2 Minute Web Tips: May 2013

Wednesday 29 May 2013

Get your email address right

You must get your email address right because it affects so many aspects of your business success.

And if you get it wrong, you could get blacklisted as a SPAMMER !

It’s a conversation that I have regularly with clients, and it came up again this week, so here are some quick tips . . .

4743334265 14878b27b7 m1 Get your email address right

email address (Photo credit: Sean MacEntee)

The first, and probably the most important, aspect of setting up any business email address is to follow this simple rule:

Use an email address at your domain name and not at your ISP or a 3rd party email provider.

If for no other reason than it makes your business look professional.

The easiest way to show this is by example:

GOOD for business

philip@hotpinkwebsites.com.au

sales@hotpinkwebsites.com.au

BAD for business

philip@gmail.com

philip@hotmail.com

philip@bigpond.com

philip@optusnet.com.au

Getting the idea?

The next big mistake people make is not setting up their email program to receive their business email address.

It seems much easier to just forward your business emails to your personal email address that is already set up in your email program (MS Outlook, Mac Mail, etc) or your gmail account.

But this can actually get you blacklisted as a SPAMMER !

How does that happen?

email servers will check for emails that are automatically forwarded from another email address because this is one of the tactics that spammers use to conceal their activities.

Here is what one of our techs wrote to a client this week when we were asked to check why her emails were getting bounced.

We do not recommend forwarders to outside email addresses as this many times only results in spam being forwarded to another server.

The recipient server sees the forwarded spam as coming from your own hosting account/server which is the reason why we do not recommend the forwarders in that particular case.

A better solution we have found, is to create individual email boxes for the email addresses you need.

You then setup these email accounts as external/POP3 accounts within most mail applications such as Thunderbird, Microsoft Outlook, or Mail.app within Mac OSX.

This will cause the recipient email to connect to the server to retrieve mail rather than being forwarded.

Any spam emails received will not be classified as coming from your domain in this case.

It is OK to auto-forward an email within a domain.

So . . .

SAFE

philip@hotpinkwebsites.com.au – forward to – sales@hotpinkwebsites.com.au

UNSAFE

philip@hotpinkwebsites.com.au – forward to – philip@bigpond.com

Well, that is quite simple really!

What should you do now?

Make sure that your business email address is at your business domain name.

Setup your email program to receive your business emails directly, not via a forward.

Want some help or ideas? Just contact us at Hotpink Websites now.

Quote

Money is the anthem…of success. So before we go out, what’s your address?
~ Lana Del Rey

Remember – Get your email address right

Reasons to not use graphical email signatures

The Sneaky Ways Retailers Are Getting Your Email Address

Email Marketing: What To Do With an Old Email List

How to Deal Effectively with Email Bounces

What is “hard bounce” and what is “soft bounce” in email marketing

How To Get Rid Of Spam Email?

Get your email address right

You must get your email address right because it affects so many aspects of your business success.And if you g ... http://p.ost.im/p/dqj5CM

Business Networking Tips 07

Here another Business Networking Tip that you will find invaluable.If you only implement it.Many networking e ... http://p.ost.im/p/dVbEce

Business Networking Tips 07

Here another Business Networking Tip that you will find invaluable.

If you only implement it.

Many networking events will give you an opportunity to stand up for 30 seconds to talk about your business.

But many networkers may as well not bother . . . .

The 30 second pitch or promotional is pretty standard at most networking events these days.

It is an excellent opportunity to get known to the group.

But many business networkers may as well not bother.

Why is that so?

There are many mistakes made in delivering a 30 seconds promotional pitch, including:

Waffling

Timing

Identity

Tag line

Stand up

Preparation, or lack of

Let’s start with . . .

The Waffler

If you have never been to a networking event, you almost certainly have experienced the Waffler.

This person tries to tell an epic story in their 30 seconds, and it almost always runs over time by another 30-90 seconds.

They bring up all sorts of interesting bits of information that make the story longer but really do not add to the impact of their pitch.

What if they just said something like this?

“Our company provides quality ABC services.Last week, a client spent $20 on our services and generated $1800 of sales in that week.”

This has high impact and takes only five seconds to deliver.

Time me (Photo credit: mrlins)

Timing

Following on from the previous point, timing is paramount to the effectiveness of your pitch.

The quicker that you can deliver a powerful statement, the more impact it will have.

The longer you take, the more chance for people to get distracted or zone out.

Identity

Networking is often about establishing your identity in a group or a community.

Stating your name and company at the beginning AND the end of your pitch is important for this reason.

“Hello. Philip from Hotpink Websites.”

Most people remember to do this at the beginning but usually forget to add it at the end as well.

Tag line

A snappy tag line is another key element to be memorable in the group.

One of the most memorable taglines I have heard was presented by Christine Springall – the lady who organises Wine Tours. It was . . .

“We drive you to drink.”

It gets a huge laugh, and is very memorable. I still remember it!

And as a result, I remember the lady and her business.

Stand Up

Standing up to deliver your promotional pitch is good advice.

stand up paddle boarder (Photo credit: dcysurfer / Dave Young)

If you don’t stand up, people cannot see who you are, and quite often cannot hear you either.

AND stay standing until you are finished.

This sounds ridiculous, but many people start sitting down before they finish the pitch.

The impact that they created, has just been lost.

You wouldn’t sit down while riding a wave, so don’t do it in your presentation !

Preparation

Many people are still composing their pitch while the person next to them is delivering theirs!

Unless you are really, really good at it, do not leave the composition of your 30 second promotional until the last minute.

Well, that is quite simple really!

What should you do now?

Follow these steps and establish yourself as a leader.

Want some help or ideas? Just contact us at Hotpink Websites now.

Quote

I have 23 top players and they are all ready to put on the jersey and work on their pitch, and that makes me happy.
~ Diego Maradona

Remember – Business Networking Tips 07

Perfecting Your Small Business Elevator Pitch

Why Networking is the Fastest and Cheapest Way to Grow Your Business

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Business Networking: 7 Warning Signs You’re Probably Doing It Wrong

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Thursday 23 May 2013

A free website is not necessarily a cheap website

Tuesday 21 May 2013

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Tuesday 14 May 2013

Business Networking Tips 05

Here’s the next in our series on good Business Networking Tips.

This tip is not so obvious and that’s why almost everyone misses it.

And yet, it is so simple to do . . .

Business network in Boekelo (Photo credit: Johan Koolwaaij)

They say that public speaking is one of the top Fears that people face.

And talking to strangers seems to be right up there with that one.

After all, talking to a stranger is just public speaking on a smaller scale.

But . . .

. . . remember that . . .

talking to strangers is key to networking success!

So what do most people do when they go to a networking event, or even to a BBQ at a friends place?

We all sit with the people we know!

There . . . I said it !

It is easier, and feels safer and more comfortable, to talk with people we already know, and especially people we are already friends with.

But let’s face it – you can ring up your friends at any time and talk to them, or invite them for a coffee.

You are at this networking meeting to Meet New People !

So you really have to actually approach new people and talk to them.

V — PEACE — V (Photo credit: eyewashdesign: A. Golden)

Thing to remember is that in many cases, they are just as scared of this as you are, maybe more.

However, they are also keen to meet you . . . so just walk up to them and say hello.

It may help to have a script for this, including your elevator pitch.

Don’t sit with your friends

And when you go to the seated part of the Networking Meeting, sit next to someone new that you have not yet met.

The sitting together will help break the ice, and give you an opportunity to introduce yourself.

At this point, I usually say “Well, that really is quite simple!”.

But I know that for some people, this is absolutely the hardest, the most difficult, part of networking.

It’s up there with public speaking and death as a Top Fear.

The best cure is to just jump in and give it a go.

And when you find that you didn’t die the first time, the second time will become just a bit easier.

What should you do now?

Consciously position yourself with people that you do not know.

Want some help or ideas? Just contact us at Hotpink Websites now.

Quote

I want to keep meeting new people, enlarging my circle of friends. I have great friends now… really good people. But I’m always ready for what comes next.
~ Paula Danziger

Remember – Business Networking Tips 05

6 Tips for Cultivating Strong Business Networking Relationships

Why You’re Scared of Public Speaking & How to Overcome It

Fear of Public Speaking

To Have A Successful Experience At Networking Events

Small Life, Slow Life: Beyond Luon Recap! {Photos!}

How to Master Non-Awkward, Effective In-Person Networking

It’s Who You Know: Networking is Key

3 Ways to Better Network

Social Anxiety

Business Networking Tips 05

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Best ways to make your website Mobile

Here are the best ways to make your website Mobile.There are various options, some of which create more work f ... http://p.ost.im/p/d4WSMm

Best ways to make your website Mobile

Here are the best ways to make your website Mobile.

There are various options, some of which create more work for you, so . . .

make sure that the solution you choose is easy to use and does not create more work for you.

Two of the options are:

Make a mobile version of your website

Make your existing website mobile

There are many people out there now providing so-called “mobile websites”.

There is cheap software available which makes it easy to set up a mobile compatible version of your website with minimal effort.

Some of these guys are quite cheap and some charge a lot.

The important thing to remember is that what you are getting is . . .

only a VERSION of your website as it currently is

That is to say:

It conveys only a small subset of the information available on your website

And more importantly, it is completely separate from your website

The relevance of the second point is that when you change something on your main website, you have to remember to change it on the mobile version of your website as well.

Otherwise – your information is out-of-date.

We believe that the better way to create a mobile website is to make your existing website mobile compatible.

Simply put, we create code in the website that recognises when it is being displayed on a smaller screen, and adjusts the display accordingly.

It is called by various names including Responsive Technology, because the website responds to the device on which it is being viewed.

This may, (or may not), but slightly more expensive initially, BUT the BIG savings come every time that you go to change your website – and you do not have to remember to make the effort to change the mobile version of your site as well.

Editing your online presence, (website & mobile), remains a one step process.

And to me, that convenience is priceless !

Well, that is quite simple really!

What should you do now?

Think carefully before adopting a mobile site that is not integrated with your main site.

Want some help or ideas? Just contact us at Hotpink Websites now.

Quote

I expect to see a lot of household appliances on the Net by 2010, as well as autos and other mobile devices.
~ Vinton Cerf

Is your website fridge compatible?
~ me

Remember – Best ways to make your website Mobile

Mobile Websites: Your Smartest Move This Year

Mobile Website Development Firm MobilizedStrategy.com Launched by…

Our new mobile website!

Mobile apps vs. Mobile optimized websites: Which is better for reaching consumers?

Mobile optimized website: What is it and do I need one?

Why You Need a Mobile Website

Why You Need a Mobile Website

A Mobile Website Can Help Your Business Grow

Best ways to make your website Mobile

Monday 13 May 2013

"please pay my private courier agent" Paypal SCAM

Yes, it’s an oldie but a goodie – the “please pay my private courier agent” Paypal SCAM !Here is how i ... http://p.ost.im/p/d4HuyT

Tuesday 7 May 2013

Business Networking Tips 04

Here’s the next in our series on good Business Networking Tips.This one tip is sure to increase your network ... http://p.ost.im/p/d46CXg

Friday 3 May 2013

More reasons to avoid 3rd party email providers

Facebook just showed me more reasons to avoid 3rd party email providers!I was reading a post in Facebook by a ... http://p.ost.im/p/dXKPCp

More reasons to avoid 3rd party email providers

Facebook just showed me more reasons to avoid 3rd party email providers!

I was reading a post in Facebook by a local Chamber of Commerce and was interested to find out more.

I clicked on the link to read the article and, sure enough . . .

the link took me to the article, (see below).

BUT !!

The article was not displayed in the website of the organisation.

I was reading the article in the servers of the 3rd party, “monkey based” email provider.

There were some clickable links on the page I was viewing.

an email address

a twitter link

a facebook link

BUT !!

No link back to the organisation’s website.

Too bad if I wanted to

find out more general information about the organisation, or

find any other offers or events that they had, or

subscribe to their newsletters

Because I could not.

Please, please, please . . .

One of the big reasons for sending an email newsletter to your database is to get them back to your website once more, where they might see an offer they like or buy something.

So please, please, please . . .

Use an email system that directs your readers back to YOUR website and not to the website of the email provider or elsewhere.

And at Hotpink Websites, that is how we will set up email newsletters in your new website.

Well, that is quite simple really!