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Archive for 2010
Sitecore’s New Email Campaign Manager
Email That Listens!
Get to know your prospects, delight them by providing them just what they are looking for on your website, and then convert them. All of this is now possible with the breakthough Email Campaign Manager, the customer engagement tool that extends the power of Sitecore CMS and the Sitecore Online Marketing Suite into a complete integrated marketing solution.
The new Sitecore Email Campaign Manager combines the advanced usability of the CMS platform with the analytic power of the Online Marketing Suite. The result? Email campaigns that target customers, increase conversions and drive traffic back to the site.
- CRM Integration- manage the effectiveness of marketing channels in influencing customer actions by storing visitor contact information and site behavior in one convenient location
- Behavioral Analytics - go beyond open and click rates to link analysis, segment performance and conversion results
- Test and Refine - test subject lines, hero images and copy to optimize emails for the best targeted performance
More Information: http://www.sitecore.net/Products/Sitecore-Email-Campaign-Manager.aspx
Falcon-Software is a Premium Certified Sitecore CMS Partner offering full creative design, development, training and hosting services. We invite you to get started today, at no cost. Call us for a free Sitecore CMS consultation at 1-800-957-1126
Sitefinity Web CMS 4.0
The official release of Sitefinity 4.0 is now weeks away with Gabe Sumner demonstrating what’s new in the final pre-release version of Sitefinity 4.0 in a webinar on November 11, 2010. The webinar will also contain details about Sitefinity 4.0 pricing & licensing. New features demonstrated in this webinar include workflow, localization, a meta field builder and more. The new release delivers a next generation web content management system that empowers you to create compelling websites that drive your business and engage with your online community. Everything in Sitefinity 4.0 is developed for efficiency, productivity and interactivity.
Sitefinity 4.0 brings usability to the next level
The new revolutionary User Interface is very task oriented and simplifies the user interaction with the system. Minimalist graphic design – users are not distracted by needless eye-candy elements.
- Flexible interface according to user permissions, roles and responsibilities of the different CMS Users – site administrators, content contributors, and everyone who is working with the CMS backend, thus simplifying the interface and reducing possibilities of error.
- Task oriented design. All button and links not related to the performed task are not displayed.
- Rich interactivity and drag-and-drop interface.
- Contextual interface labels.
- User-friendly customization of the backend system – interface for changing system screens, labels and messages.
Falcon-Software offers a full range of creative design, development, CMS training and hosting services. We invite you to get started today, at no cost. Call us for a free Sitefinity CMS consultation at 1-800-957-1126.
Sitecore Integrates Microsoft CRM
Sitecore Integrates Microsoft Dynamics CRM to Capture Critical Sales Intelligence and Improve Customer Experiences
Copenhagen, Denmark and San Francisco—October 28, 2010 – Sitecore, the leading provider of .NET Web Content Management System software, today announced enhanced integration between Sitecore CMS and Microsoft Dynamics CRM. This gives organizations the opportunity to blend prospect and customer data stored in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM system with real-time insights on Web interactions via Sitecore CMS. It enables marketers to provide more targeted and meaningful customer experiences, while giving sales the insight needed to more effectively nurture prospective customers.
“Today’s marketers are tasked with understanding their customers’ needs and how to meet them at every step in the purchasing funnel,” said John O’Donnell, Dynamics ISV architect evangelist, Microsoft. “Technology plays a critical role in helping marketers connect the dots between online and offline interactions. By enhancing the integration between Sitecore CMS and Microsoft Dynamics, marketer and sales teams can capture and mine customer and prospect intelligence to improve interactions that can ultimately lead to increased sales and brand affinity.”
In a recent report, Forrester also acknowledges, “Orchestration of the brand requires deep knowledge of the consumer, which starts with all of the data available via digital touchpoints. Why? Marketing leaders embrace digital because it is measurable and it can help provide intelligence.”1
“Our website is the absolute core of our sales and marketing strategy, which is based upon making customers the centre of the business and effectively targeting marketing communications aimed at meeting individual customer needs,” says Geerd Schlangen, chief brand officer, Qurius.“By using Microsoft Dynamics CRM with Sitecore CMS we are confident that we not only better capture customer intelligence but integrate all relevant data to create truly meaningful customer experiences and further strengthen our brand and market reputation.”
With full support for Dynamics CRM versions 3.0 and 4.0 and optimal performance tested to the scale of one million users, companies can streamline existing processes and permissions while capturing detailed insight into audience behaviors at every level. Additionally, Sitecore’s latest CMS Web Forms for Marketers release, allows non-technical business users to quickly and easily create Web forms, such as an online survey or billing form, which can be used to capture critical customer or prospect information during their website visit.
“Your website is often the first point of entry for prospective customers and influencers. Capturing intelligence on their online behavior is critical to targeting audiences and creating more engaging experiences,” said Jean-Paul Gomes, vice president of global strategic alliances, Sitecore. “The minute you connect Web visitors to information stored in your CRM system, you can tie campaigns to revenue, the ‘Holy Grail’ for any marketer.”
With the Sitecore CMS and Microsoft Dynamics organizations can:
- Better understand Web interactions and their impact on customer wins and revenue;
- Use customer intelligence to enhance conversion rates;
- Quickly and easily create forms for any purpose, without programming or IT support;
- Capture data in incomplete or un-submitted forms; and
- Automatically capture new leads and valuable prospect data directly into the CRM system.
Falcon-Software is a Premium Certified Sitecore CMS Partner offering full creative design, development, training and hosting services. We invite you to get started today, at no cost. Call us for a free Sitecore CMS consultation at 1-800-957-1126
eCommerce is Alive and Well… Thanks to Social Media!
We all know it costs seven times more to attract a new customer than it does to retain an existing one, and that could not be a truer statement for ecommerce sites in today’s ravenous online ordering culture. One need only to look at the spiraling downfall of Blockbuster Video, one of the least surprising brand name bankruptcies which was largely due to Netflix and iTunes.
Not too long ago, Blockbuster owned the rent-a-video market in North America. However, their inability to adapt to the new technology culture led to a mass exodus of customers to companies like Netflix in the blink of an eye.
So then if brick-and-mortar stores are becoming a thing of the past for certain markets, why are so many ecommerce stores doing so poorly, especially in the SMB world? The answers can be complex, but one reason that rates at the top of the list is a poor after-sales support strategy. Customer service and support drives back repeat business no matter what the format, thus it’s imperative to provide value added services online to keep customers coming back to your website.
One of the many great things about the Internet is that you can quickly research and draw from what’s working online. Take ecommerce giants like Best Buy, Amazon, eBay, Kmart and Future Shop. Those companies didn’t just build online shopping carts, they built online communities.
A large part of building a successful ecommerce community is the use of social media tools like YouTube, Blogs, Facebook, and Twitter to connect with online customers after the sale. Sharing useful tips, tricks, and videos as well as providing discussion forums and feedback rating systems goes a long way towards reaping huge benefits in building a loyal online fan base.
Top Ten eCommerce Social Media Features:
- Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn Feeds
- Product Videos and Document Downloads
- Customer Review & Feedback eForms
- Discussion Forums and Blog Posts
- Customer Generated Rating Systems
- Wish Lists & Sales Price Watches
- Recommended Accessories or Product Matches
- Product Image Galleries
- Social Bookmarking
- Recent Viewing History
In addition to these features, a properly architected ecommerce site has to overcome many of the benefits of shopping offline, one of them is being able to get in touch with the company after the purchase. Make sure it’s easy and obvious for your customers to reach you if they have any questions or issues. Two of the best ways to do this is with a Live Chat on your website and a toll free phone number clearly marked in the header and footer area of the website.
A few other tips to consider at the planning stage of developing an ecommerce site:
- Write your own product descriptions and craft them to appeal to your target audience.
- Post security seals and trustworthy transaction logos on your website for credibility.
- Make sure you know how your website looks to your shoppers on multiple screen resolutions, browsers and platforms.
- Great photos are the secret to great sales online, the digital equivalent of picking up and examining a product.
- Make sure the checkout process is clear, simple, and has as few steps as possible. Don’t create an ecommerce website that acts as your sales prevention team.
Finally, it’s essential that you understand your site traffic. Knowing the profiles and browsing interests are key components in properly adjusting content as you learn about your visitors and their behaviors. Diligent monitoring of your analytics program will allow for answers to such questions as, “What are the first time visitors doing?” and “Which pathways are they using to get to the checkout page?” Remember, visitors that don’t click on the ‘buy now’ button are just as important as the ones that do. Being aware of the sources they came from, what they searched for, and the content they consumed are all critical in understanding conversions and building ecommerce success.
Sitecore vs. SharePoint
Go to www.cms-connected.com