Website Development Info Needed.
Discussion
I'm trying to work out how to increase a websites subscribers and also, increase revenue. I have various ideas but wondered what software people used to collate payment info and also manage accounts accordingly.
I'm seriously lacking in the IT technical expertise, but thats why i've been brought onboard, to develop the site as a business point of view.
Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.
Rog.
I'm seriously lacking in the IT technical expertise, but thats why i've been brought onboard, to develop the site as a business point of view.
Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.
Rog.
We need a little more information, as your description is still fairly broad. Are you:
1)asking for methods of driving traffic to your service?
Or
2)are you looking for a good software/database CMS package that can be integrated into the service for storing customer records/payments etc?
1)asking for methods of driving traffic to your service?
Or
2)are you looking for a good software/database CMS package that can be integrated into the service for storing customer records/payments etc?
Dodgey_Rog said:
Its a factual website, like a service website, you can search and register, add friends etc and also use it with your iPhone, thats the main point. Its based around mobile usage you see.
the iphone uses the internet via safari, pretty much what you see with internet explorer and Firefox.the only thing it does lack is the flash player plugin. though there are ways round it...
Ade355 said:
2)are you looking for a good software/database CMS package that can be integrated into the service for storing customer records/payments etc?
Sorry to be vague, but not knowing too much about the technical side its difficult to know what to ask. I know what i need to do with it, just wanted to know what systems were best suited to;1) Mail shot users and keep track of read performance.
2) Administer advertisement payment/subscription etc.
3) Keep record of revenue generation for valuation purposes.
I'm looking to develop this and then sell it on to someone bigger.
jon- said:
Sounds like your jumping in at the deep end. As much as I hate to recommend it something like phpnuke MIGHT have what you're looking for, though with requirements like that I'd be inclined to spend a bit of money and get it written.
I'm dealing with IT bods who have no marketing knowhow, all they know is code and how to build things, thats why they approached me, to give them ideas and to help them push it forward for the better. I was just trying to get an insight as i know a few of the guys on here do that sort of thing, any info or resources would be greatly appreciated.Rog,
I actually think its too difficult to answer your questions without knowing the technology the site currently uses (and whether that even matters). There are so many different CMS systems that will have the functionality you mention - plus a LOT more. It might be too much techy information for you to consume but see if you can make sense of this CMS matrix:
http://www.cmsmatrix.org/matrix/cms-matrix?func=se...
Look at the management/commerce search criteria.
Ade
I actually think its too difficult to answer your questions without knowing the technology the site currently uses (and whether that even matters). There are so many different CMS systems that will have the functionality you mention - plus a LOT more. It might be too much techy information for you to consume but see if you can make sense of this CMS matrix:
http://www.cmsmatrix.org/matrix/cms-matrix?func=se...
Look at the management/commerce search criteria.
Ade
I gather you've already got the actual site built and working, so pre-made CMS is not what you need? Now to get the site increased hits and revenue.
So...
1) Mailshots - get an export of all registered email addresses and any mass mail program will do the job. However tracking is much more difficult.
You can embed a invisible (1 pixel image) image into the email, use that to track via the web server logs but this has the downside that most people will block images in emails by default and only allow for specific emails or senders.
A tracked link is usually a better option, and provides data on people who are genuinely interested in your service. So embed a link to a "freebie" (could be a .pdf report for example) and then track the clicks to that link.
If your tech guys are feeling creative then you can make the email tracking image\link unique so you can identify what email address clicked the link.
2) I'd go with a custom front end into the database for subscription and ad payment. Let your finance people enable and disable accounts or ads with a single click as part of their payment process. Without knowing your company and website processes it's a bit hard to recommend any off the shelf solutions.
3) If your not running any sort of website analytics then you need to get some. Google Analytics (http://www.google.com/analytics/indexu.html) is free.
Of course lots of other things, like make sure your meta tags are optimized or get your site linked on a few blogs that relate to your service so that you get as high up search page listings as possible. If your using anything like Google Adwords then keep a close eye on your keywords to make sure your not blowing your advertising budget on out of context adverts.
Hope this helps.
So...
1) Mailshots - get an export of all registered email addresses and any mass mail program will do the job. However tracking is much more difficult.
You can embed a invisible (1 pixel image) image into the email, use that to track via the web server logs but this has the downside that most people will block images in emails by default and only allow for specific emails or senders.
A tracked link is usually a better option, and provides data on people who are genuinely interested in your service. So embed a link to a "freebie" (could be a .pdf report for example) and then track the clicks to that link.
If your tech guys are feeling creative then you can make the email tracking image\link unique so you can identify what email address clicked the link.
2) I'd go with a custom front end into the database for subscription and ad payment. Let your finance people enable and disable accounts or ads with a single click as part of their payment process. Without knowing your company and website processes it's a bit hard to recommend any off the shelf solutions.
3) If your not running any sort of website analytics then you need to get some. Google Analytics (http://www.google.com/analytics/indexu.html) is free.
Of course lots of other things, like make sure your meta tags are optimized or get your site linked on a few blogs that relate to your service so that you get as high up search page listings as possible. If your using anything like Google Adwords then keep a close eye on your keywords to make sure your not blowing your advertising budget on out of context adverts.
Hope this helps.
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