Wed 8th Sept.'99
In this issue:
1. Introduction
==>Recharge, competition, new subscribers and other news.
2. Voting Booth
==>This week's quick poll and last week's results.
3. Feature Article
==>"Web Site Text and Navigation" by Azam Corry.
4. This Week's Posts
==>None
5. Tip
==>Just Say No - by June Campbell.
6. Pause For Thought
==>Walter Eliot, Frederic Amiel.
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=================================================================
=====================
+ Introduction +
=====================
Hi,
Here we are back together again already!
Do your days fly by? Blur into weeks? Into months? Always got so
much you want to do that the days just don't seem to be long
enough? Keep telling yourself I'm going to start relaxing a
little "after I've sorted out such and such"?
Trouble is, another 'such and such' invariably pops it's head up
and starts waving frantically at you even before you've finished
sorting out his pal!
If you are buried in work (online or off), be sure to come up for
air regularly. Not only will your life be better for it, so will
your business. Sometimes when you're busy you can't 'see the wood
for the trees' as they say. Many is the time I've unsuccessfully
cracked my head over a problem, only to find the answer jump out
at me in the shower the following morning, when I'm sitting in
the cinema, or any number of equally unlikely places.
You'll also find that your best ideas come when you're relaxed,
not when you're working flat out. For example, I've been
incredibly busy over the last 6 weeks, so I decided I needed some
'recharge' time.
I didn't stop working completely, I simply took things much
slower over the last few days, allowing myself time to think -
and that's the important point: you can't think creatively when
your rushing to complete a series of tasks.
It certainly paid off. I had more good ideas in those few days
than in the whole of the previous 6 weeks! Now it's time for
another deep breath whilst I set about implementing them - I'll
keep you posted!
BB
COMPETITION! Win the sponsors ad position at the top of Biz
Bits by referring new subscribers! Whoever refers the most new
subscribers over the next month, between now and October 1st,
will win the coveted spot for 2 WEEKS! This is the one ad that
EVERYONE sees, so make the best of this targeted opportunity.
Ask the people you introduce to send a blank email to the
following address (you need to replace the part after 'subject='
with YOUR email address):
mailto:subscribeBB+nowsell.com?subject=YourEmailAddressHere
That's subscribeBB+nowsell.com with YOUR email address as the
SUBJECT of the message (the same address you use to receive Biz
Bits). Do NOT use the usual BizBits@NowSell.com.
You may also use this address if you place your own ads as a way
of introducing new subscribers (you can get loads this way!).
Closing date for entries is the 1st of Oct. The winner will be
notified personally as well as being announced here.
BB
Over the last week we've seen many new subscribers to both Biz
Bits and the Biz Bits FFA list. This has led to me receiving
several posts for Biz Bits that should have been sent to the FFA
list. In that light I thought some clarification might be a good
idea.
Posts to Biz Bits [mailto:BizBits+topica.com]:
These should be regarding useful information for the group,
questions, comments, or replies to previous posts. The only
advertising allowed is that contained within your signature file.
BB
I've decided to reduce the number of quotations in "Pause For
Thought" from three to two a week. This way I can present a
single topic (or very closely related ones) each week, creating a
greater impact and hopefully stimulating more focused 'thought'.
BB
I always love to hear your thoughts, so send your feedback,
comments, etc., to me at: mailto:azam+nowsell.com
Have a good one!
TTFN
Azam
PS - Want a free 224 page guide to promoting affiliate programs?
Then come and join my team in the best affiliate program on the
Internet. http://www.sitesell.com/info.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Your Privacy:
I greatly value your trust in me. I will never, ever, under any
circumstances give or sell your email address to anyone. Period!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
=================================================================
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=================================================================
=====================
+ Voting Booth +
=====================
This is the place where we take a quick poll for a snapshot of
the Biz Bits family's opinions on a given topic.
This week:
Do you think you need to spend any money on marketing to be
successful online?
YES! >>>> mailto:yes+nowsell.com
If you don't spend any money, you can still 'make it', but it
will take so long that you'll probably give up first!
NO! >>>> mailto:no+nowsell.com
No, the Internet is full of free resources that anyone can use to
build true success!
ERR? >>>> mailto:err+nowsell.com
I'm not sure... depends... ?
*** Add any additional comments in the body of your vote mail ***
=====================
Last week:
Do you think good search engine ranking is crucial to your
business?
YES! >>>> 50%
Without it you can't get the traffic you need to succeed!
NO! >>>> 50%
There are many other ways to drive quality, targeted traffic to a
web site!
ERR? >>>> 0%
I'm not sure... depends... what do you mean by 'traffic'?
A lot more votes this week but still an exactly 50/50 split.
Weird!
=====================
Voters Feedback:
Yes!
But it is only one part of the picture.
You also need other sources for traffic too.
Penny Widell
Are YOUR Kids Failing In School? If So Check This Out!
http://www.magiclearning.com/cgi/members/PW22654.html
No!
I am selling a CD by an up-and-coming band...although willing to
be persuaded, at this time I tend to think promotion, advertising
and communication are going to be more effective for my purposes.
I am open to other ideas!
Paula Bright
ONLINE in September: WELCOME TO HIP HOP COUNTRY!!
Curious? Email me! paula+crazedcowboys.com
=====================
=================================================================
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=================================================================
=====================
+ Feature Article +
=====================
----------------------------
Web Site Text and Navigation
----------------------------
by Azam Corry
Ever been to one of those ever-so-cool (at least that's what the
web master thinks!) sites with coloured text on a dark
background? Do you find it difficult to read? Don't worry - it's
not your eyes! So do I. So does everybody!
It is difficult to read!
What about yellow text on a white background? I know some of you
are sitting there and thinking "Yeah, sure! Who'd go and use
yellow on a white background!" Well it's true...
I've seen it myself - honest!
If you want your text to be read - and this is imperative if
you're selling something - make it easy on the eye. Whatever the
colour combinations used, dark-coloured text on a light
background is easier to read than light-coloured text on a dark
background. You'll probably get away with breaking the rule for
the odd label or note, but that's all!
Textured backgrounds are the same as dark ones or worse - avoid
them. For a business site, black on white or cream, etc., is
still the best way to go.
Don't set your text size too small nor too large - use size 2 or
3 depending on your layout and choice of font.
DON'T SHOUT AT YOUR VISITORS BY WRITING IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS!
Keep your main text aligned to the left. Centered text is harder
to read, plus it looks messy and unprofessional.
You really don't want that!
You're usually OK with center-aligned headlines, at least for the
main headings, though subheads may look better if they are also
left -aligned.
Choose a sensible font that most surfers will have installed on
their system. Include at least one other similar font as a
back-up alternative. This can either be included in each of your
font tags or in a style sheet, depending on how you prefer to
work.
For example, the fonts I choose for NowSell.com are Arial,
Helvetica, Verdana and sans-serif, in that order. If the user's
browser doesn't have Arial installed it will look for Helvetica,
if it doesn't find this it will look for Verdana.
If for some reason the user's browser is still unable to find the
specified font it will look for any font in the sans-serif family
(these are all the fonts without - sans - a little 'foot' - serif
- on the ends of the letters).
Why is all this important you ask?
This way you can be more certain of how your pages will appear to
your visitors. You have more control over your image - and that
is very important!
Please don't use more than two, (or if you really need to, three)
font faces per page, just because you can. It looks untidy and
amateurish. You shouldn't need to use more than four font styles
throughout your entire web site.
Make sure all of your hyperlinks are clear to your visitors. It's
up to you to decide whether or not you need to stick to the
conventional link format (usually underlined blue text indicates
an unvisited link and underlined maroon or purple text indicates
a visited link).
When making your decision, think about your target audience and
not your own personal preference.
Text links (links within body text) should be clearly defined
from the rest of the surrounding text. If you decide not to
follow convention in your choice of colours, use some other means
of making your links stand out if at all possible. Some options
include the use of bold text, an underline or even an overline.
Have a navigation bar on every page which leads directly to each
of the main sections of your site. Break each section of your
site into further subsections that fan out from your home page
like the branches of a tree.
Think of the supermarket: You pass the checkout on your way in,
you pass it again on your way out and it's always easily
accessible from wherever you are in the store. Is your order page
this easy to reach?
It should be!
Every big company has an image - it's logo, colours style etc.
Online you need the same. Design a logo and stick with it. Use it
on every page of your web site and anywhere else you can.
Keep these elements the same on every page throughout your site:
* Headings
* Fonts sets
* Colour schemes
* Navigation bars
* Layout (as much as is practicable)
Make sure your visitors always know that it's your site they are
on.
Cultivate a professional image. Your identity. This will help
build trust in your potential customers.
You'll LOOK the part!
Azam
=================================================================
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=================================================================
=====================
+ This Week's Posts +
=====================
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Azam's Comment*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No posts this week.
Send your information, question or comment to appear here next
week and start advertising yourself. mailto:BizBits+topica.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
=================================================================
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the Internet. http://www.marketingtips.com/t.cgi/20370/
=================================================================
=====================
+ Tip +
=====================
Just Say No - by June Campbell
When I started my business in 1996, I developed my business
plan around the Internet. I use the Internet to find
customers, resources, information and products and services.
The Internet provides wonderful opportunities to new
entrepreneurs and opens up possibilities that weren't
previously available.
Recently I have seen more and more "marketers" employing
questionable marketing techniques. I wonder if newcomers to
Internet business see this stuff and think it's standard
procedure. Since many of the "marketers" are selling their
questionable ideas to others under the guise of "expert
advice" it seems possible that many new netpreneurs are being
lead down the garden path.
Your online business requires that surfers buy things from you.
And the net surfing public is saying loud and clear that they
won't deal with people they don't trust. They want to know who
you are, how to contact you and they want to know that you are
genuine and sincere. Questionable marketing techniques scare
them off faster than you can say "no sale." Don't believe
me? Check any of the Internet research sites like Jupiter
Communications or NUA Internet Surveys and find out what
prevents people from buying online.
Here's a few marketing messages that send up big "red flags"
for me.
1. "This special low, low, low, low price is only available for
the next two weeks so buy now to SAVE!" Okay, there are genuine
time limited offers and this message could be a real sale and
not a questionable marketing technique. But with all too many
of these "special time limited offers" the offer remains the
same whether you return to the site in two weeks, two months or
two years. Time limited offer? I think not. This type of
marketing strategy sends me the message that not only is this
entrepreneur misrepresenting the truth, he (or she) isn't
giving the reader credit for many smarts.
2. "My sales increased by 867% when I used this product." Oh,
please! Here's a hint. 857% of nothing is still nothing. Sales
stats can be a powerful marketing strategy, but you have to
provide information that makes sense. Before I would look twice
at the message above, I would want some verifiable information
regarding starting figures, ending figures, and the time period
during which the sales were being reported (before using the
product and after.) Take this scenario, for instance. Let's say
I sold one box of pencils this week. Then I bought your
product, and a year from now, I had sold 8 boxes of pencils. My
pencil sales have increased by 800%. Does it mean anything?
Not much.
3. "This offer includes a free report (worth $135), a free
doodad (worth $25) and a consultation with myself (a $300
value). All for the low price of $99." Wow, it's hard to
resist that one. That is, until you ask yourself where the
value figures came from. Has anyone actually paid $135 for that
free report? Ever? What about the free doodad worth $25? Are
those free doodads available at every freebie site on the web?
And how about the consultation worth $300? In who's opinion is
the "expert's" time worth $300 and has anyone actually paid
that amount? Good questions to ponder when you run across some
of these great package deals. Not that packaged deals can't be
genuine bargains. Some of them are. But check it out before
reaching for your credit card.
If all this sounds too cynical, maybe you'd like to have a
consultation with me over the telephone. Only $65 for a $450
value! Provided you book by the end of the week, that is. The
last guy who spoke with me increased his sales by 566%. Act now!
June Campbell is a professional writer whose work
has appeared in a several international print publications.
She also provides business writing services as well as offering
online sales of "How-to Booklets and Templates for Business"
from her Web site. http://www.nightcats.com.
=================================================================
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=================================================================
=====================
+ Pause For Thought +
=====================
"Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one
after another."
- Walter Eliot
"The man who insists on seeing with perfect clearness before he
decides, never decides. Accept life and you must accept regret."
- Frederic Amiel
=====================
OK, that's it for this week! Below you'll find the info section.
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