Given this turbulence, many publications or membership-driven revenue models. These models can provide a more stable revenue and more accurate forecasting from a financial standpoint. While consumer-driven models may be more stable, they aren鈥檛 a reality for all publications. For example, for free city news publications or alternative newspapers, advertising is the only source of revenue. While still valued by readers, subscription-based models may not be viable for these sorts of publications.

Even once the pandemic ends, magazines may still struggle to find ad revenue from the usual sources. This is especially the case given that is on a steady incline.

Print ads will always be an important revenue source. The past year-plus has proven that it鈥檚 critical to have a diverse revenue stream, and there are other ways to generate revenue beyond banner ads and full-page spreads. Here are four avenues to consider.

1. Sponsorship

A corporate sponsorship can be a great option for publications that provide a valuable service to a community or region. Platforms seeking sponsorship must have similar values with their sponsor. In addition, they must be able to articulate the value they provide to the community. In making the case for support, it鈥檚 important to outline how their sponsorship would benefit your publication, i.e., where and how the money would be used. If your organization meets these characteristics, start seeking out philanthropic organizations or corporations that have a history of supporting institutions in your community. Sponsorship is a perpetual and sometimes exhaustive exercise of relationship building, but it can certainly be a fruitful one.

2. Partnerships

Similar to sponsorships are partnerships. For , the food magazine Delish partnered with Disney to create a special edition of their magazine all around recipes from Disney movies and theme parks. You may want to do something like this if your sponsor has certain products/brands that may be better promoted in print because of the images and the prospect of being able to have a physical copy of it. While not everyone can partner with Disney, there are most likely companies in your space that would benefit from a partnership with you and vice versa. However, make sure whoever you partner with is a good crossover and makes sense for both of your audiences.

3. E-commerce

If you have a brand, you have an e-commerce platform 鈥� even if your organization hasn鈥檛 tapped into it yet. Passionate subscribers or readers want to rep your brand. Not only is it free advertising, but it鈥檚 also a bona fide revenue stream. Hats, t-shirts, stickers and beyond, the e-commerce options are vast. For example, The New Yorker has an with a variety of goods reflecting the identity of their brand. If you have close relationships with other brands or advertisers, you could even host their products on your site and split the profits. Also, it鈥檚 important to bring the e-commerce to the platforms you鈥檙e engaging audiences on, whether it鈥檚 your website, social media pages or both.

4. Affiliate Marketing

If you don鈥檛 want to build out your own e-commerce platform, affiliate marketing can still tap into the rising digital sales trend. This type of marketing directs your audience to affiliate merchant platforms. With monetized links or unique discount codes, your platform can get credit for 鈥� and a portion of 鈥� these sales. The key to affiliate marketing is staying true to your readers and aligning with affiliates that have products your readers actually want. At the same time, it鈥檚 important to seek out multiple merchants to partner with. While it may not be a gold mine, affiliate marketing is an easy and effortless way to boost your bottom line.

While there are always new trends that catch on in the industry, each magazine is unique. Shifting production costs to consumers from advertisers may work for some publications, but for others it just isn鈥檛 an option.

Overall, the media organizations that emerge from the pandemic-era stronger are those that apply the same level of creativity towards diversifying their revenue streams as they did to their content.

The post Alternative Revenue Streams for Your Magazine appeared first on 杏吧原创.

Also known as SMS marketing, marketing text messages often advertise a sale or limited-time offer for consumer products. Some of them read as spam messages 鈥� and some actually are.

Unlike marketing emails 鈥� many of which often are never opened, let alone read 鈥� is opened within a few minutes of receiving it. Given this accessibility, it can be a great tool to reach your audience, especially with time-sensitive information.

One of the reasons SMS is such a beneficial channel for marketers is because it’s a non-traditional one. Advertisers face a lot of competition in traditional marketing channels. Imagine an interstate highway crowded with billboards or a website with a barrage of pop-up ads. It鈥檚 easy for advertising messages to get lost in that noise. In contrast, text message marketing is like having the only billboard on the road or the only banner ad on the web page. There鈥檚 a lot less pressure and a lower chance that your messages will get lost in the noise.

Text marketing can be as simple as short updates sent every so often, while others are sophisticated back-and-forth exchanges based on keywords. No matter the scope, all campaigns require an investment in a text message marketing service or platform to get your message out.

This form of marketing is most often used to drive sales through creating urgency. But they can also be beneficial tools for publishers and associations to engage their members, subscribers or even prospects. When used effectively, SMS marketing is well worth the time and money.

. . .

Here are a few ways you can utilize text marketing outside of sales:

• News updates or quarterly reports
• Quick feedback from your subscribers
• Promoting upcoming live events
• Updates on new content or products

The mechanics of text marketing depends on the magnitude of your efforts. For example, on the simpler side of things, an industry association could send users periodic news updates or crowdsource questions for their webinar or podcast.

In contrast, a pet magazine could text weekly tips (along with cute photos) for specific pets that drive website traffic. This platform could also have a service to answer frequently asked pet-related questions with preset answers that are triggered based on particular keywords.

Ultimately, the breadth and depth of your text message marketing depend on the audience, your relationship with them and the value you provide. While it鈥檚 not for every publishing company or association, text marketing can be a very effective medium to engage your audience.

Before investing in text marketing, here are a few things to think about:

Relevance 鈥� Text messaging is a highly personal platform. As such, irrelevant content that misses the mark could damage your relationship with subscribers. That is why it is essential to first make sure there鈥檚 demand for your platform to engage them on this medium. If you have distinct audiences, it is critical to adjust and personalize your messaging as much as possible.

Transparency 鈥� Be clear in explaining why you鈥檙e sending these messages. If your audience doesn鈥檛 trust or understand them, they will opt out. 聽Transparency also helps reduce the chance your messages will be interpreted as spam. Identify yourself, your organization and explain the purpose of your messages. Appearing as spam will not only make your customer opt out, but it will harm your brand overall.

Provide Value 鈥� This should go without saying, but it鈥檚 too important not to emphasize. As an unconventional touchpoint with your audience, a conventional marketing strategy doesn鈥檛 play. The clearest value propositions are sales or special offers but depending on your organization, you can also provide value through other means such as information or timely updates.

. . .

Like any other marketing medium, thinking outside the box about your offerings will bring the best results. But don鈥檛 lose sight of your core message and brand. Your text marketing should be relevant, transparent and provide value. By keeping these elements in mind as you construct your SMS strategy, your organization can build stronger relationships with your subscribers 鈥� to benefit your brand and bottom line.

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The pandemic has presented challenges for all industries to varying degrees. But book publishing, an industry that faced challenges in the years before COVID-19, had a banner year from a sales standpoint.

According to , book publishing had its largest sales figures in a decade.

To add to the rosy outlook, industry experts project book publishing to grow 2% over the next five years. The outlook for book publishing is brighter than it has been in recent memory, and not just because of the pandemic.

The forecast is so positive that Penguin Random House CEO Markus Dohle told the Atlantic Council we鈥檙e in . In the interview, Dohle claims that 鈥渂ooks are seeing their biggest renaissance since Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press.鈥�

Dohle鈥檚 positive projection is backed up by the numbers.

As notes, sales of print books saw 8.2% year-over-year growth in 2020. The young adult segment was strong, growing 23% in non-fiction and 11% in fiction. Titles from these segments occupied more than half of the titles on the top-10 sellers list. Adult nonfiction books grew 4.8% year-over-year led by Random House鈥檚 publishing Barrack Obama鈥檚 memoir, A Promised Land. The first of two volumes from the former president sold nearly 2.6 million copies in 2020.

Other political titles that were top sellers included Sean Hannity鈥檚 Life Free or Die and Mary Trump鈥檚 Too Much and Never Enough.

But the success of the book segments goes beyond political turbulence.

Dohle cites social distancing and digital fatigue as key factors behind the success of book sales. With people forced to stay home, books provide some much-needed escapism from the stress of the current moment, in a way similar to magazines.

Furthermore, books provide a chance to deal with digital fatigue, get away from screens and read without a barrage of notifications. Our lives and interactions have never been more mediated through screens. As such, the experience of reading a print book is an increasingly novel and unique experience.

In this sense, E-books and audio book sales aren鈥檛 a concern for Dohle. While they continue to nibble into the print market, they can鈥檛 provide the same experience as print.

Dohle also sees other forms of media contributing towards the increasing popularity of books. The saturation of untrustworthy news outlets, particularly on social media, and the proliferation of this content has led towards people seeking the more factual 鈥渄eep dive鈥� that books provide.

The pandemic and its effects played a key role in boosting book sales. At the same time, longer trends like social media have also helped books rebound.

While the book outlook is encouraging, challenges remain.

There has never been a larger group of literate readers. But the money spent on is in decline. Americans in 2019 spent 33 times more on 鈥渘ontext diversions鈥� such as television and Netflix than they did on books and recreational reading.

While the industry faces familiar challenges, there is something to be said about how the segment has succeeded throughout the pandemic.

Is it the best time for books in almost 600 years?

Time will tell.

But the segment鈥檚 recent success paints an undoubtedly rosy picture of potentially historic proportions.

The post A Rosy Outlook for Books appeared first on 杏吧原创.

Digital Storefronts Relieve a Lot of Headaches

Storefronts are ideal for serving geographically dispersed sales teams, distributors and other channel partners. They even work for organizations like colleges and universities where different schools and departments have individual marketing needs. For example, we helped Ripon College create a one-stop solution for current and prospective students as well as alumni.

Key advantages of a branded digital storefront include:

• Streamlining order entry and approvals
• Managing the use of content
• Monitoring individual departmental budgets
• Controlling the approval process
• Enabling customization
• Defining promotions and campaigns for specific user groups or regions
• Discouraging independently created marketing materials by channel partners
• Reducing obsolescence and inventory costs
• Improving speed to market

In short, storefronts make your print fulfillment demand-based, market-responsive and cost-effective 鈥� all while enabling you to maintain your brand integrity and still provide customized materials.

Getting Started Is Easy

杏吧原创 has robust, proven digital storefront solutions as well as a simple process for getting you up and running. We can also provide an integrated fulfillment program that incorporates items such as static print materials, premiums and samples. Talk to your sales rep or contact us to explore our storefront options. The 杏吧原创 digital support team can help you determine if a storefront would best meet your organization鈥檚 print fulfillment needs.

Digital Editions Keep You Connected to Your Customers

You鈥檝e likely had to make some tough decisions during the COVID-19 crisis. Perhaps you suspended your catalog or other publications out of budget concerns. Or, if you are a B2B marketer, you may feel the impact of the many customers working from home. We understand.

To further complicate matters, some customers also may have concerns about handling your catalogs and product packages. Both are safe according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC website states in its FAQ section, 鈥淎lthough the virus can survive for a short period on some surfaces, it is unlikely to be spread from products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient temperatures. Currently there is no evidence to support transmission of COVID-19 associated with imported goods and there have not been any cases of COVID-19 in the United States associated with imported goods.鈥�

Nonetheless, marketers must be sensitive to their customers鈥� concerns. Getting disconnected from customers, even during these unprecedented times, can have long-term negative repercussions. One solution to maintaining customer relationships and sales is to publish a digital edition. Today鈥檚 solutions do a great job of simulating a print鈥恟eading experience online.

Long-term Benefits

Besides playing an immediate vital role, digital editions also offer a number of potential long-term benefits that could help you break new ground with your customers. For example, you can achieve:

• International distribution at a fraction of the cost
• Immediate fulfillment of catalog or subscription requests
• Audience choice that allows your customers to control how, when and in what format they receive information
• Market intelligence enabled by interactive options that quickly determines which products or content are the most popular
• Revenue enhancement through interactive ads
• Expanded content by linking viewers to product demos, testimonials, product reviews and background information

Let 杏吧原创 Provide Your Digital Edition Solution

杏吧原创 offers a robust, mobile鈥恊nabled and SEO鈥恈apable digital edition. We have a standard version available, and you can customize your catalog or publication with a wide range of additional options.

Installation is simple. And we can even host your digital edition, providing an unlimited amount of data storage, unlimited amount of bandwidth and an easier method for integrating the digital edition into your website. Contact your representative or reach out to us for more information.

The post Would You Benefit from a Branded Digital Storefront? appeared first on 杏吧原创.

Pontin continued, 鈥淔or traditional publishers, the scheme was alluring. Because they were once again delivering a discrete product, analogous to a newspaper or magazine, they could charge readers for single-copy sales and subscriptions.鈥�

Unfortunately, he argued, it all went terribly wrong. 鈥淭he real problem with apps was that when people read on electronic media, they expect the stories to possess the linky-ness of the Web鈥攂ut stories in apps didn鈥檛 really link.鈥�

Now it鈥檚 a new day, but . Still, a lot has changed, if you鈥檙e to believe much of the internet chatter. But what does it all mean? Are apps the answer? Are magazines on websites going away? What about print?

It鈥檚 back to the future for print

For a while it looked like print magazines were a dying breed. . Specialty magazines, in particular, have .

Additionally, print magazines seem to be offering readers a viable alternative to newspapers. Here鈥檚 how:

• The daily paper depends on 鈥渂reaking news.鈥� With a 24-hour news cycle, people can get their hot news immediately online or on cable TV. They don鈥檛 have to wait for the morning paper. Magazines don鈥檛 depend on breaking news. So newspapers have lost one of their most important advantages.
• Newspaper stories, which tend to be rather short, don鈥檛 offer the more in-depth treatment magazine articles can provide.
• Magazines, especially niche publications, focus on a particular subject. Newspapers contain more general information without the level of expertise offered by magazine writers.

As newspapers become thinner and thinner and fewer and fewer, cable news and the internet will continue to provide news in bits and bites. Print magazines stand to pick up the ink-on-paper crowd looking for more meaty coverage, even at a premium price.

Website magazines are here to stay

Publishing a magazine on a website is a relatively simple and inexpensive proposition. HTML5 allows optimization of websites for all devices, including phones and tablets. Also, sites written in HTML5 can offer the kinds of features apps provide.

Mobile websites give magazines with a tight budget the chance to get their editorial and advertising in front of readers who prefer a read-it-anywhere digital solution. , 鈥淸T]he best part about [a mobile website] is that you can easily create an online magazine on your own. . . . And when you are done, the sharing possibilities are endless. You can embed it directly on your website or download is as HTML5. Or share it with our social media following.鈥�

The mobile app insurgency continues

The truth is that magazine apps are popular. And there appear to be , one of which is the aforementioned 鈥渓inky-ness.鈥� For example, presspadapp.com claims that .

鈥淥nline publishing gives readers great opportunities to explore digital magazines,鈥� pressadapp.com avers. By using hyperlinks within the content, readers can connect not only to other information inside and outside the magazine but also to websites operated by advertisers. Convincing advertisers of the value of links to their website helps sell digital ads.

So which mobile magazine app is best?

Of course, it depends on whom you ask, so more exploration is a good idea. But here are :

• 杏吧原创 works with BlueToad to offer economical and versatile digital editions of your publication. You can . We can convert your print pdf files into enhanced digital publications, and even help with video, music and other fun enhancements! to learn more!
• Amazon Kindle Unlimited exposes magazines to millions of readers. The risk is that any individual magazine might get buried in the pile of competing publications.
• Zinio鈥檚 pricing is a bit murky, but the app offers a lot of flexibility when it comes to creating and distributing content.
• Issuu also provides a high level of exposure with its risk of burial. It also allows for sharing stories on Instagram and Facebook Stories.
• Joomag offers full online publishing on one platform that has the additional benefit being easy to use. It works for publishers of any size.
• Mag+ lets publishers create content apps which allows them to make apps from their digital magazines.
• Yudu gives publishers the opportunity to open previously untapped channels of distribution by developing communication apps.
• Zmags offers fast publication of interactive content that can improve engagement times by more than 400%.
• 杏吧原创 can create custom apps to compliment printed products. Learn more about the apps here.

Why not go for the whole package?

Yes, it complicates things when you have to think about print, website and app, , you have to go where they go. And, while print is still alive and doing well, there are opportunities among the many digital devotees.

You want to tap every market and remember that there鈥檚 a lot of crossover. Print lovers like their tablets and their phones, and tablet and phone users like to sit down with a print magazine. Don鈥檛 forget laptop and desktop users, either.

Apparently, publishers are finding strength in diversity鈥攖aking a diverse approach to distribution, that is. Adapting to the disruption that has come with the digital revolution isn鈥檛 easy, but it can work out. The key is not to reject new ways of doing business but to find what functions best in both the digital and print worlds and using it to succeed.

The post Magazine Publishers Win When Print, Mobile Website and Mobile App Coexist appeared first on 杏吧原创.

About the AAPD

The AAPD supplies content to three different audiences: professionals looking for on pediatric dentistry (like information on how to complete a specific oral surgery for children), a broad (like dental hygienists), and the (especially parents and educators). The AAPD provides continuing education for pediatric dental professionals while also working to inform parents, the general public and policy makers about children鈥檚 oral health. Their slogan is 鈥淭HE BIG AUTHORITY on little teeth.鈥�

Working with 杏吧原创

杏吧原创 provides the print manufacturing for many of the AAPD鈥檚 publications, including professional journals, PDT magazine, their membership directory, annual conference program book, and brochures and reports.

The AAPD also uses multiple websites, eCommerce, certification programs, a podcast and a mobile app to keep their audience engaged. They have more than 10,000 members and a strong retention rate. Their retention rate was 92 percent for fiscal year 2018. Membership is nearly evenly divided by gender, with more than half of members between the ages of 30 and 49. The bulk of their membership is made up of those actively working in the field, but they also have a strong showing from retired professionals and postdoctoral students.

AAPD engaged 杏吧原创 to create a mobile app version of The Handbook of Pediatric Dentistry, a vital reference book for pediatric dentistry professionals. A complete and enhanced digital representation of the 500-page, six-pound book is included in the mobile app. Hansen shared that the digital edition makes the content convenient for professionals to quickly reference during interactions with patients.

The searchable format allows them to quickly find information. However, the print version is still in demand, as professionals have said they prefer print for study. 聽杏吧原创 also developed a way to enable sales of the app through the AAPD鈥檚 eCommerce site, avoiding the commission fees often associated with traditional app stores.

鈥淎pp building was easy for AAPD,鈥� Hansen said. Their goal was to create something that is 鈥渦pdatable, portable and searchable.鈥� The app serves to help connect their website, eCommerce and journals. The push notifications provide an added tool for member engagement.

杏吧原创 also helped design and implement the AAPD鈥檚 eCommerce solutions. The online storefront is integrated with the AAPD鈥檚 association member management system and 杏吧原创鈥檚 fulfillment center. This means that orders can be expediently processed, packed and shipped. It also provides the AAPD with activity reporting, visibility to inventory levels and obsolescence monitoring, among other benefits.

Benefits for the AAPD

The AAPD offers their mobile app and print versions with a bundle discount, but they can also be purchased separately. Hansen reports that thousands of app downloads means 鈥渢he app has paid for itself many times over.鈥�

鈥淲e have been working with 杏吧原创 20 years and look forward to continuing our partnership,鈥� Hansen said.

Learn More

Check out 杏吧原创鈥檚 work with the AAPD and the solutions we provide by downloading our case study.

The post Our Work with The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry appeared first on 杏吧原创.

If your organization is like many we鈥檝e spoken with, chances are good that you aren鈥檛 yet taking full advantage of what mobile can accomplish.

Engage, 杏吧原创鈥檚 newest app platform, can help.

Powered by a platform built with associations in mind, 杏吧原创鈥檚 Engage apps are stacked with functionality associations need to increase member engagement and provide an easy and affordable way to leverage mobile to extend the reach and engagement of the content you print with us.

The apps don鈥檛 stop there. In addition to handling content, the apps are designed to manage all aspects of association events, eCommerce, notifications, sponsorship and analytics.

In short, Engage apps provide associations a 360-degree view of their membership.

Grant Fritch, 杏吧原创鈥檚 App Architect, said, 鈥淲e鈥檝e been creating award-winning apps for associations for a while. But, because of the wide range of association needs, we鈥檝e been working to create a holistic app solution at a more affordable price.鈥�

The new app platform focuses on the three E鈥檚 of associations: Education, eCommerce and Engagement. And its SaaS-like scalability enables associations to manage member access at the individual level, even if they have a large membership.

Engage apps provide a single source of information for association membership, including:

• Publication content
• Event management for meetings and conferences
• Membership renewal and access to benefits
• News, blog, education and certification content

Publication content is formatted for mobile device readability with quick navigation and potential for continuous publishing in real time. Member retention functionality is included, and targeted messaging and notifications are supported. And sponsorship functionality provides associations the opportunity to increase advertising revenue with in-app promotions.

By integrating with association AMS systems, the app鈥檚 role-oriented structure enables management of gated content, and provides a high level of personalization. This is especially beneficial during association events, when members can receive notifications of the sessions they have planned to attend during a conference. There is even geo-fencing capability to send personalized welcome messages when they鈥檝e arrived at the association鈥檚 event space.

Are you ready to see how 杏吧原创鈥檚 Engage app can meet your association鈥檚 needs and increase member engagement without a huge investment of time or money?

Request a demo today and speak with our apps team.

The post Announcing Engage 鈥� A Mobile App for Associations appeared first on 杏吧原创.

In her presentation titled Build It and They Will Shop! How to Develop Your Brand鈥檚 Online Store, she outlined four basic steps to build and bring in revenue through eCommerce stores.

What goes in the store
First, you have to figure out what you鈥檙e going to sell. Start with simple items and things you already have on hand, such as magazines or research reports in PDF format. Keep a 鈥渨ish list鈥� of stuff you鈥檇 like to add later. Once you鈥檙e more established, you can incorporate these items, which can include branded mugs and T-shirts, calendars and posters.

There are two beneficial ways to partner with advertisers for your eCommerce offering. You could sell their product on the store and share revenue. Another option is to buy advertisers鈥� products at a discounted rate, then sell it on your website.

A crucial part of deciding what to sell is knowing who you鈥檙e selling to. Research your target audience. What would they buy 鈥� and this is important 鈥� that your editorial team can produce? Think instructional DVDs or digital industry reports.

You鈥檒l also need a team member capable of managing the store. Figure out who the best person is 鈥� you鈥檒l need your team on board. Customer service is a big part of running a successful store!

How the store will be run
Second, research platforms and fulfillment options. Many e-commerce platforms are available. Some of the include , , and . If your staff isn’t already eCommerce savvy, you should consider finding an eCommerce partner to help you get started.

You鈥檒l need a good fulfillment partner, too. Consider pricing, the options they offer, and compatibility with your eCommerce platform. Most fulfillment partners charge inventory storage and handling fees. Negotiate those rates upfront.

Store budget
Third, create a budget. Start with a plan. Estimate monthly costs and revenue. Consider your marketing and what that will cost. Also think about the impact you expect your marketing to have on revenue.

Keep a close eye on your numbers. Re-forecast at least twice a month to stay on top of what鈥檚 happening at your store. You need to know what items are selling and why, and which marketing tools are most effective.

Marketing plan
The final step to building your eCommerce store is to create a marketing plan.

Determine how many email blasts you鈥檒l send out each month and what you鈥檒l offer in each. This can include discounts and sales. You could also offer gift cards.

Consider working themes into these emails. Is there a holiday coming up?

Are there other marketing tools you could use? Think about your brand鈥檚 websites, newsletters, social media, house ads or partnerships.

Set monthly sales goals and track them. Then re-forecast based on marketing performance.

Monetize your store
Once the platform is built, it鈥檚 time to start making money. Think about how you can use it as a different way to bring in revenue from advertisers. One possibility is offering them the option of including postcards or pamphlets when the products ship. Consider partnerships with advertisers to get more items into your store without much investment on your end.

Track your numbers. Use Google Analytics. Check if traffic is increasing. Make sure your website captures visitors鈥� email addresses to send coupons later 鈥� you could use pop-ups or sliders to do this.

Your store鈥檚 website needs to be responsive. That means mobile-friendly and easy for customers to make purchases.

Avoid common pitfalls
You don鈥檛 want to choose the wrong eCommerce platform. Research well before you choose.

If the wrong team member is handling the process, everyone will suffer. Similarly, you need effective customer service. Give your customers an easy way to contact you, and train your team well. And listen to your customer service issues. This will enable you to create a great customer experience.

Is your fulfillment partner helping you with inventory management? It’s an important detail that is often overlooked.

Don鈥檛 try to sell everything at once. Focusing on too many things will hurt your store. Grow your store in phases and analyze as you go.

When you follow these tips from Estevez, your publication will develop a new and growing source of revenue.

The post Raking in Revenue through eCommerce appeared first on 杏吧原创.

We’ve gathered some to pass along to you:

Provide Answers Via Your Blog
Use your blog to anticipate what your potential buyers might want to know, and answer their questions before they can ask them. This practice not only provides useful, original and entertaining information, it also positions you as a company that has the answers and can make life easier for consumers.

Connect With Customers
Use marketing integration to leverage the connections you already have. For those who are subscribed to your publication or newsletter, keep them aware of new products, coupons and special offers. Develop alerts to remind customers about not-yet-purchased items remaining in their shopping carts and suggest related or otherwise customer-targeted items.

Hit the Home Page
One of the biggest parts of delivering your product is getting the attention in the first place. Give potential customers an upfront chance to discover your products’ value by providing a vibrant, compelling home page with prominently displayed eCommerce search fields and eye-catching links to your product pages. You can get even more exposure by providing real-time results as users type search requests, with pop-up fields that display product links and, ideally, photos.

Entice With Infographics
Use infographics when and where appropriate to make important eCommerce information jump off the page in bright colors, groovy fonts and clever images, as well as carefully targeted text to tie it all together. One approach would be to basically present a problem and then present your products as solutions to that problem.

Be Original in Product Descriptions
Write original, informative, interesting product descriptions. Don’t use a manufacturer’s description. Instead, develop your own in a style that fits your brand.

Depending on how much space you have, you can explain how the product came to be, utilize bullet points to highlight information, and draw upon your previous customer experiences to anticipate questions and answer them in the description.

Keep URLs Short but Descriptive
Keep product page URLs short but descriptive and SEO-friendly. Use keywords within these URLs so Google will highlight your keyword phrases.

Get Attention with Compelling Page Titles, Meta Descriptions
Funnel users through by using compelling page titles and meta descriptions. Keep page titles to fewer than 60 characters and use relevant keywords. Create meta descriptions that are robust, but stick to the product and stay under the 160-character mark.

Be Mobile-Friendly
Mobile users, which represent , want sites they visit to be optimized for mobile. This means sites should be fully responsive to mobile features, pages that display properly and look good on smartphones and tablets, and geolocation so mobile customers can be shown results that are relevant to where they are at the moment.

Simplify the Shopping Cart
The shopping cart is the final frontier for your potential buyer. Once you have him or her there, you’re almost to the . A messy or confusing cart might make someone rethink a purchase. Keep the shopping cart neat, with a simple layout that uses ample white space. Make it easy to navigate, with call-to-action buttons that are brightly colored and prominently displayed. Too many clicks and your potential customer might click right on out of the shopping cart!

Treat Them Well at Checkout
By all means, encourage customers to sign up before they purchase, but don’t require them to do so. Most case studies show that requiring registration before checkout is the most likely reason for people to abandon their shopping carts. You may chase them away while their shopping carts are still full, and they might not come back.

People are forced to register at many websites, and they might not yet be convinced they would order from your site more than once. So, let customers order as guests, but offer a discount code if they sign up before checkout. If they don’t, thank them for their orders but also offer a post-order incentive, such as a coupon for a future purchase if they sign up.

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