as an example to other vehicle dirvers and motorists, as a goal to reach for.

To avoid vehicle accidents, you need to trust in your vehicle. Each time youdrive your car you should know, that the driving and security condition of the automobile is as good as it can be, and never worry about this aspect at all. To obtain this motorcar security, having proper and regular maintanance done on your auto is mandatory. Stricktly follow your vehicles
maintenance schedule, check out any irregularity you notice vith your vehicle and take note monthly of your car’s tire condition.

It goes without saying that alcohol and vehicle driving – or the operation if any type of machinery for that matter – doesn’t fit together. Unfortunately too many drivers combine it, with an increased number of unnecessary motorcar accidents -many with lethal results – as a consequence. One-third of all motorcar accidents are related to drunken driving. Every driver should internalize and keep to the principle that
says: “Never drive when you have been drinking alcohol”, no matter how little amount they have consumed.

The lack of necessary space between a car and the car ahead has also caused many fatal vehicle accidents on our roads. Therefore, the importance of eaving a safe distance between your car and others can’t be empasized enough. A golden rule of thumb is to leave at least one car length space between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead of you for every 10 miles per hour of speed.

Have you ever tried picking up items from the floormat when you drive your car? Have you ever changed radio stations or CDs? Have you ever been eating while you drive? Or looked at a roadmap? Most people would respond affirmative to most of these questions. Some drivers are even talking on the cell phone or reading newspapers while driving their car. Statistics from Ameican Federal Authorities shows that driving distractions are the main reason for about 4,300 vehicle crashes every day on U.S. roads. So the cure is to simply avoid all efforts that distract you from driving your
motorcar. Don’t pick up things from the floor, don’t eat or drink, don’t handle the radio or CD and do not dial numbers and talk on your cell phone, you have more than enough driving your car. You can’t concentrate on the driving when you have to punch in codes and numbers.

A large number of automobile accidents are attributed to aggression. Never drive a car when you are in an aggressive emotional state and do not encourage aggressive drivers. If you see others driving aggressively it is not your job to teach them not to do it. Keep as far away from them as you can or pull off the road and call the police .Don’t ever loose your temper while you drive your car, no matter how good a reason you might have. This will only escalate a potentially dangerous situation by signalizing aggression to other motorists, no matter how wrong he or she drives.

Lack of courtesy is an increasing problem on the roads and highways today, especially in some areas. It might seem like something of a lost art. How often have you experienced someone speed up to cut you off if they see you use your turn signal before changing lanes? Too often according to my expierience. Just let them pass and never try to force your way in. Many
accidents could have been avoided with a little less aggressive driving and a little more courtesy.

Many motorcar drivers haven’t understood the function of the mirrors. A lot of information to prevent car accidents can be gathered through the mirrors. Adjust them properly and check the side and rear-view mirrors each time you drive your car. Try to keep the speed of your car as constant as possible.

Be aware of the road and weather conditions and adjust your driving accordingly. For instance during dusk and dawn plus when it rains, keep your vehicle lights on. This is also the law in most states. Be a friend of your vehicle and understand how it function. If you suddenly start to skid – which is not uncommon on wet roads or in the wintertime in many states – you
should know how to recover from it. When the weather is especially bad like in rain or snow, you should slow the speed of your car down; who knows what is ahead of you – maybe the traffic suddenly stops to an abrupt halt. It seem quite obvious but Intersections are the arena of most accidents. When entering an intersection look left, then right, then left again to ensure the area is clear.

To be a good and safe driver and thus avoid vehicle accidents, it is a good idea to take a defensive driving class to
improve your general driver abilities but also to be better prepared for the unpredictable behavior of other drivers and learn how you can handle this the most secure way.

Terje Brooks Ellingsen is a writer and internet publisher. He runs the website cheap-used-cars.w-eland.com Terje gives advice and helps people with automotive issues like finding car parts online as well as cheap car insurance

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With the fast change in fashion also means the change in what designer fashion stores such as Matches represent. The store have changed to designer fashion experts at keeping up with the most recent clothing trends in designer fashion and offering a generous range of latest bags from fashion experts such as Chloe, Lips & Marc Jacobs. Matches Fashion are always introducing new labels and classic designers such as Sonia.

Although the designer clothing store is only small, in the 17 years the designer boutique have been open their fashionable customers have seen them climb from a small tiny boutique to a collection of 3 bigger boutiques positioned in prime and popular areas such as Notting Hill, Richmond and Wimbledon and another seven tinnier outlets situated across other parts of London.

The company have been doing great since the launch of their hip website, the response from customers has been super. The unbelievable choice of all the very best designer jackets have made the clothing store one of the leading firms in the UK to visit for the latest fashion. The superb website itself is designed to resemble a fashion magazine, and because of this the superb website easily attracts fabulous customers who want to shop. Also the company have introduced their daily newsletter which people will often sign up to online and it will be posted or emailed to you. The newsletter will inform you of any new trousers from MaxMara that will be arriving in the designer boutique along with any discounts or special offers, sales etc that shall be happening in the future. With this newsletter you should feel like a very important person as you could always be the first to know about any special advanced stock views or special evenings that the fashion store could be having.

Every fashion season the clothing experts from the fashion store focus on editing the international designer collections right down to the most sought after key pieces. The trendy fashion store also constantly look out emerging brands to bring the trendsetting customers the finest in cutting edge t-shirts and accessories.

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Workers compensation secrets are hidden deep within piles and piles of bureaucratic mumbo jumbo. They are sometimes used as high priced paper weights for over worked government workers who may or may not be totally interested in seeing that you find the exact information that you are looking for. However, this is just an opinion. From what I’ve seen on the Internet finding information about workers compensation secrets can be confusing at best.

Where do you start if you want to find relevant facts? Well, you might try your state government web site first. It seems that every state has a government website with all kinds of information concerning your benefits. You can find out anything about your social security benefits, state benefits, retirement funds, and even grants.

If you stay up late and watch cable television I know you have seen that guy in the crazy yellow coat with all the question marks on it running around the pool in front of the Washington monument with the two government agents hot on his trail. You know the guy, he’s yelling something about all the money the government is trying to give away. Well, you can save your money and just do a search on the Internet and find all the info you are looking for for free, including information about workers compensation secrets. Just be prepared to do a lot of searching.

Steve McArthur

Workers Compensation Secrets

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Weight Loss tips

All throughout my childhood and teenage years I watched helplessly as my mother tried every fad diet under the sun. I recall one time she ate boiled cabbage and nothing else for a whole week. I felt my mothers’ frustration and misery but I could not understand why it was so difficult for her to lose weight and keep it off – until that is I became a weight loss coach.

For the past three years I have been assisting people to achieve their ideal weight and in this time I have experienced what contributes to a successful weight loss story.

Get serious

It all starts with you and how serious you are. The key to successful weight loss is dependent on your level of commitment. How would you rate your seriousness on a scale of 1 – 10 (10 being deadly serious)?

Staying motivated

Always keep the end in mind! Write down all of the reasons why you are motivated to lose weight now. Record these reasons on a piece of card that can be kept in your wallet or purse. Each morning and before going to bed remind yourself by reading aloud why you are motivated to lose weight.

Facing challenges

Every day you are likely to face challenges which can disrupt your focus and get in the way of your weight loss goals. Write down all of the challenges that you know have made losing weight hard for you in the past because this will help you to develop a better strategy this time. Three common challenges are lack of results, boredom and lack of support from spouse, family and friends.

Safe and effective

When choosing a weight control program I would recommend looking for the following:

Balanced nutrition

Provides you with balanced nutritious meals
Teaches you about better eating habits
Choose a weight control program that teaches you how to maintain your weight once you have reached your goal.

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.

Paul Marsland and his wife Annette have been working as wellness coaches for the last 3 years. Using scientifically proven, balanced nutritious programmes they help people lose weight and improve their health, energy and vitality safely and effectively.
For more information visit:
http://slim-n-trim.org/?refid=ezart-29894

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If you’re serious about losing weight and getting fit, you might be interested in what I’m about to tell you. If you’re like most people who don’t have time to do cardio exercise and weight training for a few hours a day, then you need to read on. The fat-burning secret I’m about to reveal is used by bodybuilders worldwide, and it will not only help you lose weight, but get you unhooked from the bad carbohydrates. Here’s some information you should know first:

What are the bad carbs?

If you want to keep the healthiest blood chemistry, try hard to avoid eating these foods. Some of the foods with “bad” carbohydrates include those such as white bread, chips, snacks and other baked or fried foods that have been mechanically processed. These carbs bad for you because during processing, much or all of the dietary fiber is removed from them, and your body cannot process these new complex carbs with efficiency.

What are the good carboydrates?

These are the carbs we should focus on eating. They come in more natural forms such as whole grain wheat bread, fruit like strawberries and peaches, and vegetables such as carrots, green beans or squash.

What’s the “secret” to burning more fat?

Please forgive me if I get a bit scientific here, but that’s why this method could be called a secret. Most people don’t know about how it works. The problem your body may have with burning fat during workouts is caused by the insulin hormone. This chemical is produced by your body, and it makes it very hard to burn fat. When you eat carbs in your meal before a workout, your body produces insulin. This is more extreme when you eat the “bad carbs” such as those I listed in the section above.

The solution is to avoid carbohydrates (especially bad ones) before your workout, so that you’ve flipped on the fat-burning switch. After your workout, eat a balanced meal with good carbs and plenty of protein to stop your body from burning muscle along with fat.

And take the time to educate yourself further. Heck, if nothing else, sign up for a copy of our free newsletter at our site. Of course, we save the best stuff for our program, but we still reveal tons of killer tips in the free newsletter. We distribute it every two weeks or so. Just go to the weight loss forum and enter your first name and e-mail to receive it.

Copyright (C) Shoppe.MD and Ian Mason, 2004-2005

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Many great website concepts are developed, launched… and then flop! The primary purpose of a website for any business is to generate increased revenues or reduced costs, or both. If it doesn’t meet these goals it’s going to be canned. So why do apparently good concepts fail? Because without all the pieces in the puzzle, we can’t get the full picture.

Statistics

How many people currently visit your website each day, week or month? You’d be surprised how many people have lengthy meetings with me about improving their website, but when quizzed about statistics they can’t provide any data. The best website in the world is unlikely to pay for itself if only 5 or 10 people are visiting it each week. You must have statistics.

Statistics enable you to establish your current benchmark, monitor your progress, and identify which aspects of your site are successful and which aren’t. Products like LiveStats, Webalyser and AWstats will give you detailed information about which pages people are viewing, how long they’re staying for, what types of browser and computer they’re using (so that you can ensure your site functions correctly in their browser), and how they arrived at your site (for example, were they referred by a search engine or perhaps another commercial website).

Without statistics to measure your success, you’ll have no idea whether your website is money well spent or not.

Promotion

Not getting many people to your site? They need to hear about it! Even if your online catalogue looks fantastic, your advertising copy is eloquently worded, and your shopping experience is a breeze, it’s pointless if people don’t know it’s there. Your statistics will confirm for you how many people are (or aren’t) visiting your site, so now you’ve got a benchmark from which to begin.

How can you promote your site and your business? There’s a range of ways, and the exact mix will vary from business to business, and product to product. Search engines are often a great place to start. If you can fine-tune your website so that it shows up on the first page of Google’s search results, you may well attract alot of interest. Likewise, you can use paid advertising opportunities such as Google Adwords to ensure that search users are exposed to your advertisement.

However, if you offer a product or service that people aren’t aware of and therefore don’t search for, you’re going to need to use methods which get you in front of them, rather than waiting for them to search for you. This might involve online advertising, cross-promotional activities with another company, or offline strategies including magazine advertising, television, radio, outdoor billboards, direct mail, email marketing, letterbox drops, tradeshows, and more.

If people aren’t visiting your site, you’ll have to promote it.

Wording

The most important component of any marketing/advertising you undertake is always the wording, whether that be on your website or in brochures, flyers, letters, or advertisements.

A great looking website that doesn’t tell the potential client what they need to hear, and help them develop an emotional attachment to your company, product or service, is missing out on great opportunities. Simply through improving the wording on a client’s brochure, website or other communications, I’ve been able to double and triple response rates. Spend the time (or pay somebody who understands) to understand what motivates your customers, and how you can word things to generate desire within them and drive them to action. You need to interest them, build trust, show them how you can benefit them, and instil a sense of ‘need’ or urgency that compels them to act now.

Say it right!

Purpose

What’s the purpose of your website? Is it to generate new customers and sales? Is it a customer service facility? Is it primarily to consolidate your image?

If you’re selling professional services to senior executives, they’re probably not going to buy online with the click of a button. But they do want conveniently accessible information. Perhaps your website improves your relationship with existing clients by enabling them to view account information or project status.

You don’t need your website to be all things to all people. You need to determine the key benefits you’re seeking, and focus on the features and facilities which deliver that. If your site looks like a retail store and your client is seeking professional consulting, they’re not likely to respond appropriately to your website. Take the time to agree with your internal management, web developers, and any other stakeholders, what the real objectives of the site are, and then stick to them.

Do the right job, and do it well

If you’ve come up with a great website design but haven’t covered the topics mentioned above, don’t be puzzled when it fails!

In summary:

1. Know the facts about who’s visiting your site, and continue to follow this data as you undertake any marketing in order to gauge your success.
2. Promote your site, but be sure to use appropriate channels. Cross-media promotions (web, brochures, magazines, etc…) tend to have a multiplying effect, but you need to understand where your intended customers are likely to be so that you can capture their attention.
3. Say it right – hire an experienced, successful copywriter if necessary, as this is the most important aspect of your advertising tools. Compel buyers to act by attracting them to the benefits, and don’t bore them with technical waffle.
4. Use the right tools for the right job. Decide what you’re trying to achieve with your website, and ensure that it serves this purpose/s extremely well. If you want new business and sales, target potential new customers and their needs. If you want to improve service delivery to existing clients, focus on the needs of your established clients, which probably vary significantly from a new client.

Philip Brookes
Director
Aktiv Tactics
http://www.aktiv.com.au/

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