You also have to make sure that your tools are the right ones. Are you looking to send a large mass e-mail? If so, I recommend checking with your mail provider to ensure that they allow mass messages to be sent through their servers. It is quite common event that newsletters sent to large lists get shut off due to spam concerns. I suggest going to a company like Constant Contact who specializes in sending marketing newsletters. They have great newsletter templates and provide all the spam protection tools needed to ensure that your message gets delivered promptly.

That’s it for today. I’m off to plan for this summer’s excursion. My wife is coming along so I better plan well or it’ll be my last camping trip for quite a while.

Happy planning everyone

Eric

If you have never been to Outdoorzy, I suggest that you check them out. It’s a very cool site that’s perfect for us who love the Outdoors. They just launched a new benefits package for their members that includes a 15% discount at moosejaw.com, Wend Magazine and several other great benefits. As Web site owners, you should learn from Wade and team at Outdoorzy. With just a few partnerships, you can turn your already good product/service into a far more enticing offering.

Tip #1 – Link, Link, Link (Did I mention Link)

The number of links pointing to your Web site is critical in getting your site high on Google and Yahoo. They see this as a validation that your site is legitimate and therefore will place you higher. Directories and other sites that have related content are great for this. I suggest going to http://www.addurl.nu and submitting to all the free directories as possible. Just be sure to use the correct keywords and description for your site. Also try to vary the keywords and descriptions across directories. Every good campaign has to be tracked. Go to http://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com to find how many sites are linking to you.

Tip #2- Tell people about it

Find a free/affordable press release service such as http://www.prweb.com and use it to announce new product launches, changes to your Web site. Not only do you have a good chance of being picked up by some news Web sites, you’ll get a link back to your site (See Tip #1)

Tip #3 – Tell people to tell people about it

Word of mouth advertising is easily the most effective method of advertising. If you provide a good service, this often takes care of itself. Additionally, providing monetary incentives (small ones should do) is a guaranteed motivator to help bring in business.

Tip #4 - Become an “expert”

Add a blog to your Web site and write articles that people will find interesting. Not only will this make your Web site more interactive, the text-heavy content of a blog is loved by search engines. Also, be sure to have a “Send this to a friend” link at the bottom. It helps with Tip #3. Participating on forums that relate to your industry is also valuable. Your knowledge will encourage people to visit your Web site, and plus adding a link to your site in your signature helps with Tip #1. If you’re not an “expert” on any subject matter, don’t worry about it because most of us who blog aren’t either.

Despite the fact that I love being cheap, I am also a realist and accept the fact that in some instances, you do need to spend money (gulp) to make money. Once you do Tips 1-4, I suggest purchasing Google Adwords, Yahoo Search Engine Marketing or even our TargetClicks product. They can provide a great return on your investment as well without serious breaking your bank.

Why is it that that outdoor enthusiasts don’t fear scaling tall mountain peaks or rafting through rapids, but the thought of building a Web site makes them shiver with fright? Yes, the Web used to be intimidating and dominated by techno geeks, but those times have changed. Sure, the geeks still exist and most of us normal folks depend on them to help us for a variety of Web-related things, but the Web has changed and it is now an adventure that is proving costly to ignore. Luckily, those geeks have made tools and services that make climbing this learning curve quite flat. Here are a few quick tips to help you get started.

Tip #1 - Get a domain name

The domain name is vital to your success. The domain name is the unique Web site address such as www.yourstore.com . The urls provided by free services are not professional enough to help you grow your business. Reserve a nice and easy to remember domain name that clearly identifies your company. Don’t publicize it until you have a site up there for someone to visit. You only get one chance for a good first impression.

Tip #2 - Skip the professional designer (for now) and design it yourself

I know that this may seem daunting but building your own Web site has become very easy. SiteDelux, our preferred online site editor, allows you to build your own site in minutes and does not require any programming experience. That being said, it is not the only easy way to build a Web site. Simple search the Word “Web site Templates” and you’ll find numerous companies who sell pre-made Web sites at very affordable prices. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that professional designers don’t have a huge role to play. I’m saying that they’re not required to get started. In fact, you should use them down the road to make your Web site truly sizzle

Tip #3 - Get started… simply.

One of the biggest mistakes prospective Web site owners make is that they want all the bells and whistles included on their Web site upon launch. The problem is that they spend so much time in the design phase, nothing ever gets built. I suggest that you start simply. Upon launch include only four pages which consist of a homepage, an “about us” page, “products and services” page, as well as a “contact us” page. These four pages will accomplish the bulk of what you need. If you want to add a little bit of interaction, I’d suggest adding a form to your contact us page so visitors can leave you their contact information easily. However, don’t put up a site that doesn’t represent your business in a good way. Your first impression is still important and an ugly site is not a good way to kick off a good relationship with any customer.