11. Make revenue your primary metric; all others only act to support it.
12. Before you start link building, be sure you have something worth linking to.
13. Tell your web vendors before you make significant changes to your site (e.g., platform change, rearranging categories, etc.). They can help you navigate those changes in a way that saves (and even makes) you money, not to mention help you avoid common pitfalls.
14. Paid search is a sprint; SEO is a marathon. You really need both to achieve optimal results.
15. It's never too early to start preparing for your busy season.
16. Have conversations with your vendors — e.g., service bureau, consultant, printer, etc. They're excellent resources.
17. Experience your competitor. Get on its catalog and email lists. Place an order and pay attention to the following — wait times, ease of ordering and satisfaction of customer service. Do the same when you receive your order. Examine the packaging, time to receive, what else came with your order (e.g., package inserts). And finally, return an order. How easy is the process?
18. Mail your housefile. Prospecting can be challenging at times, but it's critical to remain steadfast in contacts to your housefile. It's your bread and butter. You spent money to acquire them, don't let them leave.
19. Use the co-ops to "prospect" from within your housefile by doing not just buyer reactivations, but also model inquiries and ship-to addresses.
20. Use RFM to pull out your "best buyers" and treat them as such. Give them special email sneak previews to new merchandise, new catalogs etc. Offer them specials that aren't available to others — e.g., "Take 15 percent off your next order as our thanks for being one of our best customers!"
- Companies:
- Lett Direct Inc.