Website Design Update: SagePay Listens

After SagePay updated their system and the My SagePay website design over the weekend there was a huge amount of (mostly negative) feedback on blogs, twitter and the SagePay website. This negative commentary continues but an email was sent yesterday and it seems SagePay are listening.

Choice of Web Systems

SagePay have announced that you will soon be able to select which system you want to use, either the old system (known affectionately as myoldskool) or the new My SagePay interface. With all the current issues surrounding the new web interface I would imagine that there will be a lot reverting back to the old interface.

Time To Jump Ship, or Just Change Interface

So if we need to change back to the old interface (which is not actually fully functional) is it time to change Web Gateway Provider? Many who are shouting about it in the blogosphere would have you believe that they are going to do just that. Namely leave SagePay and hop skip and a jump across to WorldPay. There not, of course, because anyone who has set up a payment gateway knows that nothing is that simple. So I don’t think it’s true and even if it was, its a knee jerk reaction and a mistake.

This is not a time to make a sudden decision, or mistake or a costly move. I have used WorldPay and have customers who do. I’m not convinced that WorldPay is the way forward. Remember there is a reason we started using SagePay in the first place. Time will tell, and maybe SagePay will have to go and WorldPay or others will come back into play, but I think that they need to be given a chance to get their act together and start giving us that great reliable service we have come to depend on.

A Great Way to Use Social Media Marketing

Email Marketing at Christmas

We are fast approaching the Christmas season and as a business you will already be well aware of the cost associated with designing, printing and distributing say 500+ Christmas cards to your clients is not one to be dismissed.

A recent study carried out by LinkShare, found that almost half of Marketers’ will be using one of the many Social Platforms for online marketing in the coming few months, with a further 37% intending to promote products and services with special offers and coupons.

Social Media Marketing is the perfect platform to either test the waters with a Christmas E-Card/E-Mail Marketing or to expand your current Email Marketing/ Social Media Marketing Campaigns, in either case you need to consider the following:

Budget

What kind of budget are you willing to commit to your campaign, if you are simply sending out an e-card for Christmas with no real objective then you won’t need much at all. However perhaps a smarter business strategy would be to combine the Christmas Season with a special offer or promotion launched on multiple platforms which would require more organising, monitoring, and follow-up and therefore more budget – but may be more beneficial in the long term. Whatever you decide be realistic in your expected outcomes.

Platform

Whichever platform/platforms you choose to use, be sure of one thing – that you can update and Socialise with then regularly or all you hard work will be a waste. Don’t over face yourself pick one or two areas and focus your energy on those – you can always expand at a later date.

Audience

Take some care to understand what it is and who it is that you are targeting e.g.  Don’t waste your time (and theirs) sending vouchers to individuals that clearly don’t have a need for what you are offering. Tailor your offers and marketing to your target and make it an easy decision for them.

Value

One man’s Gold is another man’s rubbish – approach your strategy with a rounded approach. While offering a voucher might tweak the interest of some, a newsletter signup crammed full of useful and therefore valuable info may well be just what the doctor ordered.

Don’t forget the Social in Social Media Marketing

Be prepared to spend some time just interacting with your Fans, Followers or replying to a comment. It’s a fundamental part of building trust, relationships and the difference between Social Media Marketing and Successful Social Media Marketing.