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Constructing the Perfect Business Email

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Email is the most common form of communication in the business world, yet many professionals still struggle to write emails suited for the workplace. If you find yourself unsure of your writing abilities, continue reading for some tips on constructing the perfect business email.

  1. Use a personalized email address

A personalized email address is simply one that is directly tied to your company, as opposed to an email address with its name tied to one of the major sites Gmail, Yahoo, etc. A personalized email is important because it clearly identifies you as a member of your company to the recipient of your email. Because your are a clear member of your company, you’re likely to be

taken more seriously.

  1. Have a clear subject line

You want your subject to be concise so that the recipient of your email can quickly determine the content and urgency of your email. An email with a long subject line, no subject line, or a subject line recycled from an older email has a better chance of being neglected by the reader.

  1. Build your email around around its recipient

The language you use in an email is often determined by who it’s being sent to. You may use a different tone to message your co-worker than you would your boss. It might also be wise to think about the cultural background of the person you are emailing. Different cultures have different ways of doing business, and so you should plan accordingly to cater to their expectations. It can be as easy as being more personable or more reserved in your message.

  1. Avoid slang and exclamation points

What was intended to be friendliness can easily be interpreted as you not taking your reader seriously. The use of slang reflects poorly upon you as a professional, and is actually a far less efficient way of communicating. In the same vein, the use of too many exclamation point can make you come across as emotional and juvenile. Remember that your mood in the email cannot be assumed by the reader, so you must create a clear one through your writing.

Get personalized email accounts with RFE Hosting. A personalized email address is the foundation for a professional email. Depending on what hosting package you choose, you will receive a minimum of 10 @yourcompany email addresses to be used by you, your company’s departments, and your employees. Visit RFE online today to learn more.

5 Tips for Managing an Ecommerce Website

SEO

E-Commerce is the wave of the future. It offers tremendous potential for the savvy business owners who manage to wield its power. Here are 5 tips that can help you be successful in the industry.

  1. Use (and hone) conversion-based landing pages. Sure, a lot of organic traffic may end up on your homepage: but, with smart SEO and advertising campaigns (which will both be discussed in greater detail later in this article) you can ensure that a good portion of customers end up directly on a landing page that is specially designed to start them further along the conversion funnel. Extra points if you can include payment on that very screen. Whatever your strategy, however, you should set up A/B testing in order to perfect your page: new software has made the process exceptionally easy, and the ROI potential is through the roof.
  2. Advertise. Sure, it represents an investment–but once again, the ROI potential that this investment offers is well worth it. Of course, your online advertising campaign will only be as valuable as you make it: be sure to do your research, manage your campaign carefully, and (once again) always be improving your landing pages.
  3. Invest in SEO. Improving your search engine rankings can help bolster traffic as well: you could start a blog, redesign your site for functionality, or begin running a comprehensive social media campaign: it all depends on how much you are willing and able to do.
  4. Narrow your horizons. E-commerce can feel like a much lower liability business model–which leads some business owners to get overly excited and sell too wide a range of products, effectively destroying their niche.
  5. Choose the right hosting services. Finding a host that offers great service, optimal uptime, and SSL credentials is a must. Visit RFE Hosting online today to learn more.

Common Mistakes That First Time Website Owners Make

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Starting a website for your company is one of the best investments you can make for the future. Not only are websites necessary for building trust and facilitating consumer research in this day and age, they can also become profitable online marketplaces for many businesses. Unfortunately, business owners are not always web experts–and all too many first time website owners fall into the same predictable traps. With a bit of research and education, however, you can avoid most of the common mistakes that lead small businesses to lose money investing in the web. Here are a few things to look out for.

Building a website with no business plan. Although websites offer many potential benefits to businesses of all stripes and colors, it is a fallacy to assume that simply building a website with no clear goals is going to do your company any good. Websites can boost brand awareness, drive sales, educate consumers, offer instant customer service and more–but it is important to know what your particular goals are before you being.

Failing to offer mobile adaptability. A significant portion of all web traffic is now mobile traffic–and Google has even incorporated mobile compatibility into its relevancy algorithm. Even so, a surprisingly large percentage of businesses continue to build websites that don’t provide seamless mobile adaptability–costing themselves time, money, and untold numbers of potential customers.

Choosing the wrong hosting service. Though hosting might seem like an insignificant detail compared to the broader vision of your online strategy, it is important to realize that the host you choose will play a large role in determining the quality of your visitors’ online experience. Moreover, choosing an overpriced hosting service that doesn’t offer great customer service is ultimately a waste of funding that could instead be invested in critical components of website growth, development, and promotion! Choose a hosting service that works for you–visit RFE Hosting online today to learn more!

5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Starting a Website

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Building a successful professional website requires more than just hard work: it requires a vision. Before you invest in starting a website, take time for serious reflection and answer these 5 questions:

What are my goals?

In order for your website to be successful, you need to define what success means for you and your company. For some, e-commerce is the end game. Others are content with promotion and consumer education. Still others hope to profit off of online advertising while possibly fulfilling one or more of the goals listed above. Defining your goals will make it far easier to measure success and craft your online campaign.

What are my customers (or visitors) looking for?

Understanding your audience is another prerequisite to success. Ask yourself what your customers and/or online visitors are looking for. Conduct surveys or market research if necessary. Once you have the answer, crafting your website around those needs will help you reach success.

How much am I able to budget?

This may not being the most exciting question to answer, but it will help you allot your resources in the most logical manner possible.

What do I know about the process of building and maintaining a website?

Most business owners are not web developers. Ask yourself how much you know, and make an effort to educate yourself in the areas that are still unclear.

What components of website construction can I handle myself, and what components require professional assistance?

Finally, think about how you can help your website grow–and consider which components may be better off outsourced to experts. Perhaps you are a great photographer, or perhaps you can write great copy–but the odds are good you will still need help when it comes to programming.

RFE Hosting is here to help! Our blog features a wide selection of resources that can help business owners get their blog running, so be sure to visit us online!

6 Ways To Increase Conversions

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Owning a professional website for your business offers a lot of benefits–beginning with the simple fact that it allows your presence to be seen and felt in the online world, thus establishing credibility for potential customers and clients. Ultimately, though, most websites are about more than just presence: what business owners are really after are conversions.

What exactly a conversion means for you might vary. It could mean pulling off an online sale, or it could be as simple as just getting a visitor to sign up for your e-newsletter. Whatever the case may be, the fundamentals of conversion are generally the same: visitor arrives to your site; you must convince him/her to take a certain action before leaving. In today’s data-driven world, the art of conversions has become, in many ways, a science. Here are a few tried and true methods that can help boost your conversion rate.

  1. Make sure you site loads quickly. People are extremely impatient, and if ultra hi-res photos or other similar factors are causing slow loading times, visitors are far more likely to get bored and find what they are looking for elsewhere.
  2. Write good titles. Titles that are too generic and/or too long can also bore away the more fickle of visitors.
  3. Don’t use home as landing page for ads. Instead, have a dedicated landing page that targets the exact people who click on your ads and “streamlines” them to conversion.
  4. Use less fields. Whether its for a purchase or a mailing list, you’re almost always going to need to solicit some information from your visitors. It’s important to prioritize, though: the more fields you ask for in your form, the more likely visitors are to change their minds, get uncomfortable with a question, or–the old classic–get bored and leave to a different website.
  5. Customer testimonials. “Social proof” is real. Showing off all those glowing reviews by former customers and clients can really set a visitor’s mind at ease and encourage them to convert.
  6. Offer a privacy statement. Let your customers know you don’t plan on giving away or selling their information.

Keep your Website Running Smoothly with RFE Hosting. Maximum uptime and a properly configured website are two crucial factors that can make or break conversions. That’s why RFE Hosting is one of the best online investments your business can make. Contact us today to learn more!

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