There cannot be a crisis today; my schedule is already full.

Henry Kissinger

You can Import and export your email list from, and to, a CSV file. Gives you the ability to import a CSV list from outlook to your admin mailing list. Checks and ignores duplicates.

Many have several mailing lists segmented out by category. It’s OK to have more than one but the admin mailing list is rather a nice feature and html formatting can be used.  Clients who are using this feature love it. Contact me if you would like more info and pricing about this feature. I’m sure you’ll like it.

Just one more reason to upgrade your cart….and in July some new and exciting features will be added.

• A wish list  – many customers have requested this.
• Gift Registry – good for conventions, birthdays, Christmas, whatever.
• Previously viewed. – good for comparison

Listed below are a couple of things I’ve learned from experience.

• You can put a survey in a post or a page. [Post if you email out to subscribers and want them to see it - Page if you want them to see it only when they visit your blog.]
• Surveys don’t like punctuation.  Use ‘do not’ instead of don’t.
• You can create more than one question and it adds a ‘next’ button automatically.
• Plan your survey on paper first, thinking through the ‘if you answered yes…’ , ‘if you answered no’ and test it first.
• If you only have a single question use a poll instead of a survey.
• Difference between a poll and a survey is the results.  Anyone can see the poll results.  Survey results are private and stored in admin.

I hope this helps you. Today’s challenge is to create a survey or a poll.  I will have more blogging challenges as we go along this journey together.

Marian

• Do you like the graphics?
• Are they appropriate for your business or venture?
• Do you like the layout?
• Look at how the posts are displayed. (Notice how posts and sidebar items are nicely separated on this layout as an example.)
• Does the theme have Pages – (pages stay where they are – posts move down the page as new posts are added.)
• If you don’t find one you like are you prepared to pay for customization?

Then consider how you want to use your blog. Some of the ideas below may require a plugin to be installed by your webmaster.

• Do you want to offer email subscriptions so that your posts are emailed automatically to subscribers?
• Do you want to conduct polls and/or surveys?
• Do you want to present information only?
• Include graphics displayed in gallery or slideshow format?
• Podcast?
• Video clips?
• Do you want to personalize your blog with custom fields such as ‘today’s mood’; currently reading; listening to; etc.

Blogs are a good way to create interactivity with your customers and clients.  Engaging them in answering questions in a poll or survey, or encouraging comments, starts a two way conversation.  Contact your webmaster now to get your blog.

There’s no reason you can’t, and shouldn’t have both.  They serve different purposes.  If your newsletter/mailing list is used to announce new products, offer discounts etc. then make sure your blog never does.  Your  blog can be more definitive to make you the go-to expert on any subject that you are qualified in.  It is more casual than a website – think of it more like the coffee shop [your blog] in a store. [your website.]

You can set up your blog to allow feedback, comments and questions from subscribers, thus making it far more interactive than a newsletter which is mainly informative.  But wait!  Why not use that newsletter to drive people to your blog and to subscribe? Can you use your blog to encourage people to sign up for your newsletter?  Starting to get the picture here? 

Blogs are also good for search engine status and  are available for the whole world to see while your newsletter is sent to people you already know.  They can work well hand in hand.

Both blogs and newsletters land in inboxes and people will read either or both. This is called Marketing, folks.

They finally figured out that you must “Dress for Success“.  You must put your best work up front as well as yourself.  Your website must communicate “YOU” as well as be a pleasing presentation of your work.

As the designer of custom sites for Artists I found it interesting that it took them so long to figure it out.  A website is to our culture now as the telephone was when it was first introduced.  A website validates you as a legitimate, serious business person.  So often Artists neglect the business side of their chosen career but it can’t be avoided for very long.  A good website with an easy user experience announces that you are ready to sell.

A website needs to part of your overall marketing plan and as such, needs an overhaul now and again.  A good hard look at the basic structure of the site and the buying procedure is needed.  Is your shopping cart up to date? Offering everything you possibly can in the way of cross selling, options and user friendly payment gateways?

As well as producing new, quality artwork, your website itself should be updated regularly and redesigned to reflect your artistic growth, occasionally.

So, are YOU Dressed for Success?