A well-designed website is now an essential element of any prosperous business strategy – and rightly so. An effective online presence offers you a virtual "shop window," open 24/7 – enabling customers worldwide to find, interact and even buy from you without even leaving home.

Now, with the introduction, growth and huge popularity of social media and networking websites, the online emphasis is shifting again. Thousands of businesses are now embracing social media trends in order to engage with their customers in new and innovative ways. So how can your website take advantage of this emerging online social "revolution?"

Use Your Website to Join the Conversation

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The recent economic downturn may be taking its toll on the high street, but not online. eMarketer predicts that total UK business-to-consumer online sales will be worth £68.4 billion in 2009, a 14% increase over 2008. With e-commerce revenue remaining strong, sales are there to be won. So, how can your store stand out from the crowd in order to win new customers?

Thanks to online video sharing websites such as YouTube, Hulu, BBC iPlayer (and legions more), watching videos over the web is second nature to a majority of internet users. Retailers, however, have not yet seized opportunities to incorporate videos into their online stores.

Using Videos to Drive E-commerce Sales

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With such a tremendous rise in the popularity of social media and networking websites today, one might be forgiven for thinking that more traditional online marketing methods, such as email marketing – have had their day. But in fact, email marketing remains a very popular and effective marketing medium that continues to thrive alongside social media and networking sites.

Think of it this way – there are 150 billion internet users worldwide – 39.4 million are in the UK alone (Source: eMarketer) and around 90% of those have access to and use email. By comparison, these numbers still generously outweigh social media sites and even search activities. So, how can you make sure your company get the most out of its email campaigns?

10 Checks to Help Sharpen Your Email Marketing Saw

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The power of good sales copy should never be under estimated. For example, have you ever shopped around to find the best deal, but still ended up making your purchase at a less-competitive price? Having leading products and offering the lowest prices does not always make for the best value.

Whether motivated by emotions or logic, the decision to purchase online is strongly influenced by powerful sales messages and reducing shoppers' perceptions of risk. If your copy can accomplish these two things, your bottom line will thank you.

How to Win Sales and Influence Profits

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