Cup of Joe: Will Google’s Candy Cause Cavities or More Sweet Tooths?

A few weeks ago I bought my niece a jar of Jelly Belly jelly beans. If you haven’t tried these amazing beans yet, you are missing out! They have over 50 flavors that are truly remarkable. The popcorn flavor is my favorite! Herman Rowland, one of Jelly Belly’s chief product engineers tells us that the flavor “…has to be something that you can visualize the taste in your mind.”

This is important to him, because fundamentally, Jelly Belly’s main product is the experience not the candy itself. The artificial colors, corn syrup, and gelatin act only as a delivery agent for the real product, the experience. It’s the experience they create and sell, that sets them apart from all of their competitors. With out this unique experience they would be just like all the other jelly bean makers.

This last week, Google released some of its own candy as well. No, they aren’t jumping into the sugar business. Their new product is more along the lines of eye candy. Google Instant is probably one of the most significant changes Google has made to its user interface since launching. In essence, the new feature allows for search results to load dynamically while the user types their query. As a result the finished product is a sleek interface that delivers the user content on average 2 seconds faster.

Like Jelly Belly, Google’s product has become equally as much about the experience, than the core product itself. Creating a strong and engaging customer/user experience is a vital part of running a business in today’s economy. On the internet when your competitor is only a few clicks away having a definable experience can increase customer retention and satisfaction.

If you are thinking to yourself, hmmm this all sounds familiar. That maybe, because I have talked about experience marketing more than once. Both times I reference the video below. I think what Joseph Pine has to say here is one of the most significant lessons that marketers need to learn in order to fully understand the future of marketing. So, do yourself a favor and grab some jelly beans and watch this short talk about experience marketing, so you can take a page from Google’s playbook!

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Six Figure Jobs with No Degree Required

With school starting up this month, I thought it would be a good idea to write about a few high paying jobs that don’t necessary require a college education. A new article was published at Money.com about a salary report compiled by PayScale.com, which ran all of the numbers and found six of the best jobs where top performers are making over $100,000 a year, without a bachelor’s degree. You can read the full article here, or just view my quick preview below.

Fire Chief: Top Pay $121,000 / Median Pay: $72,900

Air Traffic Controller: Top Pay $159,000 / Median Pay: $83,700

Nuclear Power Reactor Manager: Top Pay $128,000 / Median Pay: $86,200

Director of Security: Top Pay $123,000 / Median Pay: $68,700

Elevator Mechanic: Top Pay $109,000 / Median Pay: $72,900

Court Reporter: Top Pay $105,000 / Median Pay: $57,200

It’s actually quite amazing how much some of these jobs are paying. I never would have even thought about how much an “elevator mechanic” makes, but it really is a six figure job!

I don’t know about you, but right when I saw this article, the first thing I thought of was internet and affiliate marketers. A great deal of huge startups were a result of people dropping out of college, or even starting their own businesses in high school or during college. I personally started making money online while I was a Sophomore in high school… and now we are seeing kids make money online in their lower teens. It’s quite amazing and there has never been an opportunity like it before!

Affiliate Marketer: Top Pay $NO LIMIT / Median Pay: $VARIES

The learning curve for affiliate marketing is what you put into it. Whether you have a doctorate, master’s degree, high school diploma, a drop out or even just graduated from elementary school… you can still make money online.

How old were you when you made your first dollar online?

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Interview: Ricky Ahuja

Ricky Ahuja, a serial entrepreneur, is a ten year veteran of the online marketing industry and currently serving as the CEO and partner in Affiliate Venture Group, a privately funded performance based network located in Richmond, VA. Affiliate Venture Group has quickly become the go to network for some of the hottest penny stock offers in addition to some exclusive sub-prime offers. One of the most accessible guys in the industry, calls it like it is and continues to develop a loyal following with his Affiliate Marketing Mastermind Group on Facebook and through his blog at RickyAhuja.com.

Tell us a little background info about yourself. Where are you from? How old are you? How long have you been working in this industry?
I am originally from New Delhi, India but have been in the states for well over 35 years. I am probably the oldest individual in this industry (43) but loving every minute of it. I have been in this space for over 10 years now dating back to 1998.

What accomplishments so far are you the most proud of?
Outside of having an amazingly beautiful wife and an absolutely adorable daughter, I think that the accomplishment I am most proud of would be the recent buyout of AVG. It has been a couple of years in the making but I feel it was done the right way. It is about creating a recognizable brand with a reputed team and I think we are almost there. The other accomplishment would be of course making it to your interview on this blog, I know you have numerous choices and I am glad you chose me (I sound like an airline).

How did you come to learn about this industry? Why did you choose this career? When did you first realize the full potential in affiliate marketing? When did you first “hit the big time?”
I actually got into this industry by accident. I used to own an internet café in Chicago (Go Cubbies) and some of the patrons who frequented the café needed a website and search engine optimization done and I happened to have some contacts in the space which truly enabled me to find out the benefits and rewards of Internet marketing and haven’t looked back since.

As far as hitting it “big time” – I think that is still to come. I think completing the buyout of Affiliate Venture Group was definitely a step in the right direction. We all measure success differently and to me it is more about the relationships you make and the experiences you have and knowing that you have made a positive impression on people.

What do you think it takes to be successful as an affiliate?
Thick skin, persistence and perseverance are critical to becoming a successful affiliate. What may be working today may not tomorrow (thanks Google), what may be hot one day may not be the next (we can thank the folks at FTC for this). Odds are you will lose money when starting out, but to truly become successful – you have to test, retest and then test some more.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best, “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.”

What have been your biggest failures and frustrations?
I do not consider anything I have done a “failure” per se (unless you count that one semester in college ) but rather a stepping stone from which to learn and advance. As it pertains to Affiliate Marketing – the frustrations are many: fraudulent affiliates, compliance issues, AMs who will say anything to make a buck, people asking the wrong questions, etc. But you know what, that is what makes our industry so unique and dynamic, keeps things in check.

What is the single toughest problem you've had to face, and how did you get through it?
That’s an easy one, which was to get my wife to say “YES” when I proposed to her a few years back. How I got through it – well I rented a boat, went deep into Annapolis Harbor and gave her a choice.

Is there anything that you don’t like to do, that you just hate working on?
I am a people person, like being out and about and hate being tied down behind a desk and worrying about paperwork. This is why my partner (Chris Kautz) and I make such a good team, he is great on the operational side of the business and myself – well still trying to figure that one out.

What is the future of marketing?
The world of internet marketing is changing at a rapid speed, and therefore individuals and companies at the forefront of providing innovative solutions will be the call of the day. The future of internet marketing is going to be more fiercely competitive as the technologies continue to evolve. The information blogs such as yours provide will play a crucial role in keeping the visitors informed about marketing trends and more importantly how to take advantage of it.

If it’s possible for you to share, are there any particular niches that you currently favor? Or that you aren’t necessarily in right now but that you would recommend?
The flavor of the day is mobile/sms marketing and pay per call. These are two areas I am looking to get into but quite haven’t been able to crack just yet…well successfully at least.

What niche has worked best for you?
The financial sector, more specifically “penny stock investing” has done amazingly well for us at AVG. We were somewhat ahead of the game and made a pretty penny (no pun intended) but this too has now become saturated and all the more difficult to make some serious money. Fortunately, we have the good fortune of having our own exclusives so that has made it a bit easier.

Which methods of promotion do you favor?
As an affiliate, the methods that work best for me are social media and SEO. As a network owner, the methods most of my advertisers prefer are Email and Search. I am looking to get into PPV as well as radio to supplement my online initiatives.

How have you made those promotion methods successful?
For me it has all been about testing and retesting. I have the good fortune of knowing a lot of people smarter than me in the industry and they have proven to be a valuable resource. I think persistence is key, given enough time – I think I can make anything work.

What have you been up to recently? What projects are you working on?
Well, a couple of weeks ago, I along with my partner (Chris Kautz – formerly of Rextopia) fully acquired Affiliate Venture Group and as such have been extremely busy with that. We also have some exciting initiatives in place (unable to go into details just yet) so looking forward getting those executed and launched.

What problems have you had with those new projects?
It is not that we have had real problems with the projects, just a limitation on the time. We are both constantly working around the clock but such is the life of an Affiliate Marketer I guess.

Do you think anything particular in your past prepared you for this industry? Your education? Jobs you’ve held before?
I am a big believer that everything happens for a reason and I can pin point specific examples or situations that have helped me to succeed in this industry. I find it rather amusing that even after having done this for as long as I have; most in my family don’t have a clue what I do.

What are your greatest strengths?
Where do I start? I will break this up into two parts: personal and business. In my personal life, its easy – my wife and my daughter. They are the driving force behind my success. Not a day goes by where I do not get assurances from both of them and that more so than anything else is where I derive my strength from.

Business wise, I have thick skin and very sociable. I have had the privilege of meeting some of the industry’s leading personalities and have managed to integrate those experiences into my businesses.

What are your greatest weaknesses?
My wife and my accountant would have a field day with this. I am not the most “organized” person and could stand to improve in that respect. Apart from that – whereas one of your other interviewees had a great technical background to help with his AM, I am rather weak and definitely could use some improvement in that area.

What motivates you?
Seeing the smile on my daughter's face when she wakes up motivates me. The desire to build free clinics for my wife so she can provide medical care, free of cost motivates me. As hard as I work, it pales in comparison to what she does; so getting to a point where I can help ease her burden would be amazing.

What is the best advice you’ve been given and try to apply to your life?
The best advice I have been given has been from my father and it is to not be afraid to take risks. Even if it doesn’t work out, you can always learn from the experience and apply it towards your next venture. There is quote from T.S. Elliot that I like: “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”

Who has impacted you most in your career, and how?
There are two people that have impacted me the most, my father and my wife. Throughout college I was not the most studious student and unfortunately my grades reflected that all too well. There was such a communication gap between my father and I that he actually took up sports so that he could communicate with me on my level. That alone had a drastic impact on me (other than his ability to scare the living crap out of me ). His gentle nudge with his philosophical approach went a long way to put me on the right track.

What kept me on the track was most certainly my wife. Not once did she ever doubt my ability even if that meant sacrificing what was important to her. She is the main driving force behind my ventures, often my biggest critic but always my biggest proponent.

What are some of your long-term goals? How much is enough? If money was no object, what would you be doing?
My long term goals would not be much different than what they are now. Family is job #1 and to ensure their happiness is all that matters. It’s the little things, a hug from the daughter first thing in the morning or giving cereal to the wife before she goes to bed.

If money were no object, I would still be doing what I am doing this very instant. However, I would devote a fair share of my time to help my wife start up free clinics to help those who cannot help themselves. Without getting into the politics of it all – the hospitals have become so administrative, insurance driven and bottom line focused that good patient care has become a footnote. This is not why she spent a good portion of her life going through medical school.

How do you like to spend your free time? What doe work-life balance mean to you?
In our free time we like to go visit the family, travel or just hang out with some good friends. We routinely get together monthly and have an all night poker games. If there is any time remaining, I like to work on my blog and some other side projects.

What is your greatest achievement outside of work? What are some of your unfulfilled dreams?
My greatest achievement outside of my work would have to be cajoling my then “best friend” into marrying me (to this day I have no clue what she was thinking ). I am blessed to have a wife like her (just celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary) and the most adorable daughter ever. She is probably the most photographed child on FB (technology is great).

As it comes to unfulfilled dreams, I can honestly say that I am very very content with where I am. I try to live life for today and not worry so much about what tomorrow may hold and thus there is no dream or aspirations to be unfulfilled.

Do you have a Twitter account or Facebook “Like” page?
twitter.com/RickyAhuja
facebook.com/rickyahuja

Ending
Jonathan, I do want to take a few seconds to let you know how much I appreciate you taking the time to conduct this interview. You have set a very high standard for all affiliate marketers to aspire to and the industry needs more people like you.

All the best,

Ricky Ahuja

Google Displays A Real Interest in Display

Google’s quest to diversify from its search marketing cash cow (and inordinate slice of its total revenue at over 95%) is getting more and more obvious with each passing day.

One can predict just how serious Google is about something if it has produced a video around it. If that video seems more like an ad then you can bet that Google thinks this is the real deal. So it looks like display advertising is the next big thing for the Google advertising machine to ratchet up and show the rest of the world that despite its product diversity Google is not a one trick revenue pony.

Here’s the video that is aimed at the agency world to tell them display with Google is the wave of the future (oops, poor choice of words considering the recent euthanizing of Google’s Wave……my bad).

PaidContent points out

When Google fully integrated its DoubleClick unit with AdWords last year, the company set a goal of making display a $1 billion business. Deals, such as the one with Omnicom and the purchase of demand-side platform Invite Media have certainly helped it close in on that endeavor, especially as display advertising has reversed last year’s declines and is continuing to grow.

Getting its success in display across is the major point of this ad effort. It clearly shows that despite the progress in display, that business requires more hand-holding as opposed to its search business, where Google remains the dominant player. In display, Google is big and getting bigger, but it’s far from the only game in town.

The hidden ‘gotcha’ in that last quote is the oxymoron of Google ‘hand-holding’ clients. Google has never given anyone the customer service “warm fuzzies” but hopefully with the integration of DoubleClick it has started to understand that the “Google engineer builds and they will come and they will like it just the way we provide it and they can rot on the vine if they have a question” approach is so 2009.

Call me a skeptic (I dare you but I can tell you that you would not be the first) but I think that Google has further to go in their concept of customer contact and service than they do in their display advertising area. That’s my take.

Of course, to prove that Google is not very comfortable straying too far from their roots if you want to see the above video it’s part of the Adwords section of Google.com (http://www.google.com/adwords/watchthisspace/ to be exact).

I suspect Google will be very successful eventually in this area. That success, however, will likely be due more to its ability to start to truly interact and support its customers of all sizes than anything else. People know Google can do most anything it wants. It’s just getting what you, the customer, wants can be the tough part.

What’s your take?

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The Affiliate Marketing Success Recipe

Affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to make money online and we have people making thousands of dollars (and even millions) from their affiliate marketing efforts. We all love to get great results from little efforts and that is exactly what affiliate marketing brings about – No need to answer support queries, no need to brainstorm product ideas etc.

Successful affiliate marketers have a recipe, and this is what most newbie don’t know. You don’t just setup an affiliate website and expect the income to be flowing; there are steps you have to take to get the best from your affiliate marketing efforts. This post will be explaining a 4-step-recipe used by many successful affiliate marketers to make money online.

1. Market Research

One thing I have learned from many successful affiliate marketers is that they don’t just jump into a niche and begin to try to make money online promoting affiliate products but they always research effectively before committing their resources into a niche.

It is a very dangerous mistake to get started in a niche you know nothing about, you have to research effectively and have enough details about the niche you are about to enter. When trying to start affiliate marketing in a particular niche, you have to have basic knowledge of the niche, such as the type of audience, the buyer intent, the competition and which type of product works best in that niche. You wouldn’t want to be promoting ebooks in a niche where they love to buy books in hardcover.

2. The Right Product

After you know the type of market and what works best, you wouldn’t just want to start promoting any product you see, this isn’t going to work! Another crucial step to making money online from affiliate marketing is promoting the right product. I have discovered that promoting products from big brands tend to convert better because the big companies will have done a lot of the marketing work, and your prospect would have come across the product on several occasions, he/she will be more likely to buy it than other products he/she is coming across for the first time.

Another thing you should note is that if a product has been over-promoted, you might not get the best from your promotion efforts because most of the buyers would have gone after the recommendations of a guru in the niche, thereby leaving you with less opportunity to make sales.

3. Focus on Trust

Another core factor that determines how you make it with affiliate marketing is trust. It is very important to focus on building trust with your prospects first. It is very important to know that it is easier to destroy your trust than it is to build it. If you worked hard on building trust with your readers, you can destroy that trust by promoting the wrong product.

There are several ways to build trust with your readers (or to-be customers) and one of the best ways to build trust is by making sure you give value. If you are promoting your affiliate products via your blog, it is very important to focus on writing high-quality, valuable content first because this will help you win the trust of your readers, thereby making them buyers.

4. Get Traffic

One thing I have noticed from most people who believe affiliate marketing is difficult is that most of them have little to no traffic. Affiliate marketing success doesn’t stop in you researching the market or having the right product, you also have to focus on getting traffic to your affiliate links. When it comes to getting traffic, there are different types of traffic but getting high-quality traffic from the right place works best. One major source of traffic you should focus on as an affiliate marketer is search engine traffic because you only need to work once, and once you could secure your spot in the search engines you will begin to get traffic on autopilot.

Another great advantage of search engine traffic is that it converts better than any other traffic source because search engine visitors are more targeted – they came in a search for something.

While search engine traffic is not the only way to get traffic, there are several other ways to get high-quality traffic to your blog and I will be listing 5 of them below:

i. Guest Blogging
ii. Forum Posting
iii. Blog Commenting
iv. Video Marketing
v. Article Marketing

Conclusion

The above are 4 great steps (I call it the affiliate marketing recipe) to affiliate marketing success, implement the above tips and you will begin to get more results from your affiliate marketing efforts.

This guest post was written by Onibalusi Bamidele, a young entrepreneur living the internet lifestyle, subscribe to his blog for more great posts. Also, get his free traffic report called the ultimate traffic formula.

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Publishers Clearing House: Deceptive or Simply Good Marketing?

As you’ve probably seen everywhere else on the web, Publisher’s Clearing House has agreed to pay out 3.5 million in damages after being accused of deceptive marketing practices. In addition to the money, Publisher’s Clearing House is being tasked with a new set of rules in regard to how they run their business and here is where it gets sticky.

The claim is mostly based on the fact that people, particularly seniors, were left with the impression that the more they bought from PCH, the better their chances would be of winning the big prize. Now, I haven’t seen one of their letters in a long time, but I’m pretty sure it says right on there that buying will not increase your chance of winning. Okay, I get that not everyone reads the not-so-fine print and that not everyone understands what they read, but how is that PCH’s fault?

I’m not siding with the big check guys completely, mind you. I’ve always found their game to be a little scammy but by the same token, so is every casino and state lottery. Can I sue the State of California if I buy $5,000 worth of scratchers and only win $1.00? Their website says there are still millions of dollars to be won and all my dreams could come true if I play. How is that any different?

A press release from Illinois State Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office included these statements:

“One senior reported spending $2,126 on merchandise in one year in hopes of winning a prize, but never won a dime.”

“Another Illinois consumer said her 84-year-old father “is devastated each time he learns he is not the winner.” She told Madigan’s office that her father believes that he’s more likely to win because he makes purchases and receives personalized mailings from Publishers.”

Now, as part of the settlement, PCH is required to check up on any senior who spends more than $500 in a quarter. They have to contact the person and find out if they have all their faculties and if they don’t understand how the sweepstakes works, then PCH must cut them from their mailing list.

Seriously? Who is going to make these screening calls? Trained mental health professionals? And how many people are we talking about? There must be plenty of seniors over spending or this thing never would have made it to court.

My problem with this whole situation is where does the company’s responsibility end? As long as their sales letters make it clear that a purchase is not necessary, how can they be held liable? Sure, they could tone down the hoopla or ban anyone over 65 from their mailing list. But should they have to?

Here’s the real kicker, the 3.5 million dollar fine will be given to the 32 states that filed against PCH to be used to re-coop investigative costs. So, none of the money will go to the people supposedly wronged by the company? Now that sounds like deceptive marketing to me.

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5 Things Magicians Can Teach You About Blogging

At some level, blogging is really just a stage show. We, as bloggers, are up on a virtual stage giving a performance that goes on for as long as we run our sites. Whether it is a stand-up comedy routine or a serious academic lecture, we’re talking to the world and hope that our audience, no matter how large or small, will listen.

On that front magicians are masters of the stage show. Using nothing but a few tricks, which can range from very simple to unbelievably complex, their charisma and whatever effects they have at their disposal, they have to keep a difficult audience entertained and enthralled through their entire act.

So maybe magicians can teach us bloggers a few things about showmanship and how to keep our audience glued to the screen, no matter what type of site we are trying to run.

On that front, here are five tips virtually any magician can tell you that can help make your blog a little bit better.

1. Have a Catchy Name

Good marketing starts with a good name and magicians understand this. You can tell a great deal about a magic act based on just the name it goes by and magicians are constantly honing and improving their brand by seeking publicity and getting their well-chosen name out there by any means necessary.

Application: Spend some time coming up with a good name that is easy to spell and pronounce but is also unique and describes what you are trying to do. Then, promote that brand vigorously and stand by it unless you have some urgent need to change.

2. Dress 1 Step Above Your Audience

Magicians have a general rule that one should dress one step above their audience. If you are performing in front of a completely casual audience, they will wear business casual, if the audience is business casual, they will dress in a suit, if the audience is wearing suits, they’ll wear a tux. The reason is that this gives the performer a sense of authority while making them approachable and relatable.

Application: Your dress is your writing and your language. Try writing your content one small step above what your audience would write, making it more authoritative than casual writing but still easily understood and approachable.

3. If You Mess Up, Be Honest, Break the Tension and Move On

Mistakes happen and when a Magician goofs they do so in a very public way. However, magicians rarely try to hide their mistakes, especially if they know their audience has caught on. Instead, they’ll admit to the mistake, go for a joke to break the tension and then move on quickly and confidently.

Application: Going for the joke may not always be appropriate but when you goof on your site you need to acknowledge the error, end the tension quickly (either with an apology, a joke or whatever is appropriate) and then move on. Don’t linger on your mistakes once you’ve dealt with them.

4. Make People Look Where You Want

Half of magic is about diversion and drawing attention where the magician wants it. A majority of magic tricks wouldn’t work at all if the audience was not looking at the right spot while the trick part takes place out of view. Magicians achieve this by using motion, colors, lighting and anything else at their disposal to distract and direct the audience to their will.

Application: Tell the readers what you want to look at, use subheads, lists, tables, images and other things that draw the eye to make them look at the information you deem most important. Use such tools sparingly, otherwise the eye doesn’t know where to go, but don’t force your readers to figure out what’s important on their own.

5. Know Which Secrets to Keep

Magic thrives on secrets. As the TV character Jonathan Creek was fond of saying, once explained what was once magic becomes mundane. Magicians keep their secrets closely guarded to keep the illusion of their tricks being actual magic. Though the illusion is fleeting, most people realize magic is just an illusion, the ability to deceive oneself for a moment is an important part of enjoying the show.

Application: Blogging isn’t nearly as secretive as magic but you do have to think long and hard about what information you want to give away and what you don’t. You need to ask yourself what information will help your readers better enjoy or learn from your site and what will confuse and complicate things needlessly. Keep the secrets that you need to in order to stay on target and be effective, don’t try to throw everything out.

Bottom Line

Though magic and blogging have many differences, blogging involves significantly fewer rabbits for one, there are definitely enough similarities so that we bloggers can pick up a few pointers, especially when it comes to keeping our audience entertained and informed.

It might be easy to not think of blogging as a public performance but, in reality, that’s exactly what it is, the most public kind of performance possible and the fact that it merely writing, audio or video doesn’t mean that many of the same rules don’t apply.

So let’s listen to the magicians, they might have a lesson or two for us.

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New Report: Making the Most of Transactional Emails

According to a new Experian Marketing Services report, transactional emails that include relevant and related products and services have 20%  higher transaction rates than those without.

Blown away, aren’t you? Okay, probably not. It’s no big marketing secret that suggestive selling and cross-promotions work, so why doesn’t everybody do it?

Let’s go back to basics. A transactional email is one that a customer expects. Could be an order confirmation, a shipping notice or information on returns and exchanges. Experian analyzed more than 1,800 emails of this type that were sent through their CheetahMail system and found that more than 100% of the time (how is that possible?) these emails are opened by the recipient. You won’t find anywhere near that kind of open rate on bulk emails.

Once you’ve got customers opening the email, it’s time to convert them and this is where many companies fail. Experian says that’s a lot of money left on the table. Here are the numbers:

“Compared with standard bulk mailings, the average revenue per email is two to five times greater and can be up to six times greater than the all-industry average of $0.13. Experian CheetahMail’s analysis showed an average revenue per email for order confirmations of $0.75, while shipping confirmations and returns/exchanges pulled $0.53 and $0.80, respectively.”

Making the most of your transactional emails doesn’t have to mean promoting another product. Experian says that transactional emails that included links to social media sites had 55% higher click rates than emails with no click-through opportunities.

The only place that failed in the study was in the area of incentivizing future purchases. Oddly, emails without this kind of incentive did better than those that had them. Looking at my own behavior, I’d say this is because a “future purchase” email would either get filed away in my coupon folder or deleted if I had no intention of buying again.

The takeaway here is that companies must optimize every opportunity they have to engage with a customer. Emails need to branded to match the company website. Social media links should be prominent in all emails, especially transactional ones and ideally, personalized services and add-ons should be included in every order or shipping email.

This may sound like marketing 101, but I can’t tell you how many transactional emails I receive in a week that miss out on all of these points. On the other hand, there is one company I buy from that has a transactional email so memorable, I actually tell people about it and that’s CD Baby. Their order confirmation includes a wild story about how my CD has been taken off the shelf by a person wearing sterilized gloves, it was polished and inspected by 50 employees then everyone gathered around, lit a candle and watched in awe as it was packed, then they had a parade while delivering it to the post office where the entire town of Portland waved and said “Bon Voyage!” Silly, yes. But everyone who gets that confirmation remembers it and it effects their decision to buy from CD Baby again.

Lastly, don’t forget to say thank you to your customers when you confirm their order. It’s a simple thing but it makes a big difference.

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