12 Tips for Designing a Successful Vacation Destination Website

By Robert D. Thomson

For the purposes of this article, we will assume that you know how to get your domain registered, how to upload your site to the server and have someone (even if it's your alter ego) who can put the site together with sufficient tech savvy-ness and a little artistic flair.

The tips, then, are not about Flash or Cascading Style Sheets, but about positioning, servicing customers and building the all-important relationships that form the heart of every business. Again, there are many more than this dozen, but you can get a pretty good start with these 12 tips for designing a successful vacation destination website:

Tip #1, Navigation Options: If you are in the business of getting people to "dream spots" around the world, you obviously need to be an expert at navigation. In this case, however, it's navigating your website and not the seven seas that is the first challenge. Clear, simple navigation schemes are a must.

Tip #2, No Media Barrage: Except for some short video clips of a few highlighted destinations, it is wise to keep the animated entertainment to a minimum. Not only will you keep the focus on the destinations, you will keep the pages loading faster, a major concern for web surfers even in this "broadband" era.

Tip #3, Quick Answers: Your site should have a search function to make navigating to the desired information as fast as possible. Also make a general FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) list, and as many specialized ones as necessary, making sure the former is available from everywhere and the latter are available where needed.

Tip #4, Be a Problem Solver: Using your experience in the business, you should be able to anticipate the nature of the problems people will have vis-a-vis travel, from packing and planning to jet lag and diarrhea. Be quick, clear and accurate with your suggested solutions.

Tip #5, Trustworthy Source: Again, the tone and style of your site copy is important in creating trust and making your visitors comfortable enough to become customers. Having original "how to" articles on your site will also build your reputation for trust and expertise.

Tip #6, Trustworthy Links: The links that you make available at your site say a lot about you and your business. You certainly do not want to link to competitors, but it is a good idea to list various government agencies (regarding passports, visas, etc.), consumer protection sites and sources of great deals on luggage, clothes and so on.

Tip #7, Sign 'Em Up: Don't let the visitor leave your site without a great, valuable, informative and/or money-saving gift. It's a free one, too – a subscription to your biweekly or monthly "dream destination" newsletter. You can give the latest info on money-saving travel, great resort deals, package discounts and plenty of travel tales from around the globe. You will also be able to ask for referrals to send out the "e-newsletter" to a recipient's friends, family and coworkers.

Tip #8, Testimonials: Have some testimonials from satisfied customers. Another good testimonial would be from a resort or famous hotel, lauding your firm for the way it takes care of its customers or handles its affairs in general.

Tip #9, Be a Leader: Use the shapes, colors, copy, links, buttons and other components of your website to lead visitors the way that you want them to go. There is a whole new scientific discipline growing up around how to "make" people do what you would like them to do at your website, although there are varying degrees of success, of course. Still, as this knowledge is refined, you should use it where you can.

Tip #10, Identify Core Customers: This is a challenge at all times for all businesses. To the degree that you can add to your customer profile and understand the different kinds of people that you attract and satisfy, you may find that the small refinements to your website will have disproportionately positive affects.

Tip #11, Tailor the Messages: Tied in with several other tips (particularly about navigation and leading the visitor, Tips #1 and #9), this one advises you to change the tone and goals of your copy you identify customers' needs and move them in the appropriate directions. Tailoring the copy and massaging the messages are standard undertakings in many web marketing/sales strategies.

Tip #12, Build Relationships: Actually, this could be listed as Goal #1, too, since relationships are key in any business. People really do buy from other people, not nameless monoliths with a logo. Building relationships means building business, period.

You are never "finished" with anything in any business. Products change, services change, technologies change and, most of all, people change. The best you can hope to do is stay abreast of all the many changes, and that takes a lot of work. As you have to do in every other area of life, make sure to define your goals clearly, take a step-by-step approach and keep your fingers crossed. Success is overwhelmingly about working hard, of course, but a little luck can't hurt.

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How To Use Autoresponders With Internet Marketing

By Timothy Crane

If you have ever dealt with an online company or subscribed to an ezine or other service on the Internet before, you have more than likely received an email from an autoresponder. Although you may not have realized it at the time, it was probably an email letting you know that the individual you were trying to reach is not available. Even though it appears that someone else sent the message, it was indeed sent from an autoresponder.

Although autoresponders are great for letting others know that you are away, they are even more valuable when used as a marketing tool. If you have thought about selling products or services online or if you already own your own company, you could greatly benefit from autoresponders. In the world of Internet marketing few tools and programs can compete with an autoresponder.

As many Internet marketers already know, autoresponders are a great way to put your business on autopilot and multiply yourself. With an autoresponder, simply set up your preset messages, and select the schedule that each individual message will go out. When messages go out is entirely up to you, you can send them out on a daily, weekly, or even monthly basis. You can also use as many messages as you want, and know without a shadow of a doubt that they will go out to those on your customer list when they are supposed to.

Best of all, you do not even have to touch it. This will save you a lot of time, as your autoresponder will handle virtually all of your email tasks. It will follow up with your customers as well, saving you a lot of time there. If you had to follow up with each and every one of your customers yourself, it could cost a lot of time that you could easily be using for other things even spending time with your family.

Even if your business does not have a lot of site visitors now, an autoresponder can still help you out. Even though you may not think so, it can do a world of wonders. No matter how many visitors you have, you should always strive to capture all the opt-ins that you can. The best way to do this is by providing high quality products and services that will keep your visitors intrigued.

If you keep them intrigued, they will gladly sign up to your list with their email address and their name, so that you can contact them with future offers. Even though may be starting out small, your opt-in list can get really big before you know it.

Once your list has grown, it will easily become one of the most valued assets of your entire company. In order for your list to grow, you will need to answer emails about your products, services, company, and what you can do for your customers. You do not need to spend all day doing this anymore, as you can leave everything to your autoresponder. Your autoresponder can answer all of your email questions and give customers what they want which will help your company grow.

Almost all autoresponders will enable you to send broadcast messages to your entire client list among other things. They will also let you stay in touch with your customers and establish relationships that will keep your customers coming back. No matter how big or how small your company may be, an autoresponder is one investment that is more than worth your money.

Article Source: http://www.articlehighlight.com
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Article Writing And Marketing - How To Build Up Your Prospects And Your Name

By Connie Ragen Green

Article writing has become part of my daily process for building my business. When I first started think about using article writing and marketing as part of my business model, I thought that each article was submitted to an editor, like I used to do long ago. On the internet it is a very different process.

Back when I was trying to get my articles published in magazines and journals, I had to follow strict guidelines as to what the topic would be, how many words it could be, and when the issue would appear. Even though the article directories have rules about the minimum word count and the quality of the writing, there is no deadline to meet or editor to tell you that what you wrote was not exactly what they were looking for that month.

I keep my articles very short and straightforward, and teach one thing in each of them. I want my readers to go away with another piece of information that will help them in their quest to build an online business.

The reading level is something else I take into consideration. Most of us just don't have the time or desire to read long, difficult passages that require us to think like an academic. Instead, we want to read articles that can be quickly consumed while teaching us something at the same time.

I keep the reading level at about the ninth or tenth grade, and this works very well. My goal is to get the reader to visit my website or blog to get even more information on how to get started online.

Keep your articles simple. Make the point you want to teach, give some examples, and then come to the end. You notice I did not say to end the article. Your writing ends when someone has clicked on the link in the resource box and visited the site you have sent them to.

If you end the article there is absolutely no reason for someone to click on the link, because you have answered their questions completely and thoroughly. You want to make them hungry for the rest of the information, so a soft ending is best.

I usually just check my word count and then finish that sentence. If my articles appear unfinished, it is because they are. I encourage you to do the same thing and invite readers to your site to find out more of what they are looking for.

Article Source: http://www.articlehighlight.com
(my own article directory)

Connie Ragen Green teaches you how to write articles and eBooks to build an online business, as well as how to use the technology needed. Visit Online Writing Success to find out more.

How To Choose The Right Domain Name For Your Website

By Robert D. Thomson

How do you choose the right domain name for your website? Choosing the right web address is very important. There are a few reasons why.

The first reason it's important to choose the right web address (domain name) is because it needs to match your company (or whatever your website is for). Let's suppose your company name is Sherry's Flowers. The natural choice for a domain name would be sherrysflowers.com (assuming that name is not already taken).

So what do you do if the domain name you want is already taken? There are two primary alternatives. The first is to choose a different domain extension like .net. For the above example, that would mean selecting sherrysflowers.net. This presents a serious danger, though. Let's suppose you choose the .net address and advertise it. Your customers may forget and still go to the .com address which may bring about confusion, or worse, award sales intended to go to you, to your competition instead!

The other (and probably better) alternative is to come up with a totally different domain name altogether, something catchy that does not even necessarily even use your company name in it. For example, you could do something catchy like iloveflowers.com. This is sweet and easy to remember. And it prevents the issues of confusion with your competitor (in the aforementioned case where your company name is already taken by someone else, as a dot com address).

Another reason choosing the right address is important is because it needs to be easy to remember. If you want word-of-mouth to work well for you, you need your domain name to be something that can be easily shared verbally, even without the need for pen and paper.

You want John Doe (someone’s name, as an example) to be able to say to his coworker, “Yeah, I got great flowers for Jane from Sherry's Flowers; you can get some for your special girl at iloveflowers.com.” Something even slightly more complicated than that (such as getflowers4someone.com) might not only prevent John's coworker from retaining the address, but it may also keep John himself from remembering what the domain was in the first place!

The last but definitely not least important reason to choose the right domain name is so that people can easily type it when they are ready. If you choose a domain name that has too many numbers or strange or complex wording, they simply won't be able to type it correctly. This will prevent a great deal of traffic from reaching your site.

In summary, make sure you choose a domain name that: (1) reflects what you do (and uses your company or website's name, if possible), (2) doesn't confuse you to your potential visitors with your competition, and (3) is easy to remember and type.

Article Source: http://www.articlehighlight.com
(my own article directory)

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A Look at Internet Marketing and Small Business

By Val Olsen

Today, more and more companies turn to internet marketing for promoting their products and services. Even small business owners are now recognizing the potential of marketing on the web. If you own a home business or a small biz, is internet marketing suited for you?

Benefits of Web Marketing

The great thing about the internet is that it breaks distance barriers, enabling businesses to reach out more effectively to their target market. Through the internet, it is now possible for local merchants to introduce and sell their products in the international market. Potential customers anywhere in the world now have the opportunity to buy from online shops located in other countries.

Another advantage of internet marketing is its cost-effectiveness. Traditional marketing strategies are often more expensive compared to marketing over the web. In fact, many online merchants use a number of internet marketing tools for free. Examples of these free tools are press release websites, article directories, blogs, social sites, groups or forums, online classified ads, etc. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean that money isn’t needed.

Competition among online merchants is also stiff. To be competitive, most online sellers invest a considerable amount of funding to support their online marketing campaigns. When done correctly, marketing through the internet often produces great results for businesses. No wonder why internet marketing is such a big hit among entrepreneurs worldwide.

Indeed, whether you’re a newbie or a veteran business owner, web marketing is an option worth trying. But before you try out this modern marketing tactic, there are some important points to consider.

Some Things to Consider

Before launching an online marketing campaign, you need to clearly define your target market. Ask the following questions:

• Who are your potential customers?
• Where are they located?
• Do they surf the web?
• If yes, how much time do they spend online?
• What do they use the internet for?
• Do they shop online?
• Do they own credit cards?

To reach your target audience more effectively, you need to know the specific details about them. Remember that although many people use the internet, not everyone does. Although establishing your presence on the web is an advantage, investing a large budget on internet marketing may not be for you.

Thus, conducting a market research or hiring a market research group is recommended. If a large percentage of your target market does not spend as much time on the web or doesn’t use the internet at all, a different strategy may be necessary. Focus on reaching out to your target audience.

For instance, direct mail marketing or marketing with postcards may be a more practical choice of advertising. You can also use postcards to let people know about your presence online. By advertising your website address in your postcards, people can find you more easily.

Yes, focusing on internet marketing isn’t for everyone. Even if you decide that internet marketing is for you, don’t forget to pay attention to your offline marketing as well. When offline and online marketing strategies are combined, you can surely enhance your business performance.

Article Source: http://www.articlehighlight.com
(my own article directory)

Luie De Von is a marketing consultant with Easypostcard Marketing and has been providing consumers and business owners with marketing strategies. Have photos to print? Go to 20 free prints