Movie Downloads, HDTV for Home Theater Online

6 Steps to Attracting Black Customers Online

by Jamila White, "The E-Commerce Diva"

In the rush to keep up with technology, many African-American business owners are so busy trying to add the latest bells and whistles to their Web sites, get to the top of the search engines, and learn the latest database technology that they often forget this simple fact: people do business with other *people*, not computers. Understanding the importance of relationships is key to attracting African-American buyers online. Here are a few practical tips to getting Black customers to buy more from your Website.

Step 1: Make a personal connection... put a face on it.

Adding photos of realistic-looking people to your Web site will increase your sales. Photos jump out from a page, so even if someone just skims over the words, the photo will create a lasting impression. If you don't have photos of your actual employees or customers, use stock photography.

Here are a few of my favorite sources for photos:

o FotoSearch: http://www.fotosearch.com

o Getty: http://www.gettyimages.com

o Corbis: http://www.corbis.com

Royalty-free images start at around $19-35 per image and are much less expensive than rights-managed images. If you have a bigger budget, you can purchase CDs with entire collections of African American stock photographs and illustrations.

Step 2: Establish trust.

When you walk into an establishment, you usually can tell right away if you feel comfortable doing business there. You can see if the place is clean and well maintained, brightly lit, and whether someone friendly is available to greet and help you. On the Internet, your Web site has to do all the talking and all the handholding. If this is a potential customer's first visit to your Web site, they may be uncertain if you're a legitimate business and if they can trust you.

There are a number of ways to alleviate these fears and give your customers peace of mind. First, provide full contact information -- including a telephone number -- on your Web site. Second, show a picture of your location and employees, if applicable. Third, if you are a member of any professional organizations, such as the Better Business Bureau and/or professional trade organizations, this is a great time to display your membership logos. Most importantly, display quotes and testimonials for your current happy customers to show how what great quality products and service your company provides.

Step 3: Use the "word of mouth" network.

From the griots of Africa to barbershops and hair salons to the chat rooms on BlackPlanet.com, at the center of African American culture is the oral tradition. Use this ready-made network to your advantage, and give people the tools to tell their friends and colleagues about your products. A greatway to do this is with an instant "Tell a Friend" button on your Web site. Constant Contact (see Step #6) includes this service as part of it's e-newsletter management program.

Step 4: Network with other Black Web sites.

One way to jump-start the flow of traffic to your Web site is by recruiting customers from other high-traffic sites. You can buy ad space on a well-trafficked site that also attracts a high percentage of your target market. A cheaper alternative is to swap ads with a business that offers products or service that complement, but don't compete with, your own offering. For example, if you offer Web site design, look for someone who offers Web site hosting or network services. This strategy can work both with ads on a Web site, but don't overlook swapping ads in each business' promotional e-mail newsletter. (NOTE: Do *not* swap customer databases or lists of email addresses unless you have specific permission from your customers to do so.)

Step 5: Give your customers a reason to act now.

How many times have you visited a Web site and thought to yourself: "What a great product! I'd like to buy it, but I think I'll come back later." Did you actually go back and buy it? Perhaps not. Help your customers make their decision today: make them an offer they can't refuse. For example, use promotions like "limited time only", "this week only", "act today and take $10 off," etc.

Step 6: Keep in touch.

Remember, it's about relationships. Did you know that customers who buy online usually do so on the fourth to eighth visit to your Web site, and not the first visit? So you'll need to come up with a strategy to get them back to your Web site a second, third, and fourth time. The easiest, simplest, and cheapest method, hands down, is an e-mail list. It isn't enough just to collect e-mail addresses on your Web site and at your vending events -- you have to actually *write* and *send* messages to the list! Strive to get your newsletter out at least twice a month, but if you're just getting started, do quarterly, then build up to monthly, and then build up to every other week.

Here are a few e-mail list services I like:

o Aweber: http://www.aweber.com/?203887

o Constant Contact: http://www.roving.com

o YahooGroups (free): http://www.yahoogroups.com

Essentially, what successful online marketing boils down to, regardless of ethnicity, is relationships, relationships, relationships. Find meaningfulways to connect with your customers, and they will not only reward you with their loyalty, but they'll be happy to spread the word about your Web site as well.

© Copyright 2004 Jamila White. All rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jamila White, "The E-Commerce Diva", is an Internet Strategist, Web Designer, and E-Commerce instructor in the Washington D.C. area. For a FREE subscription to her "Sell More Online" e-newsletter, go to http://www.ecommercediva.com.

[NOTE: You are welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end and the copyright notice), and you send a copy of your reprint to info@jamilawhite.com.]

MORE ARTICLES:

Where Can I Download Movies for Free-Best Online Movie Bittorent Sharing Sites

Download Full Length Movies  Unlimited DVD Movie Downloads
Downloading full length movies sitting in your comfortable armchair at home is the new trend nowadays. Buying the movies can be quite expensive and thats why many people try to add more and more DVD movies to their personal collection without paying too much.

Download Full DVD Movies  How To Download Full DVD Movies Online
If you are a movie freak and you can't seem to get your fill of movies from the video rentals, then it's time to shift your attention to a more practical way - download full DVD movies online.

Online DVD Movie Downloads - Devoid Of Charge In The Least
In today?s environment where there is so much emphasis on personal comforts and luxuries, we know that almost anything we need is just a click away. So why should watching movies be any different? Very often instead of making efforts of going to a theatre, we want to watch a movie curled up on our favorite couch in the comfort of our own home.

Divx Full Movies Download - Thinking About DivX Full Movies Download
The worldwide web is continually gaining its popularity in todayýs era And along with this popularity is the recognition that is being acquired by the movie download activities

Legal And Safe Way To Download DVD Movies For Free
Thanks to high speed internet connections today the ability to download free and legal DVD movies has become easier than ever and also very popular Also, downloading DVD movies from the internet is convenient, legal and fast way to own the movies

How to Speed Up Your Free Movie Downloads and Free TV Show Downloads
Five Helpful Ways To Speed Up Your Free Movie And TV Show Downloads As the owner of a TV show and movie download review site I'm asked a great deal of question regarding free movie downloads The question that I'm asked time after time is where to find the very best sites to download free movies and free TV show downloads from

Illegal Movie Downloads - Top 5 Reasons to Avoid Illegal Movie Downloads
Turn on your computer and browse through the series of online websites Sure enough, you are going to meet a handful of unlimited online portals that make the illegal movie downloads their cup of tea

Download Rambo 4 - Fast and Easy Way to Download Rambo 4 the Movie Online
Films which can be acquired from the web are in rapid proliferation, and this the biggest reason why you can now download Rambo 4 the Movie online. You will easily encounter films for downloading online, and with the wide range of websites nowadays, you can acquire video files whether through the free sites or paid websites.

DVD Movies Dating Back to the Dawn of Cinema at Blockbuster.co.uk
In celebration of this year's Oscars, Blockbuster.co.uk have launched Browse by Year which allows visitors to browse virtually their entire DVD movie collection by production year rather than DVD release date so movie fans can find all their favourites from the world of film by the year of original cinema release.

Movie Downloads And The Theory Behind Downloading Movies
Gone are days when watching movies had to be planned as you had to go out of your home and buy tickets and sometimes return back without watching movies as tickets were not available Now-a-days you can plan watching movies at the comfort of your home

Paid movie downloads v/s Free movie downloads
Be it movies, songs, music videos or shows, online downloading websites have been climbing up the charts like never before. The fast moving technology is quick to deal with any hiccups or drawbacks to make the most of the opportunity and turn it into a fruitful reward  both for the customer as well as the site owner. Competition is throat cutting and each site quickly adapts what others are offering to ensure that they are not left behind.

Movies In Your Own Home Movie Theater
After a long day at work, relaxing at the movie theater is a great way to unwind You love the movie theater so much that you are willing to endure extreme traffic just to get there

Download Free Movie Trailers - How to Download Free Movie Trailers?
Nowadays, almost all information that we need can be found on the worldwide web Indeed, it acts as if a huge storage of different information readily available and accessible to everyone which is just a click away

Home Theater AV Magazine Online 'Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity' Launches New Site
Home theater audio and visual magazine online re-design brings the high end audio and home theater enthusiast, the best online technical reference and resource guides.